A nonlinear Luenberger observer for the estimation of temperature distribution in a planar solid oxide fuel cell

Minimizing the thermal gradients is extremely important in a planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) for improving the cell life. The estimation of the temperature distribution in the cell is necessary since it is difficult and costly to measure the temperature inside a high temperature, well-sealed cell directly. In this paper, a nonlinear Luenberger observer has been designed for estimating the temperature distribution in a hydrogen fed SOFC stack. The observer design is based on a finite-volume parameter SOFC model. In the observer design, a decoupling pole placement method is proposed to obtain a suitable observer gain. Theoretical analysis and simulation results are presented to prove the good performance of the designed observer during steady-state and transient operation.