Analysis to Effects on Conceptual Parameters of Stratospheric Airship with Specified Factors

Stratospheric airship is capable of stationkeeping at high altitude in precondition of the balance of buoyancy and weight, thrust and drag. Based on specific computation process, when some hypotheses are given, the length of airship can be calculated and it is emphasized to analyze the impacts on payload capability performance and conceptual parameters (such as length, surface area and volume) with altitude, latitude of station-keeping and pressure difference, temperature difference, helium purity. It is shown from the analyses that pressure difference, temperature difference and helium purity have fewer effects on payload capability and length of airship, and in contrast, altitude and latitude of stationkeeping have the larger effects. On the other hand, effects on payload capability and length with each technology guideline are also discussed when specified operation parameters keep constant, such as altitude and design wind of station-keeping. It is concluded that the benefit to length and payload capability is the largest with improvement of envelope mass/area ratio but the least with improvement of propeller system efficiency.