Performance Analysis of a Fuel Cell Connected to a DC-DC Boost Converter

The following paper presents performance analysis of a DC-DC (Direct Current- Direct Current power conversion) boost converter coupled Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell. The fuel cell proves to be a promising source of clean and efficient energy, but it requires a voltage boost to match the demands of many practical applications. DC-DC boost converter is being used for voltage conversion in power electronics. The characteristics of fuel cell coupled to the DC-DC boost converter under various operating conditions, including different loads and input voltages, is investigated. MATLAB is being used to model the fuel cell connected to DC-DC boost converter and to analyse their performance. Use of various controllers like PI, Fuzzy Controller have been simulated and results were compared. Simulation results indicate remarkable improvement when comparing the fuzzy logic controller with traditional PI and PID controllers. Moreover, the system's dynamic response is significantly enhanced, with a rise time of 0.00133 sec and a settling time of 0.00181 sec, showcasing the effectiveness of proposed fuzzy-logic based control strategy. Importantly, the system achieves peak overshoot of nil, indicating superior stability and performance compared to conventional control methods. The results show that DC-DC boost converter can effectively rise voltage output of fuel cell and improve its efficiency.