AC loss optimization of high temperature superconducting magnetic energy storage considering energy management strategies in a hydrogen-battery system

Hydrogen-battery systems have great potential to be used in the propulsion system of electric ships. High temperature superconducting magnetic energy storage (HTS-SMES) has the advantages of high-power density, fast response, and high efficiency, which greatly reduce the dynamic power response of hydrogen-battery systems. Although a superconductor has zero-resistance during direct current operation, considerable alternating current (AC) loss is generated in superconducting coils during charging and discharging operations, which reduces the overall efficiency of the system and increases the quench risk of superconducting coils. Therefore, it is essential to analyze and optimize the AC loss of SMES during the design and optimization of a hydrogen-battery-SMES system. In this work, the AC losses of SMES in a hydrogen-battery-SMES system is studied under three energy management strategies, proportional-integral (PI) control, fuzzy logic, and the equivalent hydrogen consumption minimization strategy. The results show that the high fluctuation of load power can cause significant increases of AC losses in SMES. The fuzzy logic management method has the lowest AC loss among the three strategies. An orthogonal experimental method is presented to optimize the SMES structure. A control strategy based on a neural network is proposed to minimize the AC loss in SMES. Compared with PI control, the SMES AC loss can be reduced by up to 64.2 % using the proposed control scheme. •A fuel cell - battery - SMES energy management system is established.•The AC losses of SMES under different energy management strategies is analyzed.•A structural optimization scheme for SMES is proposed to reduce AC loss.•Optimization strategies for SMES AC loss are proposed.