44th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit AIAA 2006-237

9 - 12 January 2006, Reno, Nevada

Development of a Fuel Cell Powered UAV for Environmental

Research

Christopher Herwerth* and Uche Ofoma†

California State University Los Angeles, CA, 90032

Dr. Chivey Wu‡

California State University, Los Angeles, CA, 90032

and

Shigeru Matsuyama§ and Samira Clark**

California State University, Los Angeles, CA, 90032

An all composite, hydrogen fuel cell powered UAV is being developed at the Multidisciplinary Flight
Dynamics and Control Laboratory (MFDCLab, www.calstatela.edu/centers/mfdclab) at California State
University, Los Angeles. The fuel cell UAV is intended to demonstrate the integration of new technologies
such as fuel cell power into unmanned aerial vehicle design. The UAV is radio controlled for takeoff and
landings and will employ GPS and autopilot for autonomous flight, following a set loiter pattern under cruise
conditions. A later goal of autonomous takeoff and landing is desired for the eventual packaging of a
portable, lightweight, non polluting UAV for use in biological data sampling of remote, environmentally
sensitive research sites. The MFDCLab works in partnership with the Center for Environmental Analysis –
Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CEA-CREST), which is a research laboratory
supervised by the Biology Department at California State University, Los Angeles. A need was identified for
a slow speed, low altitude UAV that could be used to photograph chaparral and sample CO2 levels to
facilitate research on the effects of pollutant gas emissions on plant life. A description of the composite
construction of the monocoque fuselage and foam core wings is presented along with an aerodynamic analysis
of the UAV design. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was used to validate the conceptual
design of the UAV. A proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell with a metal hydride storage tank provides
roughly 500 Watts of power. The relatively low power-to-weight ratio of the fuel cell power plant and the
need for a low flight speed, dictated the use of a high aspect ratio wing in the UAV’s aerodynamic
configuration. This paper details the development of a fuel cell powered unmanned aerial vehicle. The
design and construction of the UAV is presented along with results of aerodynamic and structural analyses.

Nomenclature
ΛLE = Leading Edge Sweep Angle

AoA = Angle of Attack

AR = Aspect Ratio

CD = Coefficient of Drag

CD0 = Parasitic Drag Coefficient

Cfe = Equivalent skin friction drag coefficient

*
Research Associate, MFDCLab, AIAA Member
†
Research Associate, MFDCLab, AIAA Member
‡
Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, AIAA Member
§
Research Associate, MFDCLab, AIAA Member
** Research Associate, MFDCLab, AIAA Member

1
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Copyright © 2006 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.
CL = Coefficient of lift

CLminD = Coefficient of lift at minimum drag condition

CEA-CREST = Center for Environmental Analysis, Centers of Research Excellence in Science and
Technology

CFD = Computational Fluid Dynamics

e0 = Oswald’s efficiency factor

HALE = High Altitude Long Endurance

k1, k2 = Coefficients of the drag polar that allow for the modeling of wings that have minimum
drag at a non zero value of lift

