700.431.110601.OSRIBalloon
OSRIBalloonBasedSpillSurveillanceSystemOperationsandTestingResults
ReporttoPrinceWilliamSoundRegionalCitizensAdvisoryCouncil
June2011
W.ScottPegauResearchProgramManager,OilSpillRecoveryInstitute
ThisreportincludescontributionsfromPrinceWilliamSoundRegionalCitizensAdvisoryCouncil,BPExplorationAlaska,Inc.,andAlaskaCleanSea,PrinceWilliamSoundScienceCenter,andtheOilSpillRecoveryInstitute.
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ContentsOverview ......................................................................................................................................................2
Operationsregulations.................................................................................................................................5
Assembly ......................................................................................................................................................8
Deployment................................................................................................................................................11
Maintenance ..............................................................................................................................................14
Applications................................................................................................................................................15
Testing ........................................................................................................................................................15
Lessonslearned ..........................................................................................................................................22
Futurework ................................................................................................................................................24
Systemselectionconsiderations ................................................................................................................25
BestAvailableTechnologyselectioncriteria ..............................................................................................28
OverviewThisdocumentisdesignedtodescribeinmoredetailtheuseandoperationofaballoonsurveillancesystem.AsystemwaspurchasedbythePrinceWilliamSoundScienceCenter(PWSSC)in2009forthepurposeoftestingitsapplicabilityforoilspillsurveillance.Theoriginalconceptforthesystemwasanoutputofaworkshoptitled,Hydrocarbonsensorsforoilspillpreventionandresponse(http://www.pwsosri.org/publications/Hydrocarbon%20Sensors.pdf)thatwasjointlysponsoredbytheOilSpillRecoveryInstitute(OSRI)andtheAllianceforCoastalTechnology.Thedesirewastodevelopasystemtoprovideaerialobservationcapabilitywithinaresponsefleet.Thetetheredballoonsystemwaschosenbecauseithassimplerpermittingrequirementsandoperationsneedsthanunmannedaerialvehicles(UAV).ThisdocumentfocusesonthesystemownedbythePrinceWilliamSoundScienceCenterwithdiscussionaboutothersystemsasapplicable.Thereareothervendorsofballoonsandcamerasystems.Someadditionalinformationonalternativesystemsisprovidedinthesectiononselectioncriterialaterinthisdocument.Thisdocumentbuildsupontheoperationmanualprovidedbythemanufacturer,alessonslearneddocumentfromBrianGreenofAlaskaCleanSeasrelatedtotestingdonewithhim,andlessonslearnedfromotherdeployments.Itbenefitedfromtheinputofallpartiesinvolvedinthetestinginparticular,BrianGreen(ACS),JeremyRobida(PWSRCAC),andReginaWard(BPExplorationAlaska).
ThesystemownedbyPWSSCwasselectedbasedonthefollowingcriteria.
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1. Operateona50footfishingvessel.Thesearetypicallyseinersthathave25feetofflatopendeck.
2. Operateinrelativewindspeedsof30knots.3. Viewanareaof2milesaroundtheship.Furtherisbetter.4. Beabletoresolvepatchesonthewaterof3metersindiameterattwomilerange.5. Transmittheimagestothemothervessel.Ifpossibletotransmittosurroundingrecovery
vesselsthatwouldbebeneficial.6. Athermalinfraredcamerasystemisdesired.Wewouldliketobeabletoexchangeforaregular
cameraduringthedayorhaveacombinedsystem.7. Thesystemshouldbedeployableinlightrain.Wewouldliketoexplorethelimitsatsubfreezing
temperatures.Inthefuturewewouldliketodeployat40degrees,butwewillstartwithtemperaturesabovefreezing.
8. Expectedcloudceilingis500feet.Thisisareasonablelimitingcase,butwewillexplorethetradeoffsofneedingtoputthesystemhigher.
9. Imageupdateatleastevery15seconds,butmorerapidispreferred.10. Georeferencedimageryisdesired,butnotrequiredatthistime.
ThesystemselectedbyPWSSCincludesaSkyDoctwoplymodel18aerostatwithaLatitudeEngineeringParacamvisibleandinfraredvideocamerasystem.TheSkyDocaerostatisakitestyleballoon(Figure1)thatallowsittogainliftwithincreasingwindspeedandisratedforwindsupto80knots.Amodel18requires969cubicfeetofheliumtofill.ThePWSSCsystemincludesa3milballooncontainedinanyloncover.Filleditisapproximately14feetindiameterand9feetinheightwith24poundsofliftinnowind.Theamountofliftincreasesrapidlywithwindspeed.Threecontrollinesattachtoatetherthatthenrunstotheship.ThePWSSCtetherisstrictlyastrengthmember;howeverothertetherscanincludeelectricalcablestosupplypowerorcommunicationswiththecamera.Moreinformationcanbefoundat:http://www.skydocballoon.com/
Figure1.Theredportionistheballoonthatisfilledwithhelium.Ithasaflattenedshapeandwhenthereiswindthesail(whiteclothbelowtheballoon)orientstheballoonintothewind.Theballoonwillalsotiltbackwardsallowingtheflatterbottomsectiontoactasakitewiththesailfunctioningasthetailofthekite.
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FortherecenttestinginPrinceWilliamSoundtheBPExplorationAlaska,Inc.sSkyDocsingleplymodel15aerostatwasused.Amodel15requires560cufeetofheliumtofill.Filleditisapproximately12feetindiameterand8feetinheightwith22poundsofliftinnowind.TheBPballoonwasa3milballoonwithoutacover.TherewasachangeindesignandmanufacturerusedbySkyDocbetweenthepurchaseofthePWSSCballoonandtheBPballoon.TheBPballoonhasasingleseambetweenhemispheresversusthemultipleverticalseemsinthePWSSCballoon.Thebasicfunctionalityoftheballoonsdidnotchange,however.
TheLatitudeEngineeringParacamsystemusedinthePWSSCsystemincludesaCloudCapTASE200visibleandinfraredcameraandgimbalsystemthatprovidespanandtilt,lithiumbattery,gps,andwirelesstransmissionsystemforcommunicationswiththeoperatingvessel.AdeckunitconnectedtoacomputerwithGimbalUIorViewpointsoftwareprovidesthemeanstocontrolthecameraandviewandrecordthevideosignal(Figure2).Manyaspectsofthecamerasystemcanbeselectedatpurchaseorchangedbythemanufacturer.Theseincludethestrengthofcommunicationsystem,focallengthofthecameralenses,andabilitytohavethesystemservemultiplereceivingstations.ThesystemtestedisbuiltuponaCloudCapTASE200systemwithaSonyFCBEX980visiblecamera(fullcolorand20xzoom)andaFLIRPhoton320IRcamerawith35mmlens(2xzoom).Thecommunicationssystemissetupshortrangeandforonereceivingstation.Communicationsareexpecteduptofivemilesalonglineofsightwithoursystem.Limitedextensionofcommunicationrangecanbeachievedbychangingtheantennasonthedecksystem,thecamera,orboth.Batterylifeisexpectedtobeeighthours.Thereistheabilitytoconnecttoexternalpowerandcommunicationsifnecessary,butPWSSCdoesnotowntheappropriatetethercable.Thecamerasystemisattachedtoasupportcradlethatisthenconnectedtothethreecontrolcablesoftheballoon.Thegimbalalsohasonboardimagestabilizationbuiltsoastohelpsteadythevideofeedimages.Thegimbalallowsforviewing360horizontalpanningandtiltfromstraightdownuptothecameraframe.Moreinformationcanbefoundat:http://www.latitudeengineering.net/index.php/products/paracam.html
ThecameraoriginallycamewithGimbalUIasthecontrolsoftware.Inthatsoftwareitispossibletoviewthevideoalongwithseveralcharacteristicsofthecamerasuchasthepointingangleandviewpositionontheground.Thecalculationoftheviewpositionrequiresthatadigitalelevationmodelbedownloadedpriortooperationthatcoverstheareathattheballoonisbeingoperatedin.AnewerversionofsoftwarecalledViewpointhasallofthefeaturesofGimbalUI,butisalsoabletomaptheviewinglocation(Figure2)toprovideamoreintuitivefeelwhencontrollingthecameraposition.Thecameraviewcanbeadjustedusingeitherthegamecontrollerorusingamouseandkeystrokes.Itispossibletoclickonalocationandthecamerawilladjustitselftothatpointandtrytoremainfocusedonit.Thereareseveraltypesofmaplayersthatcanbedownloadedfromthewebfordisplayinginthemapview.Thesecanbeverylargefilesandneedtobedownloadedbeforedeployingthesensor.
