Flight performance simulation and station-keeping endurance analysis for stratospheric super-pressure balloon in real wind field

Abstract

For the absence of the propeller system to resist wind load, the balloon will float everywhere with unstable position. In order to fix the balloon within a specific district and extend the station-keeping endurance, an effective approach that utilizes the wind from different directions by altering the float altitude was proposed. A program was developed to simulate the flight performance and the station-keeping endurance of the stratospheric super-pressure balloon in the real wind field. The influences of the initial Helium volume ratio and the float altitude on the traveled horizontal distance of the balloon were analyzed. The results indicate that the altitude of the balloon fluctuates with the change of the volume of the balloon during the day-night cycle, providing the possibility to catch the wind from different directions. By choosing the appropriate Helium volume ratio and float altitude, the traveled horizontal distance of the balloon can be shortened greatly. Our study can provide guidance for investigation on active control algorithm for station-keeping of the balloon that can fix the balloon within the desired district for months and years.