Periodic Reporting for period 4 - UAVEndure II (Innovative fuel cell propulsion technology enabling long endurance for small UAVs)
Período documentado: 2021-10-01 hasta 2022-05-31
Impact on society: As UAV are gaining traction the applications are extended beyond the typical task of providing overview to being a central part of the future for logistics/transport, agriculture and environment etc. For the vision of an unmanned infrastructure this to become reality new propulsion technologies are needed. Without this the UAVs will never be able to fulfill the potential for green transition and job creation. The UAVEndure project will extend the flight time from minutes to hours.
The overall objective of UAV ENDURE II is to develop a novel propulsion technology that enable mini fixed winged UAVs to extend the range by a factor of 5-10.
During the final period of the project, it has become evident, that it has not been possible to produce a fully functioning hotbox with a fuel cell to fit the dimensions and weight of the drone. It has not been possible to reach the required production of Watt for the electrical system and furthermore it has proven difficult to create a hotbox with weldings, which could withstand the conditions, when the fuel cell is in operation. The final results of the project, however, do not change the fact, that there is still a large market potential for the small fixed-wing UAVs in combination with power generation from fuel cells.
The project has been a valuable learning experience for Sky-Watch, who has gained thorough insight into the possibilities for downsizing of their drones and knowledge about the fuel cell technology. For Kraftwerk, the project has provided a greater understanding of the technical challenges and issues, with addressing fuel cell production for small carriers, in this case a small fixed-wing drone.
During the final period of the project, it has become evident, that it has not been possible to produce a fully functioning hotbox with a fuel cell to fit the dimensions and weight of the drone. It has been difficult to reach the required watt output during tests due to issues with welding seams. The project has therefore not reached a level, where it was possible to integrate the fuel cell into a drone and perform full scale tests. The final results of the project, however, do not change the fact, that there is still a large market potential for the small fixed-wing UAVs in combination with power generation from fuel cells.
The project has been a valuable learning experience for Sky-Watch, who has gained thorough insight into the possibilities for downsizing and weight optimization of drone components and knowledge about the fuel cell technology. For Kraftwerk, the project has provided a greater understanding of the technical challenges and issues, with addressing fuel cell production for small carriers, in this case a small fixed-wing drone.