MFDCLab = Multidisciplinary Flight Dynamics and Control Laboratory

PEM = Proton Exchange Membrane or Polymer Electrolyte Membrane

UAV = Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

I. Introduction

T he Multidisciplinary Flight Dynamics and Control Laboratory (MFDCLab) is operated by the Department of
Mechanical Engineering at California State University, Los Angeles. For the MFDCLab, demonstration of the
feasibility of powering an unmanned aircraft with a fuel cell is important because there are very few aircraft utilizing
a fuel cell for a power plant. The MFDCLab is built around a test bed of virtual aircraft design and analysis
software developed at NASA’s University Research Center for Structures, Propulsion, Aerodynamics and Control
Engineering at California State University, Los Angeles. Research activities include a rapid conceptual design test
bed for an air-breathing hypersonic vehicle, aeroelasticity, intelligent flight control and combustion and propulsion.
Integrated into each of these research projects is application of autonomous control and the validation of
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation for the use in aerodynamic design. This multidisciplinary
approach has been applied to the development of the fuel cell powered UAV that can be utilized for the integration
and validation of computer-aided configuration design, aerodynamic analysis, finite-element structural analysis,
control law development and flight dynamics simulations.
The Center for Environmental Analysis – Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CEA-
CREST) is supervised by the Department of Biological Sciences also at California State University, Los Angeles.
For CEA-CREST, there is value in utilizing a fuel cell powered UAV due to its minimum environmental impact for
biological sampling. CEA-CREST photographs chaparral and samples carbon dioxide levels in remote locations
and minimizing pollution is imperative to gathering uncontaminated data. As hydrogen fuel cells combine oxygen
and hydrogen to produce electricity, water and heat, products of combustion are eliminated from the research site.
This research cooperation between different scientific disciplines such as mechanical engineering and biology is also
important to NASA which is the major funding partner of the MFDCLab.

II. Background
Unmanned or Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles, UAV’s can be considered as similar to other aircraft except for
additional design constraints associated with avionics or additional payload allowed because of the lack of an on
board pilot.1 Reusability is an important defining attribute of a UAV which distinguishes it from a missile or smart
bomb. A UAV is an uninhabited aircraft that can take off, cruise and land either with radio control or
autonomously, is reusable, and usually carries some type of payload such as a weapons system or surveillance
camera or other data gathering equipment. Inherent in the definition of a UAV is some type of utility other than
recreation, such as in a model plane.

2
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 In recent years, UAV development has increased dramatically and is likely to continue to increase. The
Department of Defense is projecting an investment of $10 billion for the years 2000 to 2010. This is triple the
investment for the period of 1990 to 2000.2 While most UAV’s are utilized in military applications, they are also
used in search and rescue, border surveillance, scientific and environmental research activities. Propulsion systems
for UAV’s are similar to onboard piloted aircraft. While combustion engine propeller and jet engines are the most
common types of propulsion systems for UAVs, other systems have been successful such as Pathfinder and Global
Observer built by AeroVironment. Pathfinder employs solar power for propulsion while Global Observer uses
liquid hydrogen fuel cells. Both Pathfinder and Global Observer are High Altitude Long Endurance aircraft
(HALE), capable of reaching altitudes of 85,000 and 65,000 feet respectively.
The MFDCLab recognizes the opportunity to demonstrate a new application of fuel cell technology into UAV
design. Working in partnership with CEA-CREST a need was identified in the biological sciences. Scientists need
the ability to obtain data samples that are undisturbed by human technology. Satellites and high altitude aircraft
have been and still are tools successfully employed for mapping and remote sensing. For a higher spatial resolution,
portable sampling equipment can be taken into the field. In the past, field research of this kind has been performed
manually or via limited use of automation. Unfortunately, this approach is time-consuming and limited in area
coverage. There is a current desire to increase sampling scale and conduct wide-area vegetation mapping while
simultaneously mitigating the risks of measurement contamination.
The unmanned aircraft is powered by a fuel cell. The unique use of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel
cell ensures zero emissions, which is vital for accurate CO2 flux measurements that are part of the remote sensing
work. This type of power plant also has the added benefit of not polluting the environment with unburned
hydrocarbons common in the exhaust of piston engines. Unfortunately, with the current state of the art, fuel cell
systems tend to have a low power to weight ratio. The UAV’s fuel cell unit is fueled by a hydrogen and oxygen
from air to produce a maximum 670 watts of power. This comes at a penalty of 11 lb (5 kg) in total system weight.
The aircraft’s propulsion system also comprises of a commercially available 650 watt electric motor with a folding,
14 inch (35.6 cm) diameter, two-bladed propeller and an electronic speed controller. Other internal components
include remote control gear, a small color video camera plus its transmitter, and batteries. A GPS autopilot will
eventually be an integral component of the UAV for autonomous flight. Future work will investigate having the
aircraft follow set loiter patterns for observation and data collection.
The design of the fuel cell powered UAV was driven by numerous requirements. A vehicle that would be a
stable platform, fly slowly, and could be operated from remote field sites was desired. The requirement for a slow
flight speed of 30 mph (13.5 m/s) at a low altitude of under 4000 feet (1.2 km) resulted in an aircraft with a large,
high aspect ratio wing. The wing utilizes a low Reynolds number airfoil with a high lift-to-drag ratio. Slow flight
speeds are necessary for clear imagery and smooth data collection. Take off gross weight is about 25 lb. (11.4 kg).
Motor tests show that endurance of the airplane is currently limited to about 15 minutes although flights of 30
minutes are planned via further development of the propulsion system. Finally, although the initial prototype is
remote controlled, efforts are underway to add autonomous flight capability using the GPS autopilot mentioned
earlier.
Several designs were considered for the fuel cell powered UAV. These included conventional, biplane, flying
wing, canard, and tandem wing configurations. Each idea had its strengths and weaknesses. After a lengthy concept
generation period, the final concept settled on was an aircraft of conventional design which offered the advantages
of reduced risk and a faster avenue to flight testing. The monocoque fuselage was constructed using carbon fiber,
fiberglass and aramid composites around a honeycomb core. The wing, horizontal stabilizer and tail were
constructed using a foam core covered with fiberglass and reinforced with carbon fiber, aramid and wooden ribs.
While the airframe weight was kept as low as possible, the vehicle was designed to be dismantled for ease of
transportation to and from flight test areas and field sites.

