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> Is it possible to use a drone with a balloon on top to help it lift more? That's essentially a blimp. Due to square/cube scaling, blimps have less lift and m

> Is it possible to use a drone with a balloon on top to help it lift more? That's essentially a blimp. Due to square/cube scaling, blimps have less lift and more drag relative to their size at small scales than large ones. The extra power needed to overcome the drag would by far negate the power savings from reduced lifting requirements.

genericone 8y ago
If there were a mini-compressor-pump aboard the drone, is it possible that it could inflate/evacuate a balloon on demand during hover mode? Is the economics of such a thing even possible?
- rubicon33 8y ago
  Inflate it with what? Raw air? That would do nothing. Are you proposing that it could somehow hook itself up to a helium or hydrogen source, while hovering?
  - brianwawok 8y ago
    Not saying this idea is worth the complexity (sounds over-engineered), but I am pretty sure you could make like a 1"x2" can of compressed helium attached to a 3' balloon with a simple valve to pop open and inflate the balloon. Think of those little air cans that you use for refilling bike tires on the go. Only weigh a few grams, holds a lot of air.
- jerf 8y ago
  You'll experience the same scaling issues with whatever it is you expect to inflate with. You're going to have a lot of volume dedicated to the pressure vessel and not so much in the pressure vessel, because of scaling issues. And I'm discarding the pump to put it back, assuming we're just going to vent to the atmosphere when we're done. Things get worse if you want to pump it back in.
- nradov 8y ago
  No that doesn't really work. High pressure helium pumps are expensive, heavy, and require a lot of maintenance. Plus they require a lot of power to operate. And they produce a lot of waste heat.
- TheCraiggers 8y ago
  Assuming there weren't already problems with the balloon idea, what you'd have then is a pressurized vessel, the pump, and of all the compressed helium weighing you down for 99% of your trip just to save a tiny bit of energy (and I'm assuming a day with zero wind here) during the offloading procedure which probably doesn't even last long enough for the balloon to fully inflate. Also, as far as I know, the cheapest/lightest material to make the balloon out of would be mylar, which is conductive and not something you want around powerlines.
dreamcompiler 8y ago
Also, helium is for all practical purposes a nonrenewable resource. One drone wouldn't use a lot, but a few million refilling every day would put a dent in the world's helium supply.
- learc83 8y ago
  Hydrogen is lighter than helium, easy to produce, and if you're talking smallish blimp with no people on board, it's not particularly dangerous.
  - neaden 8y ago
    I think having what essentially would be small robot controlled fire-bombs flying through the skies would be a tough sell. Even if you managed to make them as safe as possible it's not exactly the kind of thing people would be eager to approve.
    - ProblemFactory 8y ago
      Current drone batteries are a much higher fire risk than a hydrogen blimp.
      - penagwin 8y ago
        Plus assuming the drone is above the tree line and not next to a tall structure, the actual "fireball" should move fairly skyward and not pose much of a fire threat? I'd be more concerned about the falling drone/battery.
        caf 8y ago
        It's not only direct contact with the fireball you have to worry about, a large amount of the energy in the explosion would be coupled into a pressure wave and infrared radiation.
      - AlexCoventry 8y ago

genericone 8y ago

If there were a mini-compressor-pump aboard the drone, is it possible that it could inflate/evacuate a balloon on demand during hover mode? Is the economics of such a thing even possible?

rubicon33 8y ago
Inflate it with what? Raw air? That would do nothing. Are you proposing that it could somehow hook itself up to a helium or hydrogen source, while hovering?
- brianwawok 8y ago
  Not saying this idea is worth the complexity (sounds over-engineered), but I am pretty sure you could make like a 1"x2" can of compressed helium attached to a 3' balloon with a simple valve to pop open and inflate the balloon. Think of those little air cans that you use for refilling bike tires on the go. Only weigh a few grams, holds a lot of air.
jerf 8y ago
You'll experience the same scaling issues with whatever it is you expect to inflate with. You're going to have a lot of volume dedicated to the pressure vessel and not so much in the pressure vessel, because of scaling issues. And I'm discarding the pump to put it back, assuming we're just going to vent to the atmosphere when we're done. Things get worse if you want to pump it back in.
nradov 8y ago
No that doesn't really work. High pressure helium pumps are expensive, heavy, and require a lot of maintenance. Plus they require a lot of power to operate. And they produce a lot of waste heat.
TheCraiggers 8y ago
Assuming there weren't already problems with the balloon idea, what you'd have then is a pressurized vessel, the pump, and of all the compressed helium weighing you down for 99% of your trip just to save a tiny bit of energy (and I'm assuming a day with zero wind here) during the offloading procedure which probably doesn't even last long enough for the balloon to fully inflate. Also, as far as I know, the cheapest/lightest material to make the balloon out of would be mylar, which is conductive and not something you want around powerlines.

dreamcompiler 8y ago

Also, helium is for all practical purposes a nonrenewable resource. One drone wouldn't use a lot, but a few million refilling every day would put a dent in the world's helium supply.

learc83 8y ago
Hydrogen is lighter than helium, easy to produce, and if you're talking smallish blimp with no people on board, it's not particularly dangerous.
- neaden 8y ago
  I think having what essentially would be small robot controlled fire-bombs flying through the skies would be a tough sell. Even if you managed to make them as safe as possible it's not exactly the kind of thing people would be eager to approve.
  - ProblemFactory 8y ago
    Current drone batteries are a much higher fire risk than a hydrogen blimp.
    - penagwin 8y ago
      Plus assuming the drone is above the tree line and not next to a tall structure, the actual "fireball" should move fairly skyward and not pose much of a fire threat? I'd be more concerned about the falling drone/battery.
      - caf 8y ago
        It's not only direct contact with the fireball you have to worry about, a large amount of the energy in the explosion would be coupled into a pressure wave and infrared radiation.
    - AlexCoventry 8y ago