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Nowadays, the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEMEL) is a promising and attractive technology when coupling with renewable energy sources (RES). Indeed, PEMEL can respond quickly to the dynamic operations of RES. Given that PEMEL must be supplied with a low DC voltage, DC-DC converters are mandatory. In this work, a stacked interleaved buck DC-DC converter is used. In this paper, the tuning of proportional, integral and derivative (PID) controllers, which are often used to enhance electrolyzer performances (efficient and reliable operation), is based on the dynamic behavior of the PEMEL. Before designing the PID controller, a model of the PEMEL is proposed based on input-output measured data, and this model is combined with the converter state-space description. Then, the obtained global model is used to tune two PID controller configurations: the first one to control the current and the second one to control the voltage of the PEMEL. Experimental tests are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the designed control laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the two last decades, hydrogen production has been attracting the attention of the scientific community thanks to its inherent very low pollution when energy coming from renewable energy sources (RESs) are used. However, it implies the use of DC/DC converters to interface source and load. These conversion systems must meet several requirements from current ripple point of view, energy efficiency, and performance to preserve the sustainability of hydrogen production. This article proposes the design and realization of a stacked interleaved buck converter to supply a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer. The converter is designed to ensure a low output current ripple and a suitable dynamic response to guarantee the reliability of the electrolyzer. A theoretical analysis of the converter, taking into account the dynamic model of the electrolyzer, and the design of the control system based both on feedforward and a feedback action is provided. The stability of the control system is discussed as well. The effectiveness of the model and the control algorithm has been verified by simulation and experimental results on a PEM electrolyzer at laboratory scale; the extension to higher power levels is discussed at the end. • Current requirements of DC-DC converters for electrolyzers are emphasized. • A stacked interleaved step-down converter is proposed for electrolyzers. • The controller is designed based on the electrical model of the electrolyzer. • The developed control has been validated both by simulations and experimentally. • The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the control to enhance performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper deals with hydrogen production via water electrolysis, which is considered the most attractive and promising solution. Specifically, the use of renewable energy sources, such as wind electric power generators, is hypothesized for supplying the electrolyzer, aiming to strongly reduce the environmental impact. In particular, micro-wind energy conversion systems (μWECSs) are attractive for their low cost and easy installation. In order to interface the μWECS and the electrolyzer, suitable power conditioning systems such as step-down DC-DC converters are mandatory. However, due to the requested high conversion ratio between the DC bus grid, i.e. the output of a three-phase diode rectifier connected to the output of the electric generator, and the rated supply voltage of the electrolyzer, the classic buck converter alone is not suitable. Therefore, a converter is proposed and designed, consisting of a buck converter, a full-bridge IGBT converter, a single-phase transformer, and a diode bridge rectifier; LC filters are also included between buck and full-bridge converters, and at the output of the diode bridge rectifier with the aim of reducing the ripple on currents and voltages. The components of the described physical system from the output of the three-phase rectifier up to the electrolyzer are then modeled assuming the transformer as ideal, and the model is employed for designing a PI-type controller. Experimental results are provided in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed converter and its control for these applications. Highlights • Drawbacks of used DC-DC converters for electrolyzers are highlighted. • A suitable high-voltage ratio DC-DC converter is proposed for electrolyzers. • The converter has been designed to minimize output current ripple. • Robust control laws have been developed to ensure good dynamic performances. • The proposed converter and its control have been validated experimentally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the use of electrolyzers to produce cleanly and efficiently hydrogen from renewable energy sources (i.e. wind turbines, photovoltaic) has taken advantage of a growing interest from researchers and industrial. Similarly to fuel cells, DC/DC converters are needed to interface the DC bus with the electrolyzer. Usually, electrolyzers require a low DC voltage to produce hydrogen from water. For this reason, a DC/DC buck converter is generally used for this purpose. However, other DC/DC converter topologies can be used depending on the