The impact of curved-tip propeller geometry on hovering drone performance for air quality monitoring

Abstract

The success or failure of a drone mission depend on several elements, including the drone’s mass and payload, the surrounding environment, the battery’s state, and the propulsion system’s performance. Several studies have been undertaken addressing the propeller performance of this final component, particularly for fixed-wing or quad copter drones with ducted propellers. However, the shape of propeller blades used on tiny civil drones has not drawn as much attention. In this research work, the performance characteristics of a 10 × 4.7-inch curved tip propeller were explored, with the Advanced Precision Composite drone propeller serving as a design reference. This study seeks an alternative to ducted propellers when mass or size limitations prevent their use. The Computational Fluid Dynamics model was confirmed by comparing simulation results to the experimental propeller data source established by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, starting with a standard type propeller and using thrust coefficient as the key performance indicator. Moreover, the data analysis for the bended tip propeller replicating the well-established model, revealed the benefits as well as the drawbacks of such propellers on the mission profile and the battery lifespan of a quad copter Unmanned Air Vehicle.