System Analysis of the Drone with FC Battery Fueled by Bio-hydrogen

The use of drones in logistics is accelerating. However, there is a problem with the duration of batteries in that the capacity is insufficient. Owing to this, a serious problem would be caused by an expansion of the delivery area. Manufacturers of batteries are trying to increase the capacity, while global-warming protection is necessary. Thus, renewable energy and/or the more-efficient batteries, such as the fuel cell (FC) battery, are promising countermeasures. In this research, an FC battery fueled by Bio-H2 from biomass feedstock was investigated. Using the demo drone, the Li-ion battery and FC battery were compared in terms of the eco-burden on the basis of a life cycle assessment approach. Here, through flight tests, the relationship between output and payload was evaluated. Then, with the FC battery with storage mounted on the drone, the performance was evaluated. The FC battery bearing the storage carries, metal hydride, is still under developing toward improving the performance.