Sesame, Heven Unveil Hydrogen Fueling Pod For Fuel Cell Drone Ops
Sesame Solar and Heven AeroTech have partnered to create a mobile hydrogen-generation and refueling pod that can sustain two fuel cell-powered drones on 24/7 operations for more than six months.
Drone Refueling Nanogrid, built on an intermodal shipping container structure, uses solar panels to generate electricity that is used to pull water from the atmosphere and then split that water, using electrolysis, into hydrogen and oxygen, Sesame Solar said on Oct. 30. That hydrogen can then fuel two of Heven's Z1 fuel-cell-powered drones on rotating 8-hr. shifts, 24/7,for more than six months of continuous operations, it says.
"By removing reliance on fuel supply chains, often controlled by countries outside of the U.S., we're giving troops the ability to focus on mission-critical tasks, making military operations more efficient and helping to keep Americans and our allies safer," says Lauren Flanagan, CEO and co-founder of Sesame Solar.
In addition to the two Z1 drones and hydrogen-generation and storage equipment, the Drone Refueling Nanogrids come with satellite communications, edge computing and mobile radar, Sesame Solar says.
Sesame and Heven are pitching the technology to potential defense, border protection and law enforcement agency customers.
Sesame says its Mobile Nanogrids can be set up by one person in 15 min. Heven drones can be assembled and deployed in 5 min. The Heven Z1 droneis a Group II vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) vehicle with a 10-lb. payload capacity.
Hydrogen in the Drone Refueling Nanogrid pod is stored in "a honeycomb lattice structure using a metal hydride powder that absorbs the high-pressure hydrogen gas, crystallizing it into a solid at under 200 PSI," Flanagan says.
"This solid-state storage is noncombustible and safer than batteries, as hydrogen would simply escape if the container were breached, rather than causing an explosion," she adds. "This storage method allows for high-density, safe transport, even at pressures lower than a spray paint can."
You can find this article on Aviation Weekly's website at: https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/sesame-heven-unveil-hydrogen-fueling-pod-fuel-cell-drone-ops
