Rapid load following of an SOFC power system via stable fuzzy predictive tracking controller

The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is widely accepted for clean and distributed power generation use, but critical operation problems often occur when the stand-alone fuel cell is directly connected to the electricity grid or the dc electric user. In order to address these problems, in this paper, a data-driven fuzzy modeling method is employed to identify the dynamic model of an integrated SOFC/capacitor system. A novel offset-free input-to-state stable fuzzy predictive controller is developed based on the obtained fuzzy model. Both the rapid power load following and safe SOFC operation requirements are taken into account in the design of the closed-loop control system. Simulations are also given to demonstrate the load following control performance of the proposed fuzzy predictive control strategy for the SOFC/capacitor power system. © 2009 IEEE.