A comprehensive study on the aerodynamic influence of stationary and moving obstacles on an isolated phantom DJI 3 UAV propeller

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology is experiencing strong growth in many fields such as military and civil. When operating around obstacles and in the proximity of walls or moving objects, the UAV is constrained to thrust and power consumption variation induced by several aerodynamic effects that can lead to severe flight instability. In this paper, a methodology based on multiple reference frames (MRF) is developed and applied to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations on a Phantom DJI 3 propeller to reproduce the effect of fixed and moving wall proximity on the propeller aerodynamic performances. When hovering (3000 rpm) at 0.2 m above a moving obstacle (15 m/s), the results have shown a huge decrease in the thrust by 11.3% when compared to fixed obstacle thrust. This effect, however, is reduced when the propeller is hovering at 5000 rpm and neglected at 9550 rpm. Finally, the moving obstacle had a significant impact on the propeller's aerodynamic performance, resulting in a decrease in thrust force and power consumption at low hovering rotational velocities. Especially, when the obstacle is moving at a fast speed, the UAV could properly use high rotational velocity to maintain high power loading and ensure hovering stability. The velocity fields surrounding a propeller operating at 5000 rpm, with a moving obstacle situated 0.2 meters away, are portrayed. The depiction reveals how the presence of the obstacle influences fluid flow patterns and velocity distribution near the propeller. Such insights are essential for comprehending how obstructions can affect propeller performance and informing decisions in engineering design and operations within relevant applications. image