An Unmanned Helicopter Energy Consumption Analysis

Marcin Żugaj (), Mohammed Edawdi, Grzegorz Iwański, Sebastian Topczewski, Przemysław Bibik and Piotr Fabiański
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Marcin Żugaj: Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, St. Nowowiejska 24, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Mohammed Edawdi: Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, St. Nowowiejska 24, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Grzegorz Iwański: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, St. Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw, Poland
Sebastian Topczewski: Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, St. Nowowiejska 24, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Przemysław Bibik: Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, St. Nowowiejska 24, 00-665 Warsaw, Poland
Piotr Fabiański: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, St. Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw, Poland

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 4, 1-28

Abstract: The number of operations incorporating E-VTOL aircrafts is increasing each year, and the optimization of the energy consumption of such vehicles is a major problem. In this paper, a small-scale ARCHER helicopter’s energy consumption is analyzed, wherein different flight conditions, main rotor revolutions, and flight control system settings are considered. The helicopter dynamic model was developed in the FLIGHTLAB environment and was then validated based on flight test data. The model used for the calculation of energy consumption was developed using the electric and dynamic characteristics of the main rotor, electric motor, and transmission system. The main part of this work concerns the analysis of electric energy consumption during the vehicle’s flight via the use of an automatic flight control system (AFCS) that ensures repeatable flight conditions. The AFCS was designed such that it includes both path and attitude control to provide hover and cruise control modes. The helicopter’s energy consumption was analyzed during different phases of flight, when executing maneuvers, and using different main rotor angular velocities to perform - a given task. The results show that the level of energy consumption significantly depends on the helicopter’s main rotor revolutions, flight speed, and the maneuvers performed. The proposed methodology can be used in prospective energy-efficient mission planning and UAV helicopter design.

Keywords: UAS; automatic control; energy consumption; energy efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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