OSRI Balloon‐Based Spill Surveillance System Operations ... · to describe in more detail the use and operation of a balloon surveillance system. A ... a reasonable limiting case

700.431.110601.OSRIBalloon

OSRIBalloon‐BasedSpillSurveillanceSystemOperationsandTestingResults

ReporttoPrinceWilliamSoundRegionalCitizens’AdvisoryCouncil

June2011

W.ScottPegauResearchProgramManager,OilSpillRecoveryInstitute

ThisreportincludescontributionsfromPrinceWilliamSoundRegionalCitizen’sAdvisoryCouncil,BPExplorationAlaska,Inc.,andAlaskaCleanSea,PrinceWilliamSoundScienceCenter,andtheOilSpillRecoveryInstitute.


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.pws‐osri.org/publications/Hydrocarbon%20Sensors.pdf)thatwasjointlysponsoredbytheOilSpillRecoveryInstitute(OSRI)andtheAllianceforCoastalTechnology.Thedesirewastodevelopasystemtoprovideaerialobservationcapabilitywithinaresponsefleet.Thetetheredballoonsystemwaschosenbecauseithassimplerpermittingrequirementsandoperationsneedsthanunmannedaerialvehicles(UAV).ThisdocumentfocusesonthesystemownedbythePrinceWilliamSoundScienceCenterwithdiscussionaboutothersystemsasapplicable.Thereareothervendorsofballoonsandcamerasystems.Someadditionalinformationonalternativesystemsisprovidedinthesectiononselectioncriterialaterinthisdocument.Thisdocumentbuildsupontheoperationmanualprovidedbythemanufacturer,alessons‐learneddocumentfromBrianGreenofAlaskaCleanSeasrelatedtotestingdonewithhim,andlessonslearnedfromotherdeployments.Itbenefitedfromtheinputofallpartiesinvolvedinthetestinginparticular,BrianGreen(ACS),JeremyRobida(PWSRCAC),andReginaWard(BPExplorationAlaska).

ThesystemownedbyPWSSCwasselectedbasedonthefollowingcriteria.


1. Operateona50footfishingvessel.Thesearetypicallyseinersthathave25feetofflatopendeck.

2. Operateinrelativewindspeedsof30knots.3. Viewanareaof2milesaroundtheship.Furtherisbetter.4. Beabletoresolvepatchesonthewaterof3metersindiameterattwomilerange.5. Transmittheimagestothemothervessel.Ifpossibletotransmittosurroundingrecovery

vesselsthatwouldbebeneficial.6. Athermalinfraredcamerasystemisdesired.Wewouldliketobeabletoexchangeforaregular

cameraduringthedayorhaveacombinedsystem.7. Thesystemshouldbedeployableinlightrain.Wewouldliketoexplorethelimitsatsub‐freezing

temperatures.Inthefuturewewouldliketodeployat‐40degrees,butwewillstartwithtemperaturesabovefreezing.

8. Expectedcloudceilingis500feet.Thisisareasonablelimitingcase,butwewillexplorethetrade‐offsofneedingtoputthesystemhigher.

9. Imageupdateatleastevery15seconds,butmorerapidispreferred.10. Georeferencedimageryisdesired,butnotrequiredatthistime.

ThesystemselectedbyPWSSCincludesaSkyDoctwo‐plymodel18aerostatwithaLatitudeEngineeringParacamvisibleandinfraredvideocamerasystem.TheSkyDocaerostatisakite‐styleballoon(Figure1)thatallowsittogainliftwithincreasingwindspeedandisratedforwindsupto80knots.Amodel18requires969cubicfeetofheliumtofill.ThePWSSCsystemincludesa3milballooncontainedinanyloncover.Filleditisapproximately14feetindiameterand9feetinheightwith24poundsofliftinnowind.Theamountofliftincreasesrapidlywithwindspeed.Threecontrollinesattachtoatetherthatthenrunstotheship.ThePWSSCtetherisstrictlyastrengthmember;howeverothertetherscanincludeelectricalcablestosupplypowerorcommunicationswiththecamera.Moreinformationcanbefoundat:http://www.skydocballoon.com/

Figure1.Theredportionistheballoonthatisfilledwithhelium.Ithasaflattenedshapeandwhenthereiswindthesail(whiteclothbelowtheballoon)orientstheballoonintothewind.Theballoonwillalsotiltbackwardsallowingtheflatterbottomsectiontoactasakitewiththesailfunctioningasthetailofthekite.


FortherecenttestinginPrinceWilliamSoundtheBPExplorationAlaska,Inc.’sSkyDocsingle–plymodel15aerostatwasused.Amodel15requires560cufeetofheliumtofill.Filleditisapproximately12feetindiameterand8feetinheightwith22poundsofliftinnowind.TheBPballoonwasa3milballoonwithoutacover.TherewasachangeindesignandmanufacturerusedbySkyDocbetweenthepurchaseofthePWSSCballoonandtheBPballoon.TheBPballoonhasasingleseambetweenhemispheresversusthemultipleverticalseemsinthePWSSCballoon.Thebasicfunctionalityoftheballoonsdidnotchange,however.

