Helium Balloon Research Articles

Fidelity of infrasound measurements with balloon-borne sensorsa).

Deploying acoustic sensors on free-flying, long-living balloons helps to reach the areas not accessible with the traditional ground-based sensors, reduce flow noise, and improve characterization of various infrasound sources. Instrumented balloons can potentially increase the infrasonic detection range and early warning lead time for natural hazards. Balloons are also considered as platforms for planetary exploration. When assessing the capabilities of balloon-borne infrasonic sensors and interpreting the measurements, it is imperative to recognize that the balloon inevitably distorts the signals and background infrasound field by scattering the incoming sound. This paper quantifies the effects of hot-air and helium balloons on acoustic pressure and particle acceleration and the role of balloon skin in infrasound diffraction. It is found that balloon-borne vector sensors are more susceptible to distortions than pressure sensors, leading to major differences between the apparent and true source bearing and directionality.

Construction of a Wi-Fi System with a Tethered Balloon in a Mountainous Region for the Teleoperation of Vehicular Forestry Machines

In this study, a Wi-Fi system with a tethered balloon is proposed for the teleoperation of vehicular forestry machines. This system was developed to establish a Wi-Fi communication for stable teleoperation in a timber harvesting site. This system consisted of a helium balloon, Wi-Fi nodes, a measurement system, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) antenna, and a wind speed sensor. The measurement system included a GNSS module, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a data logger, and an altitude sensor. While the helium balloon with the Wi-Fi system was 60 m in the air, the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) was measured by moving a Wi-Fi receiver on the ground. Another GNSS set was also utilized to collect the latitude and longitude data from the Wi-Fi receiver as it traveled. The developed Wi-Fi system with a tethered balloon can create a Wi-Fi zone of up to 1.9 ha within an average wind speed range of 2.2 m/s. It is also capable of performing the teleoperation of vehicular forestry machines with a maximum latency of 185.7 ms.

Dynamics and control of a high-altitude balloon with slung load

Abstract The high-altitude balloon proposed in this paper is a long-life balloon carrying a payload through a cable that flies at 20km altitude in near space. A dynamic model of the system, including the thermodynamics of the buoyancy body coupled with a hanging model of the pod, is developed using the Newton–Euler method. The buoyancy body consists of a helium balloon and a ballonet. A differential pressure difference-based altitude adjustment is achieved by tracking the pressure difference at the target altitude. A dynamic simulation of the buoyancy body with a slung pod in autonomous vertical takeoff and altitude regulation processes is presented. The internal thermodynamic variations and pressure differential of the buoyancy body are given. The air mass exchange and blower flow control of the ballonet are validated. The altitude holding error is analysed. The maximum pull force that the cable can withstand is calculated, and the maximum attitude angles of the pod during the ascending and descending processes are depicted. Simulation results provide basic knowledge for the structural design and payload installation of pods.

Single-Use Aircraft Launch System with Small Helium Balloon for 1 kPa Flight Testing

A single-use aircraft launch system using a small helium balloon concept was proposed to elevate the likelihood of successful high-altitude flight tests above 30 km. The system, capable of carrying a payload of 0.5 kg, has been developed and reported. Completing the flight within a range of 92 km, which represents the maximum communication distance between the airborne flight system and the ground station for operational phase control, is imperative. Therefore, a straightforward method for simulating flight trajectories was outlined to determine launch windows and suitable locations to ensure flight completion within uninhabited areas. Simulation studies revealed that the shortest landing distance was obtained during summer at the selected launch site. Additionally, a parameter study was conducted to assess the influence of varying ascent velocities on the targeted flight test altitude, which depends on the payload weight and helium gas volume. Consequently, the parameter study results established the constraints for flight model design. A demonstration flight was conducted in 2023 to validate the feasibility of the system for high-altitude flight experiments. This flight successfully released the flight model at 31 km and recovered flight data before landing on the sea surface. The proposed system concept offers an expedited approach to aircraft design for operating in thin air. It enables component function tests and scaled model flights as an alternative to employing large high-altitude balloons for high-altitude experiments.

