Thermal Harvesting Drone
Skills
Summary
A drone exploring thermal energy harvesting from temperature gradients in flight. Iterated through four CAD revisions, validated each design with wind-tunnel testing and CFD in Ansys Fluent, and sized the 6 cm propeller using Rankine-Froude momentum theory. The circuit board and thermal harvesting subsystem are up next.
Section 1
CAD & Design
Version 1
Initial draft of the drone, using other simple drones as a guide.
Version 2
Tapered the arms of the drone to make it lighter, accounting for the change in the propeller motor.
Version 3
After running a wind tunnel test, the drone was filleted to reduce drag, the screw holes were changed, and tolerances were adjusted.
Current Version
Current entire assembly, including the frame of the drone, a compartment for the battery, and a connector between the two.
Section 2
Propeller & Thrust
Using the Rankine-Froude momentum theory, an optimal diameter of 6 cm was found to be the most power-efficient while providing adequate thrust.
Section 3
Simulation & Analysis
CFD Fluent analysis of Version 1 vs. Version 2 — the fillet around the drone frame reduces turbulence and recirculation in the wake.
Abnormal force was exhibited when using loadless RPM; currently finding an accurate estimation of load RPM to procure a more realistic CFD.
To be continued — circuit board and thermal harvesting aspects to be added...