TheLatitudeEngineeringParacamsystemusedinthePWSSCsystemincludesaCloudCapTASE200visibleandinfraredcameraandgimbalsystemthatprovidespanandtilt,lithiumbattery,gps,andwirelesstransmissionsystemforcommunicationswiththeoperatingvessel.AdeckunitconnectedtoacomputerwithGimbalUIorViewpointsoftwareprovidesthemeanstocontrolthecameraandviewandrecordthevideosignal(Figure2).Manyaspectsofthecamerasystemcanbeselectedatpurchaseorchangedbythemanufacturer.Theseincludethestrengthofcommunicationsystem,focallengthofthecameralenses,andabilitytohavethesystemservemultiplereceivingstations.ThesystemtestedisbuiltuponaCloudCapTASE200systemwithaSonyFCB‐EX980visiblecamera(fullcolorand20xzoom)andaFLIRPhoton320IRcamerawith35mmlens(2xzoom).Thecommunicationssystemissetupshortrangeandforonereceivingstation.Communicationsareexpecteduptofivemilesalongline‐of‐sightwithoursystem.Limitedextensionofcommunicationrangecanbeachievedbychangingtheantennasonthedecksystem,thecamera,orboth.Batterylifeisexpectedtobeeighthours.Thereistheabilitytoconnecttoexternalpowerandcommunicationsifnecessary,butPWSSCdoesnotowntheappropriatetethercable.Thecamerasystemisattachedtoasupportcradlethatisthenconnectedtothethreecontrolcablesoftheballoon.Thegimbalalsohasonboardimagestabilizationbuiltsoastohelpsteadythevideofeedimages.Thegimbalallowsforviewing360°horizontalpanningandtiltfromstraightdownuptothecameraframe.Moreinformationcanbefoundat:http://www.latitudeengineering.net/index.php/products/paracam.html

ThecameraoriginallycamewithGimbalUIasthecontrolsoftware.Inthatsoftwareitispossibletoviewthevideoalongwithseveralcharacteristicsofthecamerasuchasthepointingangleandviewpositionontheground.Thecalculationoftheviewpositionrequiresthatadigitalelevationmodelbedownloadedpriortooperationthatcoverstheareathattheballoonisbeingoperatedin.AnewerversionofsoftwarecalledViewpointhasallofthefeaturesofGimbalUI,butisalsoabletomaptheviewinglocation(Figure2)toprovideamoreintuitivefeelwhencontrollingthecameraposition.Thecameraviewcanbeadjustedusingeitherthegamecontrollerorusingamouseandkeystrokes.Itispossibletoclickonalocationandthecamerawilladjustitselftothatpointandtrytoremainfocusedonit.Thereareseveraltypesofmaplayersthatcanbedownloadedfromthewebfordisplayinginthemapview.Thesecanbeverylargefilesandneedtobedownloadedbeforedeployingthesensor.

Whentherecordfunctioninthesoftwareisactivateditrecordsallofthevideoandcontrolinformationintoaseriesoffilesaboutonesecondinlength.Thisallowstheentirevideotobereplayedandthedisplayscanbechangedtoexaminedifferentpiecesofinformationrecordedbythesystem.Thesmallfilesalsoprovidethepotentialforsendingpartofthevideosignalthroughtheinternettootherlocations.


Figure2.ShownisascreenshotoftheViewpointsoftware.Theleftpanelshowsthepointbeingviewed(redcircle).Therightshowsthevideoandsomeofthecameracharacteristics.Forinstancethezoomlevelisinthebottomright.Otherviewsareavailablethatgivemoreinformationaboutthecameraandareabeingviewed.

Thesystemwasdevelopedwiththeideaofconnectingtoashipwithawinchorcapstansystemtodeploytheballoon.Ithasalsobeendeployedfromatruckforobservationsoverland.Awinchsystemisrequiredastheballoonliftwillexceedthecapabilitytocontrolitbyhandatwindspeedsaslowas10knots.

OperationsregulationsOperationrestrictionsarelistedinFederalAviationAdministrationCFR14Part101.

Title14:AeronauticsandSpacePART101—MOOREDBALLOONS,KITES,AMATEURROCKETSANDUNMANNEDFREEBALLOONS

SubpartB—MooredBalloonsandKites

Source:DocketNo.1580,28FR6722,June29,1963,unlessotherwisenoted.

§101.11Applicability.


Thissubpartappliestotheoperationofmooredballoonsandkites.However,apersonoperatingamooredballoonorkitewithinarestrictedareamustcomplyonlywith§101.19andwithadditionallimitationsimposedbytheusingorcontrollingagency,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,arelightedsoastogiveavisualwarningequaltothatrequiredforobstructionstoairnavigationintheFAApublication“ObstructionMarkingandLighting”.

(b)Nopersonmayoperateamooredballoonorkitebetweensunriseandsunsetunlessitsmooringlineshavecoloredpennantsorstreamersattachedatnotmorethan50footintervalsbeginningat150feetabovethesurfaceoftheearthandvisibleforatleastonemile.


