• Welcome aboard HomebuiltAirplanes.com, your destination for connecting with a thriving community of more than 10,000 active members, all passionate about home-built aviation. Dive into our comprehensive repository of knowledge, exchange technical insights, arrange get-togethers, and trade aircrafts/parts with like-minded enthusiasts. Unearth a wide-ranging collection of general and kit plane aviation subjects, enriched with engaging imagery, in-depth technical manuals, and rare archives.

    For a nominal fee of $99.99/year or $12.99/month, you can immerse yourself in this dynamic community and unparalleled treasure-trove of aviation knowledge.

    Embark on your journey now!

    Click Here to Become a Premium Member and Experience Homebuilt Airplanes to the Fullest!

Fuel Cells + Supercapacitors

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

sanman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2021
Messages
289
Electric power systems can be much more suited to high altitude flight in comparison to piston engines with their pressure requirements. Meanwhile turbines are more fuel-hungry and require more maintenance.

However, batteries have less energy than hydrocarbon fuels. Supercapacitors have even worse energy density, although they can supply large amounts of power quickly.

Fuel cells can benefit from the better energy density of hydrocarbons and hydrogen, while converting this into electrical power output, however their power output is not as high.

Perhaps a useful compromise would be to use fuel cells for lower-power cruising, while using supercapacitors for the higher power requirements of takeoff and climb.

Note that electrical power is more easily distributable power, and could even be sent to motors in the wheels to reach takeoff speed on the runway more efficiently than with propellers alone. Perhaps those wheel motors could also regeneratively recuperate energy by braking the aircraft while landing (ok, probably not worth unless you stop & start frequently like a car does)
 
Back
Top