STUDY OF THE POWER REQUIRED FOR FLIGHT OF THE AQUA-QUAD (SOLAR-POWERED QUAD-ROTOR UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM)

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dc.contributor.advisorJones, Kevin D.
dc.contributor.advisorDobrokhodov, Vladimir N.
dc.contributor.authorYang, Sean
dc.contributor.departmentMechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE)
dc.dateSep-20
dc.date.accessioned2020-11-18T00:22:51Z
dc.date.available2020-11-18T00:22:51Z
dc.date.issued2020-09
dc.description.abstractThis thesis describes a study of the in-flight energy consumption of the Aqua-Quad'a Naval Postgraduate School'developed small Unmanned Aerial System (UAS). The Aqua-Quad concept pairs small drones and solar power in an innovative quadrotor system that can be launched from water or land for persistent and autonomous Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations. The primary in-flight energy consumption of the Aqua-Quad stems from the thrust required to balance weight and drag. Analytically, this study used actuator disk theory to derive the power requirements based on the thrust and airspeeds during cruise and other phases of flight. To complete the power model, sub-models of the Aqua-Quad aerodynamics, particularly the lift induced by the solar arrays, were also developed. Experimental flights and Computational Fluid Dynamic analysis were conducted to validate these models. The models developed in this thesis can be used to predict the power required for different Aqua-Quad flight speeds and weights, allowing the maximum flight range and endurance to be determined. An accurate power model also allows for a high-fidelity energy balance model to aid in mission planning and design optimization. Moreover, these models can be generalized for other small quadrotor UAS, which are expanding into the industrial, commercial, and military sectors for novel applications.en_US
dc.description.distributionstatementApproved for public release. distribution is unlimiteden_US
dc.description.recognitionOutstanding Thesisen_US
dc.description.serviceLieutenant Colonel, Republic of Singapore Air Forceen_US
dc.identifier.curriculumcode570, Naval/Mechanical Engineering
dc.identifier.thesisid34375
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10945/66052
dc.publisherMonterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate Schoolen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is reserved by the copyright owner.en_US
dc.subject.authorunmanned aerial systemen_US
dc.subject.authoraerodynamicsen_US
dc.subject.authorsolar-powereden_US
dc.subject.authorautonomousen_US
dc.subject.authorhybrid air vehicleen_US
dc.subject.authorVTOLen_US
dc.subject.authorswarmen_US
dc.titleSTUDY OF THE POWER REQUIRED FOR FLIGHT OF THE AQUA-QUAD (SOLAR-POWERED QUAD-ROTOR UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM)en_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dspace.entity.typePublication
etd.thesisdegree.disciplineEngineering Science (Mechanical Engineering)en_US
etd.thesisdegree.grantorNaval Postgraduate Schoolen_US
etd.thesisdegree.levelMastersen_US
etd.thesisdegree.nameMaster of Science in Engineering Science (Mechanical Engineering)en_US
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