Sizing Design and Simulation of an SOFC Propulsion System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The short flight endurance is one of the key obstacles for the application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Applying the fuel cells as the propulsion system of UAVs instead of batteries can increase the energy density and further lead to a longer cruise duration. Compared to other kinds of fuel cells, the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is advantageous for its ability to use hydrocarbon fuels with a much higher energy storage density than hydrogen. In this paper, a SOFC propulsion system is sized and designed for UAV applications. The power allocation between the SOFC and energy storage components was further studied. A system model was developed, including an SOFC stack, a catalytic partial oxidation (CPOx) reformer, an after burner, and heat exchangers, etc. The design parameters of the SOFC stack and other components were selected to meet the power and energy demand of the UAV. The model is proved to be a useful tool for the design and simulation of the UAV-SOFC systems.