Development of a framework for a circulation control-based unmanned aerial vehicle

The focus of this paper is on the design, development and evaluation of a framework for a fixed-wing UAV to achieve efficient Circulation Control-based (CC) flights. The research presented in this paper is the natural outgrowth of results reported in [1] related to the design and development of an Air Supply Unit (ASU) and plenum design for CC-based Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The framework consists of a light-weight Air Supply Unit (ASU) and an Air Delivery System (ADS) integrated with a plenum capable of distributing air uniformly across the wingspan. The ASU, which is a centrifugal compressor, is experimentally tested and the results are validated using CFD. The ASU is capable of providing the ADS with the required mass flow (0.03 kg/s) at the maximum tested RPM. Airflow is delivered with low losses. The use of a vaned straight-walled wide angle diffuser (plenum) results in uniform spanwise flow.