The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) recently completed a UAV test flight using Cella Energy’s hydrogen-based power system (see video). The solid, nanostructured chemical hydride hydrogen storage material releases large quantities of hydrogen when heated.

First UAV test flight with solid-state hydrogen storage and fuel cell. Image source: Cella Energy. UK-based Cella designed and built a gas generator using this material, which, when combined with a fuel cell, generates electric power. The gas generator operates in concert with a fuel cell supplied and integrated by Arcola Energy, replacing the lithium-ion battery with a lighter-weight propulsion mechanism.

The work was funded by a grant from Innovate UK and has enabled Cella and Arcola to design and build a power system that could be incorporated into the Raptor E1, built and designed by Trias Gkikopoulos of Raptor UAS. “This flight used a small prototype system and we were pleased with the initial flight with another flight scheduled to take place in the near future. The larger versions of this system that we are already designing will have three times the energy of a lithium-ion battery of the same weight,” says Stephen Bennington, Cella’s Managing Director.

The solid-state hydrogen storage technology also addresses issues that surround transporting compressed gaseous hydrogen. Cella’s material is a solid and is not under compression, is stable in air and at temperatures below 500C. For these reasons, Cella is also working on aerospace systems with its partner, Safran’s Herakles division, which is soon to become part of Airbus-Safran Launchers, a joint venture between Safran and Airbus. The two have been working together to prove the feasibility of using Cella’s hydrogen storage material for aerospace applications.