Emissions prediction of an aero-piston gasoline engine during surveillance flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to perform the preliminary design, flight performance and exhaust emissions calculations of a piston engine powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during a flight cycle which consists of multiple flight altitudes and airspeeds. Design/methodology/approach A genuine computer model in Matlab/Simulink was developed to predict the size and weight of UAV and piston engine (using Avgas 100LL fuel) performance together with exhaust emissions in an iterative process. Findings The amount of emitted exhaust gases including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides were calculated in a typical UAV mission profile as a whole and also divided into mission flight segments. Research limitations/implications Emissions were calculated based on fuel flow and engine speed inputs based on ground test data for emission indices. Test data for emission indices was very limited. Practical implications As UAV utilization has been increasing around the world, this study presents important and noticeable results on the emissions that need to be considered for environmental purposes. Originality/value In literature, emission prediction studies for UAVs are very rare. In fact, UAVs typically have quite different flight speeds and altitudes than regular manned aircraft and emissions change with speed and altitude. Additionally, unlike manned aircraft, UAVs can fly more than 24 h with different operation characteristics. The originality of this study presents the emission predictions of a piston engine UAV which flies with a significantly different mission profile than a manned aircraft.