An investigation on the aerodynamic performance of a hand-launched solar-powered UAV in flying wing configuration

Aiming to realize the long-endurance ecological environmental monitoring and the rapid takeoff and landing mission in Tibet, a hand-launched solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in flying wing configuration is introduced and analyzed in this paper. The low-Reynolds-number (LRN) flow is quasi-steadily simulated by solving the full three-dimensional Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) governing equations coupled with the k_T-k_L-ω transition model while the propeller performance is evaluated using the multiple-rotating reference frame (MRF) method. Both the cruise and the low-speed takeoff aerodynamic analyses which include the aerodynamic force analysis and the propeller/wing integrated flow mechanism analysis are performed in details. The results indicate that the present UAV can meet the high-efficiency cruise requirements quite well, at the same time, has the ability to take off at the low-speed hand-launched state and a rather low Reynolds number by making good use of the energy injected from the propeller rotation into the flow field.