feature of the electrolyzer and electrical grid as well. The main purpose of this paper is to present the current state-of-the-art of DC/DC converter topologies which can be combined with electrolyzers. The different DC/DC converter topologies are compared in terms of output current ripple reduction, conversion ratio, energy efficiency, and power switch fault-tolerance. Besides, remarks on the state-of-the-art and remaining key issues regarding DC/DC converters are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the low and unregulated voltage generated by fuel cells, power electronic conditioning systems such as DC/DC converter are required in Fuel Cell Systems (FCS). These FCS are used in different applications with critical loads such as automotive applications, material handling equipment, and backup power. In these applications, it is crucial to guarantee reliability and availability. In FCS, DC/DC converters are one of the most important failure sources. Since the power switches ranked the most delicate components in DC/DC converters, the development of power switch fault detection algorithm is a mandatory step in order to ensure the availability of the system. The purpose of this paper is to propose a fast and original power switch fault detection algorithm based on Park's vectors combined with a Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC) for a 3-leg Interleaved DC/DC Boost Converter (IBC) used in FCS. The developed power switch fault detection and FTC are implemented on a FPGA target, allowing detecting, identifying and handling quickly the faulty power switch. The obtained results from experimental tests confirm the excellent performances of the proposed power switch fault detection algorithm and the FTC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many researchers have proposed new DC/DC converters in order to meet the fuel cell requirements. The reliability of these DC/DC converters is crucial in order to guarantee the availability of fuel cell systems. In these converters, power switches ranked the most fragile components. In order to enhance the reliability of DC/DC converters, fuel cell systems have to include fault-tolerant topologies. Usually, dynamic redundancy is employed to make a fault-tolerant converter. Despite this kind of converter allows ensuring a continuity of service in case of faults, the use of dynamic redundancy gets back to increase the complexity of the converter. In order to cope with reliability expectations in DC/DC converters, floating interleaved boost converters seem to be the best solution. Indeed, they have much to offer for fuel cells and DC renewable energy sources (i.e. photovoltaic system), including reduced input current ripple and reliability in case of faults. Despite the offered benefits of this topology, operating degraded modes lead up to undesirable effects such as electrical overstress on components and input current ripple increasing. The aim of this paper is to carry out a thorough analysis of these undesirable effects and to propose remedial strategies to minimize them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the effects of high-frequency current ripple coming from DC/DC converters on Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) have gained a growing interest from the international scientific community. Currently, the durability is one of the major technical challenges to PEMFC commercialization. Basing on the existing literature, the high-frequency current ripple leads up to long-term degradations on PEMFC, particularly on its lifetime. Accordingly, in order to enhance the PEMFC lifetime, new DC/DC converter topologies have been developed, such as Interleaved DC/DC Boost Converter (IBC). Despite this topology can minimize drastically the current ripple, the loss of one leg in case of power switch fault leads up to the drastic increasing of the current ripple and consequently long-term degradations on the PEMFC. In order to cope with this issue, solutions have to be developed. Within the framework of this research work, an efficient Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC) implemented on an FPGA board has been developed to solve this issue. The latter consists in changing the PWM gate control signal according to the faulty leg given by a fault detection algorithm. The obtained experimental results between a PEMFC and an IBC topology allows demonstrating the ability of the FTC to reduce drastically the current ripple in case of power switch faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In electrolyzers, Faraday's efficiency is a relevant parameter to assess the amount of hydrogen generated according to the input energy and energy efficiency. Faraday's efficiency expresses the faradaic losses due to the gas crossover current. The thickness of the membrane and operating conditions (i.e., temperature, gas pressure) may affect the Faraday's efficiency. The developed models in the literature are mainly focused on alkaline electrolyzers and based on the current and temperature change. However, the modeling of the effect of gas pressure on Faraday's efficiency remains a major concern. In proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, the thickness of the used membranes is very thin, enabling decreasing ohmic losses and the membrane to operate at high pressure because of its high mechanical