Hydrogen Balloon

Since very beginning of our project in June 2020, there was an understanding that to keep our project going we need to be generating a proper attention to attract correct audience. So it was decided to use a buoyant gas (Hydrogen) to develop a flying machine in a shape of a balloon to demonstrate some basic laws of physics. Initial steps started with plastic bags, but the final goal was set to release a 6m3 size Mylar balloon, which was achieved on 7th March 2021.

Project stretched almost 9 months and we’ve learned and achieved a lot:

  • Design 3D envelopes from 2D material
  • Precise cutting and gluing
  • Working with large sheets of material (60m x 1.2m)
  • Pressure testing and envelope fixing
  • Multiple pressure valve designs and their installation
  • How to build a stable Hydrogen Generator
  • How to build and design Beacon

Future goals:

  • Improve material cutting with CNC laser-cutter
  • Get better materials for envelope (100um PolyUrethane)
  • Improve gluing technique with ultra-sound-assisted thermal welding

Our balloon development process has been captured in following posts:
IT’S … BLIMPY!
BLIMPY 2
BLIMPY 3
ADEUS LITTLE GUY!
BIG BOY
RELEASE THE BLIMPER!
HOW TO GLUE A … SPHERE
BALLOON MK. I
BLIMP III RELEASE PREPS FOR SUN 7 MARCH 2021
5, 4, 3, 2, 1 .. LIFT OFF!

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