Presentation on Solar Powered Aircrafts

1. WELCOME

2. SOLAR POWERED
AIRCRAFTS
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
THE FUTURE OF AVIATION IS HERE…
BANGALORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SEMINAR
ON
PRESENTED BY: BALAJI S –
1BI17ME018

3. CONTENTS:
 SCOPE
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 LITERATURE SURVEY
 CONCEPT
 WORKING
 EVOLUTION
 TYPES OF SOLAR AIRPLANES
 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
 SOLAR IMPULSE AIRCRAFT
 SPECIFICATIONS
 ADVANTAGES
 DISADVANTAGES
 REFERENCES

4. SCOPE:
To make use of renewable energy source – Solar Energy.
Alternative fuel for aviation.
To manufacture it at lower costs.
To improve Fuel Efficiency.
To Reduce Production Cost.
To Increase Lifetime Durability.
To Increase Interest & Scope of Renewable Energies in Aerospace & Aeronautic Field
To demonstrate large scale feasibility of using solar energy as a fuel source for Aviation.

5. ABSTRACT:
With ever increasing demand for aviation fuel to power our aero planes and its steep rising costs the time has come for us to find a more cost effective, efficient
and ecofriendly way to power our aircrafts, thus solar powered aircrafts came into existence.
The planes have photovoltaic cells on their wings which gather solar energy thereby recharging the batteries that powers its propellers. The planes are so
designed that it can fly even during the night time and can stay in the air for as long as 26 hours.
The concept is quite simple, equipped with solar cells covering its wing, it retrieves energy from the sun in order to supply power to the propulsion system and
the control electronics and charge the battery with the surplus of energy. During the night, the only energy available comes from the battery, which discharges
slowly until the next morning when a new cycle starts.

6. INTRODUCTION:
Travelling by airplanes has been one of the most effective and efficient means of transportation, even now it is one of the most preferred means of
transportation.
Aviation fuel, the fuel which is used in aero planes is a fossil fuel whose reserves are depleting at an extremely fast rate and the emissions caused by such
aero planes using aviation fuel is affecting our environment as well as our ozone layer.
So, the time has come for us to power our airplanes using some other sources of energy and thus then emerged solar powered airplanes.
One of the biggest advantage of using solar powered aircrafts is that there would be no emissions and over the years in the long run the cost of travelling by
air would reduce drastically.

7. CONTD…
 Over a considerable period of time these aircrafts have been modified and now these aeroplanes can fly around the world even without stopping once even
during the night-time.
 These aircrafts have the capacity to stay in the air for as long as 26 hours. Thus if solar powered aircrafts are introduced on a large scale it will make our
world a global village making air travel eco-friendly and extremely cheap.
 Solar powered aircrafts can also play a pioneering role in the development of the economy in developing countries like India where air travel is still out of the
bounds for the poorer sections of the society.
 Thus, we can say that introduction of solar powered aircrafts will usher in a revolution that might change the belief which the common man has about air
travel.

8. LITERATURE SURVEY:
1) AUTHOR: BASHIR DANJUMA SAFYUN, TUN HUSSIEN UNIVERSITY, MALAYSIA, 2019.
 This paper reviews various power device components of solar-powered aircraft such as photovoltaic (PV) cells, maximum power point tracker (MPPT) and rechargeable batteries.
 The various power device components were highlighted, and the ones applicable to aircraft were analyzed, based on criteria as efficiency for photovoltaic cells; energy densities about
rechargeable batteries; and maximum power point tracker on quick response to achieve maximum power point on I-V curve.
 Emerging technologies like photovoltaic cells, thin film cell, organic photovoltaic cell, multi-junction cell and silicon quantum dot cell, with the future potential of high efficiencies that can be used in
solar-powered aircraft, were all examined.
 Regarding battery technology, Lithium-air battery (Li-air) was reported as having great opportunities for high energy densities capable of improving the efficiency of the solar-powered aircraft, for the
greater prospect of the aviation industry.
 The design of efficient power device for solar-powered aircraft application is proposed. Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) solar cells were used because of its high energy conversion efficiency of 30 to 40%.
 A smart and intelligent MPPT Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is chosen because of its efficiency in partial shading and fast response and speed.
 The Li-air rechargeable battery is proposed because of its theoretical energy density of 11680 Wh/Kg.

9. CONTD:
Solar-powered airplanes are studied in this research. A solar-powered airplane consumes solar energy instead of traditional fossil fuels; thus, it has received a
significant amount of interest from researchers and the public alike.
The historical development of solar-powered airplanes is reviewed. Notable prototypes, particularly those sponsored by the government, are introduced in
detail.
Possible future applications of solar-powered airplanes in the civilian and military fields are proposed. Finally, the challenges being faced by solar-powered
airplanes are discussed.
This study proposes that the solar-powered airplanes are potential alternatives to some present technologies and that they complement current satellites,
traditional airplanes, airships, and balloons.
However, these planes require further development and enormous technical obstacles must be addressed.
2) AUTHOR: ZHENG GUO, XIONGFENG ZHU, COLLEGE OF AEROSPACE AND ENGINEERING, 2014.

10. CONCEPT:
SOLAR ENERGY
FROM SUN
ABSORBED BY
SOLAR
PANELS
CONVERTED INTO
ELECTRICITY
STORED IN
BATTERIES FOR
NIGHT USE
POWER TO RUN
ENGINE AND OTHER
PLANE EQUIPMENTS
When Sunlight falls on the solar panel , the solar panel absorbs the energy and uses it by the help of inverter which
converts the energy into AC ( Alternating Current ) or ( Direct Current ).

