Characterisation of a hybrid, fuel-cell-based propulsion system for small unmanned aircraft

Verstraete, Dries; Lehmkuehler, Kai; Gong, Andrew; Harvey, James; Brian, Geoff; Palmer, Jennifer L.

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.11.017

Cited by 67 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The temperature of the fuel cell will affect the activity of the catalyst, the hydration level of the membrane, the saturation of the gas diffusion layers, and diffusion of gases through the membrane [27]. However, increasing the stack temperature to higher levels should not be the proper solution for improving its output power, because this would dehydrate the membrane and reduce its conductivity, thus increase the ohmic losses of the cell and decline the output power.…”

Section: ) a Mechanical Adjustment Delay Of 200 Ms Is Adopted Which mentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Impact of High Altitudes on the Operation of PEM Fuel Cell Based UAS

Saleh¹,

Ali²,

Zhang³

2018

EPE

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Fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy in the reactants into the electrical energy after steps of sequential electrochemical processes with no significant impact on the environment. For high altitude long endurance (HALE) of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) where fuel cell operates as a prime source of power, the operation and performance of a PEM fuel cell at different level of altitudes is vitally important. In this paper, the impact of direct using extracted air from high altitudes atmosphere in order to feed the stack is investigated, and the governing equations of the supplied air and oxygen to the PEM fuel cell stack are developed. The impact of high altitudes upon the operation and the consumption of air are determined in order to maintain certain level of delivered power to the load. Also the implications associated with operating the PEM fuel cell stack at high altitudes and different technical solutions are proposed. Various modes of Integral, Proportional-Integral, and Proportional-Integral-Derivative controller are introduced and examined for different time setting responses in order to determine the most adequate trade-off choice between fast response and reactants consumption which provides the necessary optimization of the air consumption for the developed model of PEM fuel cell used for UAS operation.

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Section: ) a Mechanical Adjustment Delay Of 200 Ms Is Adopted Which mentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Impact of High Altitudes on the Operation of PEM Fuel Cell Based UAS

Saleh¹,

Ali²,

Zhang³

2018

EPE

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“…PEMFC-powered APU generates electrical energy through electrochemical processes which subsequently reduce the load on main engine and consumption of jet fuel [12]. It is well recognized that PEMFC cannot meet power demands for the whole aircraft, hence it is considered as a secondary power sources or sometimes hybrid with batteries [1,27,28]. In addition to the APU application, potential PEMFC capabilities on board are recharging batteries, generating electrical power and heat, producing drinkable water, replacing Ram Air Turbine and supplying deoxygenated air for inerting [7,8,20,29].…”

Section: Multifunctional Pemfc For Aeronautic Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

PEMFC for aeronautic applications: A review on the durability aspects

et al. 2017

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Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) not only offer more efficient electrical energy conversion, relative to on-ground/backup turbines but generate by-products useful in aircraft such as heat for ice prevention, deoxygenated air for fire retardation and drinkable water for use on-board. Consequently, several projects (e.g. DLR-H2 Antares and RAPID2000) have successfully tested PEMFC-powered auxiliary unit (APU) for manned/unmanned aircraft. Despite the progress from flying PEMFC-powered small aircraft with 20 kW power output as high as 1 000 m at 100 km/h to 33 kW at 2 558 m, 176 km/h [1-3], durability and reliability remain key challenges. This review reports on the inadequate understanding of behaviour of PEMFC under aeronautic conditions and the lack of predictive methods conducive for aircraft that provide real-time information on the State of Health of PEMFCs. Highlights: The main research findings are -To minimize performance loss due to high altitude and inclination by adjusting cathode stoichiometric ratio. -To improve quality of oxygen-depleted air by controlling operating temperature and stoichiometric ratio. -Need to devise real time prediction methods conducive for determining PEMFC SoH in aircraft.

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“…The efficiency calculation uses the fuel cell output value that is captured at a "stationary" point where the power level is maintained for a certain period to ensure that transient effects become negligible. Because the fuel cell efficiency reaches approximately 55% at an output range of 40-200W, it is beneficial for the safety of the system and efficiency to operate the fuel cell above the normal operation conditions [20,21].…”

Section: Fuel Cell Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison Study on Power Output Characteristics of Power Management Methods for a Hybrid-electric UAV with Solar Cell/Fuel Cell/Battery

Lee¹,

Kwon²

2016

International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences

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A dual-mode power management for a hybrid-electric UAV with a cruise power of 200W is proposed and empirically verified. The subject vehicle is a low-speed long-endurance UAV powered by a solar cell, a fuel cell, and a battery pack, which operate in the same voltage bounds. These power sources of different operational characteristics can be managed in two different methods: passive management and active management. This study proposes a new power management system named PMS2, which employs a bypass circuit to control the individual power sources. The PMS2 normally operates in active mode, and the bypass circuit converts the system into passive mode when necessary. The output characteristics of the hybrid system with the PMS2 are investigated under simulated failures in the power sources and the conversion of the power management methods. The investigation also provides quantitative comparisons of efficiencies of the system under the two distinct power management modes. In the case of the solar cell, the efficiency difference between the active and the passive management is shown to be 0.34% when the SOC of the battery is between 25~65%. However, if the SOC is out of this given range, i.e. when the SOC is at 90%, using active management displays an improved efficiency of 6.9%. In the case of the fuel cell, the efficiency of 55% is shown for both active and passive managements, indicating negligible differences.

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Characterisation of a hybrid, fuel-cell-based propulsion system for small unmanned aircraft

Cited by 67 publications

References 41 publications

Environmental Impact of High Altitudes on the Operation of PEM Fuel Cell Based UAS

Environmental Impact of High Altitudes on the Operation of PEM Fuel Cell Based UAS

PEMFC for aeronautic applications: A review on the durability aspects

Comparison Study on Power Output Characteristics of Power Management Methods for a Hybrid-electric UAV with Solar Cell/Fuel Cell/Battery

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