Modeling and Investigations on Surface Colors of Wings on the Performance of Albatross-Inspired Mars Drones and Thermoelectric Generation Capabilities

• Main Authors: Devyn Rice, Samah Ben Ayed, Stephen Johnstone, Abdessattar Abdelkefi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
• Series: Drones
• Subjects: drones; Martian atmosphere; thermal analysis; aerodynamics; thermoelectric generators
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/4/3/43

Thermal effects of wing color for Albatross-inspired drones performing in the Martian atmosphere are investigated during the summer and winter seasons. This study focuses on two useful consequences of the thermal effects of wing color: the drag reduction and the thermoelectric generation of power. According to its color, each wing side has a certain temperature affecting the drag. Investigations of various configurations have shown that the thermal effect on the wing boundary layer skin drag is insignificant because of the low atmospheric pressure. However, the total drag varies as much as 12.8% between the highest performing wing color configuration and the lowest performing configuration. Additionally, the large temperature differences between the top and the bottom wing surfaces show great potential for thermoelectric power generation. The maximum temperature differences between the top and bottom surfaces for the summer and winter seasons are, respectively, 65 K and 30 K. The drag reduction and the power generation via thermoelectric generators both contribute to enhancing the endurance of drones. Future drone designs will benefit from increased endurance through optimizing the wing color configuration.