Heavy-Lift Multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Characterization and Sizing

In this paper, the characterization and sizing of heavy-lift multirotor UAVs are carried out. For this purpose, the electric multirotor UAV system is briefly described, and the parameters are carefully selected encompassing a wide range of UAVs regarding size and power. In the first phase, comprehensive experimental measurements are conducted for selected propulsion components. Through a systematic data acquisition process, a database for two series of electric propulsion units (low voltage and high voltage setups), is obtained. Using the presented identification procedure, the data is processed, and the characterization is completed in the following phase. Based on experimental data, a more accurate model of aerodynamic forces and torques and electric power was obtained, compared to previous approaches. In the final phase of this research, sizing of conventional heavy-lift multirotor configurations is carried out, where the diagonal, take-off mass, hovering power, and payload capacity are considered, and results are shown graphically. The proposed sizing steps enable further performance analysis to design a more efficient system, especially from the aspect of payload capacity.