Temperature Control of Fuel Cells Based on the Active Disturbance Rejection Algorithm

Abstract Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) often experience temperature deviation under dynamic loads, where excessive heat may cause membrane dehydration and perforation, while low temperatures can lead to water accumulation—both seriously affecting performance and lifespan. Traditional Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) control struggles under such nonlinear and disturbance-rich conditions, resulting in large overshoots and slow response. This study proposes a temperature control strategy based on active disturbance rejection control (ADRC). A lumped parameter thermal-voltage model (LPTVM) is developed to capture the coupled dynamics. A current feedforward tracking differentiator (TD) is designed to smooth step-load disturbances, and an extended state observer (ESO) estimates unmodeled dynamics in real time, such as ambient temperature fluctuations and membrane aging. Experimental results under three current steps (15–60 A, 60–30 A, and 30–45 A), mimicking acceleration, deceleration, and cruising, show that ADRC reduces overshoot by 66.7%, 69.1%, and 84.9% and shortens settling time by 71.95 s, 61.69 s, and 41.32 s, respectively. The stack temperature remains within 353 ± 1 K, demonstrating the robustness and engineering potential of the proposed method.