Abstract

In this paper, the development of a low cost fuel cell inverter system is detailed. The approach consists of a two-terminal push-pull DC-DC converter to boost the fuel cell voltage (41-22Vdc) to 400VDC. A six switch (IGBT) inverter is then employed to produce 120V/240V, 60Hz AC outputs. High performance, simple manufacturing, lower component count, safety, and cost will be addressed. Highlights of the proposed design include protection, diagnostic features, and the control strategy used. The control strateg allows the inverter to adapt to the requirements of the load as well as the power source (fuel cell). A unique aspect of the design is the use of the TMS320LF2407 DSP to control the inverter. One set of lead-acid batteries are provided on the high voltage DC bus to supply sudden load demands. Efficient and smooth control of the power drawn from the fuel cell and the high voltage battery is achieved by controlling the front end DC-DC converter in current mode. The paper details experimental results of the proposed design on a fuel cell simulator which mimics a SOFC fuel cell steady state behavior.