A hydrogen fuel cell has been developed that increases the airtime of UAVs!

Within the scope of a project carried out at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, a microtube hydrogen fuel cell was developed that will increase the airtime of UAVs. As a result of the studies carried out at the Clean Energy Application and Research Center within the university, a significant success was achieved on this new battery technology, which will make a significant contribution to UAV technologies.

UAV performance increased 2 times with new battery technology

The project manager is Prof. Dr. Bora Timurkutluk stated that the microtube solid oxide fuel cell they developed showed 2 times higher performance than traditional designs.

Timurkutluk added that this is the world’s first and only surface-patterned microtube solid oxide fuel cell and offers higher performance and efficiency than traditional microtubes.

Assoc. Dr. Selahattin Çelik also “It is possible to use fuel cells in an automobile, as in diesel, gasoline or LPG vehicles, to have a range of 1000 kilometers by filling the hydrogen in a single tank within minutes.

Fuel cells can extend the airtime of mini-drones by up to 3 times. “With portable versions, we can enable our soldiers to perform more tasks with 80 percent less load instead of batteries. We are in a position to start mass production.” He made a statement.

This battery technology is aimed to significantly increase the airtime of UAVs. In addition, national and international patent applications were made and a number of scientific articles were published within the scope of the project.

Another important contribution of the project is achieving higher performance by optimizing the surface properties of the battery. In this way, UAVs will be able to stay in the air for longer periods of time with smaller and lighter systems, while also providing silent operation.

This new technology will also enable important strategic developments in the defense industry. Increasing the performance of UAVs can enable more effective and efficient tasks to be carried out in military operations.