III. Fuel Cell UAV Description

The major objective of the Fuel Cell UAV is to demonstrate slow speed UAV flight under hydrogen fuel cell
powered propulsion. This objective is augmented by the goal of autonomous control, first during cruise conditions
and second for takeoff and landing.

A. Mission Requirements
Mission requirements are as follows:
1) Slow flight of 30 – 35 mph (13.4 – 16.7 m/s) cruise speed.

3
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 2) Ability to fly up to 4000 feet (1219 meters) altitude.
3) Powered by Horizon hydrogen PEM fuel cell (460 – 670 Watt)
4) UAV will carry CloudCap Piccolo GPS Autopilot system.
5) Payload of a least one wireless video camera system.
6) Ability to take off and land in small areas.
7) Low cost airframe.

B. Aircraft Design
A conceptual design process was followed to develop a three dimensional drag polar equation.3 A high aspect
ratio wing was desired to efficiently utilize the low power-to-weight ratio of the fuel cell power plant that was
available. A conventional tail configuration with a tail boom allowed for a smaller surface area for the horizontal
stabilizer, which in turn minimized the weight of the aircraft. The conventional tail also added lift from horizontal
stabilizer. Hand calculations were made to validate an Excel spreadsheet aerodynamics design tool. CFD analysis
was completed using FLUENT and comparisons were made to validate the overall design of the UAV. An optimal
lift coefficient of 0.87 at a wing incidence angle of 4 degrees was calculated. The final wing design has an aspect
ratio of 22 from an overall span of 18 feet (5.5 m) and a chord length of 10 inches (0.254 m).
A comparison of airfoil data was done in order to select the most aerodynamically efficient airfoil for low speed
flight. With an approximate Reynolds number of 200,000 a graph of the ratio of lift to drag coefficients versus
angle of attacked showed that the Eppler 214 airfoil at an angle of attack of four degrees was the best choice. See
fig. 1.

2D L/D CURVES, RE 200K

90

80

70

60

50 FX 63-137
cl / cd
S1210
40
S1223
30 E214

20

10

0
-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20

Angle of Attack (deg)

Figure 1. 2-D lift to drag ratio comparison of several airfoils

While the Eppler 214 did not have the highest lift or the lowest drag, it did exhibit the best lift to drag ratio and
represented the best design compromise. A cross section view of the airfoil shows that the Eppler 214 has a medium
amount of under-camber. This physical characteristic yields good lift but at the same time not too much drag. See
fig. 2

Figure 2. Profile of the Eppler 214 airfoil showing moderate camber for efficient lift to drag ratio.

