En-ComE: Energy Harvesting Powered Wireless Monitoring Systems Based on Integrated Smart Composite Structures and Energy-Aware Architecture

BAE Systems with the support of EPSRC have launched a challenge to universities to develop novel technologies that can be applied to new and aspirational aircraft programmes. In particular, the Persistent Green Air Vehicle (PERGAVE) concept is a future unmanned air vehicle (UAV), not yet an aircraft design, which can sustain missions of at least months' and ultimately more than a year's duration. In this respect, PERGAVE is a highly flexible HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) aircraft, with vibration and aeroelastic characteristics specific to each PERGAVE design concept. Methodologies have been developed by NASA to predict flight dynamics of HALE aircraft. An operational profile such as this will require extremely low energy demands from on-board systems to meet both the endurance and environmental targets. It will also require comprehensive condition monitoring of structures and systems (e.g. vibration and loading) as well as environmental parameter measurement (e.g. temperature, ionizing radiation levels and doses) to allow operators to assess the viability of the aircraft at every stage of its mission. This project will respond to the PERGAVE challenge by developing energy harvesting powered wireless data links and real time condition and environmental sensor nodes in an integrated smart composite airframe structure for monitoring. The nodes will operate in an energy autonomous manner, without the need for power supplies or batteries and therefore it is truly energy autonomous. The research has the following five work packages:
WP1: Requirement capture and study of the system design specifications and architecture
WP2: Integration of the energy harvesting element into the composite structure
WP3: Multiphysical modelling and simulation for optimisation of the whole system
WP4: Development of low power consumption wireless sensor nodes
WP5: Testing of the technology demonstrator

The WPs will specifically target design and demonstration of a deployable real time energy autonomous wireless sensing communication systems that can be used for structural health monitoring and environmental parameter measurement aligned to the next generation, unmanned air vehicle programme in BAE Systems. Uniquely in the UK, this work will take a system level specification and design approach combining optimisation with novel energy harvesting technology designed for flexible deployment in manufactured composite structures with wireless sensing, which are all integrated in a novel energy and power management architecture. This provides end-to-end capability that will be suitable not only for the PERGAVE vehicle but also for other applications requiring remote asset condition monitoring in harsh environments (e.g. off-shore wind farms).

The principal novelty of the project lies in the implementation of combined materials and structures design, optimisation and manufacturing processes, our enhanced energy harvesting technology and efficient energy-aware and energy-flow control mechanism, which has the potential to be prototyped as a self-powered, light weight and wireless health monitoring system for future air vehicles.

The research will build on investigator track records on energy harvesting with wireless sensing, sensors and aerospace monitoring, and composite manufacturing at Cranfield University, aircraft and composite structural modelling and optimization at Lancaster University, and ionizing radiation monitoring at the University of Central Lancashire to undertake this timing and challenging project.

The project partners are BAE Systems in Military Air&Information and Advanced Technology Centre, AgustaWestland Ltd, TRW, dstl, EPSRC National Centres for Innovative Manufacturing in Through-life Engineering Services. These partners represents aerospace, defence and automotive sectors. There are Aerospace, Aviation & Defence KTN and Zartech organisations as dissemination partners to support the impact activities.

Since this project aligns with the EPSRC-supported PERGAVE concept of BAE Systems, it fits with EPSRC's strategy and portfolio. BAE Systems is Britain's largest exporter of manufactured goods and is UK MoD's largest single supplier of defence capability and technology. The company links to a large industrial supply chain that reaches well beyond the defence industry and so this project can provide underpinning technology in an industrial sector highly strategic to the UK economy. PERGAVE itself is a generic HALE platform and is applicable to security and defence reconnaissance as well as civil and commercial tasks such as earth resources monitoring, observation and communications. Hence this work will be an important contribution to future growth in equipment and system supply chains for these industries in the next 5-10 years.

The technology has applications beyond the aerospace industry, e.g. in wind turbine monitoring. Renewable energy production and reduction of carbon emission are seen as a high priority of national importance. The UK is developing a substantial offshore wind industry with the potential deployment throughout the country in the next 20 to 30 years reaching an estimated capacity of 35GW, and have earmarked up to £120 million to support the development of a UK-based offshore wind industry. Remote, offshore wind farms are costly and dangerous to maintain so the provision of wireless, accurate and comprehensive condition monitoring data is vital to ensure the most efficient maintenance planning. Other industries that could benefit from this system include automotive, transport, nuclear energy, oil and gas pipe-lines and bridge and tunnel infrastructure services. The technology will allow high-value manufacturing industry to sustain and expand their business into engineering services.

The report on the "Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth", published by the UK Department for Business Innovation & Skill (BIS) in December 2011, has prioritised four emerging technology areas for investment, one of which is EH. BIS is launching a series of technology and innovation centres to be competitive on the world stage, two of which are High Value Manufacturing and Offshore Renewable Energy. Although this research will directly support the aircraft industry, it could trigger a wealth of materials, ICT, sensors and instrumentation research in the UK and the world.

This research is well connected to a number of EPSRC research areas, including "Manufacturing the Future", "Materials Engineering - Composites", "RF and Microwave communications", "Sensors and Instrumentation", "Performance and Inspection of Mechanical Structures and Systems" and "Energy". The proposed research underpins societal challenge themes of "Manufacturing the Future" and "Energy", and contributes to national capability themes of "Engineering" and "ICT".