Numerical Simulation of the Trajectory of UAVs Electrostatic Droplets Based on VOF-UDF Electro-Hydraulic Coupling and High-Speed Camera Technology

Abstract

The electrostatic spray technology can significantly improve the utilization rate of liquid medicine under the operation characteristics of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with small load and low spray volume. To explore the settlement law of electrostatic droplets, further improve the amount of droplets deposited in target crops, and reduce the loss of missing target, this study adopted the method of combining numerical simulation and high-speed photography to study the movement characteristics of electrostatic droplets of UAV induction conical electrostatic nozzle. Based on the droplet spatial dynamics theory, a user-defined function and volume of fluid (UDF-VOF) multiphase spray model is established to simulate the trajectory of electrostatic droplet. TEMA software is used to analyze the droplet motion image under electrostatic field, and the characteristic parameters, such as trajectory and velocity are obtained. Theoretical analysis and spray test results show that the main factors affecting electrostatic droplet settlement are charging voltage, droplet falling distance, and airflow velocity. The optimal charging voltage of electrostatic droplet is 14 kv, the maximum charge-mass ratio is 1.04 mC/kg, and the average particle size is 209.77 μm. The numerical simulation results show that spray height, charging voltage, and lateral wind speed have significant effects on droplet sedimentation. The results of high-speed camera analysis show that the induced electric field causes the droplet to adsorb the target crop, resulting in the droplet movement trajectory deflection.