Energy management strategy for fuel cell hybrid tractor considering demand power frequency characteristic compensation

Abstract

The application of fuel cell tractors is expected to drive technological upgrades and sustainable development in agricultural machinery. However, fuel cell hybrid systems face issues such as slow dynamic response, low efficiency, and short lifespan. This paper proposes an energy management strategy based on signal reconstruction methods, including Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) and Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD), to achieve optimal energy utilization and system efficiency based on frequency response characteristics. First, we collected data on the tractor’s traction force and operating speed, and calculated the required traction power using a full-machine dynamics model built in MATLAB software. We conducted frequency response characteristic analysis of the fuel cell hybrid system based on EMD and VMD, establishing an energy management controller to sequentially meet the average power demand of the fuel cell under plowing load operations, the instantaneous acceleration power demand of the power battery, and the real-time compensation power demand of the supercapacitor. The results show that the EMD strategy exhibits good stability, while the VMD strategy performs better in terms of hydrogen consumption. Under the VMD strategy, the hybrid system achieves a maximum output efficiency of 55.0% with a total hydrogen consumption of 750 g. Compared to the EMD strategy, the maximum efficiency of the system increases by 27.31%, and hydrogen consumption decreases by 3.49%. This study provides a new theoretical foundation and technological route for the application of fuel cell hybrid systems in the field of agricultural machinery.