(Sec.6(c),DepartmentofTransportationAct(49U.S.C.1655(c)))

[Doc.No.1580,28FR6722,June29,1963,asamendedbyAmdt.101–4,39FR22252,June21,1974]

§101.19Rapiddeflationdevice.

Nopersonmayoperateamooredballoonunlessithasadevicethatwillautomaticallyandrapidlydeflatetheballoonifitescapesfromitsmoorings.Ifthedevicedoesnotfunctionproperly,theoperatorshallimmediatelynotifythenearestATCfacilityofthelocationandtimeoftheescapeandtheestimatedflightpathoftheballoon.

Adescriptionoftherequiredmarkingsandlightingsareprovidedbelow.

2/1/0/07AC70/7460‐1KCHG2CHAPTER11.MARKINGANDLIGHTINGMOOREDBALLOONSANDKITES110.PURPOSEThepurposeofmarkingandlightingmooredballoons,kites,andtheircablesormooringlinesistoindicatethepresenceandgeneraldefinitionoftheseobjectstopilotswhenconvergingfromanynormalangleofapproach.111.STANDARDSThesemarkingandlightingstandardspertaintoallmooredballoonsandkitesthatrequiremarkingandlightingunder14CFR,part101.112.MARKINGFlagmarkersshouldbeusedonmooringlinestowarnpilotsoftheirpresenceduringdaylighthours.a.Display.Markersshouldbedisplayedatnomorethan50‐foot(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(L‐864)orwhitebeacons(L‐865)maybeusedtolightmooredballoonsorkites.Highintensitylights(L‐856)arenotrecommended.b.Display.Flashinglightsshouldbedisplayedonthetop,nosesection,tailsection,andonthetethercableapproximately15feet(4.6m)belowthecraftsoastodefinetheextremesofsizeandshape.Additionallightsshouldbeequallyspacedalongthecable’soveralllengthforeach350feet(107m)orfractionthereof.c.Exceptions.Whentherequirementsofthisparagraphcannotbemet,floodlightingmaybeused.114.OPERATIONALCHARACTERISTICSThelightintensityiscontrolledbyadevicethatchangestheintensitywhentheambientlightchanges.Thesystemshouldautomaticallyturnthelightsonandchangeintensitiesasambientlightcondition


change.Thereverseordershouldapplyinchangingfromnighttimetodaytimeoperation.Thelightsshouldflashsimultaneously.

FAAPolicy/Request.ForoperationstheFAAhasrequestedthatawaiver/applicationform7711‐1besubmittedtoFAAWesternServiceCenter,OperationsSupportGroup,AJV‐W2,1601LindAve.SW,Renton,WA98057.Theywanttheformtohelpdeterminewhoshouldbecontacted.Itisvaluableindeterminingifthereareairstripsthatmaybeintheoperatingarea.

ForoperationsinPrinceWilliamSounditwasrequestedthattheoperator:

1. Between6and24hourspriortolaunch:ContacttheJuneauFlightServiceStationat907‐586‐7385andasktoissueaNoticetoAirmen

2. Between6and24hourspriortolaunch:ContacttheAnchorageAirRouteTrafficControlCenterat907‐269‐1108

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,onlyomni‐directionalantennashavebeenusedonthecamera,althoughPWSSCownsdirectionalantennas.Thecameraattachestoamountingsystembyfourboltsonthetopofthecamera.

Thedeckunit(Figure6)requiresinstallationoftwoantennasforvideoandoneforcommunications.PWSSCtestingusedbothomni‐directionalandexternalantennas.Theexternalantennasprovideabettersignalwhenoperatingwithinavessel.Thedeckunitrequires120voltacpower.DuringtestinginPWSa600wattinverterconnectedtothevessel’sD.C.busspoweredthevideosystem.Avideooutcableconnectstoavideocapturecardonalaptopcomputer.Aserialoutputcableconnectstothelaptopforcommunicationswiththecontrolsoftware.


Alaptopcomputerisconnectedtothedeckboxwiththevideoandcommunicationscables.Agamecontrollerisalsoconnectedforcontrollingthecamerafunctions(Figure6).

Figure3.

Theballoonsystemassembledanddeployed.Thethreewhitelinesthatconnecttothecameraandmergetogethertoconnecttothetetherarecontrollines.Threelinesthatareloosearetaglinestocontroltheballoonwhenitisneartheground.

Controlline

sail

Tagline

Camera

Figure4.BuckmasterLinegripsystem.


Figure5.Thecamerasystemassembledfordeployment.

Figure6.Thedeckunitisontheleftandlaptoponrightshowingantennasandothercables.


Thesystemtesteddoesnothaveadedicatedwinch.Acapstanorwinchofsomevarietyisnecessaryfordeployment.Ifavessel’swinch(e.g.netreel)isusedthenthetetherwillneedtobewoundontothewinch.Ifaballoondockingstationisuseditwillrequireassemblyaswell.

