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Design Fabrication and Deployment of a Tethered Aerostat System for Aerial

Surveillance

Conference Paper · July 2014

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* Paper published in the proceedings of "National Conference on Advances in Aerial/Road Vehicle and its applications" sponsored by
Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) held at Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal University, Manipal,
Karnataka,INDIA, 18-19 July 2014, pp 79-84

Design Fabrication and Deployment of a

Tethered Aerostat System for Aerial
Surveillance*
Nitin Sharma1 Rishabh Sehgal2 Rajkumar S. Pant3 Rakesh Sehgal4
(B.Tech) Mechanical (B. Tech ) Electronics Professor, Professor,
Engineering and Communication Aerospace Mechanical
Department, Engineering Engineering Engineering
NIT, Hamirpur, Department, Department, Department,
Himachal Pradesh NIT, Hamirpur, IIT Bombay, NIT Hamirpur,
Himachal Pradesh Mumbai, Maharashtra Himachal Pradesh.

Abstract-This paper describes a project involving the
design, fabrication and field deployment of a tethered aerostat
system for aerial surveillance. The aerostat was sized using an
existing design methodology that takes care of the effect of
certain user-specified parameters as well as the operating
conditions. The aerostat envelope was fabricated by joining eight
petals of a special PVC coated material on an RF Sealing
machine. A special design feature of this aerostat is the use of
semi-rigid configuration for the fins, which were constructed of
an aluminum truss framework, covered with thin transparent
PVC sheet.
A hand-operated winch for raising and lowering the
aerostat was also designed and fabricated. A payload recovery
device was installed on the aerostat, which automatically detects
accidental breakage of tether (by sensing sustained loss of
tension) and triggers a circuit to burn a hole on top of the
envelope; thus resulting on loss of buoyancy and hence lowering
of the Aerostat. Another safety device was attached to the
envelope which, when commanded wirelessly from the ground,
can switch-on a separate self-contained circuit, similar to PRD.
The aerostat system was successfully deployed at the
NIT Hamirpur campus for around five hours at a stretch. A
light-weight digital camera was mounted on a wooden gondola,
and it provided steady and distortion-free HD imagery of the
campus, thus establishing the efficacy of this aerostat for aerial
surveillance.
Index Terms—LTA, PRD, ERD
participation of a pilot (either onboard or on ground); also, the
video data that they generate has lot of distortion and noise. It
is the cost of the rectification and filter systems of the video,
or the autonomous control systems, which makes surveillance
using these platforms prohibitively expensive.
This paper describes an innovative concept using tethered
Aerostats as a platform for carrying out surveillance from high
altitude. Tethered aerostats are an outcome of Lighter-Than-
Air Technology, in which the static lift production mechanism
is based on the Archimedes Principle [1]. An aerostat does not
require any additional energy to reach to a certain deployment
altitude. The envelope of an aerostat is filled with a gas (such
as Helium or Hydrogen) whose density is lesser than that of
ambient air, and the upward buoyant force thus generates
leads to the lift. The envelope volume is large enough to
ensure that the displaced air should be able to produce
sufficient lift, under the entire range of operating conditions,
to balance all the weight groups of the aerostat system, viz.,
envelope, fin, pivot mechanism, payload, tether, recovery
system, gas filling ports, and safety valves.
A conceptual sketch of proposed system is shown in Fig. 1.

