A Fuzzy Logic Control-Based Approach for Real-Time Energy Management of the Fuel Cell Electrical Bus Considering the Durability of the Fuel Cell System

Abstract

The present study proposes a fuzzy logical control-based real-time energy management strategy (EMS) for a fuel cell electrical bus (FCEB), taking into account the durability of the fuel cell system (FCS), in order to enhance both the vehicle’s economic performance and the FCS’s service life. At first, the model of the FCEB is established whilst the power-following strategy is also formulated as a benchmark for the evaluation of the proposed strategy. Subsequently, a fuzzy logical controller is designed to improve the work efficiency of the FCS, in which the battery state-of-charge (SOC) and the vehicle’s desired power are considered the inputs, whilst the power of the FCS is the output. Then, a limitation method is integrated into the fuzzy logical controller to restrict the change rate of the FCS’s power to strengthen the FCS’s service life. At last, the evaluation is accessed based on the China city bus driving cycle (CCBC). The results indicate that the proposed fuzzy logical strategy can satisfy the dynamic performance of the FCEB well. Importantly, it also has a remarkable effectiveness in terms of promoting the FCEB’s economy. Despite a slight reduction in contrast to the fuzzy logical control, the improvements of the strategy in which the FCS’s durability is considered are still acceptable. The change rate of the FCS’s power can be confined to ±10 kW. Meanwhile, the promotion of economic performance can reach up to 8.43%, 7.69%, and 6.53% in the proposed durability consideration strategy in contrast to the power-following strategy under different battery SOCs. This will significantly benefit both the energy saving and the FCS’s durability.