A Distributed Performance Consensus Control Strategy of Multistack PEMFC Generation System for Hydrogen EMU Trains

The traction power of electrical multiple unit (EMU) trains can even reach megawatt level so that in hydrogen EMU trains, it is necessary to adopt the multistack proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) generation system (MFCS), which can provide higher power. MFCS is composed of multiple parallel-connected PEMFC. Different PEMFCs often have different durability. In general, it is hoped that all the PEMFCs in an MFCS do not have large performance differences, which often occurs under traditional strategies. And it is also hoped that PEMFCs have longer and uniform lifetimes. To meet this demand, first, this article conducted a feasibility study on the EMU hybrid system and obtained the configuration scheme. Then, this article proposed a distributed performance consensus control strategy for MFCS. Moreover, considering fault and fault removal conditions, the strategy was further designed for high robustness. And based on stability analysis of iterative matrix, key parameters of the algorithm were set. Finally, based on hardware-in-the-loop experiments, this article conducted experiments in real-time and showed the effectiveness and superiority of strategy through comparison with the traditional strategy. Besides, the high-robustness characteristic of the proposed strategy was also verified through experiments under communication fault, electrical fault, and electrical fault removal conditions.

Automated summary

This study introduces the electricity generation system MFCS and control strategy for hydrogen EMU trains, proposing a distributed performance consensus control strategy. Through experiments, the effectiveness and robustness of the strategy are verified, demonstrating superiority over traditional strategies.