I. INTRODUCTION

W hen it comes to surveillance, the main factors that are

required are steady, high quality and distortion free
video. The objective of this project was to develop a re-
locatable surveillance system which can be deployed quickly
at a given location, and provide aerial imagery for several
hours below and around the deployment location. The
feasibility of the system was established through experiments
and a field trial. Large scale deployment of the developed
system can play a major role in disaster management and
augment the security at a location where events are taking
place.
Aerial surveillance can be accomplished by fitting camera
on several different platforms, viz., aircraft, helicopter, UAVs
Figure 1. Conceptual Sketch of a tethered aerostat system
and airships. These platforms are very costly, and involve
1
 Due to the aerodynamically efficient shape of the envelope,
as well as provision of adequately sized fins, an aerostat can The methodology starts with an assumed value of envelope
be designed to remain fairly steady even in strong ambient volume. Depending on the payload requirements, operating
wind conditions. Depending on the payload, range of altitude, temperature variation and other atmospheric input
surveillance, and operational time, these aerostats can be parameters, the surface area and other parameters like weight
launched to any desired altitude from a few meters above of envelope, tether and the fins are then estimated. Since the
ground level to as high as 5000 m above ground level. Of value of net lift available is known, the payload capacity of
course, the payload carrying capacity of an aerostat is reduced the aerostat can be estimated. The envelope volume is
as its operational height is increased. iteratively adjusted till the payload capacity of the aerostat
Aerostats can be easily and quickly deployed at high matches the requirement specified by the user.
altitudes, ensuring a long-endurance, and stable surveillance
B. Results of Sizing
system, with much lower distortion levels. Once they are
deployed, there is very little recurring additional expenditure Table 1 lists the key parameters supplied as input to this
to keep them afloat, mostly in the form of small amounts of methodology, and the output parameters generated therein.
Lighter-than-Air gas, just to top-up for the leakages through The aerostat was designed to carry out aerial surveillance,
the fabric over a period of time. using an onboard mounted light-weight digital camera, with
Section II of this paper describes the procedure used for its own memory. It was required to carry an adequately sized
geometric design and sizing of Aerostat. Section III gives an battery sized to provide power for all onboard systems for
overview of Surveillance equipment, fins and safety devices deployment of five hours at a stretch. The values of average
installed on the aerostat. Experimental details and description and maximum wind speed were assumed to be 2 m/s and 8
of field trials are included in Section IV. Life Cycle Cost m/s, respectively, as suggested by Rawat and Chandel [4]. The
Analysis is carried out in Section V, followed by Conclusions maximum average temperature was considered to be 32 deg.
in Section VI. C, as suggested by Ramachandra et al. [5], and max. Diurnal
temperature variation was assumed to be 20 deg.
II. AEROSTAT DESIGN
Parameters Value Units
A. Aerostat Design Methodology INPUT PARAMETERS
A methodology for sizing of a tethered aerostat has been Base Altitude 900 m (AMSL)
developed by Raina et al. [2], which has recently been updated Floating Altitude 50 m (AGL)
and enhanced by Kapoor and Pant [3]. This methodology Payload Weight 6.0 kg
arrives at geometrical dimensions and mass breakdown of an On-board equipment weight 2.5 kg
aerostat that meets certain user-specified operational and Max. ambient wind speed 8.0 m/s
performance related requirements. The methodology was used Average ambient temperature 32.0 deg. C
for sizing of an aerostat meeting the requirements and
Max. Diurnal temperature variation 20.0 deg. C
assumptions shown in Fig. 2
KEY OUTPUT PARAMETERS
Envelope Volume 30.0 m3
Envelope Surface Area 55.3 m2
Envelope Length 8.56 m
Mass of Envelope Group 10.0 kg
Mass of Fin Group 1.5 kg
Mass of Tether 3.0 kg
Mass of Payload carrying Bay 2.0 kg

The methodology also generates the geometrical profile of

the Envelope and the Fins, as shown in Fig. 3.

Figure 2. Flow Chart of the aerostat design methodology [2]

