A comprehensive review of energy sources for unmanned aerial vehicles, their shortfalls and opportunities for improvements

Townsend, Ashleigh; Jiya, Immanuel N.; Martinson, Christiaan; Bessarabov, Dmitri; Gouws, Rupert

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05285

Cited by 91 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…There are many power sources used onboard UAVs, such as fuel cells (FCs), batteries (BAT), supercapacitors (SCs), solar panel (SP), internal combustion engine (ICE), etc. Some of these power sources have been disregarded due to their inadequacy with certain specific applications or for ecological reasons [9]. The power system of an eVTOL is expected to have both high power density and energy density, namely fast power response and good energy storage capacity [8].…”

Section: Evtol Aircraft Power Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal sizing of hybrid electric propulsion system for eVTOL

Marzougui

Neuhaus

Labracherie

et al. 2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng.

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Electric propulsion unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attract much attention in aviation industry, with electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft tending to gain ground. The current development of hybrid eVTOL aircraft intended for urban air mobility is facing many technical challenges. Among these challenges rises the optimal sizing of its hybrid power system (HPS). The latter requires an energy management strategy (EMS). In this paper, the adopted management strategy is based on filtering techniques using frequency-separation. The EMS ensures the optimal distribution of the load power requirement between the different sources while considering their limits. In addition, the optimal sizing allows to strengthen the complementarity between sources and to indirectly reduce their mass. In this work, the studied HPS consists of a fuel cell associated with an energy storage system (ESS), composed of lithium polymer batteries (Li-Po) and supercapacitors. The onboard sources are connected in parallel on the power bus through three DC-DC converters. The results of this study are presented and discussed to highlight the relevance of the proposed approach.

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Section: Evtol Aircraft Power Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal sizing of hybrid electric propulsion system for eVTOL

Marzougui

Neuhaus

Labracherie

et al. 2022

IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng.

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“…Table 2 portrays a summary of surveys conducted in the last five years in UAV charging on different aspects of unmanned aerial vehicles such as classifications, charging techniques, market opportunities and applications. Ashleigh Townsend et al [66] compared various types of unmanned aerial vehicles, their power sources and recommended few solutions for improving their flight time. The authors concluded that drones powered by combustion engines provide better efficiency; however, pollution being their biggest downfall.…”

Section: Existing Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on UAV Wireless Charging: Fundamentals, Applications, Charging Techniques and Standards

2021

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming increasingly popular for applications such as inspections, delivery, agriculture, surveillance, and many more. It is estimated that, by 2040, UAVs/drones will become a mainstream delivery channel to satisfy the growing demand for parcel delivery. Though the UAVs are gaining interest in civil applications, the future of UAV charging is facing a set of vital concerns and open research challenges. Considering the case of parcel delivery, handling countless drones and their charging will become complex and laborious. The need for non-contact based multi-device charging techniques will be crucial in saving time and human resources. To efficiently address this issue, Wireless Power Transmission (WPT) for UAVs is a promising technology for multi-drone charging and autonomous handling of multiple devices. In the literature of the past five years, limited surveys were conducted for wireless UAV charging. Moreover, vital problems such as coil weight constraints, comparison between existing charging techniques, shielding methods and many other key issues are not addressed. This motivates the author in conducting this review for addressing the crucial aspects of wireless UAV charging. Furthermore, this review provides a comprehensive comparative study on wireless charging's technical aspects conducted by prominent research laboratories, universities, and industries. The paper also discusses UAVs' history, UAVs structure, categories of UAVs, mathematical formulation of coil and WPT standards for safer operation.

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“…[ 42 ] Currently, several classes of UAVs have emerged that have different capabilities based on embedded electronic components, such as microcontrollers, sensors, batteries, and GPS. [ 9,43 ] Various UAVs have been used for military and civilian goals. UAV sizes range from fixed‐wing UAV to smart dust (SD), which is based on very small robotic and multisensory micro electro‐mechanical systems.…”

Section: Classifications Of Uavsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, based on the requirements/application and among all the different battery types which are commercially available in the market, the lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) and lithium‐polymer (LiPo) batteries are quite popular in portable electronics and electric vehicle industries and quietly growing a lot in aerospace industries as well, due to above mentioned different advantages. [ 44 ] The major difference between Li‐ion and LiPo batteries is the available chemical electrolyte between electrodes. In Li‐ion batteries, the Li‐ion flows from negative to the positive electrode through liquid electrolyte; however, the Li‐ion flows through semisolid polymer electrolyte, in LiPo batteries.…”

Section: Electrical Systems For Solar‐powered Suavsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Solar Powered Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Review

et al. 2021

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In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with various capabilities suitable for both military and civilian applications. There is also a substantial interest in the development of novel drones that can fly autonomously in different environments and locations and perform various missions. Nevertheless, current battery‐powered UAVs are limited by their flight range. Consequently, several approaches are being developed to enhance the flight endurance of drones, including augmenting the drone with solar power. In this review, the different classifications of drones that have been developed based on their weight and flight range are identified. Then, the design challenges of the electrical systems embedded in the flying drones are explained. Next, approaches used to increase the flight endurance using various types of solar cells with respect to their materials and mechanical flexibility, in addition to various navigation and control approaches, are discussed in detail. Finally, limitations of existing solar‐powered UAVs are presented in addition to proposed solutions and recommendations for the next generation of drones.

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A comprehensive review of energy sources for unmanned aerial vehicles, their shortfalls and opportunities for improvements

Cited by 91 publications

References 51 publications

Optimal sizing of hybrid electric propulsion system for eVTOL

Optimal sizing of hybrid electric propulsion system for eVTOL

A Review on UAV Wireless Charging: Fundamentals, Applications, Charging Techniques and Standards

Solar Powered Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Review

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