Wed, Jan 25, 2023
Hydrogen Powered Drones to Attempt Transatlantic Voyage on Hydrogen Power
H3 Dynamics has joined hands with Hylium Industries to boost the performance of their sustainable, hydrogen-electric hybrid tech with the latter's liquid hydrogen storage designs.
Hylium's specialty in liquification for hydrogen fuels could be a great boost to H3 Dynamics' efforts, as they develop hydrogen propulsion in a world of battery-only competitors. The jump to liquid hydrogen is a promising one, given its increased energy density over compressed gas. From the outset, its liquid form boasts 3 times the energy per cubic milliliter, allowing future UAVs to fly further and operate longer than they would be powered by hydrogen gas. In order to demonstrate the change, H3 Dynamics says its gas-powered demonstrator aircraft from last year would now be able to fly more than 900 kilometers with a single fill, while its original spec ran out of steam at 400.
H3 Dynamics has embarked on developing the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen production, like its automated hydrogen refueling station. The H2FIELD is a mobile station that produces hydrogen from water and delivers compressed hydrogen gas tanks to the operator with little human intervention and no required hydrogen expertise. With a simple, no-fuss solution, hydrogen-powered drones are even simpler to implement, taking care of their preflight refueling in the background, no human required. The new partnership with Hylium will soon upgrade the station so that it can fill liquid hydrogen tanks. The South Korean firm has already borne out the utility of liquid hydrogen, developing the LH2 standardization as a contender for a global ISO spec.
Next up for the partnership? A 3,000 kilometer journey across the Atlantic. ISAE SUPAERO Toulouse has been hard at work developing a special fuselage that integrates a small LH2 tank for maximum range. While that carries onward, H3 Dynamics is reportedly working on converting their self-contained hydrogen nacelles to liquid hydrogen too. Their twin-engine cargo drone could see its own 3x boost to range, allowing even better cost-performance than the original h2 gas-powered demonstrator.
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