Long-Range Drone

Background:

Drones (often referred to as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)) are unpiloted aircraft or spacecraft that can be autonomously or remotely controlled. They are used for a wide variety of applications such as the military, space exploration, and for commercial use, which allow ordinary people and companies to fly these vehicles for all sorts of purposes. Drones usually run on lithium polymer batteries (lipo Batteries) but hydrogen fuel cells can also be incorporated. 

Hydrogen fuel cells are renewable energy systems that have the following key characteristics:

  • The fuel they run on, hydrogen, is easily accessible since hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.
  • Do not cause pollution or danger to our environment as they do not release greenhouse gases as opposed to burning fossil fuels.
  • When it comes to drones, they help maximize productivity and longer flight time in a single drone flight.

The Long-Range Drone project incorporates a hydrogen fuel cell, combined with a lipo battery, as a source of power for the drone. This allows for constructing a more efficient drone while also integrating sustainable energy systems. We will be researching the fuel cell efficiency for a drone that we will design and build. Groups will be building a structure for the drone and assembling electronic parts while keeping the fuel cell as the focal point of this project. 

Goals and Objectives:

So far, the current team has modeled the drone, tested each mechanical part through simulations, created a preliminary wiring diagram, and conducted analysis of the drones flight time and motors. The goals and objectives for the future are the following:

  • ​Build the drone based on the model created.​
  • Test the design.
  • Revise design based on performance.
  • Model and manufacture final design.
  • Understand the innerworkings of hydrogen fuel cells.
  • Construct a more robust wiring diagram, that incorporates both lipo battery and fuel cell.
  • Understand flight mechanics of drone. 

Team Contacts:

Project Team Lead: Alexander Moreno-Cazarez morenoc4@uci.edu

Faculty Adviser: Professor Yun Wang yunw@uci.edu

Project status: 
Active
Department: 
MAE
Term: 
Fall
Winter
Spring
Academic year: 
2020-2021
Spring Video: 
Author: