3 ms·
> Leaking lift gas is expensive & difficult to prevent. Also explodey! (if H2). Expensive OR very cheap and explodey. (Gasoline is also explodey)
by aaron695 10y ago
> Leaking lift gas is expensive & difficult to prevent. Also explodey! (if H2).
Expensive OR very cheap and explodey. (Gasoline is also explodey)
- gozur88 10y agoHelium is comparatively expensive, but you don't expend it as part of normal flight and it doesn't migrate very quickly through modern materials. A bigger problem than loss is fouling - you have to pump out the helium and purify it every so often (I think Zeppelin does it every six months).
- aaron695 10y agoHydrogen is close to free. ~$2 per 10kgs of lift if my internet calculations are correct. But I guess if helium isn't lost at a great rate, it might be a cheap part of the whole setup.