Comparison study on power output characteristics of power management methods for a hybrid-electric UAV with solar cell/fuel cell/battery

Abstract

A dual-mode power management for a hybrid-electric UAV with a cruise power of 200W is proposed and empirically verified. The subject vehicle is a low-speed long-endurance UAV powered by a solar cell, a fuel cell, and a battery pack, which operate in the same voltage bounds. These power sources of different operational characteristics can be managed in two different methods: passive management and active management. This study proposes a new power management system named PMS2, which employs a bypass circuit to control the individual power sources. The PMS2 normally operates in active mode, and the bypass circuit converts the system into passive mode when necessary. The output characteristics of the hybrid system with the PMS2 are investigated under simulated failures in the power sources and the conversion of the power management methods. The investigation also provides quantitative comparisons of efficiencies of the system under the two distinct power management modes. In the case of the solar cell, the efficiency difference between the active and the passive management is shown to be 0.34% when the SOC of the battery is between 25~65%. However, if the SOC is out of this given range, i.e. when the SOC is at 90%, using active management displays an improved efficiency of 6.9%. In the case of the fuel cell, the efficiency of 55% is shown for both active and passive managements, indicating negligible differences.