Peningkatan Literasi Sains Melalui Pengabdian Masyarakat Berbasis Eksperimen Kimia Sederana di SMAN 30 Garut

Scientific literacy is one of the most important aspects in improving the quality of education and human resource development. The level of scientific literacy understanding among students in Indonesia remains comparatively inadequate. Therefore, a chemistry-based community service was conducted at SMAN 30 Garut which aims to improve students' scientific literacy and learning enthusiasm through demonstrations of simple chemical experiments and fun education. This Community Service at SMAN 30 Garut involved members of the HMK “AMISCA” ITB Chemistry Student Association as facilitators in carrying out simple chemical experiments. Several chemical experiments were presented, including the decomposition reaction of hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen balloons, vitamin C testing, secret messages using the Phenolphthalein indicator, and acid-base indicators from colored flower extracts. This activity can improve students' knowledge and interest in science. This is evidenced by the students' enthusiasm in participating in the activities, as well as the results of the feedback distributed after the activities. With the implementation of this chemistry-based community service, it is expected to be a solution in improving scientific literacy and motivating students to further explore the field of science

The effect of the balloon on balloon-borne infrasound measurements

Deploying acoustic sensors on free-flying, long-living balloons helps to reach the areas not accessible with the traditional ground-based sensors, reduce flow noise, and improve characterization of various infrasound sources. In particular, instrumented balloons can potentially increase the infrasonic detection range and the early warning lead time for natural hazards, such as tornadoes and avalanches. When assessing the capabilities of balloon-borne infrasonic sensors and interpreting the measurements, it is important to recognize that the balloon inevitably distorts both signals and the ambient infrasound field by scattering the incoming sound. Measurement distortions due to a nearby compact scatterer prove to be rather different from the well-understood effect of a rigid boundary on ground-based sensors. Using the recently developed theory of sound scattering by thin, prestressed elastic shells [O. A. Godin, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 154, 3223–3236 (2023)], this paper quantifies the effects of hot-air and helium balloons on acoustic pressure and oscillatory velocity. It is found that balloon-borne vector sensors are more susceptible to the distortions than pressure sensors, leading to large differences between the apparent and true source bearing and directionality. Possible approaches to compensate for the distortions and retrieve the free-field acoustic quantities will be discussed.

The use of drone congregation behaviour for population surveys of the honey bee Apis cerana

Honey bees (Apis spp.) are important pollinators in many natural and agro-ecosystems across the world. Effective means of surveying wild populations are therefore key to their conservation and management. One available survey method infers honey bee colony density from the genotype of drones (males) sampled from sites known as Drone Congregation Areas (DCAs). While this approach has been commonly used for the Western honey bee (A. mellifera), its feasibility for other Apis species is unknown. Here, we investigate drone congregation behaviour in the Asian honey bee Apis cerana in north-east Australia and its suitability for inferring colony density. As this A. cerana population is invasive, surveys in this case can aid in monitoring the population’s growth and spread. Over 5 years, we identified 30 DCAs, many of which were stable across time. DCAs were sheltered areas beside tree-lines or openings in the forest canopy. A. cerana drones joined DCAs during 1–2-h afternoon intervals and could be sampled at heights of 2–24 m via adhesive lines attached to helium balloons carrying lures coated in queen pheromone. Drones were more likely to be present at a DCA as temperature increased, though abiotic factors did not predict overall drone abundance. Drones could be sampled in low numbers even where colony density was extremely low. Based on the genotyping and inferred sibship of drones sampled at DCAs between 2016 and 2021, we estimate population density in Australia’s A. cerana to be in the range 1.1–8.1 colonies/km2. This extrapolates to a total population size in the range 11,000–83,000 colonies, with more refined estimates requiring better knowledge of drone flight distance and the effect of habitat on colony density. We conclude that population surveys based on drones from DCAs are possible for A. cerana and propose that this approach be part of a toolkit of methods used to monitor Asian honey bee populations in both their native and invasive ranges.

The Aerial Guide Dog: A Low-Cognitive-Load Indoor Electronic Travel Aid for Visually Impaired Individuals.

