Experimental Platform Design of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power System for UAVs

Hydrogen fuel cells have emerged as a research hotspot for long-endurance green aviation due to their high specific energy, zero emissions, and pollution free characteristics. To address critical challenges in UAV power system development including energy management optimization, dynamic load response validation, and performance coupling mechanism under flight condition. This paper designs and validates an experimental platform for hydrogen fuel cell powered UAVs. A human-machine interface software is developed, integrating functions such as inlet pressure regulation, hydrogen consumption monitoring, and fuel cell performance parameter testing. This enables real-time data acquisition and pressure control, supporting low cost, visual experimental operations and performance analysis. Experimental investigations employing a 1.25 kW air-cooled self-humidifying proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) systematically evaluated the influence of different inlet pressures on stack output voltage, electrical power output, and system efficiency. The results demonstrated a distinct coupling relationship between inlet pressure condition and overall fuel cell performance characteristics. The system provides a low cost, visualizable solution for performance testing and optimal pressure research in hydrogen fuel cell applications.