Optimal EMS Design for a 4-MW-Class Hydrogen Tugboat: A Comparative Analysis Using DP-Based Performance Evaluation

In the current trend of hydrogen fuel cell-powered ships, batteries are used together with fuel cells to overcome the limitations of fuel cell technology. However, performance differences arise depending on fuel cell and battery configurations, load profiles, and energy management system (EMS) algorithms. We designed four hybrid controllers to optimize EMS algorithms for achieving maximum performance based on target profiles and hardware. The selected EMS is based on a State Machine, an Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS), Economic Model Predictive Control (EMPC), and Dynamic Programming (DP). We used DP to evaluate the optimal design state and fuel efficiency of each controller. To evaluate controller performance, we obtained a 4-MW-class tug load profile as a reference and performed simulations based on Nedstack’s fuel cells and a lithium-ion battery model. The constraints were set according to the description of each equipment manual, and the optimal controller was derived based on the amount of hydrogen consumed by each EMS under the condition of completely tracking the load profile. As a result of simulating the hybrid fuel cell–battery system by applying the load profile of the tugboat, we found that the 4-MW EMPC, which requires more state variables and control inputs, is the most fuel-efficient controller.