resistance. Nowadays, high-pressure hydrogen production is mandatory to make its storage easier and to avoid the use of an external compressor. However, when increasing the hydrogen pressure, the hydrogen crossover currents rise, particularly at low current densities. Therefore, faradaic losses due to the hydrogen crossover increase. In this article, experiments are performed on a commercial PEM electrolyzer to investigate Faraday's efficiency based on the current and hydrogen pressure change. The obtained results have allowed modeling the effects of Faraday's efficiency by a simple empirical model valid for the studied PEM electrolyzer stack. The comparison between the experiments and the model shows very good accuracy in replicating Faraday's efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with two main issues regarding the specific energy consumption in an electrolyzer (i.e., the Faraday efficiency and the converter topology). The first aspect is addressed using a multistack configuration of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers supplied by a wind turbine conversion system (WTCS). This approach is based on the modeling of the wind turbine and the electrolyzers. The WTCS and the electrolyzers are interfaced through a stacked interleaved DC–DC buck converter (SIBC), due to its benefits for this application in terms of the output current ripple and reliability. This converter is controlled so that it can offer dynamic behavior that is faster than the wind turbine, avoiding overvoltage during transients, which could damage the PEM electrolyzers. The SIBC is designed to be connected in array configuration (i.e., parallel architecture), so that each converter operates at its maximum efficiency. To assess the performance of the power management strategy, experimental tests were carried out. The reported results demonstrate the correct behavior of the system during transient operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to develop a dynamic emulator of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer (EL) through an equivalent electrical model. Experimental investigations have highlighted the capacitive effect of EL when subjecting to dynamic current profiles, which so far has not been reported in the literature. Thanks to a thorough experimental study, the electrical domain of a PEM EL composed of 3 cells has been modeled under dynamic operating conditions. The dynamic emulator is based on an equivalent electrical scheme that takes into consideration the dynamic behavior of the EL in cases of sudden variation in the supply current. The model parameters were identified for a suitable current interval to consider them as constant and then tested with experimental data. The obtained results through the developed dynamic emulator have demonstrated its ability to accurately replicate the dynamic behavior of a PEM EL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to propose and experimentally validate a static-dynamic electrical model of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer. The originality of this work concerns the cell voltage modeling according to static and dynamic operations. Indeed, the cells of the PEM electrolyzer may be subjected to degradations due to the operating conditions and current ripple generated by power electronics. Hence, cell voltage response and efficiency may be affected. For this reason, it is crucial to model each cell voltage to investigate the degradation and wear effects mainly caused by the dynamic operating conditions met when coupling with renewable energy sources and current ripple from power electronics. To develop an accurate model, static and dynamic operations are investigated on a commercial-400 W PEM electrolyzer stack. To enhance the accuracy of the model in replicating the real behavior of the electrolyzer, the parameters of the model are adapted according to the input current. The comparison between the experimental data and the developed model has enabled confirming the effectiveness of the model to reproduce the cell voltage static and dynamic behavior according to the input current. • An adaptive cell voltage model has been developed for PEM electrolyzer. • The developed model is based on static and dynamic characterization. • Dynamics and current ripple issues have been discussed. • An equivalent electrical model has been used to model each cell voltage. • Experimental tests have been performed to validate the e_ectiveness of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared to alkaline electrolyzers, PEM electrolyzers offer high current densities and can be coupled to renewable energy sources because of their fast responses to dynamics. The modeling of PEM electrolyzers is a challenging issue to reproduce its behavior and to design properly power electronics and its control without damaging a real electrolyzer. The input current may have an impact on the dynamics of the electrolyzer and must be taken into consideration to make a model more reliable. In this work, an equivalent electrical circuit to replicate accurately the dynamic behavior of the PEM electrolyzer subject to fast current change is investigated. Based on the input current, the parameters of the model can not be considered as constant. Hence, to improve the accuracy of the model, an adaptive static-dynamic electrical model is proposed and takes into consideration the