Hundred kilometer hydrogen powered multi rotor unmanned aerial vehicle enters mass production stage
After 90 minutes of continuous flight, a drone with a wheelbase of 1.6 meters and a takeoff weight of nearly 25 kilograms landed smoothly on the lawn in front of the research building of Beihang University Hangzhou International Campus. This is the test scenario of the "Tianmushan-1" hydrogen powered long-range multi rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "Tianmushan-1") on the afternoon of August 26th.
Xu Weiqiang, Chief Scientist of the "High Performance Airborne Hydrogen Power System Development and Application" project at Tianmushan Laboratory and Chief Designer of Tianmushan-1, introduced that this is the world's first 100 kilometer hydrogen powered multi rotor unmanned aerial vehicle. It has entered the stage of small-scale production and has the characteristics of ultra long endurance, ultra-low temperature environment adaptability, and zero carbon environmental protection.
Industrial drones powered by lithium batteries generally have a flight time of less than 1 hour at room temperature, a flight radius of only a few kilometers, and a reduced range in low-temperature environments.
Compared to lithium batteries, hydrogen fuel cells have advantages such as cleanliness, wide temperature range, and high energy density. Using hydrogen fuel cells for power supply is considered an effective solution in the industry to address the pain points of the industrial drone industry.
Tianmushan Laboratory is an aviation laboratory approved by the People's Government of Zhejiang Province. It is an innovative source for supporting the high-level construction of a strong civil aviation province and creating a highland for low altitude economic development in Zhejiang Province. Since the establishment of the "Tianmushan-1" project in 2022, Xu Weiqiang has led his team to carry out technological research on airborne hydrogen power systems with high energy density, high power density, and adaptability to high and low temperatures.
Xu Weiqiang introduced that the "Tianmushan No.1" adopts an integrated lightweight carbon fiber body, with an empty weight of 19 kilograms, a maximum mounting weight of 6 kilograms, and a maximum endurance of 4 hours. Its long-range power comes from the team's fully self-developed hydrogen power system.
In terms of material ratio technology, lightweight design, and other aspects, the team has done a lot of work around the research and development of hydrogen power systems. Xu Weiqiang said that the hydrogen power system consists of hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen storage devices, and the air-cooled fuel cell stack used can have an energy density of up to 1000 Wh/kg, which is about 5 to 6 times that of lithium batteries, greatly improving the endurance of drones.
Previously, "Tianmu Mountain One" has been tested for several times. For example, in January this year, it flew continuously for more than 100 minutes at minus 40 degrees centigrade in Genhe, Inner Mongolia, and in August, it completed continuous flight tests under hypoxic environment in the plateau above 4500 meters above sea level in Linzhi, Xizang.
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