2

Figure 3. Profile of the aerostat similar to lynx shape
C. Design of Fins for Aerodynamic Stability
Adequately sized fins are needed to ensure stability of the
aerostat in changing wind conditions, by generating a side
force that enables the envelope to weather-cock, i.e.,
automatically align the nose in the direction of wind flow.
Three triangular fins of semi-rigid configuration were used;
they were constructed using aluminum truss framework
covered with a thin transparent PVC film. The length of the
base was 1.2 m, and the height was 2 m. The base was firmly
attached to the aerostat envelope with the help of hooks and
Velcro strips. The fins were structurally tested to sustain the
loads expected to occur up to 15 m/s, which was nearly twice
the maximum expected wind speed.
Fig. 4 shows a photograph of the fins attached to the aerostat
envelope.
Figure 4. Photograph of Fin attached to aerostat envelope
D. Camera Details
A High- Resolution pencil camera costing approx. INR
4000 was installed in the gondola for carrying out the
surveillance. It had a facility for recording 720p video for
around 90 minutes on an SD card of 4 GB capacity. The light-
weight camera weighed less than 60 g, but was able to record
the audio as well as video.
3
E. Winch Details
A manual winch was designed and fabricated for ease in
raising and lowering the aerostat envelope. This winch was a
much simpler version of an earlier design by Sequeira et al.
[6] in 2007. The winch had a central cradle for winding and
un-winding of the tether, and has four castor wheels for easy
mobility. Two large cement blocks were mounted on the
winch to make it heavy, so that it is not dragged away by the
forces acting on the tether, as shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 5 Photograph of the winch used in the trials
III. ONBOARD SAFETY DEVICES
In a tethered aerostat system, there is always a possibility of
accidental breakage of tether, which can occur due to many
reasons, e.g., human error, excessive loading due to high
winds, and lowering of tensile strength of tethers due to
damage or ageing, to name a few. Breakage of tether will
result in the envelope to rise up, and drift away due to the
ambient winds, and finally busting of the envelope (when the
differential pressure between the gas inside and the ambient
pressure will exceed its tearing strength. When this happens,
the buoyancy force will be lost suddenly, and the envelope
will start descending at a high rate. It will finally hit the
ground with a high velocity, which can cause severe damage
to the payload and equipment mounted onboard.
Hence, there is a need to install a system to recover the
onboard mounted payload and systems, in case of inadvertent
breakage of tether. Two such systems were installed in this
aerostat, and are described ahead.
A. Payload Recovery Device (PRD)
The PRD works on the principle that the tether remains in
tension as long as the aerostat is in deployed state. It has three
distinct elements, viz., tension loss detection, triggering the
circuit, and release of LTA gas inside the envelope. [7]
As soon as the breakage occur, the PRD actuating device
senses this loss of tension and then, after a pre-programmed
delay (to tackle transients in loss of tension), it triggers a
circuit to pass high discharge current through a Nichrome ring
mounted on top of the aerostat envelope, resulting in melting
of an adequately sized circular hole, leading to a slow release
of the contained LTA gas [8].
B. Emergency Rapid Deflation Device (ERDD)
As an added safety precaution, an ERDD was also installed
on the envelope, which can be actuated wirelessly to create a
hole on the top of the envelope. This device can be used to
intentionally bring down the aerostat envelope rapidly, in case
the weather situation deteriorates rapidly. It can also act as a
backup safety device in case the PRD system malfunctions for
some reason. The onboard mounted ERDD system
communicates wirelessly with a hand-held remote on the Fig. 6 Photograph of the aerostat just before deployment
ground, using Xbee-2 series pro boards.
The aerostat envelope was slowly deployed to a height of
IV. FIELD TRIAL OF TETHERED AEROSTAT around 50 m, as shown in Fig. 7.
The aerostat system was deployed in an open ground near
the OAT in the campus of NIT Hamirpur on 22nd April, 2014.
The first task that was accomplished on the previous night
was the laboratory tests on the working of PRD, ERDD, and
all the auxiliary systems that were to be attached to the
aerostat for safe deployment. Leak testing of the envelope was
also carried out to patch up the pinholes and leaks that had
developed during its transportation from Mumbai, and
handling.
The aerostat envelope and all accessories were then
transported to the deployment site during the early hours of
the day of deployment. The aerostat envelope was unpacked
on a carpet as a precaution to ensure that no damage occurs to
it, which can lead to leakage of LTA gas from it. The
Hydrogen gas was then slowly discharged into the envelope
by emptying the gas cylinders, one by one. It was observed
that after two cylinders were fully discharged in the envelope;
it started to rise up substantially.
Next, the payload bay and the two safety devices (PRD and
ERDD) were attached to the envelope. The circular Nichrome
wire sections were pasted on the top petals of the envelope.
The on-board camera and other payload devices are then
switched on and the aerostat is set for deployment. The tether
was unwound carefully and slowly to avoid any jerks. Finally
the fins were attached to the envelopes. Fig. 6 shows a Fig. 7 Photograph of the aerostat deployed ~50 m AGL
photograph of the aerostat ready for deployment, with all The tethered aerostat system was continuously deployed for
systems attached. around five hours. High resolution distortion-free video of the
campus was recorded by the on-board camera for around 80
minutes, after which the memory space on the 4 gB SD card
ran out! Fig. 8 is a photograph showing the video grab of the
onboard recorded video.

