RT Journal Article
T1 Converting a Fixed‐Wing Internal Combustion Engine RPAS into an Electric Lithium‐Ion Battery‐ Driven RPAS
A1 Isorna Llerena, Fernando
A1 Fernández Barranco, Álvaro
A1 Bogeat, José Antonio
A1 Segura Manzano, Francisca
A1 Andújar Márquez, José Manuel
AB It is well proved that remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs) are very useful systemsfor remote sensing in precision agricultural labors. INTA (National Institute for AerospaceApplications) and the University of Huelva are involved in Tecnolivo Project that proposes thedevelopment of a marketable and easy‐to‐use technological solution that allows integrated,ecological, and optimized management of the olive grove through non‐invasive monitoring of keyagronomic parameters using RPASs. The information collected by the RPAS in regards to the stateof the vegetation, such as hydric stress levels, plague detection, or maturation of the fruit, are veryinteresting for farmers when it comes to make decisions about their crops. Current RPASapplications for precision agriculture are mainly developed for small‐ to medium‐sized crops usingrotary‐wing RPASs with small range and endurance operation, leaving aside large‐sized crops. Thiswork shows the conversion of a fully declassified and obsolete fixed‐wing internal combustionengine (ICE) remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), used as aerial target for military applications and inreconnaissance and surveillance missions at low cost, into an electric lithium polymer (LiPo)battery‐driven RPA that will be used for precision agriculture in large‐sized crop applications, aswell as other applications for tracking and monitoring of endangered animal species in nationalparks. This RPA, being over twenty years old, has undergone a deep change. The appliedmethodology consisted of the design of a new propulsion system, based on an electric motor andbatteries, maintaining the main airworthiness characteristics of the aircraft. Some other noveltiesachieved in this study were: (1) Change to a more efficient engine, less heavy and bulky, with agreater ratio of torque vs. size. Modernization of the fly control system and geolocation system. (2)Modification of the type and material of the propeller, reaching a higher performance. (3)Replacement of a polluting fuel, such as gasoline, with electricity from renewable sources. (4)Development of a new control software, etc. Preliminary results indicate that the enduranceachieved with the new energy and propulsion systems and the payload weight available in the RPA meet the expectations of the use of this type of RPAS in the study of large areas of crops andsurveillance.
PB MDPI
SN 2076-3417
YR 2020
FD 2020-02
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10272/17671
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10272/17671
LA eng
NO Isorna Llerena, F., Fernández Barranco, Á., Bogeat, J. A., Segura Manzano, F.,  Andújar Márquez, J. M. (2020). Converting a Fixed-Wing Internal Combustion Engine RPAS into an Electric Lithium-Ion Battery-Driven RPAS. Applied Sciences, 10(5), 1573. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/app10051573
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 1 jun 2026