Articles techniques et présentations

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have recently received great interest due to their great potential in both military and civil applications [1-4]. Testing and construction of UAVs is expensive and time consuming and a simulation approach can help to reduce cost for both design and tests. In this paper, the authors have used COMSOL Multiphysics software to design a UAV’s pod equipped with a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFCs). The study was developed in the framework of the European project SUAV (Microtubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Power System development and integration into a Mini-UAV). The stack, with a maximum power of 200 W, is fed by propane. Thanks to his energy density, propane permits to store more energy than fuel cell fed by hydrogen. The aim of this study was to calculate the temperature distributions inside the pod, having information about the air intakes’ size. A simplified experimental test was carried out to validate the simulation. The test’s set up consists of a PVC tube where inside the SOFC stack is located, as showed in figure 1.