Aerodynamic design analysis of a UAV for superficial research of volcanic environments

When volcanoes manifest unusual signs of activity, real-time data aids for evaluating and communicating reports about volcanic hazards. For this reason, the present research aims the aerodynamic design of a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) able to perform aerial surveillance of volcanic environments. Its main mission is to transmit real-time volcanic data to a remote location, in order to aid to forecast volcanic eruptions, as well as avoiding the exposition of pilots and scientists to these dangerous flight conditions. During the conceptual design phase, classical and new design procedures were developed in order to determine the vehicle design requirements, in relation to its flight in a hard scenario like an active volcano. Likewise, the main geometric, aerodynamic, stability and performance parameters of the UAV were calculated and assessed through theoretical/analytical presizing and Computer-aided Design (CAD) methods. After obtaining the final concept, the aerodynamic design was carried out considering the constraints found in the previous design phase. In this way, an accurate estimation of the aerodynamic coefficients was developed, through analytical simulations, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and wind tunnel testing. Results showed that the entire design process was consistent because the analytical, numerical and experimental results were greatly similar in the Lift (CL) and Drag (CD) coefficients. Furthermore, the UAV characteristics are within the limits of the design requirements, presenting several aerodynamic and performance advantages in comparison to other vehicles used in the same mission. This suggested that, on a large scale, the aerodynamic behavior of the UAV is suitable for performing the mission for which it was created. However, actual-environmental studies are still necessary in order to validate the reliability of the designed UAV.