The transition to cleaner, more efficient and longer-endurance aircraft is at the forefront of research and development in air vehicles. The focus of this research is to experimentally evaluate hybrid propulsion and energy harvesting systems in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Hybrid systems offer benefits over conventional gasoline and electric systems including lower environmental impacts, reduced fuel consumption, redundancy, and distributed propulsion. Additional energy efficiency can be achieved by harvesting some of the thermal energy of the exhaust gases. The development and experimental evaluation of a hybrid propulsion UAV was carried out at the University of Victoria Center for Aerospace Research (UVIC-CfAR) in the framework of the Green Aviation Research & Development Network (GARDN) grant. The work involved the development of a framework to evaluate UAV hybrid propulsion efficiency, and to predict the amount of power harvestable from thermoelectric generators (TEGs). The objective was to combine all of the components into a modular test bench that will allow the performance of the parallel hybrid system to be characterized and compared with theoretical results. Several experiments were performed to collect performance data of various components including a triple-TEG system connected to an engine, and system variables were modified to simulate flight profiles.
The transition to cleaner, more efficient and longerendurance aircraft is at the forefront of current research and development in air transportation systems. The focus of this research is to experimentally evaluate Hybrid Propulsion and Energy Harvesting Systems in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Hybrid systems offer several potential benefits over more conventional gasoline and electric systems including lower environmental impacts, reduced fuel consumption, longer endurance, redundancy and distributed propulsion. Additional energy efficiency can be achieved by harvesting some of the thermal energy of the exhaust gases. By using the Seebeck effect, the temperature gradient between ambient air and the exhaust can be used to generate electric power, making it possible to eliminate costly mechanical systems such as alternators and reduce fuel consumption. The development and experimental evaluation of a hybridpropulsion UAV was carried out at the University of Victoria Center for Aerospace Research (UVIC-CfAR) in the framework of the Green Aviation Research & Development Network (GARDN) grant. The work involved the development of a framework to evaluate UAV hybrid propulsion efficiency, as well as to predict the amount of power harvestable from thermoelectric generators (TEG). The hybrid propulsion framework was used to investigate the trade-offs between different hybrid architectures against conventional electric and internal combustion propulsion systems. The energy harvesting module was designed to evaluate the trade-off between energy harvested, implementation costs and weight. In order to validate the computational results, experimental testing was performed. First, an apparatus was designed to collect performance data of a triple-TEG system connected to a 4-stroke Saito internal combustion engine. Thermal performance of the system was evaluated at eleven different test points, and a number of variables were modified to simulate real flight profiles. Next, another apparatus was designed to characterize the performance of a parallel hybrid-electric propulsion system in a UAV. This apparatus allows for different mission profiles that closely match the flight test data from other propulsion types.
Purpose This paper aims to experimentally evaluate the performance of a parallel hybrid propulsion system for use in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Design/methodology/approach The objective is to combine all the individual components of the hybrid electric propulsion system (HEPS) into a modular test bench to characterize the performance of a parallel hybrid propulsion system, and to evaluate a rule-based controller based on the ideal operating line concept for the control of the power plant. Electric motor (EM) designed to supplement the power of the internal combustion engine (ICE) to reduce the overall fuel consumption, with the supervisory controller optimizing ICE torque. Findings The EM was able to supplement the power of the ICE to reduce fuel consumption, and proved the capability of acting as a generator to recharge the batteries drawing from ICE power. Furthermore, the controller showed that it is possible to reduce the fuel consumption with a HEPS when compared to its gasoline counterpart by running simulated representative UAV missions. The findings also highlighted the challenges to build and integrate the HEPS in small UAVs. Originality/value The modularity of the test bench allows each component to be changed to assess its impact on the performance of the system. This allows for further exploration and improvements of the HEPS in a controlled environment.
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