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Real-time power flow analysis and management for a long-endurance solar UAV during continuous flight

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Abstract

One of the primary challenges for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) developers is to improve their endurance while in the air, as their typical flight time is limited to a few hours. One widely used technology to enhance their endurance is harnessing solar energy to power UAV and charge their batteries in flight. This article presents the development of a real-time simulation environment to enable the continuous flight of the Sky Sailor solar UAV. Through the utilization of a solar irradiance model, a solar panel model, real-time power generation is calculated. Simultaneously, the UAV’s full dynamic model, along with the autopilot and propulsion system model, is employed to determine the energy consumption at each moment. The energy management algorithm then compares the acquired energy with the power consumed, and in cases of surplus energy, it is efficiently stored in the battery for nighttime usage. Simulations show that continuous flight of the drone can be achieved during the summer season, when the daylight hours are long enough to fully charge the battery, With the ability to fly continuously during this period, the UAV can be used in various areas, such as monitoring forest fires, agricultural fields, beaches, and security monitoring for oil companies and their life bases in deserts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Process Control LCP, Department of Engineering, Control Systems and Applied Mathematics, National Polytechnic School ENP of Algiers, 10, St Hacen Badi El Harrach, Algiers, Algeria

    Nourddine Ghelem & Djamel Boudana

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, LREA Laboratory University of Medea, Medea, Algeria

    Ouahid Bouchhida

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  1. Nourddine Ghelem
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  2. Djamel Boudana
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  3. Ouahid Bouchhida
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Correspondence to Nourddine Ghelem.

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Ghelem, N., Boudana, D. & Bouchhida, O. Real-time power flow analysis and management for a long-endurance solar UAV during continuous flight. CEAS Aeronaut J 14, 1035–1049 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13272-023-00684-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13272-023-00684-9

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