Development of a Small Long Endurance Hybrid PEM Fuel Cell Powered UAV

Herwerth, Christopher; Chiang, Charles; Ko, Alan; Matsuyama, Shigeru; Choi, Sang Bum; Mirmirani, Maj; Gamble, Dustin; Paul, Ryan C.; Sanchez, Valentin; Arena, Andrew S.; Koschany, Arthur; Gu, George; Wankewycz, Taras; Jin, Placido

doi:10.4271/2007-01-3930

Cited by 21 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Their test results demonstrated that the feasible flight time was 4 h using integrated power sources. Herwerth et al [22] applied a PEMFC in a small UAV to show the capabilities of the endurance of PEMFC for flight. They employed the aircooled PEMFC for thermal management and applied self-humidification at an operating temperature of 60 • C.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing the Specific Power of a PEM Fuel Cell Powered UAV with a Novel Bean-Shaped Flow Field

2021

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One of the marketing challenges of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for various applications is enhancing flight durability. Due to the superior characteristics of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), they have the potential to reach a longer flight time and higher payload. In this regard, a numerical assessment of a UAV air-cooled PEMFC is carried out using a three-dimensional (3-D), multiphase, and non-isothermal model on three flow fields, i.e., unblocked bean-shaped, blocked bean-shaped, and parallel. Then, the results of single-cell modeling are generalized to the PEMFC stack to provide the power of 2.5 kW for a UAV. The obtained results indicate that the strategy of rising air stoichiometry for cooling performs well in the unblocked bean-shaped design, and the maximum temperature along the channel length reaches 331.5 K at the air stoichiometric of 30. Further, it is found that the best performance of a 2.5 kW PEMFC stack is attained by the bean-shaped design without blockage, of which its volume and mass power density are 1.1 kW L−1 and 0.2 kW kg−1, respectively. It is 9.4% lighter and 6.9% more compact than the parallel flow field. Therefore, the unblocked bean-shaped design can be a good option for aerial applications.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing the Specific Power of a PEM Fuel Cell Powered UAV with a Novel Bean-Shaped Flow Field

2021

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“…The following can be mentioned as examples of UAV airframe models with hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells: Antares DLR-H2 (Lange Aviation), Ion Tiger (U.S. Navy), Pterosoar (Horizon), HyFish (DLR, Germany), Mirador (DGA, France), Spider-Lion (AeroVironment, USA), and models such as those produced by the Georgia Institute of Technology (2006) and KAIST (2007). The flight time of UAVs powered by hydrogen gas ranges from 0.2 to approximately 6 h [33][34][35][36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring of the Operating Parameters a Low-Temperature Fuel-Cell Stack for Applications in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Part I

et al. 2019

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The paper presents a brief analysis of the potential use of hydrogen-oxygen low-temperature fuel cells with proton-exchange membrane fuel-cell stacks as power sources for the construction of drive units powering unmanned aerial vehicles. Hydrogen storage methods are discussed. Characteristics of selected aspects of monitoring the electrical and non-electrical operating parameters of a drive unit with fuel cells were investigated, with respect to the fuel cell, fuel-cell cooling system, and gas reagent supplying the system with hydrogen and air. Hydrogen fuel consumption for the production of electricity and purification, or so-called purge, was analysed. Based on the results of laboratory tests of the parameters of a generator with fuel cells, an exemplary method of monitoring operating parameters and controlling power sources involving fuel cells is proposed.

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“…Several studies have previously considered the integration of fuel cell systems into aircraft [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Different aspects of the integration process have been considered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These included the theoretical integration of a FC system to partially cover the electrical load on the APU on a Boeing 787-8 [14]. In addition, working prototypes on a small remote piloted scale have been designed and flown [4][5][6][9][10][11]. The success of these studies has ranged from flights of three minutes to over two hours on FC power.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…The significantly higher operating temperature of a SOFC (700-1,000°C) compared with 60-100°C for a PEM FC [3] allows it to reform light fossil fuels such as methane into hydrogen. However, if PEM fuel cells are used, then their relatively low operating temperature could potentially reduce the thermal signature of the electrical generation and/or propulsive system of the aircraft.Several studies have previously considered the integration of fuel cell systems into aircraft [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Different aspects of the integration process have been considered.…”

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A Fuel Cell System Sizing Tool Based on Current Production Aircraft

Thirkell¹,

Chen²,

Harrington³

2017

SAE Technical Paper Series

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Electrification of aircraft is on track to be a future key design principal due to the increasing pressure on the aviation industry to significantly reduce harmful emissions by 2050 and the increased use of electrical equipment. This has led to an increased focus on the research and development of alternative power sources for aircraft, including fuel cells. These alternative power sources could either be used to provide propulsive power or as an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). Previous studies have considered isolated design cases where a fuel cell system was tailored for their specific application. To accommodate for the large variation between aircraft, this study covers the design of an empirical model, which will be used to size a fuel cell system for any given aircraft based on basic design parameters. The model was constructed utilising aircraft categorisation, fuel cell sizing and balance of plant sub-models. Fifteen aircraft categories were defined based on the primary function and propulsion method of the aircraft. For each category, propulsive power and electrical generation requirements were calculated. Based on the results from categorisation and the flight envelope of the aircraft, fuel cell and balance of plant systems are defined. The total system mass and volume are given as outputs, along with polarisation and power curves for the fuel cell. This study finds that the model can accurately predict the electrical generation capability and propulsive requirements across the defined aircraft categories. In addition, the model can appropriately define key, high-level fuel cell parameters based on current Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) technology. Total fuel cell system mass and volume are calculated and shown to be reasonable for small aircraft. For larger aircraft with a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) greater than 50,000kg, current PEM technology is not able to match the gravimetric power density of existing APUs. IntroductionElectrification of aircraft is on track to be a key design principal in the future due to the increasing pressure on the whole aviation industry to significantly reduce harmful emissions by 2050 [1]. This has led to an increased focus on the research and development of alternative power sources for aircraft, including fuel cells. These alternative power sources could either be used to provide propulsive power or as an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).Hydrogen fuel cells produce electricity through an exothermic electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. This highly efficient reaction only produces heat and water as by-products [2]. Two Fuel Cell (FC) technologies currently being researched for use in aerospace applications are Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. A key difference between these two technologies is their operating temperature. The significantly higher operating temperature of a SOFC (700-1,000°C) compared with 60-100°C for a PEM FC [3] allows it to reform light fossil fuels such as methane into hydrogen. Ho...

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Development of a Small Long Endurance Hybrid PEM Fuel Cell Powered UAV

Cited by 21 publications

References 4 publications

Enhancing the Specific Power of a PEM Fuel Cell Powered UAV with a Novel Bean-Shaped Flow Field

Enhancing the Specific Power of a PEM Fuel Cell Powered UAV with a Novel Bean-Shaped Flow Field

Monitoring of the Operating Parameters a Low-Temperature Fuel-Cell Stack for Applications in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Part I

A Fuel Cell System Sizing Tool Based on Current Production Aircraft

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