change of input current. This model is validated by using a commercial-400 W PEM electrolyzer. The obtained results demonstrate the effectiveness of the model to predict the PEM stack voltage. • Development and validation of a static-dynamic model for PEM electrolyzer voltage. • Analysis of the voltage dynamic behavior in a PEM electrolyzer. • The dynamic behaviors have been modeled through an electronic circuit. • Parameter estimation for a static-dynamic mathematical model. • Simulation and comparison of a mathematical model and PEMelectrolyzer voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer is an advanced technology considered a viable alternative for the generation of hydrogen-based on renewable energy sources (RES). Its modeling is essential to study its interaction with RES and power electronics. In the current literature, the models for the electrical domain are mainly based on semi-empirical and empirical equations. However, dynamic operations are generally neglected. Besides, a few works about electrolyzer efficiency have been reported, especially Faraday's efficiency, which is a key parameter to express the losses due to gas diffusion. The main purpose of this review is to summarize and analyze the reported models to describe the electrical domain. Furthermore, dynamic operation issues are highlighted and recent works about modeling the dynamics are introduced. Finally, a discussion is provided about the different efficiency (Faraday, voltage, energy) and the specific energy consumption, which are important indicators linked with the performance. • Review of the recent development of models for the electrical domain. • Analysis of the dynamics of the electrolyzer. • Investigation of an equivalent dynamic electrical circuit. • Survey focused on the modeling of Faraday's efficiency. • A discussion is provided to emphasize the remaining key issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy production mainly depends on atmospheric conditions. The atmospheric stability can be described through different parameters, such as wind shear, turbulence intensity, bulk Richardson number, and the Monin–Obukhov length. Although they are frequently used in micrometeorology and the wind industry, there is no standard comparison method. This study describes the atmospheric stability of a coastal region of Yucatan, Mexico, using these four parameters. They are calculated using six-month data from a meteorological mast and a marine buoy to determine atmospheric stability conditions and compare their results. The unstable atmospheric condition was predominant at the site, with an 80% occurrence during the measurement period, followed by 12% in neutral and 6% in stable conditions. Wind speed estimations were performed for each atmospheric stability scenario, and the variation in the energy produced was derived for each case. Unstable atmospheric conditions deliver up to 8% more power than stable conditions, while neutral conditions deliver up to 9% more energy than stable conditions. Therefore, considering a neutral state may lead to a considerably biased energy production estimation. Finally, an example calculation indicates that atmospheric stability is a crucial parameter in estimating wind energy production more accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributed power generation plays a critical role in the stability and reliability of modern power systems. Due to the rapid growth of renewable energy generation, the requirements of the transmission and distribution system operators are becoming more stringent. Among these requirements, one of the most important is the Low-Voltage Ride-Through (LVRT) capability, which demands that the inverters remain connected to the grid and provide support during voltage sags. For this purpose, flexible current control algorithms stand out because they can manage unbalanced voltages and simultaneously achieve other control objectives. With the aim of presenting a concrete document focused on describing fundamental principles and discussing common design guidelines, this paper presents an overview of flexible current control strategies applied to LVRT capability. The operation features and design aspects of experiences reported in the literature are reviewed. Moreover, the paper proposes a general methodology to design LVRT flexible current control algorithms. Finally, current and future trends are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-discharge phenomenon results in a decrease of the open-circuit voltage (OCV), which occurs when an electrochemical device is disconnected from the power source. Although the self-discharge phenomenon has widely been investigated for energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors, no previous works have been reported in the literature about this phenomenon for electrolyzers. For this reason, this work is mainly focused on investigating the self-discharge voltage that occurs in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer. To investigate this voltage drop for modeling purposes, experiments have been performed on a commercial PEM electrolyzer to analyze the decrease in the OCV. One model was developed based on different tests carried out on a commercial-400 W PEM electrolyzer for the self-discharge voltage. The proposed model has been compared with the experimental data to assess its effectiveness