High Power, Long Endurance Micro Fuel Cell for Micro Air Vehicles

Current battery technology is unable to provide necessary time of operation for some micro air vehicles (MAVs) and ground mobile robotic platforms resulting in a strong desire for longer lasting power sources. Lithium-based rechargeable and primary battery chemistries are at the limits of performance with only slight gains seen in the foreseeable future. Fuel cells have offered the potential to significantly improve energy storage density, but have been limited by their power density for applications such as micro air vehicles in which both power and lightweight energy storage is needed. Lynntech’s patented Flatstack™ fuel cell technology was used on the world’s first fuel cell powered MAV in March of 2003. Lynntech’s adhesively-bonded bipolar fuel cell technology also has benefits in the MAV size and power range. Combined with Lynntech’s chemical hydride hydrogen generation experience, Lynntech’s technology base and engineering experience will be used to develop the first practical cartridge based MAV micro fuel cell power system. Lynntech will characterize multiple fuel cell configurations and hydrogen generation techniques resulting in an optimal combination of fuel type and fuel cell type to provide the necessary power requirements while significantly improving the energy storage requirements for micro air vehicles.