Lightweight High-Performance Fuel Cells for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Propulsion

质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）通过产生水和热将氢的化学能直接转化为电能。PEMFC动力装置是汽车和分布式电源应用中最有前途的电源。目前，pemfc被认为是无人机（uav）的替代电源。然而，与其他用于为无人机提供动力的动力源（例如，内燃机、电池和涡轮螺旋桨发动机）相比，PEMFC动力装置的功率密度要低得多。因此，低功率密度（重型燃料电池动力装置的低功率输出）是燃料电池动力无人机（FCUAVs）面临的最关键挑战。***传统的石墨双极板几乎占燃料电池堆重量的80%。膜水化是低温（~70°C） pemfc最关键的挑战之一，因为它直接影响燃料电池的性能和效率。为了使膜适当地水化，在传统技术中，通常需要一个单独的加湿器和相关系统，这使得传统的燃料电池发电厂沉重而笨重。***研究小组在pemfc和pemfc -电池动力系统领域做出了重要贡献：***(1)开发、实现并应用了一个全面的pemfc三维通用模型，用于处理两相流和输运机制。***(2)成功搭建并改进了燃料电池试验台，用于研究燃料电池性能和验证pemfc通用模型。***(3)设计并建立了一种静电纺丝装置，用于制备具有更好耐久性和更高性能的纳米纤维和催化剂涂层气体扩散层。***(4)开发了用于车辆和便携式应用的燃料电池混合动力系统的电源管理策略，并进行了实验验证。*** (5) FCUAV原型设计，重点研究燃料电池动力装置控制策略。***为了制造高效率和长续航的FCUAV，迫切需要开发一种有效的系统方法，通过创新的设计和有效且经济的制造方法来构建轻量级PEMFC堆栈。***在本提案中，膜，电极和双极板的创新设计和制造将通过数值和实验方法提出，表征和研究；并建立了一种有效的系统方法来构建高性能的轻量级PEMFC堆栈。***本研究结果将显著提高pemfc的性能并降低成本。随着高素质人员的训练和专业知识的发展，它将对fcuav的国防和民用应用产生积极和实质性的影响。

A Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) converts the chemical energy of hydrogen directly into electrical energy with the generation of water and heat. The PEMFC powerplant is the most promising power source for automotive and distributed power applications. Currently PEMFCs are regarded as the alternative power source for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). However, compared with other power sources (e.g., internal combustion engine, battery, and turboprop) that have been used to power UAVs, the power density of the PEMFC powerplant is much lower. Thus, the low power density (low power output by a heavy fuel cell powerplant) is the most critical challenge for fuel cell-powered UAVs (FCUAVs). *** Conventional graphite bipolar plates contribute almost 80% of a fuel cell stack weight. Membrane hydration is one of the most critical challenges for low-temperature (~70 °C) PEMFCs as it directly affects the fuel cell performance and efficiency. In order to properly hydrate the membrane, with the conventional technologies, a separate humidifier and related systems are usually required, which makes the conventional fuel cell powerplants heavy and bulky. *** The Principal Investigator's group has made significant contributions in the fields of PEMFCs and PEMFC-Battery Power Systems:*** (1) A comprehensive three-dimensional General Model of PEMFCs was developed, implemented, and applied to deal with two-phase flow and transport mechanisms.*** (2) A Fuel Cell Test Stand was successfully built, improved, and employed to investigate fuel cell performance and validate the General Model of PEMFCs.*** (3) An electrospinning setup has been designed and built to fabricate nanofibers and catalyst-coated gas diffusion layers with better durability and higher performance.*** (4) Power management strategies for fuel cell-battery hybrid systems with vehicles and portable applications have been developed and the experimentally validated. *** (5) FCUAV prototyping with a focus on the control strategies for the fuel cell powerplant.*** In order to build a FCUAV with high efficiency and long endurance, there is an urgent need to develop an effective systematic methodology for building a lightweight PEMFC stack with innovative designs and by effective and affordable fabrication methods.*** In this proposal, innovative designs and fabrications of membrane, electrode, and bipolar plates will be proposed, characterized, and investigated by numerical and experimental methods; and an effective systematic methodology for building a lightweight PEMFC stack with high performance will be established.*** The results of the proposed research will significantly improve the performance and reduce the cost of PEMFCs. Along with the highly qualified personnel trained and the expertise developed, it will have positive and substantial effects on FCUAVs for defence and civilian applications.