Buoyancy estimation of a Montgolfière in the atmosphere of Titan

Abstract

AbstractPrediction of the buoyancy of a thermal balloon, or Montgolfière, intended to float in the atmosphere of Titan is discussed. A laboratory based experiment designed to measure the buoyant lift of an electrically-heated, single-wall, natural-shape balloon is described. The experimental results presented closely match an analytical model employing established heat transfer correlations with selected parameter values. When the model is extrapolated to the cryogenic conditions representative of Titan’s lower troposphere, using the same correlations and parameters, the estimated buoyancy is found to be substantially higher than has been previously predicted. To account for the buoyancy difference, it is suggested that the internal free convection heat transfer rate is significantly lower than has been assumed in previous studies. To substantiate this result, it is recommended that further experiments should be performed at higher Rayleigh numbers.