Numerical and experimental investigations of the propeller characteristics of an electrically powered ultralight aircraft

Stuhlpfarrer, M.; Valero-Andreu, A.; Breitsamter, Christian

doi:10.1007/s13272-017-0245-4

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Time step for simulations was taken as Dt = 1 Â 10 À4 s, which for rpm = 1500 corresponds to 0.9°rotation per time step. While the selection of time step size was similar to typically found in the literature (Stuhlpfarrer et al, 2017), decreasing Dt did not influence results. For analyses with higher rotational speeds, the time step was decreased to keep the 0.9°rotation per time step rule.…”

Section: Rans and Urans Modelsmentioning

confidence: 55%

Aerodynamic design and optimization of propellers for multirotor

Klimczyk

2021

AEAT

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Purpose This paper aims to present a methodology of designing a custom propeller for specified needs. The example of propeller design for large unmanned air vehicle (UAV) is considered. Design/methodology/approach Starting from low fidelity Blade Element (BE) methods, the design is obtained using evolutionary algorithm-driven process. Realistic constraints are used, including minimum thickness required for stiffness, as well as manufacturing ones – including leading and trailing edge limits. Hence, the interactions between propellers in hex-rotor configuration, and their influence on structural integrity of the UAV are investigated. Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (URANS) are used to obtain loading on the propeller blades in hover. Optimization of the propeller by designing a problem-specific airfoil using surrogate modeling-driven optimization process is performed. Findings The methodology described in the current paper proved to deliver an efficient blade. The optimization approach allowed to further improve the blade efficiency, with power consumption at hover reduced by around 7%. Practical implications The methodology can be generalized to any blade design problem. Depending on the requirements and constraints the result will be different. Originality/value Current work deals with the relatively new class of design problems, where very specific requirements are put on the propellers. Depending on these requirements, the optimum blade geometry may vary significantly.

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Section: Rans and Urans Modelsmentioning

confidence: 55%

Aerodynamic design and optimization of propellers for multirotor

Klimczyk

2021

AEAT

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“…These settings are chosen according ✶✼✷ to experiences of previously performed propeller simulations which showed close agreement to ✶✼✸ experimental data. [18,21] The simulations are conducted over fifteen to twenty propeller revolutions ✶✼✹ to achieve convergence, depending on the inflow angle. In order to obtain time-averaged loads, the ✶✼✺ forces and moments are averaged over the last revolution.…”

Section: ✶✻✾mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of Isolated and Ducted Fixed-Pitch Propellers under Non-Axial Inflow Conditions

Černý

Breitsamter

2020

Aerospace

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A strong interest in highly-efficient, small-scale propeller configurations can be recognized, especially due to the currently growing number of and usage possibilities for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Although a variety of different propulsion concepts already exist on the market or are discussed in the literature, there is still a demand for a systematic investigation to compare such configurations, in particular, small-scale propellers with a fixed pitch, which are analyzed in this work. Therefore, different configurations of small-scale propellers with a fixed pitch are analyzed in this paper. They were operated as isolated single propellers and as ducted propellers in a cylindrical wing. Furthermore, due to their flight envelope, UAVs are likely to operate at highly inclined inflow conditions and even under reverse inflow. These non-axial inflow conditions have a major influence on the flow field around a propeller. In order to investigate this influence, all analyses were performed at a range of inflow angles in relation to the propeller axis from αdisc=0∘ to 180∘.

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“…According to the discussion of Raymer, 29 the power required per unit wing area for the level flight is given by the following where P r is the total power required for the level flight, ρ is the air density at altitude 8 km, W is the total weight of the aircraft, η p is the electric propulsion efficiency estimated to be 72%. 30 With the given values of the lift and drag coefficients, the power required per unit wing area can be expressed as the following, only related to the wing loading. And the wing loading, W / S w is the undetermined design parameter, which will be discussed further in next section.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary design and performance analysis of a solar-powered unmanned seaplane

Liang¹,

Wang²,

Huang³

et al. 2019

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part G:

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A solar-powered unmanned seaplane is proposed as a new strategy to avoid the challenges faced in a long nonstop solar-powered flight, and is especially designed for sea surveillance mission, like resource exploration, environmental monitoring, and observation of animal migration. A preliminary design of the solar-powered unmanned seaplane is carried out while its flight performance is analyzed later. The conceptual design of a twin-tail boom with large aspect ratio wings and buoyancy system is put forward. Aerodynamic loading of the wings is analyzed and determined by computational fluid dynamics. The energy balance models of the proposed seaplane system are created for the periods that the seaplane moors on the sea to harvest solar energy and flies in the sky to perform the mission. The parameter effects, such as wing loading, takeoff time, weight, cruise speed, takeoff ground distance, takeoff ground time, flight envelope, and endurance are discussed. The energy balance models shows that the proposed solar-powered seaplane can perform the sea surveillance mission at an altitude of around 8 km for months and seasons between latitude 60 ° N and 60 ° S.

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Numerical and experimental investigations of the propeller characteristics of an electrically powered ultralight aircraft

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Aerodynamic design and optimization of propellers for multirotor

Aerodynamic design and optimization of propellers for multirotor

A Comparison of Isolated and Ducted Fixed-Pitch Propellers under Non-Axial Inflow Conditions

Preliminary design and performance analysis of a solar-powered unmanned seaplane

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