eVTOL UAV Conversion to Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Power Source for Enhanced Endurance

Abstract A study is conducted to investigate the integration of a hydrogen fuel cell power system to a small electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) at Technology Innovation Institute (TII), Abu Dhabi. A hybrid power system is used comprising of hydrogen fuel cell for forward flight and lithium polymer batteries of vertical flight during take-off and landing phase. The hybrid power system is proposed as a substitute to the existing batteries in order to enhance the endurance of eVTOL UAVs. The eVTOL UAV used in this study is Dronepoulis ESA-90 which has four vertical flight motors and a single forward flight motor. Data simulations are conducted for the cruise power of 750 W which is consumed by the forward flight motor. The results show that the flight endurance of the UAV increased from 90 min to 272 minutes when hydrogen fuel cell power system is used. Further studies show that increasing the hydrogen pressure in the cylinder and increasing the size of the cylinder increased the flight endurance of the UAV. Increasing the size of the cylinder can potentially increase the flight endurance of the UAV as long as the overall weight remains within the maximum take-off weight limit.