Whentherecordfunctioninthesoftwareisactivateditrecordsallofthevideoandcontrolinformationintoaseriesoffilesaboutonesecondinlength.Thisallowstheentirevideotobereplayedandthedisplayscanbechangedtoexaminedifferentpiecesofinformationrecordedbythesystem.Thesmallfilesalsoprovidethepotentialforsendingpartofthevideosignalthroughtheinternettootherlocations.
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Figure2.ShownisascreenshotoftheViewpointsoftware.Theleftpanelshowsthepointbeingviewed(redcircle).Therightshowsthevideoandsomeofthecameracharacteristics.Forinstancethezoomlevelisinthebottomright.Otherviewsareavailablethatgivemoreinformationaboutthecameraandareabeingviewed.
Thesystemwasdevelopedwiththeideaofconnectingtoashipwithawinchorcapstansystemtodeploytheballoon.Ithasalsobeendeployedfromatruckforobservationsoverland.Awinchsystemisrequiredastheballoonliftwillexceedthecapabilitytocontrolitbyhandatwindspeedsaslowas10knots.
OperationsregulationsOperationrestrictionsarelistedinFederalAviationAdministrationCFR14Part101.
Title14:AeronauticsandSpacePART101MOOREDBALLOONS,KITES,AMATEURROCKETSANDUNMANNEDFREEBALLOONS
SubpartBMooredBalloonsandKites
Source:DocketNo.1580,28FR6722,June29,1963,unlessotherwisenoted.
101.11Applicability.
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Thissubpartappliestotheoperationofmooredballoonsandkites.However,apersonoperatingamooredballoonorkitewithinarestrictedareamustcomplyonlywith101.19andwithadditionallimitationsimposedbytheusingorcontrollingagency,asappropriate.
101.13Operatinglimitations.
(a)Exceptasprovidedinparagraph(b)ofthissection,nopersonmayoperateamooredballoonorkite
(1)Lessthan500feetfromthebaseofanycloud;
(2)Morethan500feetabovethesurfaceoftheearth;
(3)Fromanareawherethegroundvisibilityislessthanthreemiles;or
(4)Withinfivemilesoftheboundaryofanyairport.
(b)Paragraph(a)ofthissectiondoesnotapplytotheoperationofaballoonorkitebelowthetopofanystructureandwithin250feetofit,ifthatshieldedoperationdoesnotobscureanylightingonthestructure.
101.15Noticerequirements.
Nopersonmayoperateanunshieldedmooredballoonorkitemorethan150feetabovethesurfaceoftheearthunless,atleast24hoursbeforebeginningtheoperation,hegivesthefollowinginformationtotheFAAATCfacilitythatisnearesttotheplaceofintendedoperation:
(a)Thenamesandaddressesoftheownersandoperators.
(b)Thesizeoftheballoonorthesizeandweightofthekite.
(c)Thelocationoftheoperation.
(d)Theheightabovethesurfaceoftheearthatwhichtheballoonorkiteistobeoperated.
(e)Thedate,time,anddurationoftheoperation.
101.17Lightingandmarkingrequirements.
(a)Nopersonmayoperateamooredballoonorkite,betweensunsetandsunriseunlesstheballoonorkite,anditsmooringlines,arelightedsoastogiveavisualwarningequaltothatrequiredforobstructionstoairnavigationintheFAApublicationObstructionMarkingandLighting.
(b)Nopersonmayoperateamooredballoonorkitebetweensunriseandsunsetunlessitsmooringlineshavecoloredpennantsorstreamersattachedatnotmorethan50footintervalsbeginningat150feetabovethesurfaceoftheearthandvisibleforatleastonemile.
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(Sec.6(c),DepartmentofTransportationAct(49U.S.C.1655(c)))
[Doc.No.1580,28FR6722,June29,1963,asamendedbyAmdt.1014,39FR22252,June21,1974]
101.19Rapiddeflationdevice.
Nopersonmayoperateamooredballoonunlessithasadevicethatwillautomaticallyandrapidlydeflatetheballoonifitescapesfromitsmoorings.Ifthedevicedoesnotfunctionproperly,theoperatorshallimmediatelynotifythenearestATCfacilityofthelocationandtimeoftheescapeandtheestimatedflightpathoftheballoon.
Adescriptionoftherequiredmarkingsandlightingsareprovidedbelow.
2/1/0/07AC70/74601KCHG2CHAPTER11.MARKINGANDLIGHTINGMOOREDBALLOONSANDKITES110.PURPOSEThepurposeofmarkingandlightingmooredballoons,kites,andtheircablesormooringlinesistoindicatethepresenceandgeneraldefinitionoftheseobjectstopilotswhenconvergingfromanynormalangleofapproach.111.STANDARDSThesemarkingandlightingstandardspertaintoallmooredballoonsandkitesthatrequiremarkingandlightingunder14CFR,part101.112.MARKINGFlagmarkersshouldbeusedonmooringlinestowarnpilotsoftheirpresenceduringdaylighthours.a.Display.Markersshouldbedisplayedatnomorethan50foot(15m)intervalsandshouldbevisibleforatleast1statutemile.b.Shape.Markersshouldberectangularinshapeandnotlessthan2feet(0.6m)onaside.Stiffenersshouldbeusedintheborderssoastoexposealargearea,preventdroopingincalmwind,orwrappingaroundthecable.c.ColorPatterns.Oneofthefollowingcolorpatternsshouldbeused:1.SolidColor.Aviationorange.2.OrangeandWhite.Twotriangularsections,oneofaviationorangeandtheotherwhite,combinedtoformarectangle.113.PURPOSEFlashingobstructionlightsshouldbeusedonmooredballoonsorkitesandtheirmooringlinestowarnpilotsoftheirpresenceduringthehoursbetweensunsetandsunriseandduringperiodsofreducedvisibility.Theselightsmaybeoperated24hoursaday.a.Systems.Flashingred(L864)orwhitebeacons(L865)maybeusedtolightmooredballoonsorkites.Highintensitylights(L856)arenotrecommended.b.Display.Flashinglightsshouldbedisplayedonthetop,nosesection,tailsection,andonthetethercableapproximately15feet(4.6m)belowthecraftsoastodefinetheextremesofsizeandshape.Additionallightsshouldbeequallyspacedalongthecablesoveralllengthforeach350feet(107m)orfractionthereof.c.Exceptions.Whentherequirementsofthisparagraphcannotbemet,floodlightingmaybeused.114.OPERATIONALCHARACTERISTICSThelightintensityiscontrolledbyadevicethatchangestheintensitywhentheambientlightchanges.Thesystemshouldautomaticallyturnthelightsonandchangeintensitiesasambientlightcondition
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change.Thereverseordershouldapplyinchangingfromnighttimetodaytimeoperation.Thelightsshouldflashsimultaneously.
FAAPolicy/Request.ForoperationstheFAAhasrequestedthatawaiver/applicationform77111besubmittedtoFAAWesternServiceCenter,OperationsSupportGroup,AJVW2,1601LindAve.SW,Renton,WA98057.Theywanttheformtohelpdeterminewhoshouldbecontacted.Itisvaluableindeterminingifthereareairstripsthatmaybeintheoperatingarea.
ForoperationsinPrinceWilliamSounditwasrequestedthattheoperator:
1. Between6and24hourspriortolaunch:ContacttheJuneauFlightServiceStationat9075867385andasktoissueaNoticetoAirmen
2. Between6and24hourspriortolaunch:ContacttheAnchorageAirRouteTrafficControlCenterat9072691108
3. Whentheballoonhasbeenretrievedandtheoperationcompletedtocontactbothcentersandletthemknowoftheterminationinoperations.
Whennotifyingthefacilitiesbepreparedtoprovidetheinformationlistedundersection101.15.
