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A lifting gas or lighter than air gas is a gas that has a lower density than normal
atmospheric gases and rises above them as a result. It is required for aerostats to
create buoyancy, particularly in Lighter-than-air aircraft, which include free
balloons, moored balloons, and airships. Only certain lighter than air gases are
suitable as lifting gases. Dry air has a density of about 1.29 g/L (gram per liter)
at standard conditions for temperature and pressure (STP) and an average molecular
mass of 28.97 g/mol,[1] and so lighter than air gases have a density lower than
this.

Contents
1 Gases theoretically suitable for lifting
1.1 Hot air
1.2 Hydrogen
1.3 Helium
1.4 Hydrogen and helium
1.5 Water vapor
1.6 Ammonia
1.7 Methane
1.8 Hydrogen fluoride
1.9 Coal gas
1.10 Acetylene
1.11 Hydrogen cyanide
1.12 Neon
1.13 Nitrogen
1.14 Vacuum
1.15 Plasma
1.16 Combinations
2 Gases impractical for lifting
2.1 Nitrogen
3 Hydrogen versus helium
4 High-altitude ballooning
4.1 Solids
5 Submerged balloons
6 Balloons on other celestial bodies
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Gases theoretically suitable for lifting
Hot air
Heated atmospheric air is frequently used in recreational ballooning. According to
the Ideal gas law, an amount of gas (and also a mixture of gases such as air)
expands as it is heated. As a result, a certain volume of gas has a lower density
as the temperature is higher. The average temperature of air in a hot air balloon
is about 212 �F (100 �C).[citation needed]
Hydrogen
Hydrogen, being the lightest existing gas (7% the density of air), seems to be the
most appropriate gas for lifting. It can be easily produced in large quantities
through electrolysis of water, but hydrogen has several disadvantages:

Hydrogen is extremely flammable. Some countries have banned the use of hydrogen as
a lift gas for commercial vehicles but it is allowed for recreational free
ballooning in the US, UK and Germany. The Hindenburg disaster is frequently cited
as an example of the safety risks posed by hydrogen. The high cost of helium
(compared to hydrogen) has led researchers to re-investigate the safety issues of
using hydrogen as a lift gas; with good engineering and good handling practices,
the risks can be significantly reduced.[citation needed]
Because the hydrogen molecule is very small, it can easily diffuse through many
materials such as latex, so that the balloon will deflate quickly. This is one
reason that many hydrogen or helium filled balloons are constructed out of
Mylar/BoPET.[citation needed]
Helium
Helium is the second lightest gas. For that reason, it is an attractive gas for
lifting as well. Small size of helium molecules increases its lifting value.

A major advantage is that this gas is noncombustible. But the use of helium has
some disadvantages, too:

The diffusion issue shared with Hydrogen (though, as Helium's molecular radius is
smaller, it diffuses through more materials than Hydrogen).
Helium is expensive.
Although abundant in the universe, helium is very scarce on Earth. The only
commercially viable reserves are a few natural gas wells, mostly in the US, that
trapped it from the slow alpha decay of radioactive materials within Earth. By
human standards helium is a non-renewable resource that cannot be practically
manufactured from other materials. When released into the atmosphere, e.g., when a
helium-filled balloon leaks or bursts, helium eventually escapes into space and is
lost.
Hydrogen and helium
Hydrogen (density 0.090 g/L at STP, average molecular mass 2.016 g/mol) and helium
(density 0.179 g/L at STP, average molecular mass 4.003 g/mol) are the most
commonly used lift gases. Although helium is twice as heavy as (diatomic) hydrogen,
they are both much lighter than air that this difference only results in hydrogen
having 8% more buoyancy than helium.

In a practical dirigible design, the difference is significant, making a 50%

difference in the fuel-carrying capacity of the dirigible and hence increasing its
range significantly.[2] However, hydrogen is extremely flammable and its use as a
lifting gas in dirigibles has decreased since the Hindenburg disaster. Helium is
safer as a lifting gas because it is inert and does not undergo combustion.

Water vapor
The gaseous state of water is lighter than air (density 0.804 g/L at STP, average
molecular mass 18.015 g/mol) due to water's low molar mass when compared with
typical atmospheric gases such as nitrogen gas ( {\displaystyle {\ce {N2}}}
{\displaystyle {\ce {N2}}}). It is non-flammable and much cheaper than helium. The
concept of using steam for lifting is therefore already 200 years old. The biggest
challenge has always been to make a material that can resist it. In 2003, a
university team in Berlin, Germany, has successfully made a 150 �C steam lifted
balloon.[3] However, such a design is generally impractical due to high boiling
point and condensation.

Ammonia
Ammonia is sometimes used to fill weather balloons.[4] Due to its high boiling
point (compared to helium and hydrogen), ammonia could potentially be refrigerated
and liquefied aboard an airship to reduce lift and add ballast (and returned to a
gas to add lift and reduce ballast). Ammonia gas is relatively heavy (density 0.769
g/L at STP, average molecular mass 17.03 g/mol), poisonous, an irritant, and can
damage many metals and plastics.