4
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 The drag polar is a rough estimation of the efficiency of the aircraft in terms of the lift and drag that the whole
aircraft produces while in flight. The drag polar indicates a range of values for lift and drag that occur at various
angles of attack.4 As a measure of the aircrafts aerodynamic efficiency the drag polar equation is given in the
general form as;
C D = CD 0 + k1CL2 + k 2CL (1)

The symbols of this equation are defined below; beginning with CD as the whole aircraft (3-D) drag coefficient
and with CL as the whole aircraft lift coefficient. Additionally, CD0 is the parasitic drag coefficient and represents
the drag on the aircraft when there is no lift being generated. CD0 is related to the equivalent skin friction drag
coefficient, Cfe, which is taken as a known constant from tabulated values for different classes of aircraft. The fuel
cell UAV falls into the “Light Single Propeller Aircraft” class. A ratio of wetted area to wing area is used to modify
the coefficient. The equation for CD0 is as follows:

S wet
CD 0 = C fe (2)
S
Where Swet is the surface area of the aircraft that air flows over and includes both sides of the wings as well as the
fuselage and tail. The constant k1 is inversely proportional to the aspect ratio, AR, and to Oswald’s efficiency
factor, eo. The k1 coefficient is given by the equation;

1
k1 = (3)
πe0 AR

Oswald’s efficiency factor predicts drag due to lift, and is an experimentally derived formula. The geometries
related to the wing that affects Oswald’s efficiency factor are aspect ratio and the leading edge sweep angle, (ΛLE).
Aspect ratio is defined as the span divided by wing area for a rectangular wing. The experimentally derived
equation for eo for a straight wing aircraft is;

e0 = 1.78(1 − 0.045 AR 0.68 ) − 0.64 (4)

Since a straight wing aircraft has no sweep, the leading edge sweep angle has no effect on Oswald’s efficiency
factor. The coefficient, k2 can be determined by the equation;

k2 = −2k1C L min D (5)

and CLminD is the lift coefficient for the whole aircraft when the aircraft is producing a minimum amount of drag.
This value can be estimated by using a lift curve of a wing. In the lift curve, the coefficient of lift is plotted against
the angle of attack. An average of the lift coefficient at the zero angle of attack and the lift coefficient at an angle
where the lift is zero is taken. Estimation of CLmin D was made using the calculation of CLα from empirical wind
tunnel data.5 The 3-D, whole aircraft drag polar equation was calculated as;

C D = 0.0169 + 0.0298CL2 − 0.0113CL (6)

Equation (6) is plotted with 2-D airfoil drag polar for the Eppler 214 and the 3-D wing drag polar. The graph
shows that the drag is greatest for the three dimensional whole aircraft and smallest for the two dimensional airfoil
data.

5
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Figure 3. Drag polar comparison. The dashed green line is the 3-D drag polar equation. The dotted blue
line is the drag polar for the wing and the red line is the drag polar for the 2 D airfoil.

