Virtual impedance-based frequency decoupling for modular fuel cell-battery DC shipboard power systems

In the scope of the energy transition, the maritime industry, still heavily relying on fossil fuels, is facing expectations to reduce its carbon output. Electrified shipboard power systems (SPSs) equipped with hydrogen fuel cells (FCs) and energy storage systems (ESSs) are a promising solution for the shift to zero-emission shipping. A remaining challenge is the efficient coordination of multiple parallel power generation and storage modules. This article proposes a modular approach to the power system control to offer a plug-and-play capability for multiple FCs and ESSs, facilitating a topology reconfiguration. Virtual impedance-based droop is implemented to achieve power sharing and load frequency decoupling in a decentralised architecture. An additional low-bandwidth communication is leveraged to enable parameter adaptation after a topology reconfiguration. The methodology is tested numerically with a short-sea cargo vessel serving as a case study. The local controllers are tuned to achieve load frequency decoupling between FCs and batteries matching the specified time constant. For a maneuvering power profile, the average FC power gradient could be decreased by 36%, limiting their degradation caused by dynamic operation, while increasing the depth-of-discharge of the batteries. The simulations further show that an adaptation of control parameters after a component fault can be used to maintain the system’s voltage dynamics. The voltage drop caused by a load step in a reconfigured system that disconnected one of two ESS could be reduced by 37.5% by control parameter adaptation.