Ballard Power Systems (TSX: BLDP) announced its subsidiary, Protonex, has received an initial order for its fuel cell propulsion system, together with design services, from FlyH2 Aerospace, a South African-based developer of hydrogen fuel cell powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for commercial applications.
FlyH2 plans to integrate the Protonex fuel cell system into all three of its aircraft currently in the development pipeline, beginning with the UA Plant prototype drone, followed by its UA Alpha flagship aircraft. UA Plant is expected to be a 30-kg fuel cell-powered utility aircraft with nine-hour flight endurance. UA Alpha will be a long-range, long-endurance survey and reconnaissance aircraft designed to carry advanced sensors. Specifications include a wingspan of 8.2 metres, maximum cruising altitude of 4,250 m and flight distance of more than 600 km. Onboard sensors will survey environmental variables used in the management of fires, pollution, erosion, alien vegetation and plant diseases. In a similar development, FlyH2’s third drone, the UA Gecko, is being designed to monitor physical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, pipelines and powerlines.
Dr. Paul Osenar, president of Protonex says, “FlyH2 has tremendous expertise in the design and development of drone systems, and recognizes the benefits offered by fuel cell propulsion. When combined with improved reliability and other advantages over internal combustion systems, fuel cells are proving to be a high value fit for UAVs. These will be the first civilian drones that we have powered, in addition to our work on military UAVs with several global aerospace customers.”
Mark van Wyk, co-founder of FlyH2 adds, “Protonex systems brings unique new capabilities for our aircraft, allowing us to quickly fulfill our vision of producing high quality, rugged, and reliable long-endurance electric unmanned aircraft.” A fuel cell propulsion system allows for endurances comparable to an internal combustion engine, but with several added benefits. These include silent operation, increased reliability, lower vibration and less maintenance. The total cost of ownership is also expected to be lower and the aircraft will only require one fuel stop per day for all-day operations.
#BallardPowerSystems #BLDP #Protonex #FlyH2 #UAVs #aircraft #vehicles #EnergyProcessingCanada #theRoughneck #Canada #Alberta #oilfield #Oil #Energy
