Press Releases
Contact: Berkant GÖKSEL |
Press Release ELECTROFLUIDSYSTEMS SHOWS DETAILED DESIGN OF PRE-SERIAL PLASMAFALCON AND PLASMARAY MINI UAV SYSTEMS Berlin, 7 September 2020 - Electrofluidsystems shows detailed design of pre-serial PlasmaFalcon and PlasmaRay mini UAV systems for ISR and logistics or package transport missions. Both systems with 1.11 m wingspan will have their first public flights in 2021. The market entry is scheduled for end of 2021-2022. |
Electrofluidsystems selected the dual electro-optical/infrared (EO-IR) stabilized NextVision Colibri 2 and NightHawk 2 cameras for both mini UAV systems which have a NVIDIA AI computer with six 220 degree fisheye navigation cameras based on Sony IMX 586 (686/786) image sensors with 48 mp (64/108mp) to capture 360 degree videos with ultrazoom. |
The first pre-serial prototypes of the PlasmaRay with 1.11 m wingspan will use 12 electric ducted fan (EDF) jets from Schuebeler (DS-30-AXI HDS) and three kind of different brushless electric motors. There will be three basic versions for the PlasmaRay: 1. PlasmaRay 1.11 will use four LiPo batteries with each 426 Wh (23 Ah, 5s) with a specific energy of 205 Wh/kg to power all of the 12 EDF jets for horizontal flight and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). The total energy storage is 1,704 Wh for a constant specific energy of 205 Wh/kg. A first low-cost prototype will be built using modern 3D-printers. The pre-serial prototypes will have a state-of-the-art prepreg structure. 2. H2PlasmaRay 1.11 will use two 800 W fuel cell power modules from Intelligent Energy with four liters of hydrogen (1,412 Wh) stored in two 300 bar tanks with each 2 liters to power two of the 12 EDF jets for horizontal flight. The specific energy for the overall H2-system with fuel cells, hybrid batteries, hydrogen regulators and tanks is 249 Wh/kg. Two additional LiPo batteries with each 204 Wh (11 Ah, 5s) and a specific energy of 192 Wh/kg will provide power for 10 of the 12 EDF jets for 2 min VTOL. The total energy storage is 1,820 Wh for an average specific energy of 233 Wh/kg. 3. LH2PlasmaRay 1.11 will also use two 800 W fuel cell power modules from Intelligent Energy with three liters of liquid hydrogen (3,345 Wh) stored in two cryogenic tanks. The specific energy for the liquid H2-system with all components is 569 Wh/kg. Two additional LiPo batteries with each 204 Wh (11 Ah, 5s) and a specific energy of 192 Wh/kg will be again available for 2 min VTOL. The total energy storage is 3,753 Wh for an average specific energy of 475 Wh/kg and is thus two times higher than for the H2PlasmaRay 1.11. The specific energy for the H2-system is getting much better for the next bigger scale models of the air taxi concept shown below. The H2PlasmaRay 1.66 for instance as a 1:4 scale model will use two 2.4 kW fuel cell power modules from Intelligent Energy. Ten of these 4.8 kW fuel cell pairs (2.4 kW + 2.4 kW) will be used in the air taxi H2PlasmaRay 6.66 which stands for regional air mobility and sustainability as hydrogen is the future for a zero-carbon aviation. |
'Water will be the coal of the future.' Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island, 1874 |
PlasmaFalcon class of mini UAVs with 1.11m wingspan The first pre-serial prototype has a Colibri 2 camera integrated in the nose section. It has the nickname 'CoronaBat' as it looks like a flying bat. The first 5.6 kg system will have an endurance of 90 minutes and a range of 160 km (100 miles). The 6.6 kg version with the optional eVTOL update kit has an endurance of +60 minutes and a range of 100 km (75 miles) at 130 km/h (80 mph) cruise speeds. |
There will be four pre-serial prototypes for the PlasmaFalcon class with Colibri 2 and NightHawk 2 cameras in nose and underbody configurations. |
Only the CoronaBat UAS will use sliding discharge plasma actuators and generators which were developed by Berkant Göksel during his doctoral study at TU Berlin. The high-end version will have a nano carbon graphene skin and the capability to be launched in swarms from high-altitude platform stations (HAPS). A swarm of four vehicles with a three wingspan distance in diamond formation would have about 50% less total drag. So all following vehicles would have a longer range. By repeated change of the lead position the range of all vehicles can be similarly extended. In a V-type formation with three vehicles the overall drag reduces by 35% followed by an echelon formation with two vehicles with about 25% drag reduction. |