Issues of utilization optimization of extra photovoltaic panels for feeding unmanned aerial vehicles units

DOI: 10.34759/trd-2019-108-17

Аuthors

Jahidzadeh S. H.

National Aerospace Agency of Azerbaijan Republic, NASA, 1, Suleyman Sani Akhundov str., Baku, AZ1115, Azerbaijan Republic

e-mail: zshane@mail.ru

Abstract

At present, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are widely employed for surveillance and information acquisition. One of the main problems of successful UAV functioning is providing them with power sources. Traditional solution of this problem consists in employing electric batteries and hydrocarbon fuel, which eventually leads to the UAV free flight duty period limiting. However, equipping UAV with solar batteries is non-traditional, but rather perspective solution. Solar batteries are unique type of power sources, which allow performing 24-hours flights, when energy stored in accumulators is employed while nighttime. It is noted that at present UAV energy supplying by solar batteries placing on the upper surface of the wings is a prospective solution to this problem. Numerous facts of this idea realization proved the effectiveness of solar batteries application for the UAV electric power supply. At the same time, solar energy employing for the UAV energy supplying is associated with a number of problems, which solution would help even more enhancement of their functioning effectiveness. One of these problems is the UAV supplying with extra solar batteries installed on the lower surface of the wings to utilize the diffusive solar energy. The purpose of the conducted studies consists in analysis of achieving higher efficiency of the extra solar batteries, installed on the lower surface of the wings. The article formulates and solves the problem of providing low altitude UAV with extra solar panels, realizing conversion of diffusive and reflected solar energy into electric energy. The author suggests enhancing the UAV components energy supplying by additional employing of dispersed reflected solar radiation. Theoretical basics of solar panels, installed on the lower surface of the wings, were analyzed. The issue on the most effective application of the extra solar panels installed on the lower surface of the wing was formulated. The article represents a variant of the problem solution of solar panels employing on the lower surface of the wings with maximum efficiency. According to the obtained results, the total extra radiation, which can be converted into electric energy, may be effectively utilized in case that the following condition would be met: with the Sun angle of altitude increase albedo should decrease and vice versa. This interrelation can be realized physically by special selection of space-time flight trajectory, meeting this requirement.

Keywords:

unmanned aerial vehicle, photovoltaic panels, ndiffuse radiation, optimization, reflected radiation

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