Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras are now one step closer to developing a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
In an experiment that combined a real-time hybrid rocket thruster (in photo) with a virtual simulation, the researchers achieved the necessary velocity for “soft landing”, a crucial feature for all craft ranging from planetary exploration modules to terrestrial VTOL aircraft. Touchdown velocity is an important parameter for a safe vertical landing. The paper was published in the International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences.
P.A. Ramakrishna, professor at IIT-M who co-authored the paper with Joel George Manathara and Anandu Bhadran, said, “VTOL capability will enable access to remote locations and rugged terrains where long runways and large airports are difficult to establish. Currently, helicopters operate in such terrains but they face limitations
in terms of speed, range and efficiency when compared to a fixed-wing aircraft.”
Hybrid rocket systems are gaining popularity because they are less complicated and inherently safer. They also enjoy the advantages of both liquid-fuel and a solid-fuel rocket engines.
Electricity switch
The National Institute of Technology in Rourkela has developed a system that can automatically switch between electricity flow from solar, wind or battery sources, depending on availability. A paper on this “hybrid microgrid” by assistant professors Arnab Ghosh and Krishna Roy (left in photo) along with research scholar Ananya Pritilagna Biswal, has been published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.
In hybrid microgrids, renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biogas are combined with battery storage. However, the integration remains complicated and prone to fluctuations. To address this issue, the NIT Rourkela researchers developed a dynamic power management system that enables all energy producers and storage units to coordinate seamlessly. By automatically switching converters according to the most readily available resource, the system ensures that the power flow is balanced across different loads. This setup can provide an effective solution for the power needs of remote communities.