Most navigation aids for visually impaired individuals require users to pay close attention and actively understand the instructions or feedback of guidance, which impose considerable cognitive loads in long-term usage. To tackle the issue, this study proposes a cognitive burden-free electronic travel aid for individuals with visual impairments. Utilizing human instinctive compliance in response to external force, we introduce the "Aerial Guide Dog", a helium balloon aerostat drone designed for indoor guidance, which leverages gentle tugs in real time for directional guidance, ensuring a seamless and intuitive guiding experience. The introduced Aerial Guide Dog has been evaluated in terms of directional guidance and path following in the pilot study, focusing on assessing its accuracy in orientation and the overall performance in navigation. Preliminary results show that the Aerial Guide Dog, utilizing Ultra-Wideband (UWB) spatial positioning and Measurement Unit (IMU) angle sensors, consistently maintained minimal deviation from the targeting direction and designated path, while imposing negligible cognitive burdens on users while completing the guidance tasks.

Using light, unmanned helium balloons for rain enhancement

In Romania, any action regarding active interventions in atmosphere works under provisions of Law No. 173/2008. According to this law, the experimental rain enhancement program uses unmanned light helium balloons. Their operation was performed by the trained staff from Active Intervention into Atmosphere (S.C. IAA S.A., headquarters in Bucharest, Romania). A French society developed the technology of light unmanned helium balloons – SELERYS; they were the first in the world that set up this concept. To operate such balloons, an important automatic coordination like a SOBLI one is needed. The communications between a command post and the unit where these balloons are placed is performed via SMS. Only recorded phone numbers are used in these communications to prevent abusive calling. Following the French manufacturer’s recommendations - (SELERYS), a balloon launching module is composed of: one container, an electric command panel, two batteries of 12 V, solar panels, a weather station, an automatic sliding roof, two helium tank stands, covered guiding panels with foil, six boxing launching, and a switchboard. Besides these previously listed, there’re latex balloons, pneumatic connectors, and torch places. On an experimental trial undertaken within Hail Suppression Unit (UCCG) Moldova 1 – Iasi at Cotnari Group (Valea Racului, Hodora, Ruginoasa, Strunga, and Sârca), considering the velocity too, a surface up to 80000 ha has been covered. Using unmanned helium balloons has been proven useful increasing rain amounts up to 10 – 25%.

Fly Me to the Moon

On August 16th, 1960, sitting in an open-air gondola at 103,000’ carefully suspended by a 200’ tall helium balloon, U.S. Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger peers upon cobalt blue skies and the blackest of black (Figure 1). The avant-garde astronaut gets word from the ground crew, “Jump!”, triggering a free fall from 103,000’ and setting the record for the highest skydive ever by any living being (Kittinger, 1961; Kindy, 2023). Captain Joe blazed the trail for the likes of Sheppard, Grissom, and Glenn, testing the limits of the human body. A mere nine years later helium – a relative newcomer to the Periodic table - again flexed its muscle by aiding the propulsion system for Apollo 11’s moon expedition. Jettisoning to 2022, a whopping 180 space launches occurred worldwide, and this number is expected to double in less than seven years. Space tourism leads the pack with an average orbital joyride costing ∼$100K of helium to achieve lift-off (NASA/SpaceEx). During his lonely and ubiquitous ascent into the heavens in 1960, could Captain Kittinger have envisioned the oncoming explosion of helium uses? Could anyone has imagined?

Working principle of the radio telescope and the study of the sun

Radio telescopes can help people observe celestial bodies far away from people, which is conducive for astronomers to observe and draw the trend of celestial transformations. The use of radio telescopes allows scholars to study and understand celestial bodies to a new height. At present, the more famous are the Webb Space Telescope in the United States, the Hubble Space Telescope and China's Tianyan. In the case of the eye of Heaven in Guizhou, China, the surface of the eye is covered by a metal layer one millimeter thick, so it can not withstand excessive pressure, and the maintenance personnel need to attach themselves to a giant helium balloon to reduce their weight, the whole process is so careful to ensure the safety of the precision instrument. So there are still some limitations in the development of radio telescopes. This paper will focus on the working principle of the radio telescope, the development of the radio telescope and techniques for observing the sun with radio telescopes, summarize the achievements of the radio telescope so far and the areas that need to be improved. To better understand radio telescopes.