AssemblyTheballooncomespreassembled.Itmaybenecessarytoensurethesailisfirmlyattachedtothekeelcontrolline.Thesailshouldbeabletofill,butnotrideupthecontrolline.Theonlyotherassemblytypicallyrequiredistheadditionoftaglinestoallowpersonneltocontroltheballoonwhenitisatgroundlevel.Thetaglinesshouldextenddownsotheywillreachthegroundataboutthesamepointasthethreecontrollinesontheballoon(Figure3).Afterpreliminaryfieldtesting,smalllinegripswereadded(Figure4)alongthecontrollinesforsuspendingthecamera.Thisadditionmadeitmucheasiertoadjustandlevelthecamera.Thelinegripshouldbeinstalledsoittightenswhenpulleddownward.
Thecamerarequirestheinstallationofitslithiumbattery,connectionofcommunication,video,gpscables,andmountingonasupporttoconnecttotheballoon(Figure5).Thelithiumbatteryisrechargeableandfitsinacompartmenttothesideofthecamera.Differenttypesofantennascanbeusedinthevideo(2400MHz)andcommunications(900MHz)toincreaserange.Thusfar,onlyomnidirectionalantennashavebeenusedonthecamera,althoughPWSSCownsdirectionalantennas.Thecameraattachestoamountingsystembyfourboltsonthetopofthecamera.
Thedeckunit(Figure6)requiresinstallationoftwoantennasforvideoandoneforcommunications.PWSSCtestingusedbothomnidirectionalandexternalantennas.Theexternalantennasprovideabettersignalwhenoperatingwithinavessel.Thedeckunitrequires120voltacpower.DuringtestinginPWSa600wattinverterconnectedtothevesselsD.C.busspoweredthevideosystem.Avideooutcableconnectstoavideocapturecardonalaptopcomputer.Aserialoutputcableconnectstothelaptopforcommunicationswiththecontrolsoftware.
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Alaptopcomputerisconnectedtothedeckboxwiththevideoandcommunicationscables.Agamecontrollerisalsoconnectedforcontrollingthecamerafunctions(Figure6).
Figure3.
Theballoonsystemassembledanddeployed.Thethreewhitelinesthatconnecttothecameraandmergetogethertoconnecttothetetherarecontrollines.Threelinesthatareloosearetaglinestocontroltheballoonwhenitisneartheground.
Controlline
sail
Tagline
Camera
Figure4.BuckmasterLinegripsystem.
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Figure5.Thecamerasystemassembledfordeployment.
Figure6.Thedeckunitisontheleftandlaptoponrightshowingantennasandothercables.
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Thesystemtesteddoesnothaveadedicatedwinch.Acapstanorwinchofsomevarietyisnecessaryfordeployment.Ifavesselswinch(e.g.netreel)isusedthenthetetherwillneedtobewoundontothewinch.Ifaballoondockingstationisuseditwillrequireassemblyaswell.
DeploymentMakesuretonotifytheF.A.A.approximately24hoursinadvancebeforebeginningballoonoperations.Theexceptionfornotificationisifthedeploymentmeetstheobstructed(shielded)deploymentcriteriaortheballoonremainsbelow150feetaslistedintheregulations.
Fillingtheballoonrequiresfourpeople.Deploymentandretrievalofthecamerarequiresatleasttwopeople.Ideally,fivepeoplewouldbeusedtofilltheballoonandthreefordeployment/retrieval.Windcomplicatesthings,soitisidealtofill,deploy,andretrievetheballoonincalmconditions.Thatbeingsaid,itsnotalwayspracticalorpossibletodothis,andtheequipmentisdesignedtohandlesuchconditionsanyways.Extrapersonalmayberequiredunderchallengingconditions.Whenfillingunderwindyconditionsensurethesailcannotcatchthewindbyhavingthesidewiththesailpointingintothewind.
Beginbyfillingtheballoon.Itisrecommendedthatatarpbelaiddownbelowwheretheballoonisinflatedtohelpprotectitfromrocksandothersharpobjects.Closeanyreleaseplugsontheballoon.Connectahose(handtight)toaheliumtankandensurethehosecanreachthefillnozzleoftheballoon.Notethatthereareseveralsizesofheliumbottles;makesuretochecktoensureyouhaveenoughheliumtofullyinflatetheballoonbasedonthenumberofcubicfeetofvolumeforthemodelofballoon.Itisbesttoensuretheballoonisconnectedtothetether,andthetetherisattachedtothevesselbeforebeginningtofill.
Tofilltheballoononepersonshouldinsertthehoseintothefillconnectionoftheballoon(Figure7)whileasecondpersonslowlyopensthevalveontheheliumtank.Atleasttwootherpeopleshouldbeavailabletohelpcontroltheballoonasitfills.Careshouldbetakentoreducedirectlyblowingheliumontotheballoonmaterial.Filltheballoonslowlyuntilabubbleformsthattheheliumcanflowinto.Thepersonattheheliumtankcanslowlyincreasetheflowspeedastheballoonfills.Theconnectorattheheliumtankwillbecomeverycoldasthebottleempties.Thismaycausetheconnectortofreezeontothetanksoawrenchmaybenecessarytodisconnectthehose.Severalheliumtanksaregoingtobeneededtofilltheballoonsocareshouldbetakentoreduceheliumlosswhilechangingthehosebetweentanks.Filltheballoonuntilitistaunt.Newerballoonsmayhaveastrapthatbecomestightwhentheballoonisfull.Whentheballoonisfullremovethefillhoseandtwistthefillconnectortopreventheliumloss.Thetwistedfillconnectorcanbeheldshutwitharubberband,hairscrunchy,oralargebinderclip(Figure8).
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Figure7.Beginningtofilltheballoon.Theyellowhoseconnectsthefillnozzle(inhand)withtheheliumtanksonthetruck.
Figure8.Binderclipusedtoclosethefillhose.
Withtheballoonfilledthehandlersonthetaglinescanmoveittothevesselorletitupuntilthetethertightens(Figure9).Whenhandlingtheballoonitisimportanttoensurethesidewiththesailpointstowardthewind.Caremustbetakentonotfillthesailwithair,thusmakingtheballoonintoalargekitewhileitisbeingheld.Oncecontrolistransferredtothetetheritcanbepulleddowntoamountingplatformonthevessel,orifoperatinginafairlyopenareaitcanbeleft20to30feetabovethevesselduringtransport.Caremustbetakentoensuretheballoonandlinesdonotfoulinanyriggingonthevessel.
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Figure9.Balloonhandlerslettheballoonupwhilethetethertothevessel(belowthedock)tightensthetethertothecontrollines.
Notethatwhentheballoonisbelow100feetitmaybeinfluencedbygroundturbulence,whichwillcausetheballoontomoveerratically.Thishasntbeenanissueinmarinedeploymentsoncetheballoonisaboveanyturbulencecausedbythevesselssuperstructure.
Forthefirstdeploymentitislikelythatthecontrollineswillneedtobeadjustedfortheballoontoflyproperly.Therearethreecontrollines(keel,port,andstarboard).Thekeellineattachestothebackoftheballoonandshouldbeattachedtothesailontheballoon.Withnowindthefrontoftheballoonshouldpointdownaboutsixdegrees.Todeterminetheproperlengthsoftheportandstarboardcontrollinestheballoonshouldbeputupabout100feetandtowedataboutsixtoeightknots.Iftheballoonveerstoonesideitwillneedtoberetrievedandthecontrollineonthatsidelengthened(ortheothersideshortened)aboutaninchandthenrepeatthetowingtest.Rememberthatchangingthelengthoftheportandstarboardcontrollinescaninfluencethepitchoftheballoonsoitmaybenecessarytorecheckthekeellineoncetheforwardcontrollinesareadjusted.