in modeling the self-discharge phenomenon. Thus, by taking into account this voltage drop in the modeling, simulations with a higher degree of reliability were obtained when predicting the behavior of PEM electrolyzers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy management is developed for PEM fuel cell multi-stack system. • A nonlinear differential flatness based-control has been designed. • Multiphase interleaved boost converters have been used to reduce current ripple. • An experimental test rig has been realized to validate the proposed strategy. • Obtained experimental results show excellent performance during load cycles. This article is focused on the development of an energy management algorithm applied to a multi-stack fuel cell (FC) system for DC microgrid applications. To guarantee the performance of the FC stacks, the current ripple is reduced by employing multiphase interleaved boost converters. A proposed advanced control technique of the multi-stack with multiphase converters for the proton exchange membrane (PEM) FCs is estimated based on a differential flatness approach, in which it can track the power demand in real-time. Furthermore, the differential flatness based-control can ensure the balance of the DC bus voltage of the DC microgrid when load disturbance occurs. The flatness-based energy management strategy is based on both inner current loops (control of the multi-stack PEMFC through their multiphase interleaved boost converters) and outer voltage loop (DC bus voltage regulation). Compared to classic PI controllers mainly based on the linearization of the system to obtain the transfer function (making complex its application), the flatness-based theory leans on time-domain making it easier its use for various applications while ensuring good performances. To validate the proposed control structure, an FC converter system (5 kW) is realized and validated in the laboratory. For hydrogen production, the methanol FC system has consisted of a reformer engine that changes water mixed methanol liquid into hydrogen to supply FC stacks (ME2Power Fuel Cell System: 50 V, 5 kW). The proposed control algorithm is tested experimentally by using a dSPACE controller board platform. Simulation and test bench results authenticate the excellent performance during load cycles in DC microgrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is focused on an original control approach applied to a transportation system that includes a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) as the main energy source and supercapacitors (SC) as the energy storage backup. To interface the SC with the DC bus of the embedded network, a two-port bidirectional DC-DC converter was used. To control the system and ensure its stability, a reduced-order mathematical model of the network was developed through a nonlinear control approach employing a differential flatness algorithm, which is an attractive and efficient solution to make the system stable by overcoming the dynamic issues generally met in the power electronics networks of transportation systems. The design and tuning of the system control were not linked with the equilibrium point at which the interactions between the PEMFC main source, the SC energy storage device, and the loads are taken into consideration by the proposed control law. Besides this, high dynamics in the load power rejection were accomplished, which is the main contribution of this article. To verify the effectiveness of the developed control law, a small-scale experimental test rig was realized in the laboratory and the control laws were implemented in a dSPACE 1103 controller board. The experimental tests were performed with a 1 kW PEMFC source and a 250 F 32 V SC module as an energy storage backup. Lastly, the performances of the proposed control strategy were validated based on real experimental results measured during driving cycles, including motoring mode, ride-though, and regenerative braking mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a new control law for an embedded DC distributed network supplied by a supercapacitor module (as a supplementary source) and a battery module (as the main generator) for transportation applications. A novel control algorithm based on the nonlinear differential flatness approach is studied and implemented in the laboratory. Using the differential flatness theory, straightforward solutions to nonlinear system stability problems and energy management have been developed. To evaluate the performance of the studied control technique, a hardware power electronics system is designed and implemented with a fully digital calculation (real-time system) realized with a MicroLabBox dSPACE platform (dual-core processor and FPGA). Obtained test bench results with a small scale prototype platform (a supercapacitor module of 160 V, 6 F and a battery module of 120 V, 40 Ah) corroborate the excellent control structure during drive cycles: steady-state and dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interest in green hydrogen has been increasing in recent years for several applications, such as energy storage and different industrial sectors. The green hydrogen is produced from water electrolysis supplied by renewable electricity. The operation of industrial large-scale water electrolysis is characterized by a high DC current in the kiloampere range and a