Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Control System Based on PLC
(R&D Center, SunRui Marine Environment Engineering Co., Ltd., Qingdao 266101, China)
Abstract
This paper addresses the operational characteristics and control requirements of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and defines a control strategy focusing on temperature as the core objective, with fuel and air flow rates as key adjustment variables. Based on this strategy, the overall design of the control system is completed, including hardware selection and configuration, software development, and the design of an upper computer Human-Machine Interface (HMI). On the hardware side, a highly reliable PLC is selected as the core controller, equipped with sensors and actuators for temperature, flow, pressure, and other parameters, forming a comprehensive hardware control platform. On the software side, a modular programming approach is adopted to design functional modules including system start-stop, process control, safety interlocking, and fault diagnosis, enabling precise monitoring and automatic regulation of key parameters such as SOFC stack temperature, gas flow, and air-fuel ratio.
Keywords
solid oxide fuel cell; programmable logic controller; control system; temperature control
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About the authors
Liu Guozhen (February 1995-), male, Han ethnicity, from Qingdao, Shandong, is an engineer and a master's student with a research focus on control engineering.