DeploymentMakesuretonotifytheF.A.A.approximately24hoursinadvancebeforebeginningballoonoperations.Theexceptionfornotificationisifthedeploymentmeetstheobstructed(shielded)deploymentcriteriaortheballoonremainsbelow150feetaslistedintheregulations.

Fillingtheballoonrequiresfourpeople.Deploymentandretrievalofthecamerarequiresatleasttwopeople.Ideally,fivepeoplewouldbeusedtofilltheballoonandthreefordeployment/retrieval.Windcomplicatesthings,soitisidealtofill,deploy,andretrievetheballoonincalmconditions.Thatbeingsaid,it’snotalwayspracticalorpossibletodothis,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).


Figure7.Beginningtofilltheballoon.Theyellowhoseconnectsthefillnozzle(inhand)withtheheliumtanksonthetruck.

Figure8.Binderclipusedtoclosethefillhose.

Withtheballoonfilledthehandlersonthetaglinescanmoveittothevesselorletitupuntilthetethertightens(Figure9).Whenhandlingtheballoonitisimportanttoensurethesidewiththesailpointstowardthewind.Caremustbetakentonotfillthesailwithair,thusmakingtheballoonintoalargekitewhileitisbeingheld.Oncecontrolistransferredtothetetheritcanbepulleddowntoamountingplatformonthevessel,orifoperatinginafairlyopenareaitcanbeleft20to30feetabovethevesselduringtransport.Caremustbetakentoensuretheballoonandlinesdonotfoulinanyriggingonthevessel.


Figure9.Balloonhandlerslettheballoonupwhilethetethertothevessel(belowthedock)tightensthetethertothecontrollines.

Notethatwhentheballoonisbelow100feetitmaybeinfluencedbygroundturbulence,whichwillcausetheballoontomoveerratically.Thishasn’tbeenanissueinmarinedeploymentsoncetheballoonisaboveanyturbulencecausedbythevessel’ssuperstructure.

Forthefirstdeploymentitislikelythatthecontrollineswillneedtobeadjustedfortheballoontoflyproperly.Therearethreecontrollines(keel,port,andstarboard).Thekeellineattachestothebackoftheballoonandshouldbeattachedtothesailontheballoon.Withnowindthefrontoftheballoonshouldpointdownaboutsixdegrees.Todeterminetheproperlengthsoftheportandstarboardcontrollinestheballoonshouldbeputupabout100feetandtowedataboutsixtoeightknots.Iftheballoonveerstoonesideitwillneedtoberetrievedandthecontrollineonthatsidelengthened(ortheothersideshortened)aboutaninchandthenrepeatthetowingtest.Rememberthatchangingthelengthoftheportandstarboardcontrollinescaninfluencethepitchoftheballoonsoitmaybenecessarytorecheckthekeellineoncetheforwardcontrollinesareadjusted.

Thedeckunit,computer,andcamerashouldbesetupasdescribedearlier.Careshouldbetakentoensuretheantennashaveagoodviewoftheexpectedballoonposition.Itmaybebesttoputthetwovideoantennasattachedtothedeckboxpointingatrightanglestoeachothertomaximizethepotentialvideoreception.Witheverythingassembledthesoftwareshouldbestartedandthecameraturnedontoensureproperoperationbeforeattachingthecameratotheballoon.Itisnecessarytopushtheredbuttononthedeckunittoselectthepropervideochannelbeforethepicturecanbeviewed.Oncethe


cameraisverifiedtobeoperatingproperlyitshouldbeattachedtothethreecontrollinesoftheballoonandtheballoonsentaloft.

Duringretrievaltheballoonshouldbereeledinascloseaspossible.Underwindyconditionsthefrontendoftheballoonwillneedtobepulleddownortheballoonturnedaroundtoremovethekiteeffect.Atthispointitstillisaverylargeobjectsubjecttobeingblownbythewindandcareisneededtotryandkeeptheballoonflatsoitdoesnotflipoverorcatchthewind.

Whendeflatingtheballoonthefillnozzleshouldbeopenedandpointedupwardtoallowtheheliumtoescape.Goodventilationinthedeflationareaisrequired.Avacuumcanbeusedtohelppullresidualheliumoutafterthebulkofthepressurehasbeenrelieved.Caremustbetakennottodamagetheballoonifusingavacuum.

MaintenanceTheprimarymaintenancetasksarechargingthebatteryandkeepingtheballoonfilledwithhelium.Thecamerabatterymustberemovedfromthecamerabyremovingthesixscrewsonthebatterycoverandremovingthebattery.Cautionmustbetakenasthisisalithiumbatterythatrequirescarefulcharging.ThePWSSCsystemhasanUltralifebatterychargingstationthatisconnectedtothebatteryandthenpluggeduntoanacpowersocket(Figure10).Thelightsonthechargerwillblinkwhilethebatteryischargingandstayononcechargingiscomplete(severalhours).Therearetwobatterychargeindicatorsonthebatteryaswell.Withmultiplebatteriesitispossibletoreplacebatteriesandredeploythecamerasystemwithinanapproximatehalf‐hourofoutofservicetime.Thetimerequiredtocompletelyrechargeabatteryisseveralhours.

