Solar-Wind Powered HALE Autonomous System with Pressurized Structure

Manikandan M1 and Balbir Singh2 Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104 Bajrang Maheswari3 Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104

Pioneering the future aerial systems and motivated by long-endurance mission requirements for defense, communication etc., this paper focuses on the aerodynamic design, airfoil selection, performance and component selection required for long endurance solar and wind powered unmanned aerial vehicle with the aid of buoyancy force. The amount of fuel carried by unmanned aerial vehicle will severely limit the aircrafts endurance so the only source of energy available to very long endurance platforms is solar and wind energy and the fact that the gases that are lighter than air can also help for the better performance of the UAV can also be taken under consideration. The design process was an interdisciplinary approach, and included a selection of high lift aerofoil, aerodynamic optimization of wing, stability analysis, weight balance, structural reliability, cost and performance optimization. Based on studies of several previous preliminary designs for solar-wind-powered UAVs, the minimum power requirement for maneuvers is considered. However, an integrated design process must consider the environment, mission and payload of an aircraft together, in order to specify geometry and assess performance. The design includes the consideration for the solar panels that are to be fitted on the upper wing surfaces which will convert the solar energy into the propulsive force for the UAV, the turbines which will use the wind power for supporting the propulsive force and the pressurized structures filled with Helium gas or any other gas which is lighter than air. These pressurized structures will help in increasing the performance of the UAV. The solar energy is the one of the most abundant and freely available source of energy and because of all these reasons modern UAVs are more and more based on the use of solar power. In this design, what we are going to do is that we will be providing solar cells on top of the wing surface facing the sun which will absorb the solar power and will convert it into electric power and this electric power produced will be used in running the propellers and charging the high density batteries provided on the UAV for backup and also for running other systems as per the use of the UAV i.e. the UAV may be for civil use or for military use. The power output of solar cells depends primarily on the absolute value and spectral distribution of irradiance in the plane of the cell and the resulting operational temperature. The total amount of energy produced by the solar cells is a function of the geographical position (latitude, longitude, and altitude), time of the year, atmospheric absorption and efficiency of the cells. The Linke turbidity factor is used to characterize the clearness of the sky, the lower this factor, the clearer the sky, the larger the beam

1 2

Assistant Professor, Aeronautical & Automobile Engineering Department, Manipal, Member Assistant Professor, Aeronautical & Automobile Engineering Department, Manipal, Member 3 Student, Aeronautical & Automobile Engineering Department, Manipal, non-member

irradiation and the lower the relative fraction of the diffuse irradiation. The most important thing is that the use of solar power is pollution free and has no effects on the environment. The wind energy is another renewable source of energy that is freely available everywhere in abundance. The use of wind power in the UAVs is the wave of the future. The design is considered in such a way that we will be able to put a highly efficient wind turbine in the UAV. Considering the flying height of the UAV, the addition of a highly efficient wind turbine will give a boost to the performance of the UAV. The wind energy could also be used as a substitute for solar energy during night. Just like the solar energy, the wind energy is also a pollution free source of energy and has no side effects on the environment. The endurance of a solar-wind powered aircraft is determined by the Power Ratio, a nondimensional number that can be computed before flight and that represents the ratio of power collected by the solar cells and wind turbines to power spent overcoming drag. The Power Ratio of an aircraft depends explicitly on environmental factors, such as atmospheric density, and geometric factors, such as wing span. Humans have always wanted to achieve more. Thin-film flexible solar cells, high energy density batteries, miniaturized MEMS and CMOS sensors and highly efficient wind turbines have become vital for the endurance of UAVs within the past decade. Here also we can add some more features to the UAV which will help in enhancing the vehicles performance. This added feature is the force of Buoyancy. In this project, we have designed UAV in such a way that a considerable percentage of its weight is supported by or constructed from inflatable structures containing helium gas or any other gas lighter than air. This lighter than air gas, is filled in a pressurized hollow structure provided in the vehicle. The pressurized body structures will reduce the amount of energy required to keep the UAV in flight mode thus allowing the use of smaller and quieter motors. An airframe near neutral buoyancy will allow much slower flight speeds and increased maneuverability while expending little power. In order to realize maximum benefits of the pressure structures, the material for the pressured structure is also considered. There is a critical need to improve the performance and utility of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Several areas of UAV performance need to be improved for the next generation of UAVs to be used successfully in expanding future roles. The present generation UAVs lacks precision, slow-speed maneuverability required for urban navigation and targeting and they are not capable of stealth mode also due to which they are easily sighted. There are many other possibilities for the better design of unmanned aerial vehicles. This paper in itself is an attempt to push the boundaries in the design of UAVs and here an attempt is made for the better performance of both civil and military unmanned aerial vehicles.