Research on anode inlet pressure control strategy of PEMFC through hardware-in-the-loop test

• A control-oriented model of the hydrogen gas supply system was developed, on the basis of which a second-order nonlinear active disturbance rejection control was designed. • The steady-state and dynamic responses of the PID and second-order nonlinear active disturbance rejection control are analyzed based on hardware-in-the-loop tests and software simulations, respectively. • The second-order nonlinear active disturbance rejection control outperforms PID in suppressing current load variations and purge disturbances, and also has a good following effect. Stable pressure control can improve the efficiency and lifespan of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systems. The anode inlet pressure of the hydrogen supply system in PEMFC is easily affected by changes in current load and purge disturbances. In response to these issues, a second-order nonlinear active disturbance rejection control (NLADRC) method applicable to the system is proposed. Firstly, a dynamic model of the hydrogen supply system based on an 80 kW PEMFC is established, and the accuracy of the model is verified. Subsequently, a NLADRC for the hydrogen supply system is designed and compared with the traditional proportional integral derivative (PID) control. Finally, the effect of NLADRC on the fuel-control union (FCU) is verified through hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test. The simulation results show that, compared with PID control, the anode inlet pressure of the hydrogen supply system based on the NLDARC has less overshoot, a faster response speed, stronger anti-interference ability and a good following effect. Through the HIL test, it is verified that the NLADRC algorithm is also applicable to the FCU. The model and control method proposed in this paper can be used to optimize the control of the hydrogen supply system and improve the dynamic performance of PEMFC.