Figure10.Thebatteryconnectedtothebatterycharger.

Theballoonspecificationsareforapproximatelyonepercentlossofheliumperday.TestsinCordovausingaballoonfilledwithairverifiedthislossrate.Withaballoonoperatinginthisconditionitshouldonlybenecessarytoretrievetheballoontoaddheliumapproximatelyonceaweek.

Leaksintheballoonwillleadtohigherheliumlossratesandnecessitatepatchingtheballoon.ATear‐aidpatchType‐Bisrecommendedforpatching(www.tear‐aid.com).Thisisacleartapeforpatchingvinylproducts.TheballooncanbepatchedusingDucttapeifnecessary.


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


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.Powerforthecomputerandcameracontrollerwasprovidedbythevessel’sa.c.powersystem.Testingincludeddeploymentandretrieval,camerasystembasiccapabilities(Figure12),viewingacrossabandofseaice,testingthedistanceobjectscouldbeseen,andsearchingforasealonicewithbothvisibleandIRcamerasystems.Windconditionswerelightduringthesetests.


Figure11.PicturedistheballoonsystembeingdeployedofftheAlaskaCleanSeasvesselHarrisonBay.Acapstanwasusedtodeployandretrievetheballoon.Duringthattest,nodockingstationwasused,butrathertheballoonwaskeptaloftatlowaltitudewhileunderway.PhotocourtesyofAlaskaCleanSeas.

Figure12.Onleftistheboataspicturedwithnozoom.Onrightisthesamesceneatfullzoom.

Uponcompletionofthevesseltestswemovedtheballoontoadockingstationonthebackofaflatbedtruckfortransportandlandbaseddeployments(Figure13).Onthefirstdayweattemptedtodeploytheballoonusingahandactivatedhosereelwinchinwindsover20knots.Itwasobviousthatatthosewindspeedswewouldnotbeabletoretrievetheballoonusingthehandwinchsotheballoonwasn’tdeployed.Thefollowingdaythehandwinchwasreplacedwithahydraulicallyactivatedboomreeland


thesystemwasdeployedinwindsof15‐25knots.Theballoonwasonlydeployedtoapproximately200feetduetoleakageissueswiththeballoon(describedinlaterinthisdocument).TestingfocusedonlanddeploymentandretrievalandthecapabilitiesoftheIRcamerasystem.Inparticular,warmwaterwaspouredonthegroundsothatitcouldtravelunderthesnowandthecamerawasusedtodetectthespreadofthewater(Figure14).Wealsoobservedthemovementofapickuptruck(Figure15)atdistance.

Figure13.Theballoonsystemwasalsotestedbydeployingitfromavehicle.Picturedaretheballoon,camerabeingmounted,adockingstation,andboomreelusedasawinch.PhotocourtesyofAlaskaCleanSeas.


Figure14.Onleftisavisiblepictureofawarmwaterspill,truck(secondwarmspillatthefarrightofpicture),andperson.OnrightisthesamesceneinIR.Conesatthelocationofthewarmwatercanalsobeseen.Thewarmwatergoesunderthesnowyetremainsvisiblebecauseitcanwarmthesnowuptofreezingandthesurroundingsnowremainsatairtemperature.

Figure15.Apickuptruckispicturedintheredsquareatadistanceof1.5miles.TheDeadhorseairportisinthebackgroundatapproximatelysixmiles.Thetruckismorevisibleinthevideothanonstills.Itisalsopossibletoshiftbetweenthewhite‐hotandblack‐hotdisplaystofindsmallobjectsintheIR.


ThefourthsetoftestswereconductedinAprilof2011inPrinceWilliamSound.ThesetestswereconductedasacollaborationbetweenPWSRCAC(JeremyRobida),BPExplorationAlaska(ReginaWard)andPWSSC/OSRI(ScottPegau).DuringatwodayperiodasystemconsistingofthePWSSCcameraandaBPownedballoonwasdeployedofthePWSSC40footresearchvesselNewWave.Theprimarypurposesofthetestsweretofamiliarizemorepeoplewiththesystem,testnewsoftware,andtestthecapabilitiesofthecamerasystem.TheBPballoonissmallerthanthePWSSCballoonandrequiresonlyhalftheheliumtoinflate.ItdoesnothavethecoverthatthePWSSCballoonuses.Theballoonwastetheredtoahydraulicallyoperatednetrealonthesternofthevessel.Duringtransportationtheballoonwastiedtoaframeworkoverthewinch(Figure16).Withtheballoonwellsecuredwewereabletoreachspeedsof20knotsduringtransit.Theballoonwasdeployedupto500feetincalmwindconditions.Duringthedaythewindwouldpickuptoapproximately10knots,whichwasenoughtoaffecttheorientationoftheballoonsothatitactedmoreasakite.Skyconditionswerecleartolightlyovercastduringthetests.Oneinterestingresultfromthetestingwasthedifferencebetweenaboatviewandaerialviewofapatchoffocus“popweed”floatingneartheboat(Figure17).

Figure16.TheBPballoonispicturedtieddowntoamooringframefortransit.


