A Highly Efficient Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Power System for an All-Electric Commuter Airplane Flight Demonstrator

Stoia, Tina; Atreya, Shailesh; O’Neil, Patrick H.

doi:10.2514/6.2016-1024

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…The electrolyte transfers ions between the electrodes and allows electrochemical processes to take place [3]. Solid oxide fuel cells are highly attractive for long-endurance UAV application due to their ability to use reformed, heavy hydrocarbon fuels such as JP-8 [4].…”

Section: B Solid Oxide Fuel Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Study on the Use of Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells for Increased Power Generation on Small Aircraft

Litherland

Borer

Geuther

2019

AIAA Aviation 2019 Forum

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A growing demand for higher-power electrical equipment on aircraft is driving the exploration of alternative electrical power generation devices. "Hybrid-electric" aircraft architectures that leverage multiple or alternative power sources are also becoming more popular with rising concerns over efficiency. Fuel cells are particularly interesting as auxiliary or secondary electrical power generation devices, due to their relative efficiency and longevity, and could be used as a "power pod" for vehicles without enough on-board electrical generation capability. This paper examines the feasibility and potential value of using an externally-mounted, hybridelectric, solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power system on a Class IV unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the purpose of power generation in excess of the baseline electrical load. Moreover, the paper will demonstrate that a SOFC auxiliary power unit (APU) provides significant value to an aircraft by producing a relatively large amount of additional electrical power for a relatively low initial investment when compared to producing additional power by scaling the engine.

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Section: B Solid Oxide Fuel Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A FUELEAP subcontractor provided fuel cell system sizing for outputs powers from 5 to 60 kW which we then used to update the SOFC system sizing methods [4,14]. With this data we were able to form a much more representative model of a possible SOFC APU pod and set accurate data points for comparison with the general sizing method.…”

Section: Sofc System Sizingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Study on the Use of Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells for Increased Power Generation on Small Aircraft

Litherland

Borer

Geuther

2019

AIAA Aviation 2019 Forum

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“…It is well-suited for application to hydrocarbon fuels, and yields additional mass savings and efficiency increases when used in nonregenerative applications. A companion paper [23] details the technologies and trades associated with the hybrid SOFC power system for this proposed demonstrator program.…”

Section: B Power System Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… Mass of hybrid power system estimated based on SOFC sized for cruise power levels -As discussed above, the hybrid SOFC-electric power system was evaluated based on different sizing conditions. The most effective system, detailed in the Boeing companion paper [23], sized the SOFC for cruise power output plus battery changing loads, and sized the battery to augment SOFC output for takeoff and climb. The scaling and size estimates from the Boeing study were used to estimate the total mass of the power system.…”

Section: Demonstrator Candidatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This latter difference is due to the use of low-sulfur diesel fuel, rather than lower-density aviation gasoline, as the onboard reactant. As discussed in the companion Boeing paper [23], the low-sulfur fuel is necessary to preserve highefficiency operation of the SOFC in the power system. This is a formulation that is similar to jet fuel but without the high allowable sulfur content, and is available as diesel fuel at virtually every filling station in the United States.…”

Section: F Demonstrator Performance Estimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Overcoming the Adoption Barrier to Electric Flight

Borer

Nickol

Jones

et al. 2016

54th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting

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Electrically-powered aircraft can enable dramatic increases in efficiency and reliability, reduced emissions, and reduced noise as compared to today's combustion-powered aircraft. This paper describes a novel flight demonstration concept that will enable the benefits of electric propulsion, while keeping the extraordinary convenience and utility of common fuels available at today's airports. A critical gap in airborne electric propulsion research is addressed by accommodating adoption at the integrated aircraft-airport systems level, using a confluence of innovative but proven concepts and technologies in power generation and electricity storage that need to reside only on the airframe. Technical discriminators of this demonstrator concept include (1) a novel, high-efficiency power system that utilizes advanced solid oxide fuel cells originally developed for ultra-long-endurance aircraft, coupled with (2) a high-efficiency, high-power electric propulsion system selected from mature products to reduce technical risk, assembled into (3) a modern, high-performance demonstration platform to provide useful and compelling data, both for the targeted early adopters and the eventual commercial market. Nomenclature

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Thermodynamic performance evaluation of a turbine-less jet engine integrated with solid oxide fuel cells for unmanned aerial vehicles

Qin

Cheng

et al. 2019

Applied Thermal Engineering

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A Highly Efficient Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Power System for an All-Electric Commuter Airplane Flight Demonstrator

Cited by 13 publications

References 1 publication

A Study on the Use of Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells for Increased Power Generation on Small Aircraft

A Study on the Use of Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells for Increased Power Generation on Small Aircraft

Overcoming the Adoption Barrier to Electric Flight

Thermodynamic performance evaluation of a turbine-less jet engine integrated with solid oxide fuel cells for unmanned aerial vehicles

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