Adaptive sliding mode control of a PEM fuel cell system based on the super twisting algorithm

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are the most promising fuel cell technology because of their high power density, low operating temperature, quick startup capability, and low weight. Efficient use of the PEMFC requires keeping it working at an adequate power point and protecting fuel cells from damage problems. This work aims to extract the maximum power from the PEMFC system and protect it from membrane damage by stabilizing the hydrogen and oxygen partial pressure. To this end, a control scheme composed of a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller and pressure controller is proposed. The second order sliding mode control (SMC) is used to overcome the chattering phenomenon caused by the conventional SMC. The pressure control was set using the super twisting algorithm (STA). In contrast, the MPPT control was carried out using an adaptive sliding mode controller (ASMC), which combines the advantages of the traditional SMC and the STA. A comparison study is done with the traditional SMC and STA to find out the advantages of the proposed ASMC. The obtained results have been proven the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme. Furthermore, a chattering reduction of 85% has been achieved