Analysis of a hydrogen fuel cell-PV power system for small UAV

Abstract This paper investigates the integration of a hybrid power system for a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The proposed hybrid power system consists of hydrogen fuel cell, photovoltaic panels and battery. The UAV is modeled to have photovoltaic panels covering the wing area, proton exchange membrane fuel cell and a lithium-polymer battery. A small UAV is used for the study that has low takeoff weight and small dimensions to make the UAV man-portable. Analyses are conducted using data acquired through bench tests of the power systems and simulations. Using drag, lift and weight values, the power required by the UAV is determined. Best test measurements and simulations are conducted for the maximum required power. The flight performance of the UAV improved with the hybrid power system. The UAV endurance increased from 470 min to 970 min. The research study shows the usefulness of hybrid power system for a small UAV. Finally, the paper also establishes the effectiveness of using renewable energy sources for mobile applications.

[1]  Aaron Altman,et al.  Aerodynamic and Structural Design of a Small Nonplanar Wing UAV , 2009 .

[2]  James C. Kellogg,et al.  Energy scavenging for small-scale unmanned systems , 2006 .

[3]  Romeli Barbosa,et al.  Sizing of a solar/hydrogen system for high altitude long endurance aircrafts , 2014 .

[4]  Dimitri N. Mavris,et al.  Development and experimental characterization of a fuel cell powered aircraft , 2007 .

[5]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Hybrid solar–fuel cell combined heat and power systems for residential applications: Energy and exergy analyses , 2013 .

[6]  I. Dincer,et al.  Development of some exergetic parameters for PEM fuel cells for measuring environmental impact and sustainability , 2009 .

[7]  Sejin Kwon,et al.  Design and development of a fuel cell-powered small unmanned aircraft , 2012 .

[8]  F. Barbir,et al.  Efficiency and economics of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells , 1997 .

[9]  Sejin Kwon,et al.  Fuel cell system with sodium borohydride as hydrogen source for unmanned aerial vehicles , 2011 .

[10]  Michael Rottmayer,et al.  Fuel Cell Hybrid Power System Development for Extended Endurance SUAS Applications , 2011 .

[11]  Sejin Kwon,et al.  The flight test and power simulations of an UAV powered by solar cells, a fuel cell and batteries , 2014 .

[12]  Taegyu Kim,et al.  NaBH4 (sodium borohydride) hydrogen generator with a volume-exchange fuel tank for small unmanned aerial vehicles powered by a PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell , 2014 .

[13]  Maria Saxe,et al.  Energy system analysis of the fuel cell buses operated in the project: Clean Urban Transport for Europe , 2008 .

[14]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Performance investigation of a transportation PEM fuel cell system , 2012 .

[15]  Marco Klaus Furrutter,et al.  Small fuel cell powering an unmanned aerial vehicle , 2009, AFRICON 2009.

[16]  Alireza Khaligh,et al.  Hybrid energy storage system for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) , 2010, IECON 2010 - 36th Annual Conference on IEEE Industrial Electronics Society.

[17]  Marc A. Rosen,et al.  Exergy Analysis of a Fuel Cell Power System for Transportation Applications , 1996, Advanced Energy Systems.

[18]  Hassan Fathabadi,et al.  High thermal performance lithium-ion battery pack including hybrid active–passive thermal management system for using in hybrid/electric vehicles , 2014 .

[19]  Gregory S. Page,et al.  Hydrogen Fuel Cell Propulsion for Long Endurance Small UAVs , 2011 .

[20]  Mohammad S. Alam,et al.  A dynamic model for a stand-alone PEM fuel cell power plant for residential applications , 2004 .

[21]  Daniel P. Raymer,et al.  Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach , 1989 .

[22]  Christopher Depcik,et al.  Expanding the Peukert equation for battery capacity modeling through inclusion of a temperature dependency , 2013 .

[23]  Mohamed Gadalla,et al.  Evaluation of an Integrated Fuel Cell-PV Panel System as a Hybrid UAV Powerplant , 2012 .

[24]  Steven R. Shaw,et al.  Simulation, Design, and Validation of an UAV SOFC Propulsion System , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems.

[25]  Kaufui Wong.  Research and Development of Drones for Peace—High Power High Energy Supply Required , 2015 .

[26]  Alireza Khaligh,et al.  Energy Harvesting: Solar, Wind, and Ocean Energy Conversion Systems , 2009 .