Thedeckunit,computer,andcamerashouldbesetupasdescribedearlier.Careshouldbetakentoensuretheantennashaveagoodviewoftheexpectedballoonposition.Itmaybebesttoputthetwovideoantennasattachedtothedeckboxpointingatrightanglestoeachothertomaximizethepotentialvideoreception.Witheverythingassembledthesoftwareshouldbestartedandthecameraturnedontoensureproperoperationbeforeattachingthecameratotheballoon.Itisnecessarytopushtheredbuttononthedeckunittoselectthepropervideochannelbeforethepicturecanbeviewed.Oncethe
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cameraisverifiedtobeoperatingproperlyitshouldbeattachedtothethreecontrollinesoftheballoonandtheballoonsentaloft.
Duringretrievaltheballoonshouldbereeledinascloseaspossible.Underwindyconditionsthefrontendoftheballoonwillneedtobepulleddownortheballoonturnedaroundtoremovethekiteeffect.Atthispointitstillisaverylargeobjectsubjecttobeingblownbythewindandcareisneededtotryandkeeptheballoonflatsoitdoesnotflipoverorcatchthewind.
Whendeflatingtheballoonthefillnozzleshouldbeopenedandpointedupwardtoallowtheheliumtoescape.Goodventilationinthedeflationareaisrequired.Avacuumcanbeusedtohelppullresidualheliumoutafterthebulkofthepressurehasbeenrelieved.Caremustbetakennottodamagetheballoonifusingavacuum.
MaintenanceTheprimarymaintenancetasksarechargingthebatteryandkeepingtheballoonfilledwithhelium.Thecamerabatterymustberemovedfromthecamerabyremovingthesixscrewsonthebatterycoverandremovingthebattery.Cautionmustbetakenasthisisalithiumbatterythatrequirescarefulcharging.ThePWSSCsystemhasanUltralifebatterychargingstationthatisconnectedtothebatteryandthenpluggeduntoanacpowersocket(Figure10).Thelightsonthechargerwillblinkwhilethebatteryischargingandstayononcechargingiscomplete(severalhours).Therearetwobatterychargeindicatorsonthebatteryaswell.Withmultiplebatteriesitispossibletoreplacebatteriesandredeploythecamerasystemwithinanapproximatehalfhourofoutofservicetime.Thetimerequiredtocompletelyrechargeabatteryisseveralhours.
Figure10.Thebatteryconnectedtothebatterycharger.
Theballoonspecificationsareforapproximatelyonepercentlossofheliumperday.TestsinCordovausingaballoonfilledwithairverifiedthislossrate.Withaballoonoperatinginthisconditionitshouldonlybenecessarytoretrievetheballoontoaddheliumapproximatelyonceaweek.
Leaksintheballoonwillleadtohigherheliumlossratesandnecessitatepatchingtheballoon.ATearaidpatchTypeBisrecommendedforpatching(www.tearaid.com).Thisisacleartapeforpatchingvinylproducts.TheballooncanbepatchedusingDucttapeifnecessary.
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Tofindaleaktheballoonshouldbefilledwithairusingahighvolumeairpump.Oncetheballoonistaunttheholemaybefoundusingasoapywatersolutionandlookforbubblesformingorbyfeelingalongtheballoonfortheairleak.Onceaholeislocatedtheareashouldbecleanedusinganalcoholpad,dried,andthenanappropriatesizepatchapplied.
Beforeanydeploymentalllinesshouldbeinspectedtoensuretheyareingoodworkingorder.Theballooncanpullwithalotofforcesofrayedlinesshouldbereplaced.
ApplicationsThissystemisintendedtofunctioninasimilarmannertoaerialobserversinplanes.Thestrengthoftheapproachisinbeingabletoremainaloftwiththevesselformuchlongerperiodsoftimethanispossiblewithaircraft.Itprovidesameanstoreducerisktopersonnelbyreducingtheneedformannedaircraft,particularlyinmarginalflyingconditions.Itprovidesanabilitytodetectoilwithinacouplemilesofthesystemandinstantlyrelaythatinformationtovesselswithinthatarea.Itisalsorelativelysimpletodeployfromvehiclesliketrucksaswellasboats.
Theballoonismerelyadeploymentplatformandtheapplicationitisusedforwilldependonthesensorpayload.Thepayloadofthesystemisdependentontheabilityoftheballoontocarryitandsupplytherequiredpower.Thisallowssensorsotherthanvisibleopticstobedeployed.Asdescribedthesystemtestedhasvisibleopticsandthermalinfraredcapabilities.TheIRsystemprovidesthesameinformationasForwardLookingInfrared(FLIR)camerasonaircraftandhelicopters.Thereisthepossibilitytocarryradarsystems,butnotsystemsthatrequirethesensortobemovingwithsomespeedlikethesyntheticapertureradar(SAR).Thereisthepossibilitytocarryothertypesofsensorslikespectralradiometersoralaserfluorometer,andgas/vapordetectors;howeverthesemayrequiredevelopmentworktobuildtheappropriatesensors.
Besidesoildetectionitmayprovideavaluabletoolforresourcemanagement.Itwouldallowataskforceleadertoobservethevesselsinthetaskforceandseeiftheyareinthecorrectlocationandcorrectlyimplementingthetacticstheywereassigned.Fromafixedpointdeployment(e.g.overaspillonland)theycanalsohelpinkeepingtrackofpersonnelandtheboundariesofthespill.Inatowedmodeitcouldbeusedtomapashoreline.Itcouldalsobeusedforwildlifeobservations.
Theballooncouldalsobeusedtodevelopacommunicationrelaysystembycarryingrepeatingequipment.Innewdevelopmentitneedstoberememberedthattheballoonmaynotneedtocarryalltheequipment.Forcommunicationitmayonlyneedtocarrytheantennaandhaveitconnectedtootherelectronicsonthegroundthroughanelectricaltether.
TestingTodatethePWSSCsystemhasbeendeployedonfiveoccasions.Thesedeploymentshavefocusedonlearningthebasicoperationofthesystemandtestingspecificcharacteristicsofit.Noformaltrainingintheassemblyandoperationoftheballoonorcamerasystemwasprovidedbeforedeploymentduring
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thetests.Onlyinthelastsetoftestswasarepresentativeofthesurveillancesystemmanufactureravailabletoprovideadditionaltrainingonsystemoperation.Inspiteofthelackofformaltrainingithasbeenpossibletoassembleandoperatethesystembasedonlimitednotes(basisforearliersectionsofthisdocument)withinacouplehours.
Thefirstdeploymentwasin2009atindustryappreciationdayinNikiski,Alaska.Duringtransportonthetruckbackfromtheeventthesingleplyballoonpopped.Itissuspectedthatthecauseofthefailurewastheballoonsnaggingasharpedgeofasetscrewusedonthedockingcradle.TheballoonwassubsequentlyreplacedwithalargerballoonthatincludedacoverasdescribedasthePWSSCsystemintheprevioustext.
ThereplacementballoonwasdeployedofftheCookInletSpillPreventionandResponseInc.(CISPRI)responsevesselM/VPerseveranceinAprilof2010.Thesystemwasinflatedonthevesselanddeployedfromthestern.Nocapstanorwinchwasavailablesoithadtobedeployedandretrievedbyhand,whichwasonlypossibleduetothelightwindsduringthetestingperiod.ThetestingoccurredduringaCISPRItrainingeventwheredifferentobservationtechnologieswerebeingused.BrianReithandBrianHackweretheCISPRIcontactsforthattesting.
FurthertestingoccurredinOctober2010withAlaskaCleanSeas(ACS)inPrudhoeBay.BrianGreenandLeeMajorsweretheprimarycontactsatACSforthesetests.Twosetsoftestsoccurredoverathreedayperiod.ThefirsttestsweredeploymentwasfromtheirresponsevesselHarrisonBay.Theballoonwasinflatednexttotheroadandwalkedtothevesselwhereitwassuspendedatlowaltitudefortransportation(Figure11).Theballoonwasdeployedandretrievedusingasmallcapstanonthevessel.Powerforthecomputerandcameracontrollerwasprovidedbythevesselsa.c.powersystem.Testingincludeddeploymentandretrieval,camerasystembasiccapabilities(Figure12),viewingacrossabandofseaice,testingthedistanceobjectscouldbeseen,andsearchingforasealonicewithbothvisibleandIRcamerasystems.Windconditionswerelightduringthesetests.
