Experiments and CFD simulation of downwash airflow and fog distribution discharged from a single-rotor UAV fitted with a pulse-jet thermal fogging machine

Abstract

A single-rotor UAV fitted with a pulse-jet thermal fogging machine was developed. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was employed to simulate the downwash airflow and fog distribution of a single-rotor UAV fitted with a pulse-jet thermal fogger. The developed CFD models were validated in three steps by comparing the calculated results with the measurement experiments. Predicted air velocities of the single-rotor UAV downwash airflow agreed well with measured velocities. The model was also able to predict the fog droplet deposition density of the pulse-jet thermal fogger alone, and fitted to the single-rotor UAV, with the relative errors within 20% and 30%, respectively. The validated CFD model was then employed to investigate the effects of the headwind, crosswind and UAV operating height on the downwash airflow and the fog distribution. Results indicated that when the pulse-jet thermal fogging machine was mounted on the UAV, crosswinds needed to be avoided. At the UAV flight speed of 2 m s−1 and natural wind speed of 1 m s−1, a modest headwind appearance could help improve thermal fogging efficiency at different operating heights. The results have important research value and practical significance for improving the pesticide efficiency of UAV sprayers.