Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 What if we could use a balloon in combination with a kite. The idea is to use the balloon with helium to get considerable height, say 200 meters and then release a kite. I believe the chance of wind is much greater at this level and being able to launch the kite in low wind would be a considerable advantage. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 How much energy does it take to produce helium? However, we could use all those left over rubber gloves as balloons. Should shave some of the cost. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 What are we trying to achieve here? Link to post Share on other sites
Brendon 0 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 The Idea of using a kite to provide sail power is not a new idea and has been used a number of times, as you said the wind is stronger up there, but i think the balloon idea is unnecessary, a kite can be raised without one and it wound add a lot of unnecessary complication and expense. Link to post Share on other sites
B00B00 310 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 We have made well over 100 of them at north sails NZ. The biggest just over 400sqm and most of them around 180sqm. All for comercial shipping. There are a few other projects on the go so normal yachts. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 What are we trying to achieve here? Tangling of said kite with helicopters and low flying aircraft. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 From an article in Gizmag about using kites for energy production......."According to Fraunhofer, figures for the past year show that there is a 35 percent chance of wind speeds reaching 5 m/s (16 ft/s) at a height of 10 meters (32.8 ft), but the likelihood increases to 70 percent at heights of 500 meters (1,640 ft)." The idea is to use the kite when conditions are light, get height with the helium quickly. Thanks Booboo, if these are being used successfully on ships imagine the market for yacht versions!! Are these difficult to operate Brendon? I guess the kite could be the balloon which would be simpler. On a ten metre yacht one could have have a ten metre or so "wingspan" hoist one end on the spinnaker halyard, inflate, then release with a trip line and some sort of mechanism. That would get it up in really light conditions to where more wind hides. Getting higher would give another advantages in that the kite could be smaller due to more wind aloft. With helium on board it would be easy to inflate a balloon and release to see what the wind was doing aloft. Let me know where and when you are flying! Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Pope 246 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Helium is being used faster than it is being produced, another (almost) finite resource. Just another thought on human use of gasses, I wonder how many tonnes of Co2 are being released by carbonated soft drinks. Apparently the drink industry is one of the largest users of the Co2 recovered at Marsden Point Refinery by Airliquid ltd.. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Well we could launch with a ROCKET. yaahhh hooooooooooo. Link to post Share on other sites
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