Aerodynamic design and analysis of a VTOL ducted-fan UAV

This paper presents the aerodynamic design and analysis of a VTOL ducted-fan UAV. The vehicle can operate in vertical flight and horizontal flight. The main purpose of this project is to focus on the aerodynamic design to ensure acceptable flow conditions both on flight and in hover. Computational fluid dynamics was used to evaluate the aerodynamic coefficients and to analyze the flow patterns around the vehicle at different speeds and angles of attack. The interaction between the fan flow and duct causes complex flow structures depending on the flight condition. To evaluate the aerodynamic characteristics of the duct, two analytical models were used: a 2D model to access the flow patterns surrounding the duct in climb, cruise and hover respectively, whereas the 3D model calculates the aerodynamic coefficients of duct. The full-scale model of UAV with ducted fan rotating is also simulated using computational fluid dynamics approach