Controlled gas conditioning for a reaction gas of a fuel cell

A gas conditioning system for a reaction gas of a fuel cell, comprising:

• a gas source configured and arranged to provide the for a reaction gas to the gas conditioning system;
• a humidifier unit configured and arranged to humidify the reaction gas and thereby achieve a desired a relative humidity of the reaction gas;
• a temperature control unit configured and arranged to maintain the temperature of the reaction gas at a set temperature;
• a mass flow control unit configured and arranged to control mass flow rate of the reaction gas;
• and
• a pressure control unit configured and arranged to control the pressure of the reaction gas,
• a control unit including a controller configured and arranged to control the gas conditioning system by computing manipulated variables for at least three actuators from the group of the humidifier unit, the temperature-control unit, the mass flow control unit, and the pressure control unit, to thereby set a predefined time curve of at least three associated influencing variables on the operation of the fuel cell from the group of the relative humidity, the temperature, the mass flow, and the pressure of the reaction gas in a reaction gas line, and wherein
• the controller is designed on the basis of a model of the gas conditioning unit in the form of a coupled, nonlinear multivariable system of the form
• x
• .
• =
• f
• 
• (
• x
• )
• +
• ∑
• i
• =
• 1
• m
• 
• 
• g
• i
• 
• (
• x
• )
• 
• u
• i
• y
• =
• h
• 
• (
• x
• )
• ,
• wherein the multivariable system is decoupled and linearized by means of Lie derivatives for controller design.