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Figure11.PicturedistheballoonsystembeingdeployedofftheAlaskaCleanSeasvesselHarrisonBay.Acapstanwasusedtodeployandretrievetheballoon.Duringthattest,nodockingstationwasused,butrathertheballoonwaskeptaloftatlowaltitudewhileunderway.PhotocourtesyofAlaskaCleanSeas.
Figure12.Onleftistheboataspicturedwithnozoom.Onrightisthesamesceneatfullzoom.
Uponcompletionofthevesseltestswemovedtheballoontoadockingstationonthebackofaflatbedtruckfortransportandlandbaseddeployments(Figure13).Onthefirstdayweattemptedtodeploytheballoonusingahandactivatedhosereelwinchinwindsover20knots.Itwasobviousthatatthosewindspeedswewouldnotbeabletoretrievetheballoonusingthehandwinchsotheballoonwasntdeployed.Thefollowingdaythehandwinchwasreplacedwithahydraulicallyactivatedboomreeland
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thesystemwasdeployedinwindsof1525knots.Theballoonwasonlydeployedtoapproximately200feetduetoleakageissueswiththeballoon(describedinlaterinthisdocument).TestingfocusedonlanddeploymentandretrievalandthecapabilitiesoftheIRcamerasystem.Inparticular,warmwaterwaspouredonthegroundsothatitcouldtravelunderthesnowandthecamerawasusedtodetectthespreadofthewater(Figure14).Wealsoobservedthemovementofapickuptruck(Figure15)atdistance.
Figure13.Theballoonsystemwasalsotestedbydeployingitfromavehicle.Picturedaretheballoon,camerabeingmounted,adockingstation,andboomreelusedasawinch.PhotocourtesyofAlaskaCleanSeas.
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Figure14.Onleftisavisiblepictureofawarmwaterspill,truck(secondwarmspillatthefarrightofpicture),andperson.OnrightisthesamesceneinIR.Conesatthelocationofthewarmwatercanalsobeseen.Thewarmwatergoesunderthesnowyetremainsvisiblebecauseitcanwarmthesnowuptofreezingandthesurroundingsnowremainsatairtemperature.
Figure15.Apickuptruckispicturedintheredsquareatadistanceof1.5miles.TheDeadhorseairportisinthebackgroundatapproximatelysixmiles.Thetruckismorevisibleinthevideothanonstills.ItisalsopossibletoshiftbetweenthewhitehotandblackhotdisplaystofindsmallobjectsintheIR.
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ThefourthsetoftestswereconductedinAprilof2011inPrinceWilliamSound.ThesetestswereconductedasacollaborationbetweenPWSRCAC(JeremyRobida),BPExplorationAlaska(ReginaWard)andPWSSC/OSRI(ScottPegau).DuringatwodayperiodasystemconsistingofthePWSSCcameraandaBPownedballoonwasdeployedofthePWSSC40footresearchvesselNewWave.Theprimarypurposesofthetestsweretofamiliarizemorepeoplewiththesystem,testnewsoftware,andtestthecapabilitiesofthecamerasystem.TheBPballoonissmallerthanthePWSSCballoonandrequiresonlyhalftheheliumtoinflate.ItdoesnothavethecoverthatthePWSSCballoonuses.Theballoonwastetheredtoahydraulicallyoperatednetrealonthesternofthevessel.Duringtransportationtheballoonwastiedtoaframeworkoverthewinch(Figure16).Withtheballoonwellsecuredwewereabletoreachspeedsof20knotsduringtransit.Theballoonwasdeployedupto500feetincalmwindconditions.Duringthedaythewindwouldpickuptoapproximately10knots,whichwasenoughtoaffecttheorientationoftheballoonsothatitactedmoreasakite.Skyconditionswerecleartolightlyovercastduringthetests.Oneinterestingresultfromthetestingwasthedifferencebetweenaboatviewandaerialviewofapatchoffocuspopweedfloatingneartheboat(Figure17).
Figure16.TheBPballoonispicturedtieddowntoamooringframefortransit.
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Figure17.Picturedisapatchofdriftingfucuspopweedseaweedasobservedfromtheflyingbridgeofaboat(left)andfromtheballoonsystem(right).
ThefinaldeploymentwasasademonstrationatValdez.Intheharbortheballoonwasdeployedtotheheightofsurroundinglightposts(~100feet).Theboatwasopentointerestedpersonneltocomeandoperatethecamerasystemtoacquaintthemwiththepotentialofthetechnology.Inordertorunalargescreendisplaytomakethepictureeasiertoseeweneededtoruntheshipboardgenerator.Wewereabletousethewarmerexhaustwatertoprovideaninfraredsignalthatcouldbeseenflowingthroughtheharborpastanearbyboat(Figure18).
LaterthereceiverelectronicswereshiftedtoasecondvesselwiththeballoonremainingontheR/VNewWave.Bothboatstransitedtobeoutsideoffivemilesfromtheairportandtheballoondeployedto500feet.Thepurposeofthedeploymentwastodemonstratethetechnologytoawiderarrayofpeopleandtesttheseparationdistancethatthecameracouldbecontrolled.However,waterhadenteredtheelectronicsbox(describedlater)anduponpoweruptheradiotransmitterfortheballooncontrolfailed.Itwaspossibletogetacamerapicture,butnotcontrolthepositionofthecamera.
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Figure18.Thecoolingsystemplumefromthegeneratoriscircledinyellow.Itistendegreesabovetheambienttemperature.Thearrowspointtothewarmerwaterasittravelsback.Thetemperaturegradientislessthanonedegreebetweenthetwowatermasses.UnderIR,PWSSCwasabletowatchthiswarmedexhaustwaterdriftintotheharborandeventually,tenfeetfromtheboat,coolbackdownandbecomeindistinguishablefromthesurroundingwater.
Todatemostofthetestinghasfocusedonlearningbasicoperationsofthesystem.Duringthesetestsithasbeenshownthatthesystemhastheabilitytodetectobjectsassmallas3by3from2milesawayusingthevisiblecamera.TheIRcamerawasabletodetecta30vesselfromtwomilesaway.Itwasabletoresolvea1degreechangeinwatertemperatureassociatedwithanexhaustplumeonavessel100feetbelowthecamera.WiththeIRsystemitwaspossibletodetectwarmwaterunderalayerofsnowaswell.
LessonslearnedWhilePWSSCsoperatinghourswiththesystemremainlowsomeissuesanddesiredimprovementshavebeennoted.Thefirstistheattachmentofthecameratotheballoonsystem.Originallypiecesoflinewereusedtotiethecameramountintothecontrollines.Thatsystemwasreplacedwiththelinegripsthatallowbettercontrolofthepositionofthecamera.Sincetheballoonchangesorientationwithincreasingwindspeed,beingfixedtothecontrollinescausesthecameratotilt.Whentilteditismoredifficulttopointthecamerausingthegamecontrollerasitshorizondoesnotmatchthehorizononthewater.Itmaybepossibletorunaseriesoflowfrictionlinesbetweenthelinegripsandthenclipthe
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cameramounttolinesandallowthesystemtogravitylevelastheballoonchangesorientation.Itmaybebesttomovethelinegripshigheronthecontrollinestogivethecameramoreroomtolevelitself.
Itisconcerningtomountthecameradirectlytotheflightcontrollinesoftheballoon.Withthetwoplysystemtherearemountingringsatthebaseoftheballoon.Acameramountingsystemthatisabletoutilizetheseringsmaybeabetterapproachthanattachingthecameratothecontrollines.
