24 Hour Test of a Fuel Cell System for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) has a long experience with power sources for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). FFI has designed and built a power supply system based on a water-cooled and air-supplied PEM fuel cell stack from Ballard, run on air. Hydrogen is supplied from a pressure tank, while oxygen is produced by catalytic decomposition of industrial grade hydrogen peroxide. Excess hydrogen is catalytically combined with oxygen in the internal atmosphere of the pressure hull. The fuel cell system is fully automated and self-regulating according to the set current. A 24 hour continuous test of the system was conducted in a sealed pressure hull under water. The system showed stable and reliable performance throughout the test, with only a small and regenerative voltage decrease.