The Protium-50 is an advanced hydrogen PEM fuel cell that is designed for tomorrow's unmanned vehicles. The Protium Series is the flagship suite of fuel cell systems and the culmination of more than a decade of cutting edge R&D. Every Protium fuel cell is made of the best quality membrane electrode assemblies to ensure the highest power output in the smallest form factor.

✔ Open cathode, air cooled, graphite bipolar plates
✔ 20-cells graphite plate fuel cell stack
✔ Electronic controller
✔ Purge solenoid valve, gas connectors and gas tubing
✔ Cooling fan with fan casing
✔ Stack power output and load connectors

• Rated/Gross Power: 50/60W
• Rated/Gross Current: 4.2/5A
• Voltage Output: 12-18V DC
• Start-up Time: 5s
• Operating Ambient Temp.: (0,40]°C
• Operating Altitude: 1500m AGL
• System Weight: 480g
• Dimensions: 130 × 76 × 85 mm

• Hydrogen Gas: Dry, 99.999% purity
• Delivery Pressure: 0.3-0.35 barg (4-5 psig)
• Fuel Consumption: 0.6L/min
• Gas Tubing: Silicon, ID 4mm
• Purge Control: Automated periodic purge via solenoid valve

• Processor Board: Mini V1.0
• PCBA Dimension: 70 × 60 × 30 mm
• PCBA Weight: 56g
• Output Connector (Stack): Banana test connector receptacle and plug
• Output Connector (Load): Terminal block, 20A,12-22AWG
• External Power Requirement: 5V, 0.5A

This fuel cell system requires the use of 3S LiPo battery (>50C discharge rated). The ultra-lightweight feature of the Protium-50 fuel cell system comes from the elimination of bulky and heavy external humidifiers needed for PEM fuel cell technology. An automated fuel cell stack conditioning protocol maintains the hydration of the membrane. During the stack conditioning event, fuel cell system briefly gets disconnected from the load (approximately 100 milliseconds). A small LiPo battery needs to be used to provide electrical energy to the load during the stack conditioning event.

The ultra-lightweight Protium-50 fuel cell system works in tandem with the Hybrid LiPo battery. During the startup of the fuel cell, the Hybrid LiPo battery provides the electrical energy to initialize all the electronics. For the power demand up to 50 W, the electrical energy is solely supplied by the fuel cell stack. For events such as take off and emergencies that demand more than 50 W for short durations, LiPo battery provides all the electrical energy needed. For the most efficient use of this tandem power architecture, it is suggested that fuel cell stack to be used for cruising part of the flight and Hybrid LiPo battery to be used during take-off and short duration emergencies.

Protium-50 VI Curve

Protium-50 CAD Drawing

Protium-50 User Guide

Protium-50 Android App

Typical lead time of 4 - 6 weeks to be expected.