Article: CFD-based assessment of thermal behaviour in the drone bottom housing plate Journal: Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal (PCFD) 2026 Vol.26 No.5 pp.332 - 343 Abstract: This study presents a numerical analysis of the geometric and material optimisation of the drone's bottom housing plate, which plays a key role in the thermal management of UAV battery modules. Four aperture geometries (square, rectangular, circular, hexagonal) have been designed and tested with three materials (aluminium, carbon fibre, PLA). Models have been created using computer-aided design software, and thermal behaviour was evaluated through CFD simulations using a conjugate heat transfer approach. Constant heat generation from the battery was defined as 87,000 W/m<SUP align="right"><SMALL>3</SMALL></SUP>, with airflow conditions set at 1 m/s and 5 m/s. The SST k-ω turbulence model and second-order discretisation schemes have been employed for accurate predictions. Average surface temperatures of the housing plates have been compared, showing that the aluminium plate with circular geometry achieved the lowest temperatures and best thermal distribution. The results highlight the importance of geometry and material selection in improving UAV battery thermal management. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: CFD-based assessment of thermal behaviour in the drone bottom housing plate

Authors: Haydar Kepekci; Muhammet Aydin Metin; Kenan Senturk

Addresses: Mechatronics Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Istanbul Gelisim University, Istanbul, Turkey ' Department of Electronics and Automation, Vocational School, Istanbul Nisantasi University, Istanbul, Turkey ' Mechatronics Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Istanbul Gelisim University, Istanbul, Turkey

Abstract: This study presents a numerical analysis of the geometric and material optimisation of the drone's bottom housing plate, which plays a key role in the thermal management of UAV battery modules. Four aperture geometries (square, rectangular, circular, hexagonal) have been designed and tested with three materials (aluminium, carbon fibre, PLA). Models have been created using computer-aided design software, and thermal behaviour was evaluated through CFD simulations using a conjugate heat transfer approach. Constant heat generation from the battery was defined as 87,000 W/m³, with airflow conditions set at 1 m/s and 5 m/s. The SST k-ω turbulence model and second-order discretisation schemes have been employed for accurate predictions. Average surface temperatures of the housing plates have been compared, showing that the aluminium plate with circular geometry achieved the lowest temperatures and best thermal distribution. The results highlight the importance of geometry and material selection in improving UAV battery thermal management.

Keywords: Unmanned aerial vehicle; battery thermal management; drone bottom housing plate; geometry optimisation; CFD; heat transfer; turbulence model; SST k-ω.

DOI: 10.1504/PCFD.2026.156035

Progress in Computational Fluid Dynamics, An International Journal, 2026 Vol.26 No.5, pp.332 - 343

Received: 01 Sep 2025
Accepted: 26 Dec 2025
Published online: 01 Sep 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article

Title: CFD-based assessment of thermal behaviour in the drone bottom housing plate

Keep up-to-date