Wirth Research is now constructing a new tilt rotor, Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL)<\/a>, hydrogen fuel cell powered, advanced terrain-mapping drone.\u00a0 Carrying a payload of sensors and onboard data processing capabilities, the vehicle will be powered by a complete H2 storage, control and power system provided by HES of Singapore, a specialist in ultra-light hydrogen fuel cells<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wirth VTOL UAV transitions to horizontal flight for rapid transit<\/p><\/div>\n The Wirth machine\u2019s missions range from precision agriculture, to pipeline and cable inspection for utilities, surveillance and other security-related tasks, through to detection and monitoring support for ordnance clearance operations.\u00a0 Combining the ability to carry a large payload and provide up to six-hour endurance in the VTOL configuration meant shifting from battery to hydrogen power.<\/p>\n HES Founder and CEO, Taras Wankewycz, said, \u201cWe are shifting gears from a 200Wh\/kg lithium battery capability to a 700Wh\/kg fuel cell energy density capability, one that would radically change the applicability of drones, such as long-distance delivery, large area inspections at faster speed and lower cost, and a reduced need for expensive high altitude sensor payloads.\u201d<\/p>\n The company explains, \u201cThis UAS system can be adapted to carry and power a variety of sensors including stereo high-resolution gimbaled optical cameras, high-resolution infra-red sensors, LIDAR imagers and ground penetrating radar sensors. \u00a0The ability to carry and power such an extensive range of payloads makes this UAS technology ideal for a variety of industry sectors with multiple applications beyond its primary task of terrain mapping.\u201d<\/p>\n Wirth has a great deal of experience applying computational fluid dynamics and manufacturing capabilities to race car development, architecture, commercial vehicles and the general automotive industry.\u00a0 This experience enables Wirth to expedite new creations, moving from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 to TRL 6 in under six months on this project.<\/p>\n U. S. Navy \u2013 Solar Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Vehicle Research Section and Photovoltaic Section, building on the proven concept of autonomous cooperative soaring of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).\u00a0 The team investigates combining \u201cautonomous soaring algorithms and solar photovoltaics<\/a> for capturing energy from the environment to extend the endurance of an aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of the \u2018Solar-Soaring\u2019 research flight crew (l-r) Dan Edwards and Trent Young holding the photovoltaic (PV) UAV based on the SBXC sailplane. Photo: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory<\/p><\/div>\n Dr. Dan Edwards, an aerospace engineer, explains, \u201cNRL has twice flown our solar UAV (based on the SBXC sailplane) over 10 hours using a combination of solar photovoltaics and autonomous soaring as part of the \u2018solar-soaring\u2019 research program.\u00a0 This research is investigating the value of combining autonomous soaring algorithms and solar photovoltaics for capturing energy from the environment to extend flight endurance and mission operations of an aircraft.\u201d<\/p>\n A custom-built, drop-in photovoltaic array replaces the wing\u2019s original non-solar center section. A power management and distribution system converts the power from the solar arrays into direct current (DC) voltage, which the electric motor can use for propulsion, or to recharge a \u201csmart battery.\u201d<\/p>\n The autonomous soaring software algorithm commands the aircraft to orbit in any nearby updrafts, very similar to soaring birds. To test the solar-only performance, the algorithm was disabled for the two solar flights. \u00a0The motor switches off automatically if thermals or upward wind gusts increase the airplane\u2019s altitude along the pre-defined flight path, allowing \u201cpassive soaring.\u201d<\/p>\n According to NavalToday.com<\/em>, \u201cThe UAV equipped with solar wings incorporated PV (photo-voltaic) arrays from Alta Devices, Inc.<\/a> It flew for 11 hours, 2 minutes on April 19, 2017. Takeoff occurred at 7:46 a.m., approximately an hour after sunrise, with the battery\u2019s state of charge at 90 percent. Landing occurred at 6:48 p.m., approximately an hour before sunset, with the battery\u2019s state of charge at 26 percent. Thermal activity was very weak and almost all of the flight was spent running the motor. Near solar noon, the solar array provided sufficient power to cruise on solar power alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwards noted, \u201cThe experiments confirm significant endurance gains are possible by leveraging thermal updrafts and incident solar radiation, rather than ignoring these free sources of energy. \u00a0Future testing will focus on quantifying the trade space between improvements in solar cell efficiency and combining with autonomous soaring for improved solar-recharging.\u201d<\/p>\n As background, the Navy has set some endurance records with drones before, flying a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Ion Tiger in 2013 for over 48 hours<\/a>.\u00a0 Alan Cocconi flew \u201cSo Long” for 48 hours<\/a> in 2008, the first two-day, two-night solar-powered flight. \u00a0\u00a0QuinetiQ\u2019s Zephyr<\/a> managed an 83 hour, 37 minute record in 2008.\u00a0 The solar-cells fed batteries on the solar-powered machines to allow flying at night.<\/p>\n Such long-endurance flights have obvious military applications for gathering continuous information, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR).\u00a0 Persistence can pay off in uninterrupted views of disaster areas, or searches for lost hikers, for instance.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/wirth-research-uas-3-528x391.jpg\")
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