Thermal control of SOFC: An anti-windup approach for maximizing usable power

A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) integrated with a variable speed blower is studied. The idea is to maximize the usable power of the fuel cell, by artificially bounding the inlet flow rate, thus, avoiding the overshoots in the blower power. Anti-windup techniques are then incorporated in order to guarantee the stability and provide a satisfactory performance. Significant temperature drops in cathode inlet (second actuator signal) caused by AW are also avoided in order to minimize the temperature gradients along the cell.