Thermal modelling approach and model predictive control of a water-cooled PEM fuel cell system

In this paper, a modular thermal modelling approach for a water-cooled Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell (PEM-FC) stack is proposed. The resultant model is based on the heat flux inside the stack and has been validated in a real test station. Then, a linear model predictive control (MPC) strategy for temperature regulation is designed and tested in simulation with promising results. The proposed MPC controller not only tackles the temperature regulation problem, but also incorporates necessary management constraints for the proper operation of the system in real conditions.