Methane
Methane (density 0.716 g/L at STP, average molecular mass 16.04 g/mol), the main
component of natural gas, is sometimes used as a lift gas when hydrogen and helium
are not available.[4] It has the advantage of not leaking through balloon walls as
rapidly as the smaller molecules of hydrogen and helium. Many lighter-than-air
balloons are made of aluminized plastic that limits such leakage; hydrogen and
helium leak rapidly through latex balloons. However, methane is highly flammable
and like hydrogen is not appropriate for use in passenger-carrying airships. It is
also relatively dense and a potent greenhouse gas.

Hydrogen fluoride
Hydrogen fluoride is lighter than air and could theoretically be used as a lifting
gas. However, it is extremely corrosive, highly toxic, expensive, is heavier than
other lifting gases, and has a high boiling point of 19.5 �C. Its use would
therefore be impractical.

Coal gas
In the past, coal gas, a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other gases, was
also used in balloons. It was widely available and cheap; the down side was a
higher density (reducing lift) and the high toxicity of the carbon monoxide.

Acetylene
Acetylene is 10% lighter than air and could be used as a lifting gas. Its extreme
flammability and low lifting power make it an unattractive choice.

Hydrogen cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide, which is 7% lighter than air, is technically capable of being
used as a lifting gas at temperatures above its boiling point of 25.6 �C. Its
extreme toxicity, low buoyancy, and high boiling point have precluded such a use.

Neon
Neon is lighter than air (density 0.900 g/L at STP, average atomic mass 20.17g/mol)
and could lift a balloon. Like helium, it is non-flammable. However, it is rare on
Earth and expensive, and is among the heavier lifting gases.

Nitrogen
Pure nitrogen has the advantage that it is inert and abundantly available, because
it is the major component of air. However, because nitrogen is only 3% lighter than
air, it is not an obvious choice for a lifting gas.

The de Lana-Terzi's vacuum airship (1670)

Vacuum
Theoretically, an aerostatic vehicle could be made to use a vacuum or partial
vacuum. As early as 1670, over a century before the first manned hot-air balloon
flight,[5] the Italian monk Francesco Lana de Terzi envisioned a ship with four
vacuum spheres.

In a theoretically perfect situation with weightless spheres, a 'vacuum balloon'

would have 7% more net lifting force than a hydrogen-filled balloon, and 16% more
net lifting force than a helium-filled one. However, because the walls of the
balloon must be able to remain rigid without imploding, the balloon is impractical
to construct with all known materials. Despite that, sometimes there is discussion
on the topic.[6]

Plasma
Another medium that in theory could be used is a plasma: Ions repelling each other
could give a pressure intermediate between vacuum and hydrogen and hence that
counteracts the atmospheric pressure. The energy and the containment requirements
are extremely impractical, so that it may only be interesting for science fiction.

Combinations
It is also possible to combine some of the above solutions. A well-known example is
the Rozi�re balloon which combines a core of helium with an outer shell of hot air.

Gases impractical for lifting

Nitrogen
Pure Nitrogen gas (density 1.251 g/L at STP, average atomic mass 28.00 g/mol) is
about 3% lighter than air, insufficient for common use as a lifting gas.[4]

Hydrogen versus helium

Hydrogen and helium are the most commonly used lift gases. Although helium is twice
as heavy as (diatomic) hydrogen, they are both significantly lighter than air,
making this difference negligible.

The lifting power in air of hydrogen and helium can be calculated using the theory
of buoyancy as follows:

Thus helium is almost twice as dense as hydrogen. However, buoyancy depends upon
the difference of the densities (?gas) - (?air) rather than upon their ratios. Thus
the difference in buoyancies is about 8%, as seen from the buoyancy equation:

FB = (?air - ?gas) � g � V
Where FB = Buoyant force (in Newton); g = gravitational acceleration = 9.8066 m/s�
= 9.8066 N/kg; V = volume (in m�). Therefore, the amount of mass that can be lifted
by hydrogen in air at sea level, equal to the density difference between hydrogen
and air, is:

(1.292 - 0.090) kg/m3 = 1.202 kg/m3

and the buoyant force for one m3 of hydrogen in air at sea level is:

1 m3 � 1.202 kg/m3 � 9.8 N/kg= 11.8 N

Therefore, the amount of mass that can be lifted by helium in air at sea level is:

(1.292 - 0.178) kg/m3 = 1.114 kg/m3

and the buoyant force for one m3 of helium in air at sea level is:

1 m3 � 1.114 kg/m3 � 9.8 N/kg= 10.9 N

Thus hydrogen's additional buoyancy compared to helium is:

11.8 / 10.9 � 1.08, or approximately 8.0%

This calculation is at sea level at 0 �C. For higher altitudes, or higher
temperatures, the amount of lift will decrease proportionally to the air density,
but the ratio of the lifting capability of hydrogen to that of helium will remain
the same. This calculation does not include the mass of the envelope need to hold
the lifting gas.

