• Journal of the Korean Society for Aviation and Aeronautics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.1-9
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• 2011

Several studies on the development for solar powered uninhabited aerial vehicles(UAVs) are under way as the use of the renewable energy becomes more and more important these days. This paper is for the conceptual design by a discrete and iterative method. An initial design point with 1.5 meter wing span is determined in the global design, which deploys the mass and energy balances among each component of UAV including solar cells and airframe. Then, the iteration for subsystems is carried out with the help of Vortex Lattice Method(VLM) to optimize the aircraft configuration and the solar power system. It is demonstrated in simulations that the optimized design increases the flight time from 62 to 120 minutes when the solar power system is installed. Also, the associated dynamic analysis reveals that the designed small aircraft has the acceptable stability and controllability.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2016

In order to suggest the optimal manufacturing technology of composite wings of solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, this study compared forming technologies to reduce wing weight for long-endurance flight and to improve the manufacturing process for cost-saving and mass production. It compared the manufacturing time and weight of various composite wing molding technologies, including cocuring, secondary bonding, and manufacturing by balsa. As a result, wing weight was reduced through cocuring methods such as band type composite fiber/tape lamination technology, which enabled prolonged flight duration. In addition, the reduced manufacturing time led to a lower cost, which is a good example of weight lightening for not only small solar-powered UAVs, but also composite aircraft.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.471-478
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• 2022

This paper is about research and development of Korea Aerospace University's Solar-Powered UAV System that named of KAU-SPUAV, and describes the design process of the 4.2 m solar UAV that succeeded in a long flight of 32 hours and 19 minutes at June 2020. In order to improve the long-term flight performance of the KAU-SPUAV, For reduce drag, a circular cross-section of the fuselage was designed, and manufactured light and sturdy fuselage by applying a monocoque structure using a glass fiber composite material. In addition, a solar module optimized for the wing shape of a 4.2 m solar drone was constructed and arranged, and a propulsion system applied with the 23[in] × 23[in] propeller was constructed to improve charging and flight efficiency. The developed KAU-SPUAV consumes an average of 55W when cruising and can receive up to 165W of energy during the day, and its Long-term Endurance was verified through flight tests.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2012

A MDO study of a midium-sized solar powered High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) UAV has been performed, focused on energy balance. In the MDO process, Vortex Lattice Method(VLM) is employed for the aerodynamic modeling of the vehicle, of which structural weight is estimated with the modeling proposed by Cruz. Tail volume ratios have been set as constants, while the location of tail surfaces is determined from longitudinal static stability criterion. By balancing the available energy from solar cells, battery, and altitude, with the energy-requirement of the vehicle, the possibility of continuous flight over 24-hours has been investigated. The solar radiation level is set as that of summer at the latitude of $36^{\circ}$ north. During the daytime, the aircraft climbs using solar energy, accumulating potential energy, which supplements energy balance during the night. Optimizations have been sought in size of the vehicle, its weight distribution, and flight strategy.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.55.2-55.2
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• 2011

This research aims to study the effects of the incidence angle and surface temperature on the power generation performance of a thin-film CIGS solar cell for solar powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The test rig consists of a unit CIGS solar cell is installed on a table whose angle is controlled manually. A K-type thermocouple is attached to the solar cell surface for temperature measurements. A solar module analyzer measures the voltage and current generated from the test solar cell. The solar module analyzer also calculates the maximum solar power and efficiency of the solar cell. All test data are acquired in a PC. Test results show that the solar cell efficiency decreases significantly with increasing incidence angle and increasing surface temperature in general. As the incidence angle increases from 0 degree to 90 degree, the solar cell efficiency decreases by 60%. The solar cell efficiency decreases by 10% with increasing solar cell surface temperature from $20^{\circ}C$ to $30^{\circ}C$, for exmaple. The direct cooling method of the solar cell using dry ice decreases dramatically the solar cell surface temperature, thus increasing the solar cell efficiency by 15%.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2016

Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is developing an electric-driven HALE UAV in order to secure system and operational technologies since 2010. Based on the 5 years of flight tests and design experiences of the previously developed electric-driven UAVs, KARI has designed EAV-3, a solar-powered HALE UAV. EAV-3 weighs 53 kg, the structure weight is 21 kg, and features a flexible wing of 19.5 m in span with the aspect ratio of 17.4. Designing the main wing and empennage of the EAV-3 the amount of the bending due to the flexible wing, 404 mm at 1-G flight condition based on T-800 composite material, and side wind effects due to low cruise speed, V_cr = 6 m/sec, are carefully considered. Also, unlike the general aircraft there is no center of gravity shift during the flight. Thus, the static margin cuts down to 28.4% and center of gravity moves back to 31% of the Mean Aerodynamic Chord (MAC) comparing to the previously developed scale-down HALE UAVs, EAV-2 and EAV-2H, to minimize a trim drag and enhance a performance of the EAV-3. The first flight of the EAV-3 has successfully conducted on the July 29, 2015 and the test flight above the altitude 14 km has efficiently achieved on the August 5, 2015 at the Goheung aviation center.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.489-496
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• 2022

This paper introduces the system for KAU-SPUAV, which is designed and developed by Korea Aerospace University, and verifies its performance through flight test. Specification of two versions of KAU-SPUAV, avionics system, and Ground Control System (GCS) are introduced. Three missions are performed with suggested UAVs: LTE signal mapping, circumnavigation of Jeju island seashore, and long endurance flight. Each mission consists of long distance and long endurance flight which takes advantage of KAU-SPUAV. Research team of KAU-SPUAV confirmed its versatility through suggested flight data. Also based on flight results, the team found the potential of performance improvement of KAU-SPUAV.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.631-640
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• 2016

A dual-mode power management for a hybrid-electric UAV with a cruise power of 200W is proposed and empirically verified. The subject vehicle is a low-speed long-endurance UAV powered by a solar cell, a fuel cell, and a battery pack, which operate in the same voltage bounds. These power sources of different operational characteristics can be managed in two different methods: passive management and active management. This study proposes a new power management system named PMS2, which employs a bypass circuit to control the individual power sources. The PMS2 normally operates in active mode, and the bypass circuit converts the system into passive mode when necessary. The output characteristics of the hybrid system with the PMS2 are investigated under simulated failures in the power sources and the conversion of the power management methods. The investigation also provides quantitative comparisons of efficiencies of the system under the two distinct power management modes. In the case of the solar cell, the efficiency difference between the active and the passive management is shown to be 0.34% when the SOC of the battery is between 25-65%. However, if the SOC is out of this given range, i.e. when the SOC is at 90%, using active management displays an improved efficiency of 6.9%. In the case of the fuel cell, the efficiency of 55% is shown for both active and passive managements, indicating negligible differences.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.32-38
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• 2014

Sufficient energy charging during a day is essential for a solar-powered long-endurance aircraft. Variations of flight path that is superior to a basic circle path are sought in this study for more efficient charging. Flight path associated with roll and pitch attitudes are investigated. It seems that the pitch angle can play more important role than the roll angle for the solar charging efficiency. Thus, more energy charging is observed when the entire flight path is tilted toward the direction of the sun.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2013

In order to increase endurance flight efficiency of long endurance electric powered UAV with solar cell, the light weight airframe design techniques are important. In this paper, the design of the main wing of electric powered UAV manufactured using Mylar film and fiber reinforced composite was conducted in order to achieve weight reduction and structural integrity of the structure. The shape of spar and size were determined using beam theory analysis. The finite element analysis of the wing was performed under various load condition derived from flight environment of EAV-2H. Finally, the static strength test of the main wing was conducted to verify structural integrity. It was found that the developed main wing weigh less than 42% than the previous EAV-2 and the main wing passed static strength test under ultimate load.