Thetwoplyballoonhasanoutershellofmaterialthathasanopeninginthetoptoallowtheinnerballoontoberemovedfromtheoutershell.Whendrivingdowndirtroadsthisholeprovidesanentranceforsmallrockstobecaughtbetweentheshellandballoon.Astherocktravelsdowntheballoonitcancreatealargenumberofsmallpuncturesthatneedtoberepaired.Over50smallpunctureswerefoundintheballoonaftertestinginPrudhoeBaywheretheballoonwastransportedonatruckseveraltimes.Itisimportanttoensuretheballoonisfullycoveredwhentransportingit.Singleplyballoonsmustbefullycoveredtoprotectfromrocks.
Theballooncanbetiedtoadockingstructurethatallowsittobetransportedwhileinflatedonatruckorvessel.Theballoonwillbeaffectedbythewindgeneratedintransport,whichcanapplystresstothesystem.Itwillalsotendtorubonthesupportsystem.Itiscriticalthatthesupportsystembecheckedforanyroughpointsandtheyarecoveredotherwisetheballoonmaysuffercatastrophicfailure(pop)whenbeingtransported.Thisisalsoavalueinusingatwoplysystemthathasalayerofprotectionfortheballoon.
Ifthesailontheballoonisabletoslideupthekeellineitwillcausethesystemtoloseitsabilitytoorientintothewind.Essentiallyitbecomesakitewithoutatail,whichwillcauseittospinoutofcontrol.
The900MHzcommunicationchannelisalsocommonlyusedbyWiFisystemsandcordlesstelephones,whichmayleadtointerference,particularlyinanurbanenvironment.The2400MHzvideochannelreceptionislikelytobedegradedbyhighhumidityorrainfall.
DuringfieldtestinginValdez,waterrandownthecablesfromtheexternalantennasintothedeckboxinstalledonthevessel.Thewaterpassedthroughthefaceplateofthedeckboxandaccumulatedinside.Whenthewetcomponentswerepoweredupitcausedafailureinthedeckbox.Thereareseveralwaysthatpreventwaterfromflowingdownacableandsomeefforttokeepwaterfromthedeckboxisnecessary.Thedeckboxalsoneedsappropriategasketstopreventwaterfrompassingthroughthefaceplate.Itisbetterthatwateraccumulatesontheoutsideoftheboxtoindicatethepresenceofaproblem.
Thesoftwarecalculatestheimagepositionbasedontheorientationandaltitudeofthecameraplusthepanandtiltinformation.ThesystemtestedusesGPSfordeterminingthecompassdirectionandaltitude.Forthecompasstoworkproperlythevesselmustbemovinggreaterthanthreeknots.ThealtitudefromGPSisnotverygood,whichaffectsthepositionestimate.Fieldtestingrevealedthatthesystemwasabletomakereasonableguessestotheimageposition,butimprovementsarepossiblebyupgradinghardwareandinstallingacompassandaltimeter.
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FutureworkAsstatedearlierthetestingtodatehasbeenlimitedandseveraltestsandimprovementsarelikelytobeneededbeforethesystemcanbefullyintegratedintospillresponsefunctions.Theprimaryworknecessaryistoidentifytheperformancespecificationsforparticularapplications.Withwelldefinedperformancespecificationsitwillbepossibletoidentifytheavailabletechnologyandtransferthisstyleofobservationplatformintouse.
Ofthesystemitselfthemostimportantnewdevelopmentislikelytobearrangingasystemtoallowthecameratomaintainitsorientationwhiletheballoonshiftsfromnearlyleveltopointingupaswindspeedchanges.Whilethecamerastilloperateswhentilteditisdifficulttointuitivelycontrolthedirectionthatitispointing.Othersimplemodificationsincludeaddinganelectricaltetherforoperatingthepayload,andtestingsmallerwinchesonvehicles.
Theweatherresistanceofthecamerasystemhasnotyetbeentested.Thereareobviousplaceswherewatermaybeabletoenterthecameraatthetopofthegimbalsystem.Thebatterycoverneedstohaveagasketaddedtoimproveweatherresistance.Itwouldprobablybebesttogetanemptycamerahousingandseehowmuchwaterislikelytoinfiltratethecamerasystemunderdifferentrainconditions.Itisalsopossibletotestthesystemwiththecamerasinstalled,butpowermustbedisconnecteduntilthecameraisfullydriedout.TheF.A.Apermitrequiresthreemilesvisibilitysothesystemshouldnotbeusedinextremelyheavyrains,butitwouldbenicetoknowthelimitations.Anotherweatherlimitationofimportanceistheabilitytoperformatlowtemperatures.Thesystemshouldbetestedforoperationatsubfreezingtemperatures.
Allteststodatehavebeenperformedduringdaylighthours.ThevisiblecameracapabilitiesduringlowlightperiodsoftimeandtheperformanceoftheIRcameraatnightarestillareasofinterest.
Theabilityforadditionalvesselstoreceivethevideosignalhasbeenidentifiedasaneedandremainstobetested.Inparticularitisimportanttodeterminehowfarawayavesselcanbeandstillreceivethevideosignal.Providingthebasicvideosignalshouldhaveaneasyandinexpensivesolution.Theabilitytoprovidetheotherdatabeingcollectedbytheballoonmaybemoredifficult.
Theabilitytotransmitinformationbacktothecommandcenterisdesired.Theeasiestapproachappearstobetoindevelopingsoftwarethatsendsfilesbuiltbythecamerasystemthroughtheinternet.Currently,thecamerasystemsavesthedatainonesecondsegmentsthatareabout1.5MBinsize(~130GB/day).Basedoninternetconnectivityandspeed,thesoftwarecouldchoosetosendaframeeveryfiveortensecondsforexample.Giveninternetconnectivitylimitations,itisnotrealistic(orperhapsnecessary)tosendallofthedataandframescollected.Perhapsthesoftwarecouldbeusedtoselecttheappropriatetransfercapabilitiesandadjustaccordinglybasedonconnectivity.Developmentofthissoftwarewouldneedtofundedandsubsequentlytested.
Itshouldbenotedthatmanyofthetestsdescribedabovedonotrequirethefullassemblyoftheballoonandcamerasystem,butcanbeachievedbysimplertestinginalaboronabuilding.Testingon
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thegroundcanbeachievedinexpensivelyasitdoesnotrequirethelogisticalsupportforballoondeployment.
Theexistingtestshavefocusedonparticularaspectsofthesystemcapabilities.Itremainstotestthesysteminspecificapplicationswhereitmaybeused.Thiscouldincludetestingwithinaspillresponsetaskforce,afixedpointdeploymentformonitoringforchanges,oratowedmappingmode.Itmaybeeasiesttodeploythesystemwithataskforceaspartoftheannualfishingvesselhazwoppertraining.
Theballoonisjustadeploymentplatformanditmaybedesirabletodevelopotherpackagestobedeployed.Thismightincludeothersensorsuites,suchasalaserfluorosensorormicrowaveradiometer,orothertypesofpackages,suchascommunicationrelaystations.
SystemselectionconsiderationsInselectingasystemitisimportanttomatchthesystemtotheintendedapplication.Thesystemdescribedherewaspurchasedtryingtomeetaspecificsetofoperationalcriteriathatwasthefirstguessatwhatwouldbebest.Thereareawiderangeofsystemsavailablewithbetterandworseperformancethantheonetested.Itwillbeuptotheusertodeterminetheirminimumspecifications,butsomeconsiderationsbasedontheteststodateareoutlinedhere.
Therearesomeconsiderationsthatapplytoanyapplicationorpayload.Oneisthatthesystemshouldbeeasytouseandmaintain.Someleveloftrainingisnecessarytofullyutilizethesystem,butitisimportanttorememberthatthesystemislikelytobeusedinaremotelocationbypeoplewithlimitedexperience.Basicinfieldtroubleshootingshouldbepossible(i.e.patchaleakintheballoon,rebootthesystem,troubleshootthelossofsignal).
Thesystemshouldbedurableenoughtotakeshippingintoremotelocationsanddurableenoughtooperateinawiderangeofweatherconditions.GiventhetypesofenvironmentsinAlaskathesystemshouldbecapableofoperatingintheharshestconditionsitislikelytoencounter.Thesystemshouldbeabletohandlewind,rain,snow,andsubfreezingconditions.Windgustsofatleast60knotsandcontinuouswindspeedsof30knotsshouldbeconsideredminimumconditionsfordeploymentandoperation.Thetethermustbeabletohandleconditionsinexcessofthese.Thedeploymentandretrievalsystemshouldalsobeadequateforoperatingunderhighwindconditions.
