Quadcopter without propeller (with hidden propeller)

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the feasibility of a quadcopter utilizing a bladeless fan or air multiplier technology instead of traditional propellers. Participants highlight that while the concept may theoretically work, the efficiency losses associated with this design would necessitate significantly larger motors to achieve the same thrust as a conventional quadrotor. Comparisons are drawn to existing technologies, such as Siemens' hybrid aircraft and the XV12 VTOL fighter, which demonstrate the challenges of achieving effective thrust through indirect air manipulation. Ultimately, the consensus is that the performance of such a quadcopter would likely be inferior to conventional designs due to weight and efficiency constraints.

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  • Understanding of aerodynamics and thrust generation
  • Familiarity with quadcopter design principles
  • Knowledge of electric propulsion systems
  • Awareness of existing aviation technologies and their efficiencies
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  • Research the principles of thrust generation in quadcopters
  • Explore the design and efficiency of bladeless fan technology
  • Investigate the performance metrics of hybrid aircraft systems
  • Analyze case studies of unconventional aircraft designs, such as the XV12
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white_fang
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Hello everyone,
First, I'm sorry about my bad english, if something you don't understand correctly, please ask me, so I'll try to explain it.
_______

My idea is a quadcopter without propellers, actually the propellers are hidden. This idea comes from this video. It's a "bladeless fan" or an air multiplier.
youtube.com/watch?v=ezK2GdfxnyY

So far I think the quadcopter will need lots of energy. But what if this air multiplier is stronger than normal fan/propeller, I think it's still worth to make one.
Is it possible that a quadcopter can fly with this technology? What do you think?
Thanks
 
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white_fang said:
So far I think the quadcopter will need lots of energy. But what if this air multiplier is stronger than normal fan/propeller, I think it's still worth to make one.
Is it possible that a quadcopter can fly with this technology? What do you think?
Thanks

How can this be? Those things use a propeller to pull in the surrounding air and blow it through the structure which has an aerodynamic shape that directs it outward, hence major efficiency losses. So there is no way it could have more thrust than the thrust created from a direct drive system.

Its like the Siemen's hybrid aircraft which uses a gas engine to drive an electric engine in order to fly. Its like using an extended grip to grab a pencil in order to write your homework. See where this is going?

I'm guessing in theory there is a possibility it could work, but I'd bet that the efficiency loss would drive the size of the motors required to maintain level flight quite high, much higher than a direct drive quadrotor of equivalent thrust would ever be.
 
There are lots of precedents for this idea in aviation.
Few have actually performed in practice.
The most extreme was the XV12, a VTOL fighter whose engine exhaust went through a nozzle that was supposed to entrain additional ambient air to increase the thrust in hover.
Sucking in a massive amount of air to feed 4 cold gas jets is essentially what is proposed here. That will work, but the weight of the ducting needed will ensure that the performance of the vehicle will fall far short of any more conventional design.
 

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