Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Owen Maute, Sophmore Daniil Em, Zayne Sotolongo, Audrey Luu, Austin Bruce, Tal Senderovitz
Lead Presenter's Name
Owen Maute
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Engineering
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Berker Pekoz
Abstract
This work presents a hybrid microturbine power and propulsion system designed to address the limitations of conventional battery-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), particularly in high-speed and high-endurance applications. Current UAV platforms are constrained by the relatively low energy density of lithium-based batteries (1 MJ/kg) compared to hydrocarbon fuels such as jet fuel (43 MJ/kg), limiting their ability to achieve both long range and high velocity simultaneously. This project explores a compact, integrated system that leverages a microturbine to provide both thrust and onboard electrical power using commercially available components. The proposed system couples a COTS microturbine with a high-speed electric motor-generator to enable simultaneous thrust generation (32 kg) and electrical output to target up to 6 kW within a lightweight package. System performance is evaluated through MATLAB-based modeling of thrust, fuel consumption, and power generation across operating conditions, as well as computational fluid dynamics simulations in ANSYS Fluent to analyze inlet pressure recovery, thermal effects, and cooling performance. A prototype is currently under construction, with staged experimental validation planned to incrementally verify electrical output under load conditions and completely verify mission profiles with ground testing. Simulation results indicate the potential for significant performance improvements over battery-powered systems, including increased flight speeds up to Mach 0.88 in modeled scenarios and extended operational endurance. This architecture represents a novel approach to integrated UAV power and propulsion, with applications in high-speed drones, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) platforms, and power-intensive onboard systems.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
No
Project ADAM: Hybrid Microturbine Power & Propulsion System
This work presents a hybrid microturbine power and propulsion system designed to address the limitations of conventional battery-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), particularly in high-speed and high-endurance applications. Current UAV platforms are constrained by the relatively low energy density of lithium-based batteries (1 MJ/kg) compared to hydrocarbon fuels such as jet fuel (43 MJ/kg), limiting their ability to achieve both long range and high velocity simultaneously. This project explores a compact, integrated system that leverages a microturbine to provide both thrust and onboard electrical power using commercially available components. The proposed system couples a COTS microturbine with a high-speed electric motor-generator to enable simultaneous thrust generation (32 kg) and electrical output to target up to 6 kW within a lightweight package. System performance is evaluated through MATLAB-based modeling of thrust, fuel consumption, and power generation across operating conditions, as well as computational fluid dynamics simulations in ANSYS Fluent to analyze inlet pressure recovery, thermal effects, and cooling performance. A prototype is currently under construction, with staged experimental validation planned to incrementally verify electrical output under load conditions and completely verify mission profiles with ground testing. Simulation results indicate the potential for significant performance improvements over battery-powered systems, including increased flight speeds up to Mach 0.88 in modeled scenarios and extended operational endurance. This architecture represents a novel approach to integrated UAV power and propulsion, with applications in high-speed drones, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) platforms, and power-intensive onboard systems.