Performance Test Of A 6 L Liquid Hydrogen Fuel Tank For Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

A 6 L liquid hydrogen fuel tank has been designed, fabricated and tested to optimize boil-off rate and minimize weight for a 200 W light weight fuel cell in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The 200 W fuel cell required a maximum flow rate of 2.3 SLPM or less liquid hydrogen boil-off from the fuel tank. After looking at several different insulation schemes, the system was optimized as two concentric lightweight aluminum cylinders with high vacuum and multi-layer insulation in between. MLI thickness and support structures were designed to minimize the tank weight. For support, filling and feed gas to a fuel-cell, the system was designed with two G-10 CR tubes which connected the inner vessel to the outer shell. A secondary G10-CR support structure was also added to ensure stability and durability during a flight. After fabrication the fuel tank was filled with liquid hydrogen. A series of boil-off tests were performed in various operating conditions to confirm thermal performance of the fuel tank for a 200 W fuel cell.

Publication Date

12-18-2015

Publication Title

IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering

Volume

101

Document Type

Article; Proceedings Paper

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/101/1/012130

Socpus ID

84959934839 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84959934839

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS