Solar Hydrogen Fuel Cell Projects at Brooklyn Tech By Alex Fedotov*, Shadia Farah, Daithi Farley, Naureen Ghani, Emmy Kuo, Cecielo Aponte, Leo Abrescia, Laiyee Kwan, Ussamah Khan, Felix Khizner*, Anthony Yam, Khan Sakeeb*, Daniel Grey*, Zarin Anika*, Fouad Issa*, Chayama Boussayoud, Mahmoud Abdeldayem*, Alvin Zhang*, Kelin Chen*, Kameron Chuen Chan*, Viktor Roytman* and Michael Yee*, Brooklyn (NY) Technical High School

Introduction hydrogen electricity technology, to compare the Several teams at Brooklyn Technical High School efficiency of solar-hydrogen electricity to other have been working on solar hydrogen powered AUV energy sources, and to base the design on the vehicles using water as fuel. These projects are biometrics of a stingray. based on proposals made several years ago and are a continuation of the work of others (Lange, The primary components of the AUV are the solar Khan, Zarin, Grey, & Chen, 2008). Our investiga- hydrogen fuel cell reactor, the buoyancy apparatus, tions into the pure and applied chemical the rigid framework, and the water-sampling unit. thermodynamics of hydrogen fuel cells and bio- With fuel cells the AUV will be able to operate for inspired devices have been consolidated in a new prolonged periods of time collecting water samples and emerging sub-discipline that we define as solar and other data. Using its onboard camera it can hydrogen electric bio-mimetic energetics. relay images and videos of underwater events.

We have designed and are developing the following autonomous or remote-controlled/ bio-inspired devices: Remote Controlled Hovercraft Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Air Sampling Craft Tranquilizing Dart Projector Autonomous Buoyant Micro-power Plant Remote Controlled Electric Water Sampling Boat Inflatable Electric Kite.

Remote Controlled Hovercraft The hovercraft was the first remote controlled vehicle developed in our laboratory more than five The buoyancy apparatus of the AUV is designed to years ago (Khizner, 2005). Electrochemical thermo- mimic the hydrostatics of the swim bladder of dynamic and chemical kinetics studies were teleostean fish (Walcott and Thornton, 2007) conducted in standard reactors. The body of the using data from in-house hydrostatic studies. By craft is made of honeycomb plastic sheets and the formulating new equations that demonstrate the skirt of ultrathin nylon. A pair of 7.2 V solar panels relationship of Gibbs free energy for hydrogen on the dorsal surface of the craft converts light into combustion and the bio-energetic term for fish electrical energy for fuel cells that split water into kinetics, we estimated energy requirements for the hydrogen and oxygen. The gases are collected in AUV. We were also able to use anatomical and plastic bottles and used during the voltaic phase to fluid dynamics data from the bat ray to design an supply energy to the motors of the fans and rudder. AUV that mimics elasmobranch motion.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Air Sampling Craft Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have A similar formulation of equations on the biome- become a powerful tool for environmental testing. chanics of the manta ray has been used in the However, energy remains a limitation in AUV design and development of the solar hydrogen Editor’s Note: *Brooklyn Tech development. The purpose of this project was to electric autonomous aeronautical air sampling craft alumni. develop and test an AUV powered by solar- (Roytman, et al., 2008). The craft payload is a Spring 2010 25 series of cyclone precipitators that separate micro- Future Plans particles and convey the remnant air to bags for We will be conducting detailed field tests of our crafts aerial sampling. Extensive tests on the cyclone pre- as well as studies in mechanotronics, fluid dynamic cipitator unit and the wind hydrogen electric fuel investigations, and anatomical studies on aquatic and cell reactor system of the aircraft were conducted. flying animals. The anatomical investigations include non-invasive studies to develop deeper insights into Tranquilizing Dart Projector the connections of structure and fluid dynamic We are developing a remote-controlled tranquilizing function in living organisms. Teams are currently dart projector for animals in mountainous regions. developing solar hydrogen drone rocket planes for air Acknowledgements Aerodynamic studies have demonstrated that the sampling. Other teams are re-engineering the water The projects reported herein expiratory volume used for firing a dart from a sampling boat, the hovercraft, and the AUV. were funded by grants provided blowpipe can be mimicked and amplified by means by the Brooklyn Tech Alumni of a safe chemical reaction (Fedotov & Yee, References Research Foundation. Cedric 2005). The design of the dart projector is based Chen, K. & Grey, D. (2005). The development and Berenton and Dr. Holdane on ethno-toxicology studies of blowpipes, testing of a remote controlled solar hydrogen Rogers of Brooklyn Technical especially from the Amazon (Filatova, 2006). electric submarine. Student research symposium of High School have provided the NCSSSMST, Villanova University, Philadelphia. technical assistance. Buoyant Micro-power Plant The design of the solar hydrogen electric Fedotov, A., & M. Yee. (2005). How do the gas autonomous buoyant micro-power plant utilizes a laws influence the operation of the blow pipe? modular system consisting of a turbine, a (Abstr.) Student research symposium of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), a solar NCSSSMST, Villanova University, Philadelphia. panel, and the housing, allowing them to be inde- pendently fabricated and serviced. The turbine, Filatova, N. (2006). A study of the commonality MEA and housing are built in-house while the solar between the blow pipes of the North Amazonian tribes panel is purchased. The turbine, designed to adapt and the use and preparation of the curare poison. to unpredictable currents in scientific expeditions Project Report, New York Science and Engineering Fair. as well as seasonal offshore storms, has a vertical axis so that the fins are omni-directional. Khan, U. & Yam, A. (2010). The Development and Testing of a Solar/Wind Hydrogen Electrical Kite. Water Sampling Boat Report, New York City Science and Engineering Fair. The remote water sampling boat has a roof of six 1.5 V solar panels (Chen and Grey, 2005). In the hull are Khizner, F. (2005). The Development and Testing of a the fuel cell reactor unit, which consists of plastic Remote Controlled Solar Hydrogen Electric Hovercraft. bottles for hydrogen and oxygen collection and a Report, New York City Science and Engineering Fair. series of six 1.5 V fuel cells. Bolted to the inner hull is a winch connected to the robotically controlled Lange, C.J., Khan, S., Zarin, A., Grey, D., & Chen, K. probe at the bottom of the hull. The probe can be (2008). Bio-mimicry studies of aquatic species and the lowered to specific depths and water samples development of solar hydrogen electric autonomous collected at a variety of depths in test tubes. under water vehicles & autonomous airborne vehicles. Conference Proceedings of the American Inflatable Electric Kite Association of Zoo Veterinarians, Los Angeles. Our most recent development is the inflatable solar/wind hydrogen electric kite (Khan and Yam, Roytman, V., Lange, C.J., Sakeeb, K., Anika, Z., Issa, 2010). We conducted electrochemical, thermodynam- F.A., Zhang, A., et al. (2008). The Development and ic, and chemical kinetics studies on the generation of Testing of a Solar Hydrogen Electric Air Ship. U.S. hydrogen and oxygen in a 3.0 V fuel cell reactor. We Patent Office Provisional Patent. determined the energy generated by the wind turbine and studied the aerodynamics of deltoid and aerofoil Walcott H.E. & Thornton S. (2007). Persistent kites. We then designed and constructed a deltoid- buoyancy deficits in two clown fish. Conference shaped kite with solar panels and a wind turbine. Proceedings of the American Association of Zoo 26 NCSSSMST Journal Veterinarians, Los Angeles.