Post by account_disabled on Mar 13, 2024 2:21:56 GMT -6
A drone that can fly sustainably over long distances over land and water, and can land almost anywhere, will be able to serve a wide range of applications. There are already drones that fly using 'green' hydrogen , but they fly very slowly or cannot land vertically.
That is why researchers at TU Delft, together with the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Dutch coast guard, developed a hydrogen-powered drone that is capable of taking off and landing vertically and, at the same time, flying horizontally. efficient for several hours, just like regular airplanes.
The drone uses a combi Caseno Email List nation of hydrogen and batteries as a power source . The first successful tests were carried out in one of the most challenging scenarios: from a ship sailing in the open sea.
A drone flying using green hydrogen over densely populated areas or in the open sea must be able to take off and land vertically, for example, in an apartment complex or on the aft deck of a ship . This consumes a lot of battery power and is detrimental to flight duration.
Fossil fuels are often used to increase the range and endurance of aircraft, although this is not a particularly sustainable solution. Additionally, to fly efficiently over long distances, a drone needs wings, however, fixed-wing drones require additional facilities to land them, such as a runway or net.
So overall, no drones have been developed so far that can fly long distances sustainably and still take off and land almost anywhere.
Bart Remes, Project Manager of the Micro Aerial Vehicle Lab (MAVLab) at TU Delft: “That is why we developed a drone that can take off and land vertically using hydrogen plus a set of batteries, and that during horizontal flight powered by hydrogen can recharge. the battery through a fuel cell, ready for vertical landing.
The fixed-wing design and use of hydrogen means the drone can fly horizontally for hours.”
The all-electric drone weighs kg and has a wingspan of three meters. It's also very safe: it runs on engines, so even if several engines fail, it can still land safely on the aft deck of a boat, for example.
Sustainable
The drone is equipped with a liter, bar carbon composite hydrogen cylinder. The cylinder feeds low-pressure hydrogen to the w fuel cell which converts it into electricity.
The only emissions are oxygen and water vapor . In addition to the fuel cell that supplies electricity to the engines, there is also a set of batteries that together with the fuel cell provide extra power to the engines during vertical takeoff and landing.
The knowledge gained from designing the drone can be used to make aviation greener. Henri Werij, Dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft: “One of the most important aspects of this research project is hydrogen-powered flight. Around the world, hydrogen is considered one of the most important competitors to achieve a green and sustainable aviation fuel.”
Maritime
Drones are already regularly used to fly over land, but flying over sea comes with many additional challenges. Wind, salt water, a moving ship with limited take-off and landing facilities, these are all dynamic conditions that place high demands on the drone.
This is why the TU Delft hydrogen drone was not only tested in a wind tunnel, but also on service vessels of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Dutch Coast Guard, sailing in the open sea off the Dutch coast.
That is why researchers at TU Delft, together with the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Dutch coast guard, developed a hydrogen-powered drone that is capable of taking off and landing vertically and, at the same time, flying horizontally. efficient for several hours, just like regular airplanes.
The drone uses a combi Caseno Email List nation of hydrogen and batteries as a power source . The first successful tests were carried out in one of the most challenging scenarios: from a ship sailing in the open sea.
A drone flying using green hydrogen over densely populated areas or in the open sea must be able to take off and land vertically, for example, in an apartment complex or on the aft deck of a ship . This consumes a lot of battery power and is detrimental to flight duration.
Fossil fuels are often used to increase the range and endurance of aircraft, although this is not a particularly sustainable solution. Additionally, to fly efficiently over long distances, a drone needs wings, however, fixed-wing drones require additional facilities to land them, such as a runway or net.
So overall, no drones have been developed so far that can fly long distances sustainably and still take off and land almost anywhere.
Bart Remes, Project Manager of the Micro Aerial Vehicle Lab (MAVLab) at TU Delft: “That is why we developed a drone that can take off and land vertically using hydrogen plus a set of batteries, and that during horizontal flight powered by hydrogen can recharge. the battery through a fuel cell, ready for vertical landing.
The fixed-wing design and use of hydrogen means the drone can fly horizontally for hours.”
The all-electric drone weighs kg and has a wingspan of three meters. It's also very safe: it runs on engines, so even if several engines fail, it can still land safely on the aft deck of a boat, for example.
Sustainable
The drone is equipped with a liter, bar carbon composite hydrogen cylinder. The cylinder feeds low-pressure hydrogen to the w fuel cell which converts it into electricity.
The only emissions are oxygen and water vapor . In addition to the fuel cell that supplies electricity to the engines, there is also a set of batteries that together with the fuel cell provide extra power to the engines during vertical takeoff and landing.
The knowledge gained from designing the drone can be used to make aviation greener. Henri Werij, Dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft: “One of the most important aspects of this research project is hydrogen-powered flight. Around the world, hydrogen is considered one of the most important competitors to achieve a green and sustainable aviation fuel.”
Maritime
Drones are already regularly used to fly over land, but flying over sea comes with many additional challenges. Wind, salt water, a moving ship with limited take-off and landing facilities, these are all dynamic conditions that place high demands on the drone.
This is why the TU Delft hydrogen drone was not only tested in a wind tunnel, but also on service vessels of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Dutch Coast Guard, sailing in the open sea off the Dutch coast.