Multivariable Controller Design for the Cooling System of a PEM Fuel Cell by considering Nearly Optimal Solutions in a Multiobjective Optimization Approach

This paper presents a design for the multivariable control of a cooling system in a PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell stack. This system is complex and challenging enough: interactions between variables, highly nonlinear dynamic behavior, etc. This design is carried out using a multiobjective...

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Main Authors: Alberto Pajares, Xavier Blasco, Juan M. Herrero, Raúl Simarro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2020-01-01
Series:Complexity
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8649428
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author Alberto Pajares
Xavier Blasco
Juan M. Herrero
Raúl Simarro
author_facet Alberto Pajares
Xavier Blasco
Juan M. Herrero
Raúl Simarro
author_sort Alberto Pajares
collection DOAJ
description This paper presents a design for the multivariable control of a cooling system in a PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell stack. This system is complex and challenging enough: interactions between variables, highly nonlinear dynamic behavior, etc. This design is carried out using a multiobjective optimization methodology. There are few previous works that address this problem using multiobjective techniques. Also, this work has, as a novelty, the consideration of, in addition to the optimal controllers, the nearly optimal controllers nondominated in their neighborhood (potentially useful alternatives). In the multiobjective optimization problem approach, the designer must make decisions that include design objectives; parameters of the controllers to be estimated; and the conditions and characteristics of the simulation of the system. However, to simplify the optimization and decision stages, the designer does not include all the desired scenarios in the multiobjective problem definition. Nevertheless, these aspects can be analyzed in the decision stage only for the controllers obtained with a much less computational cost. At this stage, the potentially useful alternatives can play an important role. These controllers have significantly different parameters and therefore allow the designer to make a final decision with additional valuable information. Nearly optimal controllers can obtain an improvement in some aspects not included in the multiobjective optimization problem. For example, in this paper, various aspects are analyzed regarding potentially useful solutions, such as (1) the influence of certain parameters of the simulator; (2) the sample time of the controller; (3) the effect of stack degradation; and (4) the robustness. Therefore, this paper highlights the relevance of this in-depth analysis using the methodology proposed in the design of the multivariable control of the cooling system of a PEM fuel cell. This analysis can modify the final choice of the designer.
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spelling doaj-art-7ee459380449427fa70cd0098e24c8e62025-08-20T03:35:40ZengWileyComplexity1076-27871099-05262020-01-01202010.1155/2020/86494288649428Multivariable Controller Design for the Cooling System of a PEM Fuel Cell by considering Nearly Optimal Solutions in a Multiobjective Optimization ApproachAlberto Pajares0Xavier Blasco1Juan M. Herrero2Raúl Simarro3Instituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, SpainInstituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, SpainInstituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, SpainInstituto Universitario de Automática e Informática Industrial, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, SpainThis paper presents a design for the multivariable control of a cooling system in a PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell stack. This system is complex and challenging enough: interactions between variables, highly nonlinear dynamic behavior, etc. This design is carried out using a multiobjective optimization methodology. There are few previous works that address this problem using multiobjective techniques. Also, this work has, as a novelty, the consideration of, in addition to the optimal controllers, the nearly optimal controllers nondominated in their neighborhood (potentially useful alternatives). In the multiobjective optimization problem approach, the designer must make decisions that include design objectives; parameters of the controllers to be estimated; and the conditions and characteristics of the simulation of the system. However, to simplify the optimization and decision stages, the designer does not include all the desired scenarios in the multiobjective problem definition. Nevertheless, these aspects can be analyzed in the decision stage only for the controllers obtained with a much less computational cost. At this stage, the potentially useful alternatives can play an important role. These controllers have significantly different parameters and therefore allow the designer to make a final decision with additional valuable information. Nearly optimal controllers can obtain an improvement in some aspects not included in the multiobjective optimization problem. For example, in this paper, various aspects are analyzed regarding potentially useful solutions, such as (1) the influence of certain parameters of the simulator; (2) the sample time of the controller; (3) the effect of stack degradation; and (4) the robustness. Therefore, this paper highlights the relevance of this in-depth analysis using the methodology proposed in the design of the multivariable control of the cooling system of a PEM fuel cell. This analysis can modify the final choice of the designer.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8649428
spellingShingle Alberto Pajares
Xavier Blasco
Juan M. Herrero
Raúl Simarro
Multivariable Controller Design for the Cooling System of a PEM Fuel Cell by considering Nearly Optimal Solutions in a Multiobjective Optimization Approach
Complexity
title Multivariable Controller Design for the Cooling System of a PEM Fuel Cell by considering Nearly Optimal Solutions in a Multiobjective Optimization Approach
title_full Multivariable Controller Design for the Cooling System of a PEM Fuel Cell by considering Nearly Optimal Solutions in a Multiobjective Optimization Approach
title_fullStr Multivariable Controller Design for the Cooling System of a PEM Fuel Cell by considering Nearly Optimal Solutions in a Multiobjective Optimization Approach
title_full_unstemmed Multivariable Controller Design for the Cooling System of a PEM Fuel Cell by considering Nearly Optimal Solutions in a Multiobjective Optimization Approach
title_short Multivariable Controller Design for the Cooling System of a PEM Fuel Cell by considering Nearly Optimal Solutions in a Multiobjective Optimization Approach
title_sort multivariable controller design for the cooling system of a pem fuel cell by considering nearly optimal solutions in a multiobjective optimization approach
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2020/8649428
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AT xavierblasco multivariablecontrollerdesignforthecoolingsystemofapemfuelcellbyconsideringnearlyoptimalsolutionsinamultiobjectiveoptimizationapproach
AT juanmherrero multivariablecontrollerdesignforthecoolingsystemofapemfuelcellbyconsideringnearlyoptimalsolutionsinamultiobjectiveoptimizationapproach
AT raulsimarro multivariablecontrollerdesignforthecoolingsystemofapemfuelcellbyconsideringnearlyoptimalsolutionsinamultiobjectiveoptimizationapproach