Development of an HT PEM Fuel Cell Emulator Using a Multiphase Interleaved DC-DC Converter Topology

This paper presents a new emulator topology for a high-temperature (HT) proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell (FC). Emulators are used to predict FC behavior and facilitate development of the power-conditioning subsystems. In this paper, the high-temperature system is modeled and emulated both in the steady state and transient domains. The model is tailored to operate effectively in real time on the emulator hardware and to deliver acceptable performance during steady-state and dynamic conditions. In particular, a two-stage approach is applied to the design of the emulator hardware. The first stage is based on a multiphase interleaved converter, capable of maximizing ripple cancellation, while ensuring rapid dynamic performance through the use of reduced filter components. These benefits are only apparent by operating the converter at its critical duty ratio. This is achieved through the introduction of a power-stage converter, which tracks the steady-state behavior of the FC, allowing the multiphase converter to account for the rapid transient behavior. This operating principle improves the quality of the output dc voltage and dynamic performance beyond that achieved by conventional emulator topologies. The experimental results of the FC stack, HT PEM FC model and emulator are presented to confirm the performance of the proposed system.