A wing tip dihedral angle of 10 degrees was chosen. The effective dihedral for the entire wing was calculated
based on the effects of the outer wing section sweep angles and an angle of 3.04 degrees was found. According to
Raymer, for guidelines on selecting the dihedral angle, for a civilian aircraft with un-swept wings and a mid fuselage
wing position, the recommended effective dihedral is between 2 and 4 degrees. This is based on historical data on
aircraft design. For the Fuel Cell UAV, the 10-degree dihedral for the outer wing sections yields an effective angle
of 3.36 degrees. Because the wing has a forward sweep of 4.8 degrees and a backwards sweep of 1.6 degrees, the
forward sweep tends to lower the needed dihedral angle and the backwards sweep tends to increase the dihedral
angle. The net effect of these sweep angles is to subtract 0.48 degrees and then add 0.16 degrees from the total
effective dihedral. Ten degrees of sweep provides one degree of effective dihedral. These calculations confirm the
spreadsheet design of 10 degrees of the outer wing section dihedral.
Longitudinal stability was evaluated using the spreadsheet analysis, which indicated a static margin of 0.25.
Static margin is defined as the difference between the distance from the leading edge of the wing to the neutral point
minus the distance from the leading edge to the aerodynamic center of the aircraft. The neutral point is the
longitudinal point on the aircraft where the pitching moment is zero. Increasing the distance between the neutral
point and the aerodynamic center increases the magnitude of the pitching moment. Keeping the aerodynamic center
aft of the neutral point yields a negative pitching moment and a more stable flight condition. Placing the
aerodynamic center in front of the neutral point creates a positive pitching moment and causes instability. Values
for the static margin of various aircraft are given in Brandt. By comparison, the static margin of a Cessna 172 is
0.19 and the static margin of a Boeing 747 is 0.27. Fighter jets typically are designed with values for static margin
close to zero and in advanced fighter aircraft the static margin is negative. In the case of a negative static margin,
computer control of the aircraft is required to quickly correct the positive pitching moment and its inherent
instability. The static margin for the Fuel Cell UAV has been selected for the greatest amount of stability. The extra
stability was desired to protect the expensive fuel cell.

C. Fuel Cell
The UAV is powered by a PEM fuel cell manufactured by Horizon Fuel Cells Inc. The fuel cell consists of stack
of 40 cells in series for a total output of 24 volts. The bipolar plates are made of graphite. The maximum power
output of the fuel cell is 670 W although a lower output of 500 – 550 W is expected. The hydrogen storage method
consists of a small metal hydride tank with a 370 liter capacity. The metal alloy is a titanium ferrite and the tank, at
3 kg, adds considerable weight to the UAV. The total weight of the fuel cell system is 4.5 kg. A metal hydride tank
was chosen to for safety reasons as metal hydride tanks operate at relatively low pressures.6 The fuel cell system is

6
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
currently being tested to determine the hydrogen flow rate of the storage tank to produce the required electrical
power. Figure 4 shows the fuel cell system.

Figure 4. PEM fuel cell system with metal hydride storage tank.

D. Composite Construction
1. Fuselage
The body of the aircraft is a monocoque structure built from composites. The shell is constructed using outer
layers of woven fiber glass (E-glass), inner layers of aramid, S-glass and carbon fiber, and a core of 3.18 mm (0.125
in.) thick honeycomb [4, 5]. Layers are placed in the molds with their fibers at alternating orientations, some at 0o,
and others at 45o, for bending and torsional stiffness, respectively. The shells (left and right) are fabricated in molds
via a wet lay-up procedure and then vacuum-bagged. The parts are then finished, de-burred, and prepared for
painting (usually white, to protect against UV damage).
The wings, tail, and horizontal stabilizer are built using a different method. Here the core material is a type of
expanded polystyrene foam, commonly known by the aircraft model builders as “blue foam”. Profiles are cut from
solid sheets using a hot wire technique. This produces smooth and aerodynamically accurate surfaces. The main load
bearing member of the wing is the spar. This member will be a commercially available carbon fiber tube located a
set distance from the front edge of the wing. Once the spar is inserted into the wing cores, they are covered with
fiberglass and also vacuum-bagged. Unidirectional carbon fiber tape is used at the trailing edges for stiffness and to
maintain shape while aramid strips form hinges for control surfaces.
Epoxy resins are used in all lay-up work. Although more expensive than polyester resins, the epoxy enhances
performance of parts through greater stiffness and stability over time.
2. Wing
The composite construction of the wings employed a foam core surrounded by fiberglass in a resin matrix.
Carbon fiber strips and patches were added for strength and Kevlar was used to provide a hinge for the ailerons.
The foam cores were cut in the exact shape of the airfoil through the use of hot wire controlled by a CNC
manufacturing machine. The foam was 32 kg/m3 (2-pound/ft3) expanded polystyrene or EPS Blue Foam, which is a
common building insulation material.
The CNC cutting machine allows for a highly accurate translation of the airfoil shape from a CAD drawing to
the physical foam part. Poplar ribs are also used in the foam core wing and they are glued to the foam sections. A
carbon fiber spar is inserted through a precut hole in the rib and into the foam. The hole for the spar was cut out of
the foam by the CNC machine with minimal damage to the core. The cut out groove was repaired using Balsa filler
paste. Dowel pins, 10 mm (3/8 inch) in diameter were used to connect sections of the foam core wings. The dowel
pins also provide strength against wing twist. After the ribs and foam were assembled the wing sections were then
covered with a layer of fiberglass, Kevlar and carbon fiber strips. See fig 5.

