Helping Fuel Intelligent Energy’s UAV Growth

As transportation and mobility technology evolve, the demand for sustainable and efficient power sources has grown. Hydrogen fuel cell technology provides one of the cleanest methods currently available. Intelligent Energy, based in the United Kingdom, is well known as a leading PEM fuel cell manufacturer and has been for over 30 years. Their patented hydrogen fuel cell technology is found all over the world and in many different industries, including applications for automotive, aerospace, power generation, telecoms, marine, rail, and materials handling.

One of the fastest-growing applications has been for hydrogen fuel cell-powered UAVs, especially so-called heavy-lift/long-endurance drones, which are used in demanding environments such as search and rescue, offshore inspections, security surveillance, and even live sporting events. Put another way, applications that require significant flight times.

Pairing Hydrogen fuel cell technology with advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has some challenges, namely refuelling in the field of operation. Intelligent Energy sought to make that combination work, and so they turned to Haskel and the portable Hydrogen refuelling system, UAV RS.

Haskel’s portable UAV RS offers a robust and versatile design. Because the kit, which is about the size of a standard briefcase, can be taken anywhere, it eliminates the need for the drone to return to the original launch site. Instead, the drone can fly longer in one direction, fuel up when needed with the UAV-RS right then and there, and then continue operation. This simple, easy-to-use refuelling gives drone operators flexibility, significantly widening drone capabilities in any application. And because comes as a complete kit, no extra components are needed after purchase and the case is durable to protect the components for years.

With Haskel’s portable Hydrogen refuelling system, UAV RS, now integrated into Intelligent Energy’s solution offering, complex refueling scenarios have evolved into a time- and cost-saving process, helping this leading fuel cell manufacturer take their UAV business to new heights.

Significant flight times require high-pressure hydrogen, which isn’t readily available from suppliers at the pressures required for such utilizations. Not to mention the feasibility of transporting large cylinders of hydrogen to different operational sites, and then also having to compress that hydrogen into the UAV tank at the pressure levels required (usually around 5,000 PSI/345 BAR). Refueling the hydrogen fuel cell UAVs was not only a major customer concern, but also represented a sizeable barrier for potential customers to adopt fuel cell technology for their UAV applications.

Intelligent Energy sought to provide their customers with a reliable, portable, and economical hydrogen refueling solution, and that’s when they approached Haskel.

Born out of their partnership is a development that may very well transform how the world uses drones—the Haskel UAV-RS. This air-driven, portable compression refueling technology allows commercial and military drone operators the ability to fuel up essentially anywhere. Compared to the alternatives, this type of compression refueling not only offers cost savings but also provides twice the range of cascade refueling. And because the UAV-RS system is a compact kit that can be taken anywhere, it eliminates the need for the drone to return to the original launch site. Instead, the drone can fly longer, fuel up as needed with the Haskel UAV-RS, and keep on going. In other words, fast-fills, portability, and longer flight times are no longer a problem.

In addition, since partnering with Haskel, Intelligent Energy has seen a multitude of benefits that have improved not only their solution offering but also the customer experience. Haskel’s expertise in high-pressure solutions has allowed Intelligent Energy to optimize their hydrogen fuel cell systems for UAVs and eliminated a sizeable barrier to potential customer adoption, enabling Intelligent Energy to expand their reach and provide their revolutionary technology to a wider customer base.

If you’re looking to optimize hydrogen refueling for your UAV applications, contact us today with any questions about how this efficient, portable hydrogen UAV refuelling solution can increase the functionality of your fleet.

Learn about Haskel’s portable hydrogen refuelling system.