Increased utilization of real wind fields to improve station-keeping performance of stratospheric balloon

Abstract

Stratospheric balloons are demonstrated overwhelming superiority in many aspects such as remote sensing, earth observation, meteorological service, and Internet connection. Stable connection with ground stations or signal receivers is important, and therefore, a balloon needs to remain located in a particular region. A time-varying range of achievable altitude algorithm is proposed in this paper to improve the flight performance of super-pressure balloon. The control principle, wind fields, and thermal models are established. The extended range of accessible altitude using this method is validated. Station-keeping performance of the balloon using this method is simulated and compared under three typical wind fields and 366-day real wind conditions at multiple locations between 48°N and 48°S. The results show the proposed method is efficient to increase the proportion of time floating within the desired region. Moreover, the method functions to decrease the maximum distance from the center point. Comparative analysis indicates the balloon with this method can take more advantage of local wind fields with a broader range of altitudes. The work also offers an effective solution on selections of districts and dates with appropriate wind fields to conduct long endurance projects and improve the station-keeping performance of balloons.