Control of natural gas catalytic partial oxidation for hydrogen generation in fuel cell applications

Abstract

A fuel processor that reforms natural gas to hydrogen-rich mixture to feed the anode field of fuel cell stack is considered. The first reactor that generates the majority of the hydrogen in the fuel processor is based on catalytic partial oxidation of the methane in the natural gas. We present a model-based control analysis and design for a fuel processing system that manages natural gas flow and humidified atmospheric air flow in order to regulate (i) the amount of hydrogen in the fuel cell anode and (ii) the temperature of the catalytic partial oxidation reactor during transient power demands from the fuel cell.Linear feedback analysis and design is used to identify the limitation of a decentralized controller and the benefit of a multivariable controller. Further analysis unveils the critical controller cross-coupling term that contributes to the superior performance of the multivariable controller.

Partial oxidation (POX) processes and technology for clean fuel and chemical production

“…The processes are usually tightly connected with each other with no intermediary storages. Pukrushpan et al (2005Pukrushpan et al ( , 2006 have presented a dynamic multivariable model for an FPS connected to a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). They have also shown how control engineering tools (Bristol's relative gain array (RGA), and observability measures) are used in systems analysis and controller design.…”

Fuel cell system improvement for model-based diagnosis analysis

“…As example, [17] shows that hydrogen characteristics (a small molecule and a great propensity to escape through small openings) make it suitable to leak, which can lead to an explosion; in [14], [15] and [16] the hydrogen leak fault detection is studied with a MBD approach.…”

A new scheme on robust unknown input nonlinear observer for PEM Fuel Cell Stack system

“…In [5], the observation issue of the partial pressures and the mass flow rate of dry air in the cathode channel is addressed, considering the mass flow rate of dry air as an unknown M. Benallouch input. The different observers can be used for control ([2], [6], [7], [8]) and diagnosis ( [1], [4]). Observer design for estimating the state of a nonlinear system and its unknown inputs has received same attention, we mention here some of the available results.…”