High-altitude aerostat with a large surface area
OwnerMartin Morreyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A variable-volume aerostat, consisting of a flat gas envelope, joined to guide aerostat bodies. The flat gas envelope is typically deployed by rotation of cylindrical guide airships, or rollers suspended beneath guide aerostats. In its stowed configuration, the flat gas envelope is rolled, uninflated and relatively compact. As the invention ascends to high altitude, lifting gas expands out of the guide aerostats into the unrolling flat gas envelope. When fully deployed, the flat gas envelope is self-supporting, and has a horizontal surface area up-to 100 times larger than that of the guide aerostats. This is a major advantage in potential applications, including targeted Solar Radiation Management (SRM), and airborne solar power generation.
Claims20
A variable volume aerostat which can expand its surface area, comprising:
- one or more strips of flat gas envelope, made of a material which is impervious to a lifting gas;
- depth-constraining structures which constrain the depth of the flat gas envelope;
- aerostat bodies, in the form of airships or balloons, joined to the flat gas envelope;
- openings or pipes which enable the lifting gas to flow between gas cells inside one or more of the aerostat bodies and the interior of the flat gas envelope;
- wherein in a stowed configuration, the flat gas envelope is uninflated, and the gas cells inside the aerostat bodies contain virtually all of the lifting gas;
- and wherein in a deployed configuration, lifting gas fills the flat gas envelope, which is fully extended and self-supporting, and presents a top-down planar area larger than the area presented by the aerostat bodies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.