Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cells (URFC); Opportunities and Limitations in the Fields of Space Propulsion and Energy Storage

摘要

Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cells (URFCs) offer a significant advancement in future space system technology. The ability of the URFC to act reversibly as a fuel cell and an electrolyzer allows the integration of two important spacecraft subsystems: power and propulsion. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the advantages of the URFC system over the separate propulsion and power technology. These advantages will be demonstrated through the compilation of previously documented investigations as well as calculations and scenarios that I have created myself. Overall, I will demonstrate that the efficiency of the integrated URFC system makes it a noteworthy option in spacecraft design.