The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) announced on the 4th that Dr. Yang Cheol-nam's research team at the Aerospace Materials Demonstration Center has developed a 1.2 kW fuel cell and successfully conducted over 12 hours of flight demonstration by mounting it on a drone.
A fuel cell is a device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy. It generates electricity by reacting hydrogen, included in the fuel, with oxygen in the air. According to the Materials Science Center, this marks the longest flight record for a drone equipped with a domestically developed fuel cell. Additionally, it is at a world-class level in terms of civilian use standards.
Most existing drones use batteries, making long flights challenging. While installing an internal combustion engine allows for long operations, it generates noise, vibration, exhaust gas, and has low energy efficiency.
The research team manufactured a 1.2 kW fuel cell system and applied it to a hybrid drone equipped with a hydrogen tank and batteries. During the test flight, the drone flew a total distance of 755.6 km for over 12 hours steadily. The average output during the flight was approximately 655 W, and the energy density was measured at 606 Wh per kg.
The drone measures 3.7 meters in length and has a wingspan of 7.6 meters. It was equipped with an autopilot system and flew steadily along a predetermined route after takeoff. The research team noted that drones powered by fuel cells produce less noise and vibration and are difficult to detect by heat, making them suitable for various applications such as reconnaissance, aerial photography, environmental monitoring, and disaster response.
Dr. Yang Cheol-nam stated, "The technology for fuel cell-powered drones has been developed over more than 10 years, and we expect to achieve 24-hour continuous flight through the future development of liquid hydrogen fuel and high-density stacks," adding, "I anticipate that the fuel cell system developed with our technology will significantly contribute to the self-reliance of Korea's drone industry."
Earlier in 2020, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) successfully developed a solar-powered drone that flew for 53 hours. This aircraft mainly operated at an altitude of 14 km in the stratosphere. Dr. Yang explained, "Solar-powered drones generate electricity from sunlight during the day, so they are affected by weather and time, whereas fuel cell drones do not have such issues and can fly closer to the ground, making them much more advantageous for Korea's mountainous terrain."