Estimation of the effectiveness of a power plant for a high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle

Аuthors

Zinenkov Y. V.^1*, Lukovnikov A. V.^2**, Cherkasov A. N.¹

1. Air force academy named after professor N.E. Zhukovskii and Y.A. Gagarin, Voronezh, Russia
2. Central Institute of Aviation Motors named after P.I. Baranov, CIAM, 2, Aviamotornaya str., Moscow, 111116, Russia

*e-mail: yura2105@mail.ru
**e-mail: Lukovnikof@mail.ru

Abstract

The task of development of a modern domestic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a cruising altitude of 18-20 km and characteristics equal to the best foreign prototypes is very important. The requirements relating to such type of UAVs are still not determined not only to the aircraft complex as a whole, but also to its individual systems, and power plant (PP) in particular. Thus, a wide range of urgent issues arise in this area requiring research and working out, including the design of engines of new generation for PP of such kind of UAV.

The authors suggest in this respect a methodology of forming a PP preliminary technical appearance for a high-altitude UAV. It will allow selection and substantiation of rational parameters of the operating procedure, controlling program, scheme of gas turbine engine (GTE) of straight reaction, as well as characteristics of the PP inlet and outlet devices, guaranteeing the achievement of the extreme (best) values of the UAV performance factors.

The key core of this methodology is the integrated mathematical model (IMM) of the technical system Unmanned aircraft — power plant, developed by the authors. This IMM is intended for carrying out various exploratory parametric and optimization studies on the formation of technical characteristics of various schemes of turbojet engines, as well as evaluate PP internal parameters effectiveness and UAV performance criteria, such as, its performance characteristics.

The authors carried out the assessment of adequacy and accuracy of the developed IMM of the UAV-PP system by the example, using a number of existing engines and aircrafts. As a result it was concluded that this IMM is accurate enough for conducting various engineering studies concerning the formation of a preliminary technical aspect of the aircraft GTEs of straight reaction. Using the IMM we conducted a series of parametric studies of PP with bypass turbojet engine parameters impact on its characteristics and UAV characterixtics

This work formulates and solves optimization problem, consisted in the best PP technical aspect selection by the performance criteria of the UAV — maximum range and duration of the flight. As a result, we obtained Pareto set of optimal solutions, from which a compromise variant of UAV-PP system, ensuring the improvement of aircraft performance characteristics as compared to a certain basic (non-optimal) variant by flight range of 10.4%, and duration of 9.3 % was obtained.

The practical value of this work consist of the following. Its results can be used by scientific and engineering organizations, engaged in the design of perspective UAVs and their PPs, as well as by the air force and in industry for validation of the requirements to new patterns of aeronautical engineering, as well as by aircraft engineering institutes to improve the educational process.

Keywords:

turbojet engine, thrust and economic characteristics, parametric studies, power plant optimization

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