4
 the envelope every month, and also include charges for
transportation and monthly rental of a cylinder over the three
year period.
If Helium is used instead of Hydrogen in the aerostat
envelope, the one-time expenditure will more than double, and
life cycle cost would increase by around 2.2 times. This is
because Helium is nearly six times costlier than Hydrogen,
and also not easily available. However, the payload of the
airship would be reduced, since the lifting capacity of Helium
per m3 of gas is nearly 7% lower than that of Hydrogen [1].
Figure 8. Photograph of the aerial video recorded onboard the aerostat
During the field trial, an additional ERDD system was
installed on the aerostat apart from the PRD for enhanced
The field trial clearly established the efficacy of a tethered safety. When the system is deployed for long duration,
aerostat system as a re-locatable aerial surveillance system. however, the ERDD system cannot be deployed, because for it
to function, it would need someone to constant monitor the
aerostat on a 24x7 basis, and trigger the device manually,
V. LIFE CYCLE COST BREAKDOWN
which is highly impractical.
In a previous study [9] the life-cycle cost of an aerostat If the surveillance camera is mounted on a fixed tower of
system for providing last-mile wireless communications 50 m height, instead of an aerostat, the fixed costs would
solution was determined, and compared with the costs of a come out to be approx. INR 150,000 comprising cost of
fixed communications tower. On the same lines, a comparison material and transportation, and labor charges for fabrication
of the life-cycle cost of the tethered aerostat system for long in hilly areas [10]. The operating cost of a tower based
endurance surveillance with that of an immobile, fixed, system, however, would be much lower, perhaps of the order
terrestrial system was carried out. of INR 10,000 annually [10]. The life cycle cost of setting up
Table II lists the major components of the life-cycle cost of a fixed tower is thus estimated to be around INR 180,000 for a
the tethered aerostat system for aerial surveillance, spread span of three years, i.e., INR 53,000 higher. While the aerostat
over a period of three years. envelope would have hardy any worthwhile residual life after
continuous deployment for three years, the fixed tower could
Table II: Life-Cycle cost breakdown over three years be used for many more years to come!
However, it must be kept in mind that an aerostat based
Component Cost (INR) surveillance system is easily re-locatable to any location of
Breakdown of Setting-up Cost (One Time)
Camera 4,000
interest for aerial surveillance. The proposed system can also
Aerostat Envelope 25,000 be deployed quickly to serve the disaster management and
Initial Gas Filling 10,700 relief agencies during emergency situations like floods,
Tether 500 earthquakes and other natural disaster affected areas, where
Winch 5,000
Payload Recovery Device (PRD) 4,800
there is a need of rapid search and rescue squad. The
Sub-Total 50,000 possibility of quick relocation and deployment of this system
Breakdown of Operating Cost (over three years) to any location, with very less launching area requirement is a
Gas Top-up 38,000 huge advantage.
Tether replacement 2,000
System Maintenance 27,000
Spare Battery for PRD 3,000 VI. CONCLUSIONS
Contingencies 7,000 The proposed surveillance system using aerostat has been
Sub-Total 77,000
Total Life Cycle Cost 127,000
studied extensively for its technical and economic feasibility.
The field trial at NIT Hamirpur proved that the system can be
It can be seen that the one-time expenditure involved in used for long-duration aerial surveillance, with a wide field of
fabrication of Aerostat is INR 50,000, which includes the on- view. A comparison with the life-cycle cost of a fixed land
board camera costing INR 4,000. The operating cost for a life- based system also brought out several advantages of this
cycle of three years is INR 77,000, which works out to be system.
approx. INR 2140 per month. These costs have been worked
out assuming commercially available Hydrogen gas of 99% ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
purity is used as the LTA Gas. The expenses towards Gas The authors would like to thank TEQIP-II for providing
Top-up listed in Table II assume that 5 % of gas leaks out of

5
financial support for funding of this project, and Prof. Rajesh
Sharma, Head, Dept. of Mechanical Engg., NIT Hamirpur for
administrative help and support. We would also like to thank
Mr. Vishal Sharma, JRF (Project) and Mr. Vivek Pradeep
Kumar, JRF (Project), LTA Systems Lab., Aerospace
Engineering Department, IIT Bombay for the help in
fabrication of Aerostat envelope and PRD circuit, and
assistance in carrying out the field trial. We also wish to
acknowledge the support of all the students and laboratory
staff of NIT Hamirpur who assisted us during the laboratory
tests, fabrication of system components, fins and winch,
system integration and field trial.

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