The Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) announced the completion of tests of a domestic drone using hydrogen fuel cells. Its advantage compared to a similar drone on conventional batteries is the significantly increased autonomy.
«The drone's power source is two kilowatt fuel cell batteries. This power plant can provide continuous flight for up to 2.5 hours. If the same device is powered by lithium-ion batteries, it will have to be periodically landed, and the batteries replaced or charged to ensure the same flight time,» – said Alexey Levchenko, Head of the Laboratory at the Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics Problems and Medical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Specialists from MIPT and the Federal Research Center for Chemical Physics Problems and Medical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed compact and capacious fuel cells that are several times more energy-intensive than traditional power sources, which made it possible to create a highly autonomous and environmentally friendly UAV.
The drone prototype was equipped with two fuel cell batteries, as well as a high-pressure hydrogen cylinder. The take-off weight of the drone does not exceed 15 kg, and it is capable of moving at speeds up to 50 km/h.
«Our development has a number of obvious advantages: one of the main ones is the potential for operation at negative temperatures. Fuel cells differ from other energy sources in absolute environmental safety, since only distilled water vapor is released during operation,» – added Dmitry Grebtsov, Head of the Laboratory at MIPT.
The developers believe that the hydrogen elements they have created can be used not only in drones, but also, for example, for charging mobile devices or in electric bicycles.