| Popis: |
This paper presents a feasibility criterion in weight for solar powered aircrafts designed for infinite flight. The criterion is fast and simple to compute and can be used for initial assessments on aircraft design and mission planning. Different approaches in modelling coming from a solar-cell weight, an energy-storage weight and a propulsion system weight perspective led to different limitations. Depending on what modeling approach was used, it can also be seen whether the aircraft is capable of infinite level flight or if energy has to be stored in altitude. The hereby presented criterion was validated using two very different solar aircrafts, SkySailor, a 3.2m wingspan, 2.55kg small type of airplane, and the Helios HP01 Prototype, a 75.3m, 929kg one of the largest solar aircrafts. Both validations proved the concept and furthermore helped to estimate the performance of SkySailor off design point and to estimate some, to us unknown, quantities of Helios. |