Figure17.Picturedisapatchofdriftingfucus“popweedseaweed”asobservedfromtheflyingbridgeofaboat(left)andfromtheballoonsystem(right).

ThefinaldeploymentwasasademonstrationatValdez.Intheharbortheballoonwasdeployedtotheheightofsurroundinglightposts(~100feet).Theboatwasopentointerestedpersonneltocomeandoperatethecamerasystemtoacquaintthemwiththepotentialofthetechnology.Inordertorunalargescreendisplaytomakethepictureeasiertoseeweneededtoruntheshipboardgenerator.Wewereabletousethewarmerexhaustwatertoprovideaninfraredsignalthatcouldbeseenflowingthroughtheharborpastanearbyboat(Figure18).

LaterthereceiverelectronicswereshiftedtoasecondvesselwiththeballoonremainingontheR/VNewWave.Bothboatstransitedtobeoutsideoffivemilesfromtheairportandtheballoondeployedto500feet.Thepurposeofthedeploymentwastodemonstratethetechnologytoawiderarrayofpeopleandtesttheseparationdistancethatthecameracouldbecontrolled.However,waterhadenteredtheelectronicsbox(describedlater)anduponpoweruptheradiotransmitterfortheballooncontrolfailed.Itwaspossibletogetacamerapicture,butnotcontrolthepositionofthecamera.


Figure18.Thecoolingsystemplumefromthegeneratoriscircledinyellow.Itistendegreesabovetheambienttemperature.Thearrowspointtothewarmerwaterasittravelsback.Thetemperaturegradientislessthanonedegreebetweenthetwowatermasses.UnderIR,PWSSCwasabletowatchthiswarmedexhaustwaterdriftintotheharborandeventually,tenfeetfromtheboat,coolbackdownandbecomeindistinguishablefromthesurroundingwater.

Todatemostofthetestinghasfocusedonlearningbasicoperationsofthesystem.Duringthesetestsithasbeenshownthatthesystemhastheabilitytodetectobjectsassmallas3’by3’from2milesawayusingthevisiblecamera.TheIRcamerawasabletodetecta30’vesselfromtwomilesaway.Itwasabletoresolvea1degreechangeinwatertemperatureassociatedwithanexhaustplumeonavessel100feetbelowthecamera.WiththeIRsystemitwaspossibletodetectwarmwaterunderalayerofsnowaswell.

LessonslearnedWhilePWSSC’soperatinghourswiththesystemremainlowsomeissuesanddesiredimprovementshavebeennoted.Thefirstistheattachmentofthecameratotheballoonsystem.Originallypiecesoflinewereusedtotiethecameramountintothecontrollines.Thatsystemwasreplacedwiththelinegripsthatallowbettercontrolofthepositionofthecamera.Sincetheballoonchangesorientationwithincreasingwindspeed,beingfixedtothecontrollinescausesthecameratotilt.Whentilteditismoredifficulttopointthecamerausingthegamecontrollerasitshorizondoesnotmatchthehorizononthewater.Itmaybepossibletorunaseriesoflow‐frictionlinesbetweenthelinegripsandthenclipthe


cameramounttolinesandallowthesystemtogravitylevelastheballoonchangesorientation.Itmaybebesttomovethelinegripshigheronthecontrollinestogivethecameramoreroomtolevelitself.

Itisconcerningtomountthecameradirectlytotheflightcontrollinesoftheballoon.Withthetwo‐plysystemtherearemountingringsatthebaseoftheballoon.Acameramountingsystemthatisabletoutilizetheseringsmaybeabetterapproachthanattachingthecameratothecontrollines.

Thetwo‐plyballoonhasanoutershellofmaterialthathasanopeninginthetoptoallowtheinnerballoontoberemovedfromtheoutershell.Whendrivingdowndirtroadsthisholeprovidesanentranceforsmallrockstobecaughtbetweentheshellandballoon.Astherocktravelsdowntheballoonitcancreatealargenumberofsmallpuncturesthatneedtoberepaired.Over50smallpunctureswerefoundintheballoonaftertestinginPrudhoeBaywheretheballoonwastransportedonatruckseveraltimes.Itisimportanttoensuretheballoonisfullycoveredwhentransportingit.Single‐plyballoonsmustbefullycoveredtoprotectfromrocks.

Theballooncanbetiedtoadockingstructurethatallowsittobetransportedwhileinflatedonatruckorvessel.Theballoonwillbeaffectedbythewindgeneratedintransport,whichcanapplystresstothesystem.Itwillalsotendtorubonthesupportsystem.Itiscriticalthatthesupportsystembecheckedforanyroughpointsandtheyarecoveredotherwisetheballoonmaysuffercatastrophicfailure(pop)whenbeingtransported.Thisisalsoavalueinusingatwo‐plysystemthathasalayerofprotectionfortheballoon.

Ifthesailontheballoonisabletoslideupthekeellineitwillcausethesystemtoloseitsabilitytoorientintothewind.Essentiallyitbecomesakitewithoutatail,whichwillcauseittospinoutofcontrol.

