The Influence of Ice Accretion on the Thermodynamic Performance of a Scientific Balloon: A Simulation Study

A scientific balloon is the ideal platform for carrying out long-duration missions for scientific research in the stratosphere. However, when a scientific balloon ascends through icy clouds and reaches supercooled droplets, there is a risk of ice accretion on the balloon’s surface. Ice accretion on...

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Main Authors: Qiang Liu, Lan He, Yanchu Yang, Kaibin Zhao, Tao Li, Rongchen Zhu, Yanqing Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Aerospace
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/11/11/899
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author Qiang Liu
Lan He
Yanchu Yang
Kaibin Zhao
Tao Li
Rongchen Zhu
Yanqing Wang
author_facet Qiang Liu
Lan He
Yanchu Yang
Kaibin Zhao
Tao Li
Rongchen Zhu
Yanqing Wang
author_sort Qiang Liu
collection DOAJ
description A scientific balloon is the ideal platform for carrying out long-duration missions for scientific research in the stratosphere. However, when a scientific balloon ascends through icy clouds and reaches supercooled droplets, there is a risk of ice accretion on the balloon’s surface. Ice accretion on the balloon can threaten flight safety and the accomplishment of missions and can even result in disastrous accidents. A comprehensive simulation platform was developed to simulate the influence of ice accretion on the thermodynamic performance of a scientific balloon to provide quantitative data support for balloon design and flight operations. The simulation platform consisted of two parts: one based on ANSYS software to solve the accretion model and the other a program developed with MATLAB software to solve the thermodynamic model. The results suggest that, in certain cloud environments, there is a risk of ice accretion on a balloon’s surface; the extra ice mass added to the balloon may prevent it from ascending through icy clouds and instead keep it floating at the base of these clouds.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2226-4310
language English
publishDate 2024-10-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Aerospace
spelling doaj-art-ace3e3c1d07d4233ade09c0a14c1b15b2024-11-26T17:42:52ZengMDPI AGAerospace2226-43102024-10-01111189910.3390/aerospace11110899The Influence of Ice Accretion on the Thermodynamic Performance of a Scientific Balloon: A Simulation StudyQiang Liu0Lan He1Yanchu Yang2Kaibin Zhao3Tao Li4Rongchen Zhu5Yanqing Wang6Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, ChinaAerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, ChinaAerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, ChinaAerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, ChinaAerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, ChinaAerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, ChinaAerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100094, ChinaA scientific balloon is the ideal platform for carrying out long-duration missions for scientific research in the stratosphere. However, when a scientific balloon ascends through icy clouds and reaches supercooled droplets, there is a risk of ice accretion on the balloon’s surface. Ice accretion on the balloon can threaten flight safety and the accomplishment of missions and can even result in disastrous accidents. A comprehensive simulation platform was developed to simulate the influence of ice accretion on the thermodynamic performance of a scientific balloon to provide quantitative data support for balloon design and flight operations. The simulation platform consisted of two parts: one based on ANSYS software to solve the accretion model and the other a program developed with MATLAB software to solve the thermodynamic model. The results suggest that, in certain cloud environments, there is a risk of ice accretion on a balloon’s surface; the extra ice mass added to the balloon may prevent it from ascending through icy clouds and instead keep it floating at the base of these clouds.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/11/11/899scientific balloonice accretionthermodynamic performancemodeling and simulation
spellingShingle Qiang Liu
Lan He
Yanchu Yang
Kaibin Zhao
Tao Li
Rongchen Zhu
Yanqing Wang
The Influence of Ice Accretion on the Thermodynamic Performance of a Scientific Balloon: A Simulation Study
Aerospace
scientific balloon
ice accretion
thermodynamic performance
modeling and simulation
title The Influence of Ice Accretion on the Thermodynamic Performance of a Scientific Balloon: A Simulation Study
title_full The Influence of Ice Accretion on the Thermodynamic Performance of a Scientific Balloon: A Simulation Study
title_fullStr The Influence of Ice Accretion on the Thermodynamic Performance of a Scientific Balloon: A Simulation Study
title_full_unstemmed The Influence of Ice Accretion on the Thermodynamic Performance of a Scientific Balloon: A Simulation Study
title_short The Influence of Ice Accretion on the Thermodynamic Performance of a Scientific Balloon: A Simulation Study
title_sort influence of ice accretion on the thermodynamic performance of a scientific balloon a simulation study
topic scientific balloon
ice accretion
thermodynamic performance
modeling and simulation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4310/11/11/899
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