7
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Figure 5. Composite construction of the left center wing section showing foam core with aramid, carbon
fiber and fiberglass reinforcing materials

Resin was applied to the fiberglass and the wing sections, which were vacuum bagged for 12 hours of curing
time. During this “wet lay-up” process paint was applied using a Mylar sheet that was coated with wax. Paint was
applied to the wax-coated sheet and during the curing process the paint was transferred to the surface of the
fiberglass from the Mylar. The Mylar was cleaned and reused. This resulted in a high quality painted surface. The
foam wing section has very smooth surfaces. See fig 6. For the Fuel Cell UAV wing, the foam cores were cut with a
CNC machine by TLD Modeling Systems Inc.

Figure 6. The finished composite right wing. The top of the wing is painted white and
the bottom is painted red for visibility.

E. Structural Analysis
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is used to model the composite wing structure of the UAV. The actual wing
structure was made out of composite laminate with fiberglass of 67.8 g/m2 (2 oz/yd2) over blue foam core (32
kg/m3). The approximate compressive strength of the foam was 0.41 MPa (60 psi). The lay-up schedule was
fiberglass/blue foam/fiberglass. Reinforcing material (carbon fiber and Kevlar) is placed at particular locations
under the fiberglass skin to strengthen the local areas. Shell elements were used to model the wing skin/core with
equivalent orthotropic material properties. Only one half of the wing was modeled due to symmetry with proper
boundary conditions. A modal analysis was done to insure proper frequency and rigidity of the wing structure. The

8
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
first wing bending mode was approximately 11.0 Hz, and the second mode (wing torsion) was approximately 20.0
Hz. See figs. 7 and 8.

Figure 7. First wing bending mode frequency equal to 11.0 Hz

Figure 8. Second wing torsion mode frequency equal to 20.0 Hz.

9
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
F. CFD Analysis

Computational fluid dynamics analyses were conducted on the fuel cell UAV using FLUENT software. The
cases were run on AoA from -10 degrees to 10 degrees. Figure 9 shows the coefficients of lift and drag plotted
against the angle of attack. A graph of lift to drag ratio is shown in fig. 10. The maximum lift to drag ratio was
found to be 19. The CFD analysis indicated a maximum lift of 128 N or close to 28 lbs. Contours of static pressure
are shown in fig. 11. CFD analyses showed a general agreement with the initial conceptual design calculations and
the spreadsheet analysis. While the conceptual design calculations are a rough estimate, overall picture of the hand
calculations, spreadsheet analysis and CFD numerical analysis show that the UAV will fly so long as the aircraft
weight remains close to 11 kg (25 lbs.)
Lift and Drag Coefficients FLUENT

0.8 0.12

0.7

0.1
0.6

0.5
0.08

0.4

CL 0.3 0.06 CD

0.2

0.04
0.1

0
0.02

-0.1

-0.2 0
-10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10

Angle of Attack

Figure 9. Coefficients of lift and drag vs. angle of attack generated by FLUENT CFD software.

