Singaporean company Horizon Unmanned Systems (HUS) unveils HYCOPTER, the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell powered multi-rotor UAV. HYCOPTER is being readied for a record flight endurance of 4 hours, or around 8 to 10 times the average flight duration of equivalent systems today ...
AUVSI: Horizon Unveils the World’s First Hydrogen Powered, 4H-Endurance Multi-Rotor UAV
Even if it doesn't quite make 4 hours, this is very impressive.
Two hours and 20 minutes with 1kg payload ...
Comments
@naish88 Then according to your math, this thing should fly for like 62.5 hours then...
I'm curious to see if they can break the 129 minute record for battery-powered multi rotors. If they can't then there is no point to this. Also curious to see how much power headroom is left or if they are pushing the fuel cell to its absolute maximum.
"world’s first"? ;-)
here's an easy refill option guys .....
http://www.horizonfuelcell.com/#!minipak/c156u
Hydrogen power is becoming more realistic as fuel source! .... about time!
Very interesting, Hidrogen fuel seems to have a lot of potential!
Austin Laws, the company is from Singapore, which is perhaps as technologically savvy as Japan.
Hydrogen or Metanol ?
Here is an interesting article on fuel cells in UAV:
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/497642/
CONCLUSION:
Nowadays, the specific energy density of a fuel cell system, which implies higher endurance in UAVs, is about 700–1000 Wh/kg, but it is to be increased up to 10 kWh/kg within the next 10–15 years and to 20 kWh/kg within 20–30 years, which, if achieved, will enable the all-electric flight of a large commercial aircraft.
In the case of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell cells, the advantage in terms of endurance comes from the methanol storage. The equivalent energy content of 50 gasoline liters is, taking into account the tank mass, 80 kg of methanol while analogous figure regarding H2 (300 bar compressed) is 442 kg.
In any cases I wish you good luck to fill a flight plan with the FAA for an UAV with 2 litres of Liquid Hydrogen..
No Austin what I was saying was for any practical use, hydrogen fuel cells are ungodly expensive.
Disallowing cost of the cell and often unexpectedly short life, cost of operation is reasonable, but the cost of the cells are still outrageous.
The ones used for powering cell phones are not at all the same, they use a propane or butane reformation process and produce a tiny amount of power and are relatively cheap but still unreliable for multiple uses.
I am sorry I used the Corvette analogy, but a Bugatti Veyron seemed excessive.
Hydrogen fuel cells have a lot of promise, but even after 30 years of working on them cost and reliability are still huge issues for their practical implementation.
Naish 88: Company is from Singapore ...
To GaryMcCray what your basically saying its corvette ie old tech or hydrogen fuel cell ie new tech. hummm ill take the new tech thanks. I don't live in the states where everything is stupid in size such as food and cars. About time your country got into the 21st Century!
Just don't let any sparks near those fuel storage canisters. . .
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