few hundred volts. Therefore, the rectifier unit plays an important role in converting AC current of the electricity grid into DC current supplied to the electrolyzer. The power electronic converters are also considered as one of the main cost components of the water electrolyzer system. The objective of this paper is to study whether the operation at a higher voltage than typical values (200 V–300 V) can be beneficial both for the cost and energy efficiency of the power converters in water electrolyzer systems. In this study, three different rectifier topologies considered for an industrial-scale electrolyzer are analyzed and compared in terms of energy efficiency and cost. The simulation models of each topology are carried out in the Matlab/Simulink environment. • The effect of voltage elevation on industrial water electrolyzer system is studied. • Thyristor and transistor-based rectifiers for water electrolyzers are analyzed. • Voltage elevation improves the energy efficiency and cost of rectifiers. • Buck-rectifier provides lowest specific energy consumption of electrolyzer stack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, various countries have been paying attention to environmental protection issues, believing that climate change is the main challenge to the developed countries' energy policies. The most discussed solution is renewable energy. The energy storage system can reduce the burden of the overall power system of renewable energy. The hydrogen energy is one of the optimal energy storage system options of renewable energy at present. According to these policies and the future trend, this study used micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology to integrate micro voltage, current, temperature, humidity, flow and pressure sensors on a 50 μm thick polyimide (PI) substrate. After the optimization design and process optimization, the flexible six-in-one microsensor was embedded in the proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) for internal real-time microscopic monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC microgrid applications include electric vehicle systems, shipboard power systems, and More Electric Aircraft (MEA), which produce power at a low voltage level. Rapid developments in hydrogen fuel cell (FC) energy have extended the applications of multi-phase parallel interleaved step-up converters in stabilizing DC bus voltage. The cascade architecture of power converters in DC microgrids may lead to large oscillation and even risks of instability given that the load converters considered as loads feature constant power load (CPL) characteristics. In this article, the output DC bus voltage stabilization and the current sharing of a multi-phase parallel interleaved FC boost converter is presented. The extended Port-Hamiltonian (pH) form has been proposed with the robust controller by adding an integrator action based on the Lyapunov−Energy function, named "Adaptive Hamiltonian PI controller". The stability and robustness of the designed controller have been estimated by using Mathematica and Matlab/Simulink environments and successfully authenticated by performing experimental results in the laboratory. The results have been obtained using a 2.5 kW prototype FC converter (by two-phase parallel interleaved boost converters) with a dSPACE MicroLabBox platform. The FC main source system is based on a fuel reformer engine that transforms fuel methanol and water into hydrogen gas H2 to a polymer electrolyte membrane FC stack (50 V, 2.5 kW). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A buck-based, isolated, high-voltage-ratio DC/DC converter that allows supplying a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer from a micro-wind energy conversion system (μ WECS) has been recently presented. It exhibits low ripple at the switching frequency on the output voltage and current and represents an attractive solution for low-cost hydrogen production. In this paper, a more accurate mathematical model of such a converter is derived and discussed. Then, a model-based robust controller is designed in the frequency domain using the Internal Model Control structure and in the context of H 2 ∕ H ∞ optimal control. The controller satisfies the condition of robust stability and behavior, i.e., it guarantees stability and the desired behavior in the presence of parametric variations and unmodeled dynamics. In particular, the robustness in the presence of variations of DC-link voltage and buck input inductance is verified from the theoretical point of view. The validation of the controller is performed by integrating it into a detailed switching model of the DC/DC converter, which is implemented on a widely used circuit-oriented simulator. Good results are obtained in terms of dynamic and steady-state behavior, even in the presence of the above variations. A comparison is also carried out with the results obtained using an integral controller designed on the basis of the above mathematical model. Such a comparison shows the superiority of the robust controller over the integral controller in all the operating conditions, especially when the DC-link voltage is subject to significant variations and is affected by a non-negligible low-frequency ripple due to the presence of the diode rectifier at the output of the μ WECS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]