Study on well-to-drag efficiency of PEMFC powered glider

The well-to-drag efficiency of PEMFC was investigated following a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) powered underwater glider Dragon. Due to the restriction of power source, the endurance of the legacy gliders is less than a year or has a small active area. To overcome those disadvantages of legacy gliders, the underwater vehicle Dragon was designed and the electrical efficiency of PEMFC has been gained. Energy considerations are paramount for a higher performance. The energy supplied by PEMFC for propulsion ultimately is dissipated against hydrodynamic drag, however, there are several factors like propulsion efficiency, mechanical transmission efficiency and ratio of hotel loads influence the efficiency from fuel energy to the work against drag, which we call it well-to-drag efficiency . To illustrate, the well-to-drag efficiency of PEMFC of Dragon was investigated. The results from this research give the factors and ways to improve the well-to-drag efficiency of PEMFC powered gliders.