The thermal model and vertical trajectory prediction of the high-altitude float of double-layer latex balloon

Abstract

The traditional single-layer latex balloon (SLB) is difficult to float at high altitude. To improve the level of meteorological observation, a new and easy-to-implement double-layer latex balloon (DLB) system was proposed to solve the high-altitude floating problem in this work. The amount of hydrogen is critical for the DLB system, but it is difficult to control precisely. Therefore, a thermal model of this balloon structure was developed for calculating the heat source during the ascent and floating phase of the DLB system. The geometric, atmospheric, and dynamic model of the DLB structure was also developed so that its vertical trajectory could be predicted. We combined the actual experimental data to verify the accuracy of the prediction algorithm, and the results showed that the thermal model and vertical trajectory algorithm can meet the needs of practical applications. The temperature calculation data in the balloon is consistent with the experimental data. The predicted vertical trajectory is consistent with the experimental data, and the prediction accuracy of the floating height is 98.4 %. Finally, a software specifically for calculating the hydrogen quantity and predicting the vertical trajectory of the DLB system was developed for engineering guidance.

Keywords

• Double-layer latex balloon
• Thermal model
• High-altitude floating
• Dynamic model
• Vertical trajectory prediction