China: Hydrogen-powered drone stays 30 hours in the air
China has reached a new milestone in hydrogen aviation with the successful 30-hour continuous flight of a hydrogen-powered drone. Developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Tsinghua University, the test marks a global endurance record for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in its class.
The drone took off from an unmanned car in Dujiangyan in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. It weighs 50 kilogrammes and uses fuel cells with an energy density of 600W/kg. Moreover, China Hydrogen Bulletin reports that researchers from Tsinghua University were able to increase the “system efficiency to 55% through the lightweight stack design and low platinum-loaded catalyst technology, and has broken through the stability bottleneck in plateau low pressure and extreme cold environments.”
According to Global Times, hydrogen-powered drones that can stay airborne for longer periods could be used for natural disaster rescue missions, for example. Other possible use cases are emergency communications, environmental monitoring and border patrol.
0 Comments