Undersomeapplicationsthesystemmayneedtobedeployedwithoutservicingforseveraldays.Itwillbeimportantthattheheliumlossrateandtheelectricalusagebesuchthatallowstheselongerdeployments.Intheseinstancesanelectricaltetherislikelytoberequired.
Theballoonisaliftingplatformandneedstocheckedtoensureitcanliftthedesiredpayload.Theballoonmustmeetalloftheregulatoryrequirements,suchasemergencyheliumreleaseandmarking.Therearedifferentstyles,sizes,thicknessesofballoonmaterial,andcoversthatcanbepurchasedthatwillaffecttheamountoflift.Toensureenoughliftinlowwindconditionsitisrecommendedthat10poundsbeaddedtotheweightofallthepayloadcomponents,allrequiredmarkingandlightingsystems,and500feetoftethercable.Thetenpoundsofexcessliftwillhelpstabilizetheballoonwhen
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nearthegroundandprovideamarginforsmalladditionstothepayload(suchasthelinegrips).Aballoonwithacoverispreferredtoprotectitfromrocksandsharppointsonthevessel.Addingthecoverwillincreasetheamountofheliumneeded.
Cameraselectionwilldependontheapplication.From500feetitispossibletoseeover20milesaway,butitisnotlikelythatthesystemwillbeusefultothatrange.From500feetitismorelikelytobepossibletoseeoilonthesurfaceouttotwotofivemilesbecauseofthelargeangletotheobject.Theexactdistancewilldependontheheightoftheballoon,thecamerafocallength,theopticalzoomofthecamera,andthenumberofpixels(resolution)ofthecamera.Increasingtheresolutionofthecamerasystemwillincreasethecostandatsomepointmayoverwhelmtheabilitytotransmitthesignalbacktothevessel.Athighzoomlevelsitisdifficulttomaintainthecamerapointedattheobjectevenwithstabilizationsystems.
ThesystemtestedincludedaSonyFCBEX980visiblecamerawithahalffieldofview(HFOV)of52to2.5.Thesystemhasoneofthewideranglelensesavailableandchangingthefocallengthwouldincreasetheresolutionatdistance,butreducetheabilitytoseealargeareaduringsearchoperations.The20xzoomcapabilityseemedmorethanadequatewiththislenstoresolvesmallobjectswithinacouplemiles.Withthissystemitwaspossibletoseeanobject3footby3footfromtwomilesaway.Itcanbedifficulttomaintainanobjectinthefieldofviewwhenatfullmagnification.Also,despitetheonboardimagestabilizationofthecamera,imagescangetjumpyunderhighmagnificationbecauseofthemotionoftheballoon.
ThelongwaveinfraredsystemtestedisaFLIRPhoton320witha25mmlensprovidinga20HFOV.Ithasa2xzoomcapability.InthedemonstrationsthespillrespondersrequestedhigherzoomcapabilitieswiththeIRcamera.Cameraswithtwicetheresolutionareavailableandcanprovidebetterelectroniczoom.WiththecamerasystemPWSSCtested,itwaspossibletodetecta30footfishingvesselfrommorethantwomilesaway.Thisseemstobetheminimumresolutionnecessary.
WithIRsystemsitisalsoimportanttoconsiderthethermalrangeandresolution.Thesystemmustbeabletodetectalltemperatureswithinthenormaloperatingrange.Atthesametimeitisimportanttobeabletoresolvesmalltemperaturedifferences.Itisdesirabletoidentifylessthanonedegreetemperaturedifferencesinordertoidentifyoilonthesurface.With0.1Cresolutionitispossibletoseeoilevenwhenthereisntatemperaturedifferencebecauseofthedifferenceinemissivityofoilandwater.Theinfluenceofthedifferenceinemissivityisdependentonthethicknessoftheoilsothickerlayers(>200m)aremoreevidentthanthinsheensintheinfrared.
Whentestingthesystemthereseemstobeadesiretoseehowsmallanobjectcanbeseenandforgetwhatsizeofobjectneedstobeseenduringoperations.Duringfieldtrials,testerswereeagertozoomincloseonobjectstotestthecamerasabilities.PWSSCsspeculationisthatundernormalresponsesituationsthough,onewouldlikelyrunthecamerasatwiderangles.
Becauseofthemotionoftheballoonitisveryimportanttohaveimagestabilization.Athighzoomlevelsitwouldbeimpossibletoremainfocusedonanobjectwithoutstabilizationandinterpretingimagesatlowzoommaybedifficultiftheimagemovessignificantly.
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Thecamerashouldhavefullpanandtiltcontroltoensureitcanseetheentirewatersurfacewithinfivemiles.
Informationmanagementisanimportantconsiderationwhenspecifyingasystem.Ataminimumthecamerasignal,associatedgpsdata,andcamerapositionsmustberecordedandabletobeplayedbacktogether.Auserinterfacethatallowstheoperatortoseewherethecameraisandwhereitispointedatishighlydesirable.Itisbesttobeabletoseetheinformationonanavigationalchartorothermapinterface.
ItismoreimportanttoprovideageographiclocationwiththeimagethanfirstconsideredwhenspecifyingthesystemusedbyPWSSC.Theimagepositioniscalculatedbasedonthealtitude,compassposition,panandtiltofthecamerasystem.Thesystemtestedusesthegpsonthecameraforaltitudeandcompassorientation.Thecameraneedstobemovingtoprovideagpscompassreadingandthegpscalculationofaltitudehaslimitedaccuracy.Theseissueslimittheaccuracyofthepositioncalculation,whichismoreapparentthefurtheranobjectisaway.Theimagepositionestimatecanbeimprovedwiththeadditionofacompassandlaseraltimeter.
Itisdesirabletohavemorethanonevesselreceivethevideosignalwitha2400MHzreceiverandvideodisplay.Forcommunicationstomultiplevesselswithinataskforcetheballoonshouldbeabletotransmitwirelesslyatleasttwomiles.Toreceiveallthetelemetryinformationmayrequireanadditionalfullgroundsystem.Additionalgroundsystemswouldhavetobeconfiguredtoworkwiththemastercontroller.Theythenwouldhavetheabilitytooperatethecamera.Untilitisbetterunderstoodhowthesystemwillbeutilizeditisnotrecommendedtohavemultiplecontrolunits,butprovidingtheabilitytoviewatleastthevideofeedisdesirable.Theabilitytoviewthevideosignalshouldhavealowcostsolution.Beingabletocombineandviewboththecameradataandvideosignalisdesirablebutlikelytobesignificantlymoreexpensive.
ItisdesirabletorelayinformationbacktotheIncidentCommand,whichmayrequiresomeadditionalsoftwaredevelopment.Itisunlikelytobeabletosendthefullvideosignalthroughexistinginternetconnectionssosomecompressionorsubsamplingmaybeneeded.Thelargequantityofdatageneratedbythesystemmakesitdifficulttotransmitmorethanaportionofthedatabacktoshore.
Ofthegroundsupportgeartherearetwocriticalcomponents.Thefirstisthecomputer,particularlytheharddrive.Thevideocangeneratehundredsofgigabytesofdataaday,whichrequiresexternalharddrivesbeavailablefordeploymentsgreaterthanadayifthedataisbeingrecorded.Thecomputermusthavetheavailableslotsforalltheconnectionstothedeckunit.Thesecondcomponentisthewinch.Duringdifferenttestswehaveusedshipcapstans,boomreel,andnetreel.Havingawinch,suchasanetreelmakesdeploymentandretrievalmuchsimplerthanusingacapstan.Sometypeofretrievalsystemcapableofretrievingtheballoonunderhighwindconditionsisabsolutelyrequired.Withwindsmuchgreaterthan15knotsitmaynotbepossibletoretrievetheballoonbyhand.Ifanelectricalconnectionismadethroughthetethereitheradedicatedwinchwithslipringsoranelectricaldisconnectnearthereelisneeded.Whilehavingadedicatedwinchisnice,itmaybebettertomaintain
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flexibilityandreduceshippingrequirementsbygoingwithanelectricaldisconnectbetweenthedeckunitandthetethercable.
