Aerodynamic optimization and drag minimization for the ultra low cost UAV piquero aerodynamic

Abstract

The Galapagos UAV project aims to develop a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Piquero, to patrol the Galapagos Islands to protect the wildlife there from illegal hunting activities. The Piquero has already gone through several design iterations, and the current project aims to further reduce the drag and increase the endurance of the aircraft. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis using the commercial code ANSYS Fluent is used in this project. The project is divided into 3 segments. The first segment is a 2-dimensional validation of the turbulence model used using a NACA-0012 airfoil. The second segment extends the validation to a 3-dimensional rectangular wing with a NACA-0012 profile. The third segment is a full simulation of the Piquero UAV to determine its lift and drag characteristics. Using the results of the simulation done on the Piquero, several areas of high drag were identified and improvements to these areas were proposed. However, these improvements were not tested and it is suggested that studies be done in the future to test the effectiveness of the suggested improvements.