Options
Conceptual Design and Sizing of Relocatable High Altitude Long Endurance Solar Powered Hybrid Airship
Journal
AIAA Aviation and Aeronautics Forum and Exposition, AIAA AVIATION Forum 2021
Date Issued
2021-01-01
Author(s)
Uddin, Nouman
Pant, Rajkumar S.
Abstract
Airships are an effective solution for sustained airborne presence due to their buoyancy, and lower dependence on dynamic lift to overcome gravity. They are powered systems with three-axis control, hence they can maintain station, as well as can be easily relocated. This paper describes a methodology for conceptual design and sizing of a High-Altitude Long Endurance Solar Powered Hybrid Airship (HALESPHA) designed to meet the requirements of station-keeping at stratospheric altitudes for a period of three months at a stretch while operating over four metro cities in India. It is expected to remain airborne for one year at a stretch without the need for refueling. A 3-D CAD model of HALESPHA was created using OpenVSP, which allows estimation of wetted surface area and parasite drag during its operation. The methodology can be used to carry out sizing of the envelope, solar panels, propulsion system and storage system of the HALESPHA, and to arrive at the system weight breakdown. The design obtained using this methodology was able to meet all the mission requirements specified in the problem statement of a design competition.