31st National Conference on FMFP, December 16-18, 2004,
Jadavpur University, Kolkata
Experimental Characterization of Propulsion System for Mini Aerial Vehicle
Kailash Kotwani*, S.K. Sane†, Hemendra Arya‡, K. Sudhakar§
Center for Aerospace Systems Design and Engineering (CASDE)
Department of Aerospace Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay-400 076
Email:kailash@casde.iitb.ac.in
Abstract
In recent times, mini and micro aerial vehicles have shown significant potential as miniature
unmanned aircraft for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes. Selection of correct combination of
engine and propeller is very crucial step in the design of this class of vehicles. The objective of present
study is to establish measurement system and obtain performance maps for available mini/micro vehicle
class propellers and engines. Wind-Tunnel facility was developed and different experimental set-ups were
designed for measuring thrust and power of different power plant systems. Results of experimental
facilities were validated with those available in literature for particular power plant. Established
measurement system complements for optimizing propeller design and selecting best engine or motor for
given geometry of vehicle with given mission requirements.
Keywords: Mini Aerial Vehicle, Propulsion System Characterization, Wind-Tunnel Testing, MAV IC
Engine, DC Electric Motor, Optimization of Propeller
Nomenclature
CP = Coefficient of power
CT = Coefficient of thrust
CQ = Coefficient of torque
D = Diameter (m)
J = Advance Ratio
MAV= Mini Aerial Vehicle
N = RPM
n = RPS or Rotational frequency (1/s)
P = Power (W)
PI = Input Power (W)
Ps = Shaft Power (W)
η = Efficiency
PA=Power Available (W)
Q = Torque (N.m)
SFC= Specific fuel consumption (kg/W.s)
TSFC=Thrust specific fuel consumption (kg/N.s)
T = Thrust (N)
TA = Thrust Available (N)
V∞ = Upstream flow velocity (m/s)
* Project Engineer, CASDE, IIT Bombay
† Professor