INVESTIGATION ON THE USE OF FRICKE DOSIMETRY FOR COSMIC RADIATION

The dosimetry of cosmic radiation outside Earth's atmosphere is a significant challenge due to the high complexity of radiation fields encountered in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and interplanetary space, in addition to the constraints imposed by instrument spaceflight. The Fricke dosimeter is a water-based (96% by mass) chemical dosimetry system that offers the potential to measure the absorbed dose in water in an arbitrary geometry, for doses of up to 400 Gy, for different energy spectra. The LCR/UERJ was part of the Cubes in Space project. The main goal of this work was to obtain absorbed doses in water at different altitudes in the atmosphere using rocket and balloon systems sent by NASA's space station, using the Fricke dosimeter. For each project, 10 polyethylene bags with the Fricke dosimeter were made. The dosimeters were sent on a 20-cubic-meter helium balloon to a target altitude of at least 36.5 km, where they experienced conditions close to space. The average dose in the Fricke solution in the balloon was 9.3 ± 1.5 Gy and in the rocket was 20.4 ± 1.4 Gy. The maximum altitude reached by the balloon is 36.5 km, with a flight duration of approximately 12 hours. On the other hand, the rocket reaches a maximum altitude of 120 km, but it remains in flight for only a few minutes. The 54% difference in the absorbed dose can be explained by the different particles that are responsible for the cosmic radiation in different altitudes. Cosmic radiation increases with altitude in the atmosphere and can vary from hour to hour. The Fricke dosimeter has proven to be effective for aerospace dosimetry, as it was utilized according to the presented boundary conditions. Gathering more technical flight information can lead to future results with greater precision and lower uncertainties.

УСТАНОВКА ГИБРИДНОЙ СУДОВОЙ СИСТЕМЫ ЭНЕРГОБАЛАНСА НА КОНТЕЙНЕРОВОЗЕ

Maritime Organization (IMO)" gived different amendments in order to reduce the polluting emissions produced
 by ships.There is a natural and continuous concern to reduce marine pollution and to implement the requirements
 stipulated by Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Marine
 Environment - MARPOL; The emission of carbon dioxide C02, in the gases resulting from naval propulsion
 engines, has alarming values, considering that C02 is the main negative factor in producing the greenhouse
 effect and implicitly global warming. Shipbuilders are aware that ship engines emit harmful exhaust gases and
 certain chemical compounds that are dangerous to human health and to the environment. One way for reducing
 pollution is by using unconventional energies captured from the marine environment, outside the ship, like solar
 or wind, which lead to the saving of a part of the fossil fuels and lubricants consumed on board the ships.
 Indirectly in this way earth's fossil fuel reserves can also be preserved. In this paper, we have studied a hybrid
 system formed from non-conventional electricity generating systems (a Flettner Balloon and four large vertical
 wind turbines) and a conventional one which uses fossil fuel. The non-conventional electricity generating system
 captures and uses the wind energy. The existence of two systems on board, the reactive, classical and the
 active, coming from wind energy, gives the possibility that in the event of failure o f one of them, the other can
 be used. Also, the existence of the two independent electricity generating systems makes it possible to carry
 out overhauls and repairs without the ship being stationary or adrift during them; The article main points are:
 the elements of the hybrid energy system, placing the Flettner helium Balloon on a container ship as an alternative
 power source of energy, placing four large vertical wind turbines on a container ship as an alternative
 source of energy, energy balance of electricity generating systems, from non-conventional sources, connecting
 conventional and non-conventional power sources to the ship's main power bar, electrical load of the ship's
 consumers, conclusions

