TY - GEN
T1 - Optimum fuel cell utilization with multilevel inverters
AU - Ozpineci, Burak
AU - Tolbert, Leon M.
AU - Du, Zhong
PY - 2004
Y1 - 2004
N2 - Static characteristics of fuel cells show more than a 30% difference in the output voltage between no-load to full-load conditions. This inevitable decrease, which is caused by internal losses, reduces the utilization factor of the fuel cells at low loads. Additionally, the converters fed by these fuel cells have to be derated to accommodate higher input voltages at low currents. To increase the utilization of fuel cells and to avoid derating of semiconductors, this paper proposes a level reduction control using a multilevel inverter. Level reduction is done by inhibiting a certain number of fuel cells when the load current decreases. The inhibited fuel cells can be used in other applications such as charging batteries to further increase their utilization and the efficiency of the system.
AB - Static characteristics of fuel cells show more than a 30% difference in the output voltage between no-load to full-load conditions. This inevitable decrease, which is caused by internal losses, reduces the utilization factor of the fuel cells at low loads. Additionally, the converters fed by these fuel cells have to be derated to accommodate higher input voltages at low currents. To increase the utilization of fuel cells and to avoid derating of semiconductors, this paper proposes a level reduction control using a multilevel inverter. Level reduction is done by inhibiting a certain number of fuel cells when the load current decreases. The inhibited fuel cells can be used in other applications such as charging batteries to further increase their utilization and the efficiency of the system.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=8744239484&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/PESC.2004.1354847
DO - 10.1109/PESC.2004.1354847
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:8744239484
SN - 0780383990
T3 - PESC Record - IEEE Annual Power Electronics Specialists Conference
SP - 4798
EP - 4802
BT - 2004 IEEE 35th Annual Power Electronics Specialists Conference, PESC04
T2 - 2004 IEEE 35th Annual Power Electronics Specialists Conference, PESC04
Y2 - 20 June 2004 through 25 June 2004
ER -
