Current status of power system for unmanned aerial vehicle fuel cell under different scenarios

With the increasingly wide application of the unmanned aerial vehicle, a new power resource is in urgent demand in the market. Domestic and foreign researchers have also done much research on how to improve the power system. Considering the energy density, gravimetric specific power, economic benefits and environmental protection, fuel cell becomes the best choice to solve the problem of unmanned aerial vehicle endurance. The gravimetric specific power of fuel cells is low, and it is difficult to cope with the large range fluctuation of load power when the UAV performs complex flight tasks. After comparing the performance and products of various types of fuel cells, the cathode open air-cooled proton exchange membrane fuel cell is chosen as the most suitable one for UAVs. This paper will illustrate how fuel cell and battery hybrid power system works and introduce their structure. At the end of the paper, some conclusions and prospects for the development of UAV power systems are also made.