Transient Power Allocation Control Scheme for Hybrid Hydrogen Electrolyzer-Supercapacitor System with Autonomous Inertia Response

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hybrid electrolyzer-supercapacitor system with a novel control strategy that autonomously manages transient power, enhances stability, and prolongs component lifespan in renewable power grids.

Contribution

It presents a new control scheme integrating inertia emulation and capacitive control for hybrid electrolyzer-supercapacitor systems, improving transient response and operational stability without extra communication.

Findings

SC handles high-frequency transients effectively.

SOC recovery extends supercapacitor lifespan by over three times.

Experimental validation confirms system stability and performance.

Abstract

This paper proposes a hybrid hydrogen electrolyzer-supercapacitor system (HESS) with a novel control strategy for renewable-dominant power grids. The HESS consists of alkaline electrolyzers (AEL), proton exchange membrane electrolyzers (PEMEL), and supercapacitors (SC). The interfacing inverters between HESS and power grid are regulated by an inertia emulation control strategy. From HESS, AEL is with conventional DC power control, whereas PEMEL and SC are designed with the proposed dynamic inertia control and capacitive inertia control, respectively. Benefitting from the coordination of three controls, within the HESS, high-frequency transient power components are autonomously handled by SC, stable frequency power components are regulated by PEMEL, and low-frequency steady-state power is addressed by AEL, characterized by low operational gains and longer lifetimes. SC delivers transient power, significantly alleviating energy losses on electrolyzers and achieving adequate inertia recovery capabilities while requiring no additional communication. Implementing SOC recovery control enables the SC to withstand more than three times more stability discharge cycles compared to an SC without SOC recovery. Furthermore, a large-signal mathematical model based on mixed potential theory is established, providing clear stability boundaries for system parameters. Dynamic analyses theoretically verify system feasibility, and extensive hardware-in-the-loop experimental results fully validate the proposed HESS along with the corresponding transient power allocation controls.