The900MHzcommunicationchannelisalsocommonlyusedbyWiFisystemsandcordlesstelephones,whichmayleadtointerference,particularlyinanurbanenvironment.The2400MHzvideochannelreceptionislikelytobedegradedbyhighhumidityorrainfall.

DuringfieldtestinginValdez,waterrandownthecablesfromtheexternalantennasintothedeckboxinstalledonthevessel.Thewaterpassedthroughthefaceplateofthedeckboxandaccumulatedinside.Whenthewetcomponentswerepoweredupitcausedafailureinthedeckbox.Thereareseveralwaysthatpreventwaterfromflowingdownacableandsomeefforttokeepwaterfromthedeckboxisnecessary.Thedeckboxalsoneedsappropriategasketstopreventwaterfrompassingthroughthefaceplate.Itisbetterthatwateraccumulatesontheoutsideoftheboxtoindicatethepresenceofaproblem.

Thesoftwarecalculatestheimagepositionbasedontheorientationandaltitudeofthecameraplusthepanandtiltinformation.ThesystemtestedusesGPSfordeterminingthecompassdirectionandaltitude.Forthecompasstoworkproperlythevesselmustbemovinggreaterthanthreeknots.ThealtitudefromGPSisnotverygood,whichaffectsthepositionestimate.Fieldtestingrevealedthatthesystemwasabletomakereasonableguessestotheimageposition,butimprovementsarepossiblebyupgradinghardwareandinstallingacompassandaltimeter.


FutureworkAsstatedearlierthetestingtodatehasbeenlimitedandseveraltestsandimprovementsarelikelytobeneededbeforethesystemcanbefullyintegratedintospillresponsefunctions.Theprimaryworknecessaryistoidentifytheperformancespecificationsforparticularapplications.Withwell‐definedperformancespecificationsitwillbepossibletoidentifytheavailabletechnologyandtransferthisstyleofobservationplatformintouse.

Ofthesystemitselfthemostimportantnewdevelopmentislikelytobearrangingasystemtoallowthecameratomaintainitsorientationwhiletheballoonshiftsfromnearlyleveltopointingupaswindspeedchanges.Whilethecamerastilloperateswhentilteditisdifficulttointuitivelycontrolthedirectionthatitispointing.Othersimplemodificationsincludeaddinganelectricaltetherforoperatingthepayload,andtestingsmallerwinchesonvehicles.

Theweatherresistanceofthecamerasystemhasnotyetbeentested.Thereareobviousplaceswherewatermaybeabletoenterthecameraatthetopofthegimbalsystem.Thebatterycoverneedstohaveagasketaddedtoimproveweatherresistance.Itwouldprobablybebesttogetanemptycamerahousingandseehowmuchwaterislikelytoinfiltratethecamerasystemunderdifferentrainconditions.Itisalsopossibletotestthesystemwiththecamerasinstalled,butpowermustbedisconnecteduntilthecameraisfullydriedout.TheF.A.Apermitrequiresthreemilesvisibilitysothesystemshouldnotbeusedinextremelyheavyrains,butitwouldbenicetoknowthelimitations.Anotherweatherlimitationofimportanceistheabilitytoperformatlowtemperatures.Thesystemshouldbetestedforoperationatsubfreezingtemperatures.

Allteststodatehavebeenperformedduringdaylighthours.Thevisiblecameracapabilitiesduringlow‐lightperiodsoftimeandtheperformanceoftheIRcameraatnightarestillareasofinterest.

Theabilityforadditionalvesselstoreceivethevideosignalhasbeenidentifiedasaneedandremainstobetested.Inparticularitisimportanttodeterminehowfarawayavesselcanbeandstillreceivethevideosignal.Providingthebasicvideosignalshouldhaveaneasyandinexpensivesolution.Theabilitytoprovidetheotherdatabeingcollectedbytheballoonmaybemoredifficult.

Theabilitytotransmitinformationbacktothecommandcenterisdesired.Theeasiestapproachappearstobetoindevelopingsoftwarethatsendsfilesbuiltbythecamerasystemthroughtheinternet.Currently,thecamerasystemsavesthedatainone‐secondsegmentsthatareabout1.5MBinsize(~130GB/day).Basedoninternetconnectivityandspeed,thesoftwarecouldchoosetosendaframeeveryfiveortensecondsforexample.Giveninternetconnectivitylimitations,itisnotrealistic(orperhapsnecessary)tosendallofthedataandframescollected.Perhapsthesoftwarecouldbeusedtoselecttheappropriatetransfercapabilitiesandadjustaccordinglybasedonconnectivity.Developmentofthissoftwarewouldneedtofundedandsubsequentlytested.

Itshouldbenotedthatmanyofthetestsdescribedabovedonotrequirethefullassemblyoftheballoonandcamerasystem,butcanbeachievedbysimplertestinginalaboronabuilding.Testingon


thegroundcanbeachievedinexpensivelyasitdoesnotrequirethelogisticalsupportforballoondeployment.

