CFD-Based Evaluation of Temperature Sensor Placement for WxUAS

Keywords

Weather-sensing UAS, Sensor placement, Multirotor, Computational fluid dynamics, Temperature measurements, Low-altitude atmospheric data gap

Presenter Abstract

Weather-sensing Unmanned Aerial Systems (WxUAS) have been used as a complementary tool for addressing the low-altitude atmospheric data gap; however, limited standardization across systems may hinder measurement comparability and introduce inconsistencies in observations.

This study evaluates temperature sensor placement considerations for a WxUAS by examining how the system influence on the surrounding environment impacts measurement accuracy. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to model rotor-induced flow and electronics-related heating for a for a small quadcopter under idealized conditions.

Multiple simulation configurations are considered to assess how rotor wash, platform geometry, and different operational conditions influence potential sensor locations. Additionally, complementary experimental testing is used to validate the main effects identified in the simulations. Preliminary results suggest that placing temperature sensors above the rotor plane, outside down-wash regions, and into the incoming airflow may reduce platform-induced effects on measurement accuracy.

Presentations

Presented in Session 6: Sensors II

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CFD-Based Evaluation of Temperature Sensor Placement for WxUAS

Weather-sensing Unmanned Aerial Systems (WxUAS) have been used as a complementary tool for addressing the low-altitude atmospheric data gap; however, limited standardization across systems may hinder measurement comparability and introduce inconsistencies in observations.

This study evaluates temperature sensor placement considerations for a WxUAS by examining how the system influence on the surrounding environment impacts measurement accuracy. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to model rotor-induced flow and electronics-related heating for a for a small quadcopter under idealized conditions.

Multiple simulation configurations are considered to assess how rotor wash, platform geometry, and different operational conditions influence potential sensor locations. Additionally, complementary experimental testing is used to validate the main effects identified in the simulations. Preliminary results suggest that placing temperature sensors above the rotor plane, outside down-wash regions, and into the incoming airflow may reduce platform-induced effects on measurement accuracy.