Costandweightmustbeconsideredasfactorsinselection.Aheavierapayloadrequiresalargerballoonandthatdictatestheamountofheliumneeded.Theheliumisoftenthelargestsinglepieceforshippingandcanbedifficulttoobtaininlargequantitiesinmanylocations.Reducingtheweightofthepayload,increasingthecameracapabilities,improvingweatherresistanceareallpossible,butatsomepointtheincreasingcostwilloutweighthegainincapability.
BestAvailableTechnologyselectioncriteriaTheballoonprovidesaplatformthatcouldbeusedfordeployingawidearrayofoildetectionsensors.TheevaluationonbestavailabletechnologyprovidedhereisbasedonavisibleandthermalIRsensorpackage.ThisevaluationofbestavailabletechnologyisrequiredunderAlaskastatestatuteAK75.255(k).
1.1. Availability:Thissystemusesofftheshelftechnologiesavailablefrommultiplevendors.Thesystemscanbeputtogetherusingvariouspartsorpurchasedasaturnkeypackage.TwovendorsofthekitestyleballoonsareSkyDoc(http://www.skydocballoon.com/)andAerialProducts(http://www.aerialproducts.com/).Bothvendorsalsosupplyawiderangeofturnkeysurveillancesystems.Thereareavarietyofpotentialsurveillancesystemsthatcanbeconsideredforthepayload.Theserangefromunstabilized,fixedview,visibleonlycamerastosystemswithoneswithgyroscopicallystabilized,dualvisibleandcooledIRcameras.Thisleadstoawiderangeofpriceoptionsandcapabilities.Themidtohighendsystemsmayhaveexportrestrictionsassociatedwiththembecauseoftheleveloftechnologybeingincorporated.
1.2. Transferability:Thistechnologyisreadytobetransferredintospillresponseapplications.Ithasbeendeployedfromboatsrangingbetween40and110feetlong.Additionally,theballoonsystemhasbeendeployedfromsmallerflatbedstyleworktrucks.Solongastherearewinchcapabilities,theballoonsystemiseasytomovefromplatformtoplatformascontrolboxesandantennasareeasilypackedup.
1.3. Effectiveness:Thisapproachallowsforlongtermaerialobservationcapabilities.Thereisthepotentialformaintainingaerialobservationalcapabilitiesforseveraldayswithoutneedingtoretrievethesystem.Theinformationissentdirectlydowntotheresponseteamandthereisthepotentialforittobeseenbymultiplevesselsatthesametime.
1.4. Cost:Costofacompletesystemisdependentonthesizeandgradeoftheballoon,typeofcamera,communicationsapproach,andgroundstationcomponents.Theapproximatecostofaballoonandassociatedcamerasystemwithstabilizedgimbal,visibleandthermalinfraredcameras,communicationscapabilitiesofafewmiles,andassociatedcontrolsoftwareis$85,000.TheoperationalcostisfortheballoonPWSSCtestedisabout$1500forheliumplusvesselcosts.Theheliumshouldbeabletooperatetheballoonformorethan10days.Longerdeploymentsrequireasmallincreaseinheliumused.Additionalgroundsupportcomponents,suchasadedicatedwinchanddockingstationwilladdtotheestimatedcostofthesystem.A
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higherendcamerasystemthatismoreweatherresistant,andhasgreaterinfraredzoomcapabilitieswilladdapproximately$60,000.Theadditionofalaseraltimeterandcompasswillcontinuetobringthecostofthecamerasystemup.Avisibleonlycamerawithlessstabilitycangreatlyreducethecostofthesystemaswell.
1.5. AgeandCondition:Thiswouldbenewtechnology.1.6. Compatibility:Thistechnologyshouldnotinterferewithotherobservationtechniques.The
balloonshouldbeflownbelowthelevelthataircraftareused,althoughcoordinationwithaircraftisnecessary.
1.7. Feasibility:Thetechnologyhasbeendemonstratedasbeingfeasible.Itstillrequiresdeterminingtheapplicationandfindingthecorrectsensorpayloadforthatapplication
BestAvailableTechnologyEvaluation:
BATEvaluationCriteria
CurrentMethod:Aircraftvisualobservations
CurrentMethod:Satelliteobservations
CurrentMethod:AircraftElectroMagneticsensors
Alternatemethod:BalloonbasedVisibleandIR
Availability:Whethertechnologyisbestinuseinsituationorisavailableforusebyapplicant
Technologyisavailableandusedworldwide
Technologyisavailableandusedworldwide
Technologyisavailable,butlimitedsensorsuitesavailableintheUS
Thetechnologyisavailableforuse
Transferability:Whethereachtechnologyistransferabletoapplicantsoperations. Currentlyinplace
Currentlyinplace Yes Yes
Effectiveness:Whetherthereisareasonableexpectationeachtechnologywillprovideincreasedspillpreventionorotherenvironmentalbenefits.
Effectiveaslongasplaneswithobserversareabletofly
VisibleandIRsystemsarelimitedbycloudcover.Allsystemslimitedbynumberofobservationoportunities.Therecanbeissueswithdeterminingwhatisbeingobserved
Effectiveaslongasplanesareabletoflyinthearea
Thetechnologyallowsforgreaterobservationtimesoverotherapproaches.Theinformationissentdirectlytotheresponsevesselsdecreasingthetimenecessarytogetinformationtothosevessels
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Cost:ThecosttotheapplicantofachievingBAT,includingconsiderationofthatcostrelativetotheremainingyearsofserviceofthetechnologyinusebytheapplicant.
Costsareforaircraftandobservers
Mostsensorsarenationalassets.Somehavecostperscenecollected.Processingforoildetectionmayaddcost
Thecostofinitialpurchaseofaircraftandappropriatesensorsuitewouldbeextremelyexpensive.Theoperationandmaintenancecostsareexpectedtobehigh
Costisdependentonthecamerasystem.Anapproximatecostforballoonwithcamerais$85,000.Heliumistheexpendablecostatabout$1,500perdeployment
AgeandCondition:Theageandconditionoftechnologyinusebytheapplicant. Currentlyinplace
Currentlyinplace
Somesensorsavailableandingoodcondition.Afullsuiteofsensorswouldbenew
Thetechnologyisnew
Compatibility:Whethereachtechnologyiscompatiblewithexistingoperationsandtechnologiesinusebytheapplicant.
Compatiblewithothertechnologies
Compatiblewithothertechnologies
Compatiblewithothertechnologies
Compatiblewithothertechnologies
Feasibility:thepracticalfeasibilityofeachtechnologyintermsofengineeringandotheroperationalaspects. Currentlyinplace
Currentlyinplace
Currentlyinplaceelsewhere
Hasbeendemonstratedasfeasible
EnvironmentalImpacts:Whetherotherenvironmentalimpactsofeachtechnology,suchasair,land,waterpollution,andenergyrequirementsoffsetanyanticipatedenvironmentalbenefits.
Limitedtoaircraftexhaust None
Limitedtoaircraftexhaust None
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SafetyConsiderations
Potentialforlossoflifeifaircraftfails None
Potentialforlossoflifeifaircraftfails
Minimalimpact/overheadhazard
PotentialforPropertyDamage(platform/Ancillaryequipmentdamage)
Possiblytotallostofplatform/damagetostructure/areaofimpact.Increasednumberofflightscouldmeanaincreasetothepossiblelossofaplateform.(i.e.mechanicalfailure,weatherconditions)
Noneveryunlikelythatasatellitewillloseorbit
Possiblytotallostofplatform/damagetostructure/areaofimpact.Increasednumberofflightscouldmeanaincreasetothepossiblelossofaplateform.(i.e.mechanicalfailure,weatherconditions)
Possibleloseofcamerasystem&balloon/minimaldamagetoareaofimpact
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