Within the scope of a project carried out at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, a microtube hydrogen fuel cell was developed to increase the duration of UAVs in the air. As a result of the studies carried out at the Clean Energy Application and Research Center within the university, a significant success was achieved on this new battery technology, which will make an important contribution to UAV technologies.

UAV performance increased by 2 times with new battery technology

Prof. Dr. Bora Timurkutluk, the project coordinator, stated that the microtube solid oxide fuel cell they have developed shows 2 times higher performance compared to conventional designs.

Timurkutluk added that this is the first and only microtube solid oxide fuel cell with a patterned surface in the world and offers high performance and efficiency compared to conventional microtubes.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selahattin Çelik said, “It is possible to use fuel cells in a single tank in a car, as in diesel, gasoline or LPG vehicles, and to have a range of a thousand kilometers by filling the hydrogen within minutes.

Fuel cells can extend the hover time of mini drones by up to 3 times. With portable versions, we can enable our soldiers to perform more missions with 80 percent less load instead of batteries. We are in a position to start mass production.”

This battery technology is expected to significantly increase the endurance of UAVs. In addition, national and international patent applications have been filed and a number of scientific papers have been published as part of the project.

Another important contribution of the project is the optimization of the battery’s surface properties to achieve higher performance. In this way, UAVs will be able to stay in the air longer with smaller and lighter systems, while also providing silent operation.

This new technology will also enable important strategic developments in the defense industry. Improving the performance of UAVs could lead to more effective and efficient missions in military operations.