11. 1) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRINCIPLE:
 Solar panels, composed by solar cells connected in a certain configuration, cover a certain surface of wing or other part of the airplane (tail, fuselage etc.).
 During the day, depending on the sun irradiance and the inclination of the rays, the convert light into electrical energy. A converter, called Maximum Power Point Tracker,
ensures that the maximum amount of power is obtained from the solar panels. This power is used firstly to power the propulsion group and the onboard electronics, and
secondly to charge the battery with surplus of energy.
 During the night, as no more power comes from the solar panels, only the battery supplies the various elements.
2) MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKER(MPPT):
 MPPT method is the method of tracking the incoming sun rays on the solar panel of aircraft wings. AS everyone know that solar output greatly depends upon the solar
irradiance angle.
 The MPPT is required to adapt the voltage of the solar panels so that they provide the highest power possible. With the growth of the photovoltaic market, there are a lot of
commercially available MPPTs, but as they are used mainly for fixed applications (garden house, etc.). Currently the research is going to implement the tracking of sun rays in
solar aircraft sector.
WORKING:

12. 3) ENERGY STORAGE:
 When the energy production is not constant and continuous, a good energy storage method is necessary.
 We can list many ways to store energy like energy Chemical(hydrogen, biofuels),Electrochemical(batteries, fuel cells),Electrical(capacitor, supercapacitor,
superconducting magnetic energy storage or SMES), Mechanical (compressed air, flywheel) and Thermal.
4) WORKING PRINCIPLE OF ELECTROCHEMICAL BATTERIES:
 Electrochemical batteries are energy storage devices, which are able to convert chemically stored energy into electrical energy during discharging.
 They are composed of a cathode and an anode, made of two dissimilar metals that are in contact with an electrolyte. When all elements are in contact with each
other, a flow of electron is produced.
 If the process is reversible so that they can be recharged, they are referred to as secondary batteries, in the other case they are primary batteries.
 Concerning a solar airplane, rechargeable batteries will of course be used.
CONTD:

13. EVOLUTION:
On the 4th of November 1974, the first flight of a solar powered aircraft took place on the dry lake at Camp Irwin, California by Gossamer Penguin
UNMANNED SOLAR POWERED AIRPLANES:
I. Sunrise I (1974) IV. Helios (2000)
II. Solaris (1976) V. Zephyr (2008)
III. Solar Excel (1990)
MANNED SOLAR AIRPLANES:
I. Solar Riser (1979)
II. Solar Challenger (1981)
III. Helinet (1998)
IV. Solar Impulse And Solar Impulse 2 (2009)

14. TYPES OF SOLAR AIRCRAFTS:
LONG WING SOLAR AIRPLANE
UNMANNED SOLAR AIRPLANE MANNED SOLAR AIRPLANE
SHORT WING SOLAR AIRPLANE

15. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION:
Collecting as much energy as possible while flying during the day.
Amount Of Energy Collected
Reliability on Sunlight & Batteries.
Passing Through Turbulence.
Energy Storage
Managing Pilot Rest.
Flying over 35,000 kilometers
Being as light as possible

16. SOLAR IMPULSE AIRCRAFT:

17. SPECIFICATIONS:
Based On Testing & Evaluation:
Test Results & Data Of Solar Impulse Aircraft:
Wingspan 72 m
Weight 2.3 tons
Number Of Solar Cells 17,248
Number Of Propellers & Properties 4
Total Energy Produced 11655 kWh
Maximum Flight Time Achieved 117 Hours 52 Machines
(Andre Borschberg)
Maximum Altitude 28,000 ft
Average Speed 75 km/h
Maximum Recorded Ground Speed 216 km/h
Fuel Consumption 0 L

18. ADVANTAGES
Renewable Energy Source as Sunlight is renewable day after day.
Solar energy is a resource that is not only sustainable for energy consumption, it is indefinitely renewable (at least until the sun runs out in billions of years).
Solar power can be used to generate electricity, it is also used in relatively simple technology to heat water (solar plane).
Does not emit heat or sound.
After equipment and set-up costs, solar energy is free and we save money.
Solar energy is a clean energy. It does not pollute air.
Solar energy which not used during the day can be stored in a battery system.

19. DISADVANTAGES
INEFFICIENCY : Since not all the light from the sun is absorbed by the solar panels therefore most solar panels have a 40% efficiency rate which means
60% of the sunlight gets wasted and is not harnessed. New emerging technologies however have increased the rate of efficiency of solar panels from 40 to
80% and on the downside have increased the cost of solar panels as well.
RELIABILITY : Unlike other renewable source which can also be operated during night, solar panels prove to be useless during night which means you
must depend on the local utility grid to draw power in the night. Else you can buy solar batteries to store excess power which you can later utilize in the night.
INSTALLATION AREA : For home users, a solar energy installation may not require huge space but for big companies, a large area is required for
the system to be efficient in providing a source of electricity.

20. REFERENCES:
 Noth, R. Siegwart, W. Engel, Version 1.1, December 2007,”Design of Solar Powered Airplanes for Continuous Flight”.
 Bruss H (1991) Solar Modellflug Grundlagen, Enwicklung, Praxis, Verlag für Technik und handwerk, Baden-Baden.
 Overview of Energy Storage Methods. http:// www.moraassociates.com/.
 http://www.altrnativeenergy.com/10 Best Solar Airplane Concept.
 John D. Anderson, Jr, third edition, “Fundamentals of aerodynamics”, chap 4.
 Prof. Alpesh Mehta, Shreekant Yadav, Kuldeepsinh Solanki, Chirag Joshi, “SOLAR AIRCRAFT: FUTURE NEED”, International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology
T/Vol.III/ Issue IV/Oct.-Dec., 2012.
 William H. Phillips, “Solar aircraft”, U.S. Patent

21. THANK YOU