HyStYRIAA 2.0 - Hydrogen Storage to Energise Robotics in Air Applications 2.0

This project aims to develop a novel energy system that extracts clean electrical energy from low-pressure hydrogen carriers along with automation to realise the benefits of extended flight times (3x than typical Li-ion batteries) on existing UAVs. The project plan is to develop a medium-sized power system for a UAV (\\\>20Kg) and demonstrate a scalable technology and is based on a successful 1st generation system that was tested on a flight (HyStYRIAA 1) in 2019\.

Unlike highly pressurised hydrogen gas which has limiting safety constraints in aerospace applications, that can only be stored effectively in cylindrical vessels and have prohibitive form factors. Low pressure hydrogen carriers have attributes similar to traditional aircraft fuels as it can be stored in a similar way (optimisation of existing volumes and structures).

The differentiation with this technology is that the hydrogen needs to be extracted from the carrier before conversion to energy. Our technology can be scaled for large aircraft and could ultimately be a contender to electrify a significant proportion of worldwide flights with zero-emission implications. This project will focus on optimising the technology on a medium scale in the first instance and learning from implementation will be used for large scale applications at the post market entry stage.

The technology proposed is a safe & efficient hydrogen storage reactor supported by balance-of-system that can efficiently store and release hydrogen for use in a fuel cell with great control at optimal rates. The development will concentrate on optimising existing H2GO technology that was successfully demonstrated on a flight pilot. This concept can be achieved through an iterative loop of simulation, design, and test where we demonstrate a system that is with competitive gravimetric densities (\\\>5wt% system at ambient pressures) that are safe and suitable for integration into other systems for commercial applications.

Electric flight that has the potential for long durations has yet to be attained. A successful result of this project will be the feasibility demonstration of a novel system for carbon emission-free electric flight. This will lead to significant improvements of existing electric flight capabilities through longer flight times and more autonomy. This, in turn, will develop the autonomous air vehicles market for hydrogen-powered drones for commercial applications.