Results This project was a success. The goal was to get a flying HFC UAV and that was the product. The UAV is able to zip around test arenas with little issue. The blimp controlled by an RC receiver of 6.4 Ghz using an Arduino Uno circuit board (for the desired input/output) was able to accomplish a stable flight and an expected constant acceleration . The rc system is able to level the orientation of its x axis and y axis as it flies. The fuel cell is hybridized with a typical hobby‐grade battery in order to optimize power and energy, as it is done in the latest hydrogen car designs. The battery provides the acceleration power, while the fuel cell provides cruise power as well as extra energy for the battery. This decreases the amount of batteries needed, eliminates the need to charge batteries, and provides much longer run times for the vehicle (factor of 3 to 4), if scaled up just slightly the increased flight time is great enough to excuse the increased load. Something that was learned was that the larger the fuel cell gets compared to a battery the better it gets. If a fuel cell and a battery were to be scaled up at the same rate it wouldn’t belong until the fuel cell begins to outperform the battery. Taking the system to the next level up, 120 watts, or going for a full size blimp it would have been easier to see the fuel cell shine. At the size in this project the fuel cell is easily out done by a battery of the same weight but increasing the size just a little makes a world of difference.
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Discussion
All around this project was a learning experience on time management, group work, and most of all experience with electrical and mechanical engineering. There were many issues with our design. The first thing I would recommend for anyone who would want to recreate our project is that duct tape is not the most reliable method for keeping a structure together. it is hard to manage and the welding process of the blimp design is not the greatest. When creating the balloon for the blimp we used duct tape to keep it together, it worked but after many holes were created by faulty placement and ripping plastic. Using thin sheets of plastic as the main structural element isn’t the greatest, using a mylar is better aesthetically, is a stronger material, and is even lighter. Another recommendation is to really meticulously weight your materials, we weight them all and then ,ball parked the amount of helium but an exact amount will be a great asset. The single most important thing is being flexible. No amount of planning could prepare for the natural chaos of building.