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The adoption of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offers a sustainable pathway to zero-emission propulsion, supporting aviation decarbonization by replacing battery or fossil fuel systems with efficient hydrogen technology. This work presents the development, validation, and application of a comprehensive dynamic model of a 1 kW open-cathode PEMFC system, including complete balance of plant (BOP) and control logic for four cooling fans, a purge valve, and a short-circuit unit (SCU). The model was validated through extensive experiments with step, triangular, and real-world UAV current profiles. Under steady-state conditions, it reproduces stack voltage with a <1 V average error and a temperature of 2.5 °C. Dynamic modeling accurately predicts fan behavior, purge/SCU events, and transient voltage drops. Applied to a 25 min UAV flight, the model quantifies reactant-management impacts: purge events increase H2 usage by 4.8%, with SCU raising total to 5.6% above stoichiometric consumption. Altitude analysis shows ambient temperature reduction dominates the oxygen partial pressure effects, yielding net cell voltage increase under current-based fan control. These insights underscore explicit BOP and ambient modeling for accurate UAV endurance estimation and strategy optimization, providing a basis for future altitude-chamber validation. By enabling precise BOP dynamics simulation and H2 optimization, this model advances the achievement of affordable clean energy, facilitating an extended endurance with minimal environmental impact.
Donateo et al. (Tue,) studied this question.