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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| H2Go Power seeks to power drones with a 'happy gas' | H2Go Power seeks to power drones with a 'happy gas' |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| When you think about hydrogen and flight, the image that comes to mind for most is the Hindenburg airship in flames. | When you think about hydrogen and flight, the image that comes to mind for most is the Hindenburg airship in flames. |
| But in a lab deep in the basement of Imperial College in London, a young team has built what it believes is the future of air travel. | But in a lab deep in the basement of Imperial College in London, a young team has built what it believes is the future of air travel. |
| H2Go Power is seeking a patent to store the explosive gas cheaply and safely. | H2Go Power is seeking a patent to store the explosive gas cheaply and safely. |
| Until now, storing hydrogen required ultra-strong and large tanks which could withstand pressures of up to 10,000 pound-force per square inch (psi). That is hundreds of times greater than what you would find in a car tyre. | Until now, storing hydrogen required ultra-strong and large tanks which could withstand pressures of up to 10,000 pound-force per square inch (psi). That is hundreds of times greater than what you would find in a car tyre. |
| But, while studying for her PhD in Cambridge, Dr Enass Abo-Hamed came up with a revolutionary structure which could store hydrogen as a stable solid without compression. | But, while studying for her PhD in Cambridge, Dr Enass Abo-Hamed came up with a revolutionary structure which could store hydrogen as a stable solid without compression. |
| "The pressure involved is similar to what you'd get in a coffee machine," she says. | "The pressure involved is similar to what you'd get in a coffee machine," she says. |
| The university paired her with materials scientist, Luke Sperrin, to try to find commercial applications for the innovation - and H2Go Power was born. | |
| Test flight | Test flight |
| Dr Sperrin is now chief technology officer. He and Dr Abo-Hamed formed a partnership with Canadian hydrogen fuel cell maker Ballard a year ago to create a drone which used their reactor to safely store hydrogen for flight. | Dr Sperrin is now chief technology officer. He and Dr Abo-Hamed formed a partnership with Canadian hydrogen fuel cell maker Ballard a year ago to create a drone which used their reactor to safely store hydrogen for flight. |
| Finally, after months of collaboration by phone and email, Mr Sperrin and chief product developer Peter Italiano flew to Boston for a ground-breaking test flight. | |
| "Of course you need really good weather to fly a drone," smiles Mr Sperrin. | |
| "And it poured with rain for the first few days. We weren't even sure whether we'd even be able to go ahead. | "And it poured with rain for the first few days. We weren't even sure whether we'd even be able to go ahead. |
| "So when it did fly, it was a huge relief." | "So when it did fly, it was a huge relief." |
| How it works | How it works |
| The aluminium reactor weighs less than a bag of sugar. | The aluminium reactor weighs less than a bag of sugar. |
| The small gas cylinder has an intricate network of 3D-printed aluminium tubes inside. | The small gas cylinder has an intricate network of 3D-printed aluminium tubes inside. |
| The hydrogen remains stable and solid in these structures until "coolant" is pumped through the tubes, warming them and releasing hydrogen gas to the drone's fuel cell | The hydrogen remains stable and solid in these structures until "coolant" is pumped through the tubes, warming them and releasing hydrogen gas to the drone's fuel cell |
| Hydrogen (H2) is pumped into one side of the fuel cell through a catalyst which frees electrons, creating electricity. | Hydrogen (H2) is pumped into one side of the fuel cell through a catalyst which frees electrons, creating electricity. |
| Oxygen (O) is then pumped into the other side of the fuel cell and combines with the left over, positively-charged hydrogen atoms (H+). | Oxygen (O) is then pumped into the other side of the fuel cell and combines with the left over, positively-charged hydrogen atoms (H+). |
| The only final waste product is water vapour (H2O). | The only final waste product is water vapour (H2O). |
| Never-ending supply | Never-ending supply |
| Until recently, a major hurdle to affordable hydrogen technologies was the cost of producing hydrogen gas. | Until recently, a major hurdle to affordable hydrogen technologies was the cost of producing hydrogen gas. |
| Splitting water molecules into hydrogen used a lot of energy which usually came from fossil fuel sources. | Splitting water molecules into hydrogen used a lot of energy which usually came from fossil fuel sources. |
| However, the widespread availability of renewable energy and improvements in electrolysis - the chemical process of separating elements using electricity - have brought down the financial and environmental cost of producing hydrogen for fuel. | However, the widespread availability of renewable energy and improvements in electrolysis - the chemical process of separating elements using electricity - have brought down the financial and environmental cost of producing hydrogen for fuel. |
| Currently most countries have strict safety rules about flying drones over heavily populated areas. | Currently most countries have strict safety rules about flying drones over heavily populated areas. |
| Collision or technical failure could cause a drone to drop out of the sky. | Collision or technical failure could cause a drone to drop out of the sky. |
| Lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries are highly flammable, so a crash landing could trigger an explosion. | Lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries are highly flammable, so a crash landing could trigger an explosion. |
| But, Dr Abo-Hamed points out, even if their drone fell out of the sky, the hydrogen would remain stable in its solid form inside the reactor. | But, Dr Abo-Hamed points out, even if their drone fell out of the sky, the hydrogen would remain stable in its solid form inside the reactor. |
| Super fuel | Super fuel |
| "Hydrogen is a happy gas," continues Dr Abo-Hamed. "It wants to move around." | "Hydrogen is a happy gas," continues Dr Abo-Hamed. "It wants to move around." |
| That's what makes it so explosive. But, it also delivers more bang for your buck. | That's what makes it so explosive. But, it also delivers more bang for your buck. |
| Hydrogen generates three times as much power per kilogram compared to fossil fuels - approximately 39.0 Kilowatt hours per kilogram compared with roughly 13 KWh per kg for kerosene or petrol or just 0.2 KhW for conventional lithium ion batteries. | Hydrogen generates three times as much power per kilogram compared to fossil fuels - approximately 39.0 Kilowatt hours per kilogram compared with roughly 13 KWh per kg for kerosene or petrol or just 0.2 KhW for conventional lithium ion batteries. |
| That means a hydrogen-powered drone can fly further than a battery-powered drone and, potentially, carry heavier loads. | That means a hydrogen-powered drone can fly further than a battery-powered drone and, potentially, carry heavier loads. |
| Dr Abo-Hamed is excited about the possibilities for her innovation. | Dr Abo-Hamed is excited about the possibilities for her innovation. |
| "So if drones could stay longer in the sky, they can deliver medicine," she says. "Or scan a disaster area and send the information back. | "So if drones could stay longer in the sky, they can deliver medicine," she says. "Or scan a disaster area and send the information back. |
| "My dream really is not just to make drones. | "My dream really is not just to make drones. |
| "Maybe in the next twenty or thirty years we could de-carbonise air travel, which is something really important for our climate." | "Maybe in the next twenty or thirty years we could de-carbonise air travel, which is something really important for our climate." |