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Design of a 5 Kilogram Solar Powered Unmanned DESIGN OF A 5 KILOGRAM SOLAR POWERED UNMANNED AIRPLANE FOR PERPETUAL SOLAR ENDURANCE FLIGHT A Project Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering San José State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science In Aerospace Engineering by Sean A. Montgomery May 2013 © 2013 Sean A. Montgomery ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii The Designated Project Committee Approves the Project Titled DESIGN OF A 5 KILOGRAM SOLAR POWERED UNMANNED AIRPLANE FOR PERPETUAL SOLAR ENDURANCE FLIGHT by Sean A. Montgomery APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY May 2013 Dr. Nikos J. Mourtos, Committee Chair Date Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dr. Periklis Papadopoulos, Committee Member Date Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Soren LaForce, Committee Member Date NASA Ames Research Center iii ABSTRACT DESIGN OF A 5 KILOGRAM SOLAR POWERED UNMANNED AIRPLANE FOR PERPETUAL SOLAR ENDURANCE FLIGHT by Sean A. Montgomery The objective of this project was to design an airplane with the ability to fly all day and all night using only solar power. The airplane also had to satisfy Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) rules for model airplane records by weighing less than 5 kg and having a combined wing area plus horizontal stabilizer area of less than 1.5 m2. The airplane design presented in this paper, named the Photon, achieved both of these objectives. The key features of the Photon design were a lack of ailerons, a cruise/climb power switch, and a custom propeller design. The potential benefit of in-flight adjustable propeller pitch was also investigated. The Photon was designed to use Sunpower A-300 photovoltaic panels, and Panasonic NCR18650B lithium-ion batteries. Detailed analysis of the Photon design, including the effect of solar panels on the wing boundary layer, showed that the Photon design would be capable of perpetual solar endurance flight between May 21, and July 21, 2013 at 37.13° latitude above the Equator (latitude of Morgan Hill, California). The best opportunity would occur on the day of the summer solstice. On this day, there would be 6.3% more solar energy than required and the batteries could store 8.4% more energy than required to fly through that night. These margins were less than the 10% that was desired, which showed how difficult it was to achieve perpetual solar endurance flight given the constraints for this design. As battery energy density continues to improve, perpetual solar endurance flight will become easier to achieve and more useful. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "Knowledge is not the personal property of its discoverer, but the common property of all. As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously." -Benjamin Franklin This project was the result of more than three years of work. I owe a great deal to my professors, friends, family, and coworkers who have been patient and supportive while I pursued my interests. Dr. Mourtos laid the foundation for my understanding of aircraft design, and he was my guide through this important part of my life. Dr. Papadopoulos greatly increased my appreciation of high speed flow and spacecraft. Soren LaForce encouraged me by taking an interest in my project and provided a sounding board for my ideas. I never would have been able to pursue a master’s degree if my parents hadn’t pushed me while I was young, and then let me pursue my own interests later in life. I also want to thank the many students I encountered during my time at San José State University. Their many different skills and interests in the aerospace field enriched, encouraged, and challenged me. The legacy of aircraft designs and analysis programs by Mark Drela were essential to my understanding of aircraft design. Finally, this project would not have happened without the pioneering work of Alan Cocconi with Solong, and André Noth with Sky-Sailor. Their ambitions encouraged me to pursue my own dreams of flying forever. v Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Motivation .......................................................................................................................2 1.2 Literature Review ............................................................................................................3 1.3 Technology Overview and Selection .............................................................................. 13 2.0 Mission Specification .......................................................................................................... 18 3.0 Energy Balance Diagram ..................................................................................................... 21 3.1 Solar Energy Available .................................................................................................. 21 3.2 Energy Required ............................................................................................................ 24 3.3 Energy Balance ............................................................................................................. 25 3.4 Altitude Energy Storage................................................................................................. 27 3.5 Key Assumptions .......................................................................................................... 29 4.0 Design Method .................................................................................................................... 30 4.1 Analysis Tools ............................................................................................................... 32 4.2 EnergyBalance.m Matlab Script .................................................................................... 33 4.3 Solar Panel and Battery Selection .................................................................................. 34 4.4 Critical Design Parameters ............................................................................................ 38 5.0 Sizing .................................................................................................................................. 39 5.1 Wing Sizing ................................................................................................................... 39 5.2 Power Sizing ................................................................................................................. 41 6.0 Configuration Design .......................................................................................................... 43 6.1 Design drivers ............................................................................................................... 43 6.2 Propulsion Configuration ............................................................................................... 43 6.3 Fuselage Configuration .................................................................................................. 44 6.4 Wing Configuration ....................................................................................................... 45 6.5 Empennage Configuration ............................................................................................. 48 6.6 Final Configuration Design ............................................................................................ 51 7.0 Fuselage Design .................................................................................................................. 53 8.0 Wing Planform Design ........................................................................................................ 56 9.0 Empennage Design .............................................................................................................. 61 9.1 Horizontal Stabilizer ...................................................................................................... 62 vi 9.2 Vertical Stabilizer .......................................................................................................... 64 10.0 Airfoil Design .................................................................................................................. 67 10.1 Wing Airfoils ................................................................................................................ 67 10.2 Empennage Airfoil ........................................................................................................ 71 11.0 Propulsion System Design ................................................................................................ 74 11.1 Cruse/Climb Battery Configurations .............................................................................. 74 11.2 Electronic Speed Controller ........................................................................................... 77 11.3 Motor and Gearbox Selection ........................................................................................ 78 11.4 Propeller Design ............................................................................................................ 83 11.5 Climb Rate Analysis ...................................................................................................... 88 11.6 Adjustable Propeller Pitch ............................................................................................. 89 11.7 Overall
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