High efficiency and quick deploy UAV for surveillance using helium balloon

A quick deployment and high-efficiency helium surveillance balloon which can be used as a mobile surveillance systemto monitor and locate trespassers near borders and high-security facilities are presented in the paper. The paperprovides the description of a motorized helium-filled balloon that is remotely controlled and provides a real-timevideo of any site that needs surveillance. The paper also provides the conceptual design, fabrication, and, calculationof the payload connected to of the helium balloon tracker. The payload consists of the control and monitoringsystem which has a camera and sensors and streams this data to the user over the internet which can be used forpatrolling and monitoring infiltration

THE EFFECT OF USE OF UNCONVENTIONAL POWER GENERATION SYSTEMS ON THE SAFETY OF NAVIGATION

By using a hybrid system formed from two unconventional energy devices large vertical wind turbines and FLETTNER Balloon and a conventional source of energy, ship owners can save a great deal of fuel, thus making substantial savings and not least, reducing pollution, making environmentally friendly ships. Unfortunately, the legislation in force does not allow ships to enter ports with unconventional energy sources. For this reason, unconventional energy sources will be used only during transoceanic crossings or during longer journeys. In this article major points are: 1) the influence of the FLETTNER helium Balloon on the manoeuvrability and road stability of the ship; 2) the influence of large Vertical wind turbines installed on the deck of the container ship on the manoeuvrability and road stability of the ship; 3) the calculation of the stability of the ship with the FLETTNER Balloon with helium coupled and with the 4 Vertical wind turbines installed on the ship's deck; 4) modelling the phenomena regarding the comparative analysis of the forces in the FLETTNER Balloon and in the large Vertical wind turbines. As results were obtained: 1) velocity and pressure distributions, forces and kinetic energies for the FLETTNER Balloon in various weather conditions, with winds of 10 and 20 m / s respectively from different directions: 00, 300, 600, 900 in various planes; 2) the distributions of speeds and pressures, forces and kinetic energies studied individually for each of the four large vertical wind turbines at winds of 10 m/s and 20 m/s respectively in various planes, segregated according to the position of port bow, starboard and stern port, starboard. This development was due to the growing demands to solve various problems at the industrial level, coming to the aid of many engineers who wanted an improvement in the equipment used, but did not have the financial support to perform experiments.

Towards 100 Gbps over 100 km: System Design and Demonstration of E-Band Millimeter Wave Communication

Long-range E-band communication with fiber-equivalent speed is emerging extensively as a critical technology in the next-generation communication. This paper firstly reviews the relevant progress in recent research. A brief survey is presented on high-speed, long-range E-band communication systems and their relevant techniques that are essential to the link design, including antenna, power amplifier (PA), channel, and digital baseband processing. In the second part, we review our recent field trial of a long-range air-to-ground E-band link, which maintains steady transmission from a slow-moving helium balloon to the ground station with a vertical dimension of 20 km. The improvement directions and future research topics are then discussed.

A Historical Twist on Long-Range Wireless: Building a 103 km Multi-Hop Network Replicating Claude Chappe's Telegraph.

In 1794, French Engineer Claude Chappe coordinated the deployment of a network of dozens of optical semaphores. These formed “strings” that were hundreds of kilometers long, allowing for nationwide telegraphy. The Chappe telegraph inspired future developments of long-range telecommunications using electrical telegraphs and, later, digital telecommunication. Long-range wireless networks are used today for the Internet of Things (IoT), including industrial, agricultural, and urban applications. The long-range radio technology used today offers approximately 10 km of range. Long-range IoT solutions use “star” topology: all devices need to be within range of a gateway device. This limits the area covered by one such network to roughly a disk of a 10 km radius. In this article, we demonstrate a 103 km low-power wireless multi-hop network by combining long-range IoT radio technology with Claude Chappe’s vision. We placed 11 battery-powered devices at the former locations of the Chappe telegraph towers, hanging under helium balloons. We ran a proprietary protocol stack on these devices so they formed a 10-hop multi-hop network: devices forwarded the frames from the “previous” device in the chain. This is, to our knowledge, the longest low power multi-hop wireless network built to date, demonstrating the potential of combining long-range radio technology with multi-hop technology.