Lift to Drag Ratio CL/CD FLUENT

25

20

15

CL/CD 10

-5
-10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10

Angle of Attack

Figure 10. Lift to drag ratio generated by FLUENT.

10
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Figure 11. Contours of static pressure FLUENT

IV. Thrust

The aircraft’s propulsion system consists of a commercially available 700-watt electric motor (fig. 12) with a
folding, 51 cm (20 in.) diameter, two-bladed propeller and an electronic speed controller. Extensive motor
performance testing was conducted to ensure that the adequate thrust would be achieved as shown in figure 13.
Both static and wind tunnel tests were conducted and the results were compared to an online numerical calculator;
Javaprop. The motor and propeller performance tests showed consistent agreement with adequate thrust available to
exceed the predicted drag.

Figure 12. AstroFlight Inc. 700 Watt electric motor

11
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Cobalt 25 Motor Performance with 20 X 11E Propeller

8
7
6

Thrust (lb)
5
4
3
2
1
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Exp. (Static)
Power (W)
Num. (Javaprop)
Exp (Wind Tunnel)

Figure 13. Static and wind tunnel thrust testing.

V. Future Work

Bench testing of the PEM fuel cell is of primary concern as the actual power output of the fuel cell system will
indicate whether a smaller more portable UAV can be designed. A battery powered flight test is scheduled for
March 2006. Future designs will concentrate on increasing fuel cell power output while building an airframe that is
more portable.

VI. Conclusion
A small UAV, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, capable of slow speed flight, with “over the hill” capabilities is
very desirable for military, search and rescue, law enforcement, environmental research, surveillance and mapping
applications. Currently, the power to weight ratio is a limiting factor in fuel cell UAV design with the largest weight
contributor being the hydrogen storage systems. Long endurance is possible with improvements in storage tank
weight as hydrogen is very light and endurance is only limited to the amount of fuel that can be stored in flight.

12
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Appendix
Fuel Cell UAV Specifications

Cruise Speed 15 m/s (30 - 35 mph)

Cruise Altitude 1200 meters (4000 feet)
Weight 9 kg
Overall Span 5.5 meters (18 feet)
Root Chord 254 mm
Dihedral Tip Chord 152 mm
Total Planform Area 1.3 m2
Aspect Ratio 23
Dihedral Angle 10 degrees
Wing Airfoil Eppler 214
Wing Angle of Incidence 4 degrees
Vertical Tail Airfoil NACA 0009
Horizontal Tail Airfoil SD 7038
Horizontal Tail Angle of Incidence 2 deg
Power Plant Horizon PEM Fuel Cell (550 Watts)
Auto Pilot Cloud Cap Piccolo

UAV Team at MFDCLab

13
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
 Acknowledgments
This project was supported by NASA Dryden Research Center under Grant #NCC4-158.

References
1
Raymer, Daniel P., Aircraft Design: A Conceptual Approach, Third Edition, AIAA Education Series, AIAA, Reston
Virginia, 1999, pp 679-680.
2
Bone, Elizabeth, and Bolkcom, Christopher, Report for Congress, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Background and Issues for
Congress, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, April 25, 2005.
3
Brandt, Steven A., Stiles, Randall J., Bertin, John J., and Whitford, Ray, Introduction to Aeronautics: A Design Perspective,
Second Edition, AIAA Education Series, Reston,
Virginia, 1999
4
Brandt, Steven A., Stiles, Randall J., Bertin, John J., and Whitford, Ray, Introduction to Aeronautics: A Design Perspective,
Second Edition, AIAA Education Series, Reston,
Virginia, 1999, pp 95-100.
5
Brandt, Steven A., Stiles, Randall J., Bertin, John J., and Whitford, Ray, Introduction to Aeronautics: A Design Perspective,
Second Edition, AIAA Education Series, Reston,
Virginia, 1999, p 99.
6
Larminie, James and Dicks, Andrew, Fuel Cell Systems Explained, Second Edition, Wiley, West Sussex, England, 2003,
Chapter 8.

14
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics