Abstract: The advantages of underwater fuel cell propulsion are high energy conversion efficiency and energy density， low noise and no gas emissions， thereby improving the performance of unmanned undersea vehicles （UUVs） in terms of range， depth and stealth. As such， underwater fuel cell propulsion is a very promising candidate for future UUVs. This paper introduces the system components and working principle of the underwater fuel cell propulsion system. The recent progress on key technologies is reviewed， including fuel cell-powered UUVs， hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell and energy-dense reactant storage. Future research work in this field is also discussed. In terms of hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells， pure oxygen supply and closed-cycle operation would bring water removal and corrosive issues， which should be carefully dealt with. In terms of hydrogen and oxygen sources， high energy density formats include water-reactive aluminum and diesel reforming for hydrogen acquisition， lithium perchlorate for oxygen acquisition， which deserve increasing research.

Key words: Underwater fuel cell propulsion;Hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell;Energy-dense hydrogen and oxygen source;Unmanned undersea vehicle;Review

摘要： 水下燃料电池推进系统具有能量转换效率和比能量高、振动噪声低、无尾气排放等诸多优势，可大幅提高无人潜航器的航程、航深和隐蔽性等关键性能，是水下推进领域极具发展潜力的技术方向。本文介绍了水下燃料电池推进系统组成和工作原理，归纳了国内外在无人潜航器、氢氧燃料电池和高能氢氧源方面的研究进展，探讨了水下燃料电池推进技术未来的发展重点。在氢氧燃料电池方面，应重点解决纯氧供应和闭式循环带来的排水、腐蚀等问题。在高能氢氧源方面，能量密度较高的是铝水反应制氢、柴油重整制氢和高氯酸锂制氧，应予以重点关注。

关键词: 水下燃料电池推进;氢氧燃料电池;高能氢氧源;无人潜航器;综述