An Accurate Wind Retrieval Method Based on Observing Hydrogen Balloons with Multi-Theodolite Measurements

Abstract The hydrogen balloon is widely used for wind sensing by tracking it with optical theodolites. The traditional theodolite observation (single- and double-theodolite) methods assume that the balloon is a perfect tracer of the background wind and it rises with a constant speed during the whole observation period, but these assumptions may not hold well in complex wind circumstances. In this paper, an accurate wind field retrieval method based on multi-theodolite measurement is proposed. The extended Kalman filter algorithm is used to filter the angle data observed by the theodolites in order to accurately estimate the trajectory of the balloon, and the motion equation is used to correct the velocity difference between the background wind and the balloon. As a result, not only the horizontal velocity but also the vertical velocity can be accurately retrieved by this method. Numerical simulation and field experiments show that the multi-theodolite observation method excels the traditional single-theodolite method, and the velocity errors can be reduced by even more than 40% in comparison with the single-theodolite method for complex wind cases. Significanace Statement In the meteorological community, hydrogen balloon tracking is a widely used wind retrieval method, but the accuracy is limited, especially under complex wind conditions. In this paper, a new method based on tracking the hydrogen balloon with multi-theodolite is proposed, which uses the extended Kalman filter and the motion equation to get an accurate estimation of the balloon’s velocity and fix the inertia effect of balloon, respectively. Simulation and field experiment show that the new method can reduce the velocity error by more than 40% compared with the traditional method.

Information decision-making support for periodic maintenance of gas balloon equipment

The issues of information support for decision-making during periodic maintenance of gas-cylinder equipment of vehicles running on natural gas, ensuring safe operation, contributing to an increase in the efficiency of transportation of goods and goods: reducing vehicle downtime due to failure of the fuel system using gas fuel by 10–18%; reducing the likelihood of functioning of gas equipment in hazardous modes by 12–17%. The technical requirements for gas equipment and procedures for its periodic maintenance are formulated. The concept of the formation and application of a unified state register of gas equipment, which is a tool for limiting admission to the turnover of products that does not meet regulatory and market requirements, is proposed. An information-logical model of decision-making support has been developed, which allows, depending on the current technical condition of assemblies and parts, based on the specified requirements for the duration of the period between maintenance, to propose the best option for carrying out diagnostic, repair and commissioning measures for gas-cylinder equipment of vehicles. The procedure for the formation of an extended list of measures for periodic maintenance of gas equipment is presented on the example of individual nodes of the fuel system of a vehicle running on compressed natural gas. The software implementation of the information- logical model is carried out in the form of a plug-in extension to the database core of the decision support information system for the operation of gas equipment, implemented on the Oracle database management system with integrated support for the high-level object- oriented language Java. For the convenience of working with the information-logical model, a computational and analytical module of the information system for decision-making support during the operation of gas-cylinder equipment with elements of fuzzy logic has been developed. The model was tested on the example of the implementation of measures during the periodic maintenance of the gas equipment of the KamAZ 65116 truck.

FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS OF AIR FLOATING DESIGN FOR ELECTRICITY GENERATION

In the past several decades, there were presented different innovative technologies rather than traditional wind turbines for renewable energy that uses wind kinetic energy and remains in the air through aerodynamic forces. Unlike wind turbines with towers, their systems operate in a flight, and they are connected to a foundation by a cable that either transmits the energy generated at the airfoil or transmits mechanical energy to the ground. Nowadays, there are several existing and developing technologies; however, each of them has limitations and challenges. This work will present an analysis of air floating design for electricity generation at high altitudes. It is a tethered wind turbine with a Balloon system, which has a simple controlling system, relatively higher efficiency, and low-cost technology. The concept of the design is to model the electricity generation device powered by clean renewable energy, mainly wind power. Base on the concept of kite or helium balloon to provide enough buoyancy to keep the device working at certain altitude. To increase the energy conversion efficiency and the feasibility of the device, it is mostly used in the country, open area. Despite high efficiency which needs further investigation, the designed device is moveable, pollution free and little space consumed.