A 300 kW solid oxide fuel cell gas turbine (SOFC-GT) power plant simulator is evaluated with the use of a model reference adaptive control (MRAC) scheme, implemented for a set of nonlinear empirical transfer functions. The SOFC-GT simulator allows testing of various fuel cell models under a hardware-in-the-loop configuration that incorporates a 120 kW auxiliary power unit and balance-of-plant components in hardware, and a fuel cell model in software. The adaptation technique is beneficial to plants having a wide range of operation, and strong coupling interaction. The practical implementation of the adaptive methodology is presented through simulation in the Matlab/Simulink environment.

Issue Section:
Research Papers
Keywords:
Balance of plant, Fuel cell applications, Optimization, Solid oxide fuel cells, Control
Topics:
Adaptive control, Control equipment, Fuel cells, Fuels, Simulation, Solid oxide fuel cells, Transfer functions, Turbines, Valves, Gas turbines, Flow (Dynamics), Stress, Transients (Dynamics), Actuators, Algorithms, Air flow, Design

References

1.
Tucker
,
D.
,
Manivannan
,
A.
, and
Shelton
,
M. S.
,
2009
, “
The Role of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells in Advanced Hybrid Power Systems of the Future
,”
Interface
,
18
(
3
), pp.
45
–
48
.
2.
Winkler
,
W.
,
Nehter
,
P.
,
Tucker
,
D.
,
Williams
,
M.
, and
Gemmen
,
R.
,
2006
, “
General Fuel Cell Hybrid Synergies and Hybrid System Testing Status
,”
J. Power Sources
,
159
(
1
), pp.
656
–
666
.10.1016/j.jpowsour.2005.09.070
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
3.
Williams
,
M. C.
,
Strakey
,
J.
, and
Surdoval
,
W.
,
2006
, “
U.S. DOE Fossil Energy Fuel Cells Program
,”
J. Power Sources
,
159
(
2
), pp.
1241
–
1247
.10.1016/j.jpowsour.2005.12.085
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
4.
Tucker
,
D.
,
Gemmen
,
R.
, and
Lawson
,
L.
,
2005
, “
Characterization of Air Flow Management and Control in a Fuel Cell Turbine Hybrid Power System Using Hardware Simulation
,”
ASME
Paper No. PWR2005-50127. 10.1115/PWR2005-50127
5.
Tsai
,
A.
,
Banta
,
L.
,
Tucker
,
D.
, and
Gemmen
,
R.
,
2010
, “
Multivariable Robust Control of a Simulated Hybrid Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas Turbine Plant
,”
ASME J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol.
,
7
(
4
), p.
041008
.10.1115/1.4000628
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
6.
Tsai
,
A.
,
Tucker
,
D.
, and
Groves
,
C.
,
2010
, “
Improved Controller Performance of Selected Hybrid SOFC-GT Plant Signals Based on Practical Control Schemes
,”
ASME J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power
,
133
(
7
), p.
071702
.10.1115/1.4002253
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
7.
Tsai
,
A.
,
Tucker
,
D.
, and
Perez
,
E.
,
2013
, “
Adaptive Control of Balance of Plant Components in a Fuel Cell Gas Turbine Power Plant Simulator
,”
ASME
Paper No. GT2013-95872.10.1115/GT2013-95872
8.
Haynes
,
C.
,
Tucker
,
D.
,
Hughes
,
D.
,
Wepfer
,
W.
,
Davies
,
K.
, and
Ford
,
C.
,
2011
, “
A Real-Time Spatial SOFC Model for Hardware-Based Simulation of Hybrid Systems
,”
ASME
Paper No. FuelCell2011-54591. 10.1115/FuelCell2011-54591
9.
Hughes
,
D.
,
Tucker
,
D.
,
Tsai
,
A.
,
Haynes
,
C.
, and
Rivera
,
Y.
,
2010
, “
Transient Behavior of a Fuel Cell/Gas Turbine Hybrid Using Hardware-Based Simulation With a 1-D Distributed Fuel Cell Model
,” 10th International Colloquium on Environmentally Preferred Advanced Power Generation (ICEPAG 2010), Costa Mesa, CA, Feb. 9–11.
10.
Tao
,
G.
,
1992
, “
Model Reference Adaptive Control of Multivariable Plants With Delays
,”
Int. J. Control
,
55
(
2
), pp.
393
–
414
.10.1080/00207179208934245
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
11.
Hoagg
,
J.
,
2011
, “
Model Reference Adaptive Control for Nonminimum Phase Systems Using a Surrogate Tracking Error
,”
50th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control and European Control Conference
(
CDC-ECC
), Orlando, FL, Dec. 12–15, pp.
360
–
365
.10.1109/CDC.2011.6160763
12.
Mirkin
,
B.
,
Gutman
,
P.
, and
Falcone
,
P.
,
2008
, “
Adaptive Output Feedback Control of MIMO Plants With Unknown Time-Varying State Delay
,”
American Control Conference
, Seattle, WA, June 11–13, pp.
4761
–
4766
.10.1109/ACC.2008.4587247
13.
Ioannou
,
P.
, and
Sun
,
J.
,
1996
,
Robust Adaptive Control
,
Prentice-Hall
, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
14.
Tao
,
G.
, and
Ioannou
,
P.
,
1988
, “
Robust Model Reference Adaptive Control for Multivariable Plants
,”
Int. J. Adapt. Control Signal Process.
,”
2
(
3
), pp.
217
–
248
.10.1002/acs.4480020305
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
15.
Restrepo
,
B.
,
Banta
,
L.
, and
Tucker
,
D.
,
2011
, “
Characterization of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas Turbine Hybrid System Based on a Factorial Design of Experiments Using Hardware Simulation
,”
ASME
Paper No. FuelCell2011-54146. 10.1115/FuelCell2011-54146
16.
Harun
,
N. F.
,
Tucker
,
D.
, and
Adams
,
T.
,
2014
, “
Fuel Composition Transients in Fuel Cell Turbine Hybrid for Polygeneration Applications
,”
Fuel Cell Science, Engineering, and Technology Conference
, Boston, MA, June 16–20,
ASME
Paper No. ES-FuelCell2014-6509.
17.
Pezzini
,
P.
,
Celestin
,
S.
, and
Tucker
,
D.
,
2014
, “
Cold Air as a Function of Pressure Drop in Fuel Cell Turbine Hybrid Systems
,”
Fuel Cell Science, Engineering, and Technology Conference
, Boston, MA, June 16–20, ASME Paper No. ES-FuelCell2014-6523.
Copyright © 2014 by ASME
You do not currently have access to this content.