Hydrogen fuel cell power increases drone's flight radius by 4 times

吾妻思萌

Hydrogen fuel cell power increases drone's flight radius by 4 times [Copy link]

 

I saw an introduction that said all drones are powered by fuel cells, and it seems like this is a trend.

Power delivery networks (PDNs) based on Vicor high-density power modules are driving the use of hydrogen fuel cells in drones, where size, weight and efficiency are critical. The latest hydrogen energy technology paves the way for the development of mobile robots with greater range and payload capacity. Doosan MiG (DMI) has successfully used hydrogen fuel cell powered drones to provide humanitarian relief in remote areas, which requires up to two hours of flight time.

In addition to providing humanitarian assistance, the long-duration operation of DMI’s drones allows them to be used for commercial surveillance. DMI demonstrated this by monitoring a large area of one of South Korea’s largest solar power plants, a task that would have required more than six battery changes for a conventional drone. DMI’s success relies not only on its innovative approach to hydrogen fuel cell power, but also on its use of Vicor’s high-performance, high-density power modules to deliver power from the fuel cell to the various loads within the drone.

Vicor Optimizes Power Management Using 48V Power Delivery NetworkThe Power Delivery Network (PDN) is the integrated design of power components, wires, and harnesses that deliver power from the power source to the system loads. The selection and architecture of the PDN is a systemic decision that has a significant impact on the design of the drone and its functionality. DMI worked with Vicor to select a 48V system, which has quickly become the standard for improving efficiency and reliability in many applications. The 2.6kW DP30 power system used by DMI has two major groupings, powering the drone's rotors and two stacks of controllers. The DP30 battery pack has a wide output voltage range and can vary from 40V to 74V, so the output power unit is 48V, 12A for the motor and 12V, 8A for the control circuit and fan. The structure is supported by Vicor PRM buck-boost regulators and ZVS buck regulators (PRM48AF480T400A00 400W buck-boost regulator/PRM48AH480T200A00 200W buck-boost regulator). “The wide voltage range of the fuel cell and the hybrid connection with the conventional lithium battery are important configurations of our power management system,” said Jiwon-Yeo. “This allows the lithium battery to be automatically charged by the fuel cell when needed, and also allows the lithium battery to be discharged when the fuel cell needs additional power during the operation of the drone. Thermal management is critical for hydrogen fuel cells, and we have an internal cooling fan to regulate the heat.”

laker2008

Uh uh, this reminds me of the hydrogen-powered car made by the Japanese, which was modified into a bomb car. If this is a drone + hydrogen energy, wouldn’t it be a mobile thing?

吾妻思萌

laker2008 posted on 2024-10-22 16:17 Uh uh, this reminds me of the hydrogen energy car made by the Japanese, which was modified into a bomb car. If this is a drone + hydrogen energy, wouldn’t it be a complete transfer...

Hahaha, safety is really important.

The explosion in my hometown

qwqwqw2088

For hydrogen fuel cells to be fully popularized, we probably have to wait for the development of material technology.

The cost is higher now

qzgiky

Hydrogen still feels inconvenient, waiting for the popularization of solid-state batteries