Scientists install "hydrogen heart" in drones to solve endurance challenge

DALIAN, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The High-Specific-Power Cathode-Closed Air-Cooled Stack, developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has passed the sci-tech achievement appraisal.

Dubbed the "hydrogen heart" for industrial-grade drones, the new stack combines lightweight design, high power output and air-cooling technology, and is capable of doubling the flight endurance of industrial-grade drones.

With the rapid growth of the low-altitude economy, issues including the limited flight time of traditional lithium batteries and the heavy weight of current fuel cell systems are emerging as major constraints hindering the progress of the drone industry.

A hydrogen-powered drone equipped with this new stack successfully completed a test flight on Sunday in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, demonstrating excellent performance on key indicators. The air-cooled stack achieved a specific power as high as 1,970 watts per kilogram and an area power density of 1.15 watts per square centimeter.

This "hydrogen heart" has achieved the transition from laboratory development to large-scale application, said Chen Zhongwei, the project's technical lead and director of the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis at the DICP.

The technology has already been deployed in scenarios including forestry, agriculture, power grid inspection and emergency response missions.