THIS CONTENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SINTEF - read more
With this change, drones can fly much farther
Researchers have built a drone that runs on hydrogen. This could make it possible to fix power outages faster and replace dangerous helicopter missions.
In situations where battery-powered drones are too heavy and have too short a range, drones that run on hydrogen can solve these problems.
Power outages are an example of how preparedness will be improved.
This is what the drones can help with
“If you need to find out if a tree has fallen onto a power line, you want to get out there as quickly as possible. Right now, you often have to use a helicopter,” says Federico Zenith, a researcher at SINTEF.
If the weather conditions are bad, it can be a risky trip for the helicopter crew. Today’s drones cannot inspect power lines either, because their range is too short.
A hydrogen drone, on the other hand, can be deployed immediately and help restore power more quickly. This is important for emergency preparedness.
Search and rescue missions are another example of how drones can be used.
They can also be used to map large areas, monitor snow cover to help with forecasts for floods or hydroelectric power, or monitor natural hazards like landslides and avalanches.
The new drone is the result of a joint research effort
The hydrogen and drone researchers at SINTEF have joined forces to build a hydrogen-powered drone.
“We weren’t looking to replace battery-powered drones. They are practical for a lot of things. Our goal is to solve the tasks that today’s drones can’t handle,” says Zenith.
However, current regulations create some obstacles for developing drones that run on hydrogen. Special approval is required to modify drones and install a hydrogen fuel cell.
The process is easier, however, if you build the drone yourself. That's what the researchers at SINTEF’s drone laboratory did.
The researchers aim to enable operations that today’s drones can't handle because the distances are too great. As of now, you cannot use a drone to inspect a power line from transformer to transformer.
“But hydrogen makes this possible. The drone can fly for several hours – maybe even longer than the operator’s usual working hours,” says Zenith.
It's also easy to change the tank on the drone if necessary.
Hydrogen is safer than petrol
It has been several years since the first hydrogen-powered drone flew with Norwegian wings, but it never evolved into anything more than an experiment.
“The only hydrogen drone flying in Norway today is ours. As far as we know, it's the only one in Scandinavia, too,” says Zenith.
He says there is great interest in hydrogen drones.
“They are starting to take off. The reason is that fuel cells are far cheaper than the helicopter alternative, even though a fuel cell is still expensive," he says.
The SINTEF researcher points out that hydrogen is safer than petrol when it comes to fuelling the drone. Gasoline-powered drones require a lot of maintenance and do not have a long lifespan. The engines require frequent replacement.
“A fuel cell, on the other hand, will run for at least a thousand hours, and it's easy to replace. It’s easy to convert battery drones to hydrogen. We used a heavy drone that we wanted to mount a fuel cell on, and it was a quick job,” says Zenith.
Next challenge: Norwegian winter
The next step is to prepare the hydrogen drone for Norwegian winter conditions.
“So far, this has been a fairly small, internal project to get the drone in the air. That is the most important thing. But we need to gain more experience and see how many hours we can keep the drone flying in Norwegian conditions,” he says.
The most important thing remaining is to weatherproof and winterproof the drone.
"The fuel cell that we have should in principle only be used when it’s not raining and when it’s above freezing. That means there aren’t many days they can be used here in Trøndelag county,” he says.
Researchers at SINTEF now hope to embark on a new project to winterproof the hydrogen drone.
“We are looking for funding and partners,” says Zenith.
———
Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
More content from SINTEF:
-
New material may help combat water scarcity
-
New breakers: From climate risk to green technology
-
Why is it difficult for AI to distinguish between the sound of excavators and seagulls?
-
Vibrations in the ground can provide clean energy
-
This special solar cell system produces both electricity and heat
-
Electric car batteries in the cold: "Almost like honey"
