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Hydrogen fuel for Long endurance UAVs

Posted by iangl on November 9, 2010 at 9:00am
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They did it. AEROPAK is a UAV specific powering solution. It runs just on water (hydrogen fuel) and delivers lots and lots of electricity.

http://www.hes.sg/

This product has unbeliavable charateristics compared to our primitive battery packs, allowing looong flight times. I discovered it today, and am waiting for a quote from Horizon Energy Systems. They also sell a complete hydrogen power ssolution for RC cars.

New horizons for us! Enjoy
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Comments

  • Joel November 10, 2010 at 4:16pm
    If it's the same as other Horizon fuel cells, then you have to purchase the charging station, but cartridges can be reused.
  • T.D. Gonzales November 10, 2010 at 8:42am
    @Albert Lorincz: The charging thing is also weird. They offer cartridges and I would assume you could just put in distilled water. If these things are like printer cartridges where your supposed to buy new ones each time that could be a real deal killer.
  • T.D. Gonzales November 10, 2010 at 8:40am
    After working an internship at a start up and watching a few tech start ups crash and burn marvelously I'm really not sure that a lot of the data for this fuel cell can be trusted. If the unit were working as well as they claim it is why isn't it on the market?

    Reading their press stuff it sounds like they have a finished product, but they have no price point for it or estimated earliest ship date.
  • Albert Lorincz November 10, 2010 at 7:21am
    Interesting, in summary.

    The larger cartridge gives you 2125 Wh
    the system is rated at 200W of continuous power thus 10.6 hrs of continuous run time
    The smaller cartridge gives your 900 Wh
    the system is rated at 200W of continuous power thus 4.5 hrs of continuous run time

    So the system gives you:
    47 flights each 10.6 hrs
    or
    111 flight each 4.5 hrs
    *need to de-rate for altitude

    the payload cost of 7.72 lbs or 4.41 lbs

    So how much $?
    How much for each power unit?
    How much for each cartridge?
    What is the life of the cartridges?
    How many times can they be reused?
    How are the recharged?
  • Andrew Van Der Plaats November 10, 2010 at 5:33am
    Horizon's Fuel Cell Triples Flight Duration Capability of South Korean Close-Range UAVHorizon's innovative AEROPAK fuel cell power system triples the flight duration of a Korean close-range UAV - with

    dmnnewswire.digitalmedianet.com

    SINGAPORE, BUSINESS WIRE -- The newly developed AEROPAK hydrogen fuel cell power system recently announced by Energy Systems (HES) of Singapore helped set a new record for elec...
  • Simone Chiaretta November 10, 2010 at 2:11am
    Doesn't look like a solution for quads: too heavy and too little current out
  • Tony H November 10, 2010 at 1:01am
    I've been designing a UAV around this fuel cell with 5 other people and a sponsor from Lockheed Martin for my Senior Design class. Not too much to share with everyone here yet...maybe in a month :-)
  • Gerry Lichter November 10, 2010 at 12:21am
    Hydrogen Peroxide + Aluminum is cool. Seems to have a good shelf life. Not much in the way of amps per cell, but good energy density. Don't know how it compares to LiPoly.

    Considered to be an "Aluminum Air" fuel cell if I remember right.
  • Moderator
    Gary Mortimer November 9, 2010 at 10:29pm
    Well Aeropak are claiming a record, but I don't think it actually is. No doubt they will fly off the shelves eventually. They have also been mentioned here before more than once... http://www.suasnews.com/2010/11/2703/another-electric-flight-record...
  • Paul G. November 9, 2010 at 10:08pm
    there would also be the small issue of getting the liquid hydrogen to put in them. did i mention that stuff is coooooooooold :D
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