Article Details
PSO-PI Controlled Hybrid Energy Management System for Fuel Cell Driven Electric Vehicle Applications
Author(s)
Thomas Thangam, A. R. Gayathri, E. Immanuvel Bright
Abstract
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are increasingly recognized as a more sustainable alternative to internal combustion engine vehicles due to their reduced noise levels and zero emissions. This study proposes a new energy system that combines a battery and fuel cell to power a Brushless DC (BLDC) motor for EV applications. The battery acts as an energy buffer to handle transient load demands, while the fuel cell provides high energy density and stable power output. Fuel cell voltage control and step-up conversion are accomplished via a Single-Ended Primary Inductor Converter (SEPIC). To ensure steady-state performance and fast dynamic response, a Proportional-Integral (PI) controller is implemented, with parameters optimized using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). A bidirectional DC-DC converter manages battery charging and discharging in response to load variations. The BLDC motor is efficiently driven under a variety of load circumstances by a three-phase Voltage Source Inverter (VSI), which converts the regulated DC output to AC. The BLDC motor is selected for its high efficiency, compact size, and minimal maintenance. The complete power management system is modeled and simulated using MATLAB/Simulink. Simulation results show that the system has a 94% energy efficiency, with an approximate rise time of 0.03 seconds, a settling time of 0.05 seconds, and an overrun of 0.03 seconds. This suggests that the system has the potential to be used in next-generation electric mobility platforms.