Design, modelling and measurement of a hybrid powerplant for unmanned aerial systems

Glassock, Richard; Hung, Jane Y.; González, Luis F.; Walker, Rodney A.

doi:10.1080/14484846.2008.11464559

Cited by 31 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…In recent years, an increased focus has been placed on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Propellers are the predominant propulsion type utilised by UAVs, especially in the case of smaller unmanned systems (1) . As the efficiency of the powertrain and propeller are crucial to obtaining acceptable performance, a great deal of research is focused on more efficient powertrain technology (2)(3)(4)(5) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blade element momentum theory extended to model low Reynolds number propeller performance

MacNeill

Verstraete

2017

Aeronaut. j.

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Propellers are the predominant propulsion source for small unmanned aerial vehicles. At low advance ratios, large sections of the propeller blade can be stalled, and the Reynolds number faced by each blade can be low. This leads to difficulties in modelling propeller performance, as the aerodynamic models coupled with blade element methods usually only provide aerodynamic data for an assumed aerofoil section, for a small angle-of-attack range and for a single Reynolds number, while rotational effects are often ignored. This is specifically important at low advance ratios, and a consistent evaluation of the applicability of various methods to improve aerodynamic modelling is not available. To provide a systematic appraisal, three-dimensional (3D) scanning is used to obtain the aerofoil sections that make up a propeller blade. An aerodynamic database is formed using each extracted aerofoil section, across a wide range of angles of attack and Reynolds numbers. These databases are then modified to include the effects of rotation. When compared with experimental results, significant improvement in modelling accuracy is shown at low advance ratios relative to a generic blade element-momentum model, particularly for smaller propellers. Notably, when considering small propeller performance, efficiency modelling is improved from within 30% relative to experimental data to within 5% with the use of the extended blade element momentum theory method. The results show that combining Viterna and Corrigan flat plate theory with the Corrigan and Schillings stall delay model consistently yields the closest match with experimental data.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blade element momentum theory extended to model low Reynolds number propeller performance

MacNeill

Verstraete

2017

Aeronaut. j.

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“…The design of an aircraft's nacelle is typically selected through significant wind tunnel testing as even small changes of the aft body shape affect the thrust generated by the propeller [16]. Some of the researched test rigs had significant amounts of structure behind the motor and propeller that likely had some effect on the measured thrust [99].…”

Section: Few If Any Designs Incorporated Any Nacelle or Cowling Behinmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Process for the Design and Manufacture of Propellers for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Rutkay¹

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The objective of this research was to develop a process for the design and manufacture of mission-and aircraft-specific propellers for small unmanned aerial vehicles. This objective was met by creating a computer program to design a propeller that meets userdefined aircraft performance requirements within the limitations of the motor, material, and manufacturing methods. The use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) in making flightworthy propellers was explored through material testing and by manufacturing trials. By testing the propellers in simulated flight conditions, it was found that the propellers generated nearly the expected design thrust, but a series of manufacturing and instrumentation issues prevented a complete evaluation of their performance. Testing was sufficient to demonstrate the feasibility of flightworthy propellers produced through additive manufacturing. Future work for the further development of the design program was also outlined.iii

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“…The University of Colorado has shown success with their project HELIOS, which also made use of a parallel hybrid architecture in their UAV (Koster et al 2011). Further work on UAV parallel hybrid research by Glassock et al (2008) at Queensland University has suggested that an increase in power of 35% can be achieved with only a 5% weight penalty compared with a traditional gasoline system.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of energy efficient propulsion technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles

Matlock

Warwick

Sharikov

et al. 2019

Transactions of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering

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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.

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Design, modelling and measurement of a hybrid powerplant for unmanned aerial systems

Cited by 31 publications

References 1 publication

Blade element momentum theory extended to model low Reynolds number propeller performance

Blade element momentum theory extended to model low Reynolds number propeller performance

A Process for the Design and Manufacture of Propellers for Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Evaluation of energy efficient propulsion technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles

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