Hydrogen drone
Researchers from the micro aerial vehicle laboratory (MAV lab) have created a drone that runs on hydrogen and can take off and land vertically and fly for hours horizontally like an aeroplane. The drone weighs thirteen kilos, has a wingspan of three metres and is equipped with twelve motors and propellers. The researchers tested the aircraft on a Royal Netherlands Navy vessel while far out at sea. The drone can fly tens of kilometres, which makes it suitable for use as a forward observation post.
The battery that drives the motors and the hydrogen cell are geared to each other. This is because both propulsion systems have to be used simultaneously when the drone takes off, which is a highly energy-intensive operation. When the drone flies horizontally it switches completely over to the hydrogen cell.
As with hybrid cars, the battery recharges during flight. “Normally we would see the battery run down quickly during flight,” says project manager Remes. “Now we have achieved the opposite.”
Could civil aviation benefit from this development? “Taking off with passenger planes also uses an enormous amount of energy, and the extra power provided by batteries is therefore needed. But hydrogen cells could definitely take over once you are at cruising altitude. So yes, the technology we are developing is also of interest to the civil aviation sector.”