THE ALUMINUM/AIR FUEL CELL: AN ADVANCED POWER SOURCE FOR AUV'S WITH HIGHER ENERGY/POWER DENSITY

A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF AN ALUMINUM/AIR FUEL CELL TO POWER AN AUV WILL BE DEVELOPED BY ELTECH RESEARCH CORP., A HIGH TECH ELECTROCHEMICAL R&D COMPANY, AND APPLIED REMOTE TECHNOLOGY, INC., AN UAV ENGINEERING CONSULTING FIRM. THE OPERATIONAL, MAINTENANCE, AND RECHARGE REQUIREMENTS WILL BE DETAILED, AND THE ISSUES OF SAFETY AND MODULARITY WILL BE ADDRESSED. PERFORMANCE PROJECTIONS OF THE AL/AIR FUEL CELL INTEGRATED INTO THE ART XP-21 AUV TESTBED VEHICLE WILL BE MADE. THE KEY TECHNICAL, OPERATIONAL, AND ECONOMIC ISSUES WILL BE EVALUATED BY BOTH ELTECH AND ART. A PLAN FOR THE EVENTUAL FABRICATION AND TESTING ON ART'S XP-21 TESTBED OF A WORKING PROTOTYPE IN PHASE II WILL BE INCLUDED WITH THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN. THE AL/AIR FUEL CELL PROVIDES ELECTRICAL ENERGY BY THE DISSOLUTION OF AN ALUMINUM ANODE AND THE REDUCTION OF OXYGEN (AIR) AT THE CATHODE. IT IS REFUELABLE BY REPLACING THE ALUMINUM ANODES, ADDING WATER, AND REMOVING BYPRODUCT ALUMINATE. THE AL/AIR FUEL CELL HAS A HIGHER ENERGY/POWER DENSITY THAN ANY OTHER FUEL CELL OR SECONDARY BATTERY, AND, AS SUCH, SHOULD BE IDEALLY SUITED FOR AUV APPLICATIONS.