Conceptual Design of an Energy System for High Altitude Airships Considering Thermal Effect

Qiumin Dai, Daoming Xing, Xiande Fang and Yingjie Zhao
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Qiumin Dai: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Daoming Xing: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
Xiande Fang: MIIT Key Laboratory of Aircraft Environment Control and Life Support, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
Yingjie Zhao: College of Energy and Power Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212003, China

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: High altitude airships possess tremendous potential for long-endurance spot hovering platforms for both commercial and strategic applications. The energy system, which is mainly made up of solar array and regenerative fuel cell, is the key component of a high altitude airship. The thermal effect is a major factor that affects the performance of the energy system of long endurance stratospheric vehicles. In this paper, a conceptual design method focusing on the thermal and power characteristics of an energy system for stratospheric airships is proposed. The effect of thermal behavior of solar array on the energy system is analyzed. An optimized case is obtained on the consideration of power supply, thermal behaviors of helium and solar array. Results show that the maximum temperature difference of the solar array may be reduced by about 20 K and the mass of payload can be improved by up to 5%.

Keywords: high altitude airships; energy system; solar array; thermal-electric model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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