MAXIS: a balloon that has been able to reach a height of 36 km

High-altitude ballooning
At higher altitudes, the air pressure is lower and therefore the pressure inside
the balloon is also lower. This means that while the mass of lifting gas and mass
of displaced air for a given lift are the same as at lower altitude, the volume of
the balloon is much greater at higher altitudes.

A balloon that is designed to lift to extreme heights (stratosphere), must be able

to expand enormously in order to displace the required amount of air. That is why
such balloons seem almost empty at launch, as can be seen in the photo.

A different approach for high altitude ballooning, especially used for long
duration flights is the superpressure balloon. A superpressure balloon maintains a
higher pressure inside the balloon than the external (ambient) pressure.

Solids
In 2002, aerogel held the Guinness World Record for the least dense (lightest)
solid.[7] Aerogel is mostly air because its structure is like that of a highly
vacuous sponge. The lightness and low density is due primarily to the large
proportion of air within the solid and not the silicon construction materials.[8]
Taking advantage of this, SEAgel, in the same family as aerogel but made from agar,
can be filled with helium gas to create a solid which floats when placed in an open
top container filled with a dense gas.[9]

In 2012, discovery of aerographite was announced, breaking the record for the least
dense material at only 0.2 mg/cm3 (0.2 kg/m3).[10][11] These solids do not float in
air because the hollow spaces in them become filled with air. No lighter-than-air
matrix or shell containing a hard vacuum has ever been constructed.

Submerged balloons
Because of the enormous density difference between water and gases (water is about
1,000 times more dense than most gases), the lifting power of underwater gases is
very strong. The type of gas used is largely inconsequential because the relative
differences between gases is negligible in relation to the density of water.
However, some gases can liquefy under high pressure, leading to an abrupt loss of
buoyancy.

A submerged balloon that rises will expand or even explode because of the strong
pressure reduction, unless gas is able to escape continuously during the ascent or
the balloon is strong enough to withstand the change in pressure.

Balloons on other celestial bodies

A balloon can only have buoyancy if there is a medium that has a higher average
density than the balloon itself.

Balloons cannot work on the Moon because it has no atmosphere.

Mars has a very thin atmosphere � the pressure is only 1/160th of earth atmospheric
pressure � so a huge balloon would be needed even for a tiny lifting effect.
Overcoming the weight of such a balloon would be difficult, but several proposals
to explore Mars with balloons have been made.[12]
Venus has a CO2 atmosphere at the surface. Because CO2 is about 50% more dense than
Earth air, ordinary Earth air could be a lifting gas on Venus. This has led to
proposals for a human habitat that would float in the atmosphere of Venus at an
altitude where both the pressure and the temperature are earthlike. In 1985, the
Soviet Vega program sent two balloons to float in Venus' atmosphere at 54 km
altitude.
Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has a dense atmosphere of mostly nitrogen that is
appropriate for ballooning. A use of Aerobots was proposed on Titan. Also the Titan
Saturn System Mission included a balloon to circumnavigate Titan.
See also
Aerostat
Airship
Balloon (aircraft)
Buoyancy
Buoyancy compensator (aviation)
Cloud Nine (tensegrity sphere)
Heavier than air
Hot air balloon
Vacuum balloon
Vacuum airship
References
"Air - Molecular Weight". www.engineeringtoolbox.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
"AERONAUTICS: Helium vs. Hydrogen". TIME. 1924-03-10. Archived from the original
on February 9, 2011. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
"HeiDAS UH � Ein Heissdampfaerostat mit ultra-heiss-performance" (PDF). Aeroix.de.
Retrieved 2012-10-21.
"Gases - Density". www.engineeringtoolbox.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
Tom D. Crouch (2009). Lighter Than Air
Sean A. Barton (21 October 2009). "Stability Analysis of an Inflatable Vacuum
Chamber". Journal of Applied Mechanics. 75 (4): 041010. arXiv:physics/0610222.
Bibcode:2008JAM....75d1010B. doi:10.1115/1.2912742.
CNN, Richard Stenger. "CNN.com - NASA's 'frozen smoke' named lightest solid - May
9, 2002". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
Administrator, NASA Content (2015-04-15). "Aerogels: Thinner, Lighter, Stronger".
NASA. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
Grommo (2008-06-20), SEAgel Aerogel lighter than air solid. Not a UFO, retrieved
2018-01-16
"New carbon nanotube struructure aerographite is lightest material champ".
Phys.org. doi:10.1002/adma.201200491. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
"Aerographit: Leichtestes Material der Welt entwickelt - SPIEGEL ONLINE" (in
German). Spiegel.de. 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
"Exploring Mars With Balloons". Spacedaily.com. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
External links
SkyDoc Aerostat resources
Lighter-than-air - An overview
Airship Association
Steam Balloon Project
Helium balloons manufacturer
Categories: AerostatsHydrogen technologiesAirship technologyBuoyancyGasesGas
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