First Domestic Development of Small Hydrogen Engine for Drones and Robots

Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials

Small hydrogen engine. Photo by Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials announced on the 25th that it has developed core hydrogen engine technology to accelerate the future hydrogen-based mobility society.

The research team led by Choi Young, head of the Green Power Research Lab at the Environmental Systems Research Division of the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, developed a 5 kW-class small hydrogen engine for drone propulsion. This is the first time a small hydrogen engine that can be used as a power source for unmanned mobile bodies has been developed domestically. Currently, most power sources for unmanned mobile bodies such as drones use batteries, but recently, various attempts have been made, including gasoline engine hybrid systems and hydrogen fuel cell systems, to achieve longer flight endurance.

The research team applied a direct injection method for supplying hydrogen fuel within the small engine and optimized engine parameters such as ignition and injection.

The newly developed small hydrogen engine achieved a maximum output of over 7 kW, and the generator and rectifier produced for the development of the power pack module secured an output of over 5 kW. This output is sufficient to lift industrial drones weighing 20 to 30 kg available on the market.

Hydrogen fuel has an energy density per weight 2.8 times higher than gasoline, enabling longer flight times compared to drones using gasoline engines. The fact that it is an eco-friendly zero-carbon technology that does not emit carbon is also noteworthy.

In the future, research to secure the reliability of the small hydrogen engine and additional research on the development of power pack modules combining the engine with a generator are expected to be applied to increase flight time and expand mission range for industrial drones. It is also expected to be widely used as a power source for unmanned mobile bodies such as delivery robots.

Choi Young said, "The significance lies in having proactively secured technology that can respond to the upcoming carbon-neutral society based on the development of the small hydrogen engine," adding, "We expect to accelerate the hydrogen society by expanding the fields where hydrogen engine technology can be applied."