an auxiliary power system based on solar photovoltaic for enhanced unmanned aerial vehicle remote-controlled aircraft endurance

This research outlines the design, simulation, and structural evaluation of a solar-assisted power augmentation system integrated into an unmanned aerial vehicle (uav) made of expanded polypropylene (epp) foam. the system consists of two 1.5 w rigid monocrystalline solar panels mounted on the wings and an 18 w flexible panel mounted below the fuselage, which increased the uav’s weight from 170 g to 840 g. aerodynamic performance was assessed using computational fluid dynamics (cfd) simulations in ansys fluent over a sweep of angles of attack (–6° to 12°) at speeds of 10 m/s and 30 m/s. the results showed lift augmentation of over 300% with significant drag reduction. structural simulations in ansys mechanical using pressure loads from cfd results confirmed that the maximum principal stress and von mises strain were kept within 70% of the material limits of the epp foam. the most effective operating range was found to be between 3° and 9° aoa for low-speed flight and between 0° and 6° aoa for high-speed flight. this study confirms the feasibility of integrating monocrystalline solar modules into lightweight uavs as a viable method of drastically extending flight endurance without sacrificing aerodynamic or structural integrity.