Impact analysis of solar cells on vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAV

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) is a type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that allows for flight in harsh weather for surveillance and access to remote areas. VTOL can be performed without a runway. As such, VOTL UAVs are used in areas where there is limited space and in urban locations. The structural endurance of VTOL UAVs is limited and is further reduced in the case of fixed-wing UAVs. Long-endurance aerial vehicles allow for continuous flight, but their power supply systems must be able to harvest energy from external sources in order to meet the guidelines. The wings of these UAVs are often covered with solar cells. This article presents the extended range and flight time of a tail-sitter VTOL that incorporates solar cells on the UAV structure. A VTOL powered by solar cells can perform aviation missions with fewer landings, allowing for the performance of such UAVs to be increased and for their flight time to be extended several times over those without solar cells. Simulations accounting for the use of PV panels on the UAV structure show that depending on the scenario and flight date, VTOLs can double the flight time on the spring equinox and increase the flight time by more than six times on the summer solstice.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number247
Number of pages14
JournalAerospace
Volume10
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 3 Mar 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Mendeley 589b980b-eb8b-33a9-860d-2708c2401bc1
Scopus 85151557964
WOS 000956898200001
ORCID /0000-0003-1370-064X/work/142243840

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Keywords

  • VTOL, UAV, renewable energy, model-based design