GLTRS--Glenn
TITLE AND SUBTITLE:
Fuel Cell Propulsion Systems for an All-Electric Personal Air Vehicle

AUTHOR(S):
Lisa L. Kohout and Paul C. Schmitz

REPORT DATE:
June 2003

FUNDING NUMBERS:
WBS-22-708-87-11

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES):
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field
Cleveland, Ohio 44135-3191

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER:
E-13942

SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES):
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Washington, DC 20546-0001

REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED:
Technical Memorandum

SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY REPORT NUMBER:
NASA TM-2003-212354
AIAA-2003-2867

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES:
Prepared for the International Air and Space Symposium and Exposition cosponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences, Dayton, Ohio, July 14-17, 2003. Lisa L. Kohout, NASA Glenn Research Center; Paul C. Schmitz, Power Computing Solutions, Inc., Avon, Ohio 44011. Responsible person, Lisa L. Kohout, organization code 5420, 216-433-8004.

ABSTRACT:
There is a growing interest in the use of fuel cells as a power source for all-electric aircraft propulsion as a means to substantially reduce or eliminate environmentally harmful emissions. Among the technologies under consideration for these concepts are advanced proton exchange membrane and solid oxide fuel cells, alternative fuels and fuel processing, and fuel storage. This paper summarizes the results of a first-order feasibility study for an all-electric personal air vehicle utilizing a fuel cell-powered propulsion system. A representative aircraft with an internal combustion engine was chosen as a baseline to provide key parameters to the study, including engine power and subsystem mass, fuel storage volume and mass, and aircraft range. The engine, fuel tank, and associated ancillaries were then replaced with a fuel cell subsystem. Various configurations were considered including: a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell with liquid hydrogen storage; a direct methanol PEM fuel cell; and a direct internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC)/turbine hybrid system using liquid methane fuel. Each configuration was compared to the baseline case on a mass and range basis.

SUBJECT TERMS:
Fuels cells; Fuels; Aircraft propulsion; Power

NUMBER OF PAGES:
14

PDF AVAILABLE FROM URL:
2003/TM-2003-212354.pdf ( 960 KB )
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