Optimal Design and Control of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell–Lithium Battery Hybrid Power System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

Hydrogen fuel cells offer a promising pathway toward zero-emission, long-endurance operation for high-power unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but their efficiency, degradation, and dynamic response are strongly affected by complex missions and low-temperature environments. This study investigates the optimal design and real-time control of a hydrogen fuel cell–lithium-ion battery hybrid power system for UAV applications. Performance and degradation models of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system and battery energy storage system (BESS) are developed and incorporated into an integrated design-control framework. A nested optimization method co-optimizes the PEMFC stack, balance-of-plant components, BESS capacity, and mission-level power allocation. A degradation-aware model predictive control strategy is then developed for real-time energy management under load fluctuations and system aging. The BESS also provides transient power and cold-start support at low temperatures. Case studies show that the temperature-aware strategy reduces PEMFC degradation cost by approximately 60% and total operating cost by approximately 26% compared with temperature-unaware control. The proposed real-time strategy maintains near-optimal performance under varying loads and aging conditions while reducing degradation and hydrogen consumption relative to rule-based control.