Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society (한국태양에너지학회 논문집)

The Korean Solar Energy Society (한국태양에너지학회)
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Design and Development of 600 W Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

600 W급 연료전지(PEMFC)의 설계 및 제작

  • Kim, Joo-Gon (Wellness Convergence Research Center, DGIST) ;
  • Chung, Hyun-Youl (Department of ICE, Yeungnam University) ;
  • Bates, Alex (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville) ;
  • Thomas, Sobi (Wellness Convergence Research Center, DGIST) ;
  • Son, Byung-Rak (Wellness Convergence Research Center, DGIST) ;
  • Park, Sam (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville) ;
  • Lee, Dong-Ha (Wellness Convergence Research Center, DGIST)
  • 김주곤 (대구경북과학기술원 웰니스융합연구센터) ;
  • 정현열 (영남대학교 정보통신공학과) ;
  • ;
  • 소비 토마스 (대구경북과학기술원 웰니스융합연구센터) ;
  • 손병락 (대구경북과학기술원 웰니스융합연구센터) ;
  • ;
  • 이동하 (대구경북과학기술원 웰니스융합연구센터)
  • Received : 2014.07.02
  • Accepted : 2014.08.11
  • Published : 2014.08.30
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Abstract

The design of a fuel cells stack is important to get optimal output power. This study focuses on the evaluation of fuel cell system for unmaned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Low temperature proton exchange membrane (LTPEM) fuel cells are the most promising energy source for the robot applications because of their unique advantages such as high energy density, cold startup, and quick response during operation. In this paper, a 600 W open cathode LTPEM fuel cell was tested to evaluate the performance and to determine optimal operating conditions. The open cathode design reduces the overall size of the system to meet the requirement for robotic application. The cruise power requirement of 600 W was supported entirely by the fuel cell while the additional power requirements during takeoff was extended using a battery. A peak of power of 900 W is possible for 10 mins with a lithium polymer (LiPo) battery. The system was evaluated under various load cycles as well as start-stop cycles. The system response from no load to full load meets the robot platform requirement. The total weigh of the stack was 2 kg, while the overall system, including the fuel processing system and battery, was 4 kg.

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