Theexistingtestshavefocusedonparticularaspectsofthesystemcapabilities.Itremainstotestthesysteminspecificapplicationswhereitmaybeused.Thiscouldincludetestingwithinaspillresponsetaskforce,afixedpointdeploymentformonitoringforchanges,oratowedmappingmode.Itmaybeeasiesttodeploythesystemwithataskforceaspartoftheannualfishingvesselhazwoppertraining.

Theballoonisjustadeploymentplatformanditmaybedesirabletodevelopotherpackagestobedeployed.Thismightincludeothersensorsuites,suchasalaserfluorosensorormicrowaveradiometer,orothertypesofpackages,suchascommunicationrelaystations.

SystemselectionconsiderationsInselectingasystemitisimportanttomatchthesystemtotheintendedapplication.Thesystemdescribedherewaspurchasedtryingtomeetaspecificsetofoperationalcriteriathatwasthefirstguessatwhatwouldbebest.Thereareawiderangeofsystemsavailablewithbetterandworseperformancethantheonetested.Itwillbeuptotheusertodeterminetheirminimumspecifications,butsomeconsiderationsbasedontheteststodateareoutlinedhere.

Therearesomeconsiderationsthatapplytoanyapplicationorpayload.Oneisthatthesystemshouldbeeasytouseandmaintain.Someleveloftrainingisnecessarytofullyutilizethesystem,butitisimportanttorememberthatthesystemislikelytobeusedinaremotelocationbypeoplewithlimitedexperience.Basicin‐fieldtroubleshootingshouldbepossible(i.e.patchaleakintheballoon,rebootthesystem,troubleshootthelossofsignal).

Thesystemshouldbedurableenoughtotakeshippingintoremotelocationsanddurableenoughtooperateinawiderangeofweatherconditions.GiventhetypesofenvironmentsinAlaskathesystemshouldbecapableofoperatingintheharshestconditionsitislikelytoencounter.Thesystemshouldbeabletohandlewind,rain,snow,andsub‐freezingconditions.Windgustsofatleast60knotsandcontinuouswindspeedsof30knotsshouldbeconsideredminimumconditionsfordeploymentandoperation.Thetethermustbeabletohandleconditionsinexcessofthese.Thedeploymentandretrievalsystemshouldalsobeadequateforoperatingunderhigh‐windconditions.

Undersomeapplicationsthesystemmayneedtobedeployedwithoutservicingforseveraldays.Itwillbeimportantthattheheliumlossrateandtheelectricalusagebesuchthatallowstheselongerdeployments.Intheseinstancesanelectricaltetherislikelytoberequired.

Theballoonisaliftingplatformandneedstocheckedtoensureitcanliftthedesiredpayload.Theballoonmustmeetalloftheregulatoryrequirements,suchasemergencyheliumreleaseandmarking.Therearedifferentstyles,sizes,thicknessesofballoonmaterial,andcoversthatcanbepurchasedthatwillaffecttheamountoflift.Toensureenoughliftinlowwindconditionsitisrecommendedthat10poundsbeaddedtotheweightofallthepayloadcomponents,allrequiredmarkingandlightingsystems,and500feetoftethercable.Thetenpoundsofexcessliftwillhelpstabilizetheballoonwhen


nearthegroundandprovideamarginforsmalladditionstothepayload(suchasthelinegrips).Aballoonwithacoverispreferredtoprotectitfromrocksandsharppointsonthevessel.Addingthecoverwillincreasetheamountofheliumneeded.

Cameraselectionwilldependontheapplication.From500feetitispossibletoseeover20milesaway,butitisnotlikelythatthesystemwillbeusefultothatrange.From500feetitismorelikelytobepossibletoseeoilonthesurfaceouttotwotofivemilesbecauseofthelargeangletotheobject.Theexactdistancewilldependontheheightoftheballoon,thecamerafocallength,theopticalzoomofthecamera,andthenumberofpixels(resolution)ofthecamera.Increasingtheresolutionofthecamerasystemwillincreasethecostandatsomepointmayoverwhelmtheabilitytotransmitthesignalbacktothevessel.Athighzoomlevelsitisdifficulttomaintainthecamerapointedattheobjectevenwithstabilizationsystems.

ThesystemtestedincludedaSonyFCB‐EX980visiblecamerawithahalffieldofview(HFOV)of52°to2.5°.Thesystemhasoneofthewideranglelensesavailableandchangingthefocallengthwouldincreasetheresolutionatdistance,butreducetheabilitytoseealargeareaduringsearchoperations.The20xzoomcapabilityseemedmorethanadequatewiththislenstoresolvesmallobjectswithinacouplemiles.Withthissystemitwaspossibletoseeanobject3footby3footfromtwomilesaway.Itcanbedifficulttomaintainanobjectinthefieldofviewwhenatfullmagnification.Also,despitetheonboardimagestabilizationofthecamera,imagescangetjumpyunderhighmagnificationbecauseofthemotionoftheballoon.

Thelong‐waveinfraredsystemtestedisaFLIRPhoton320witha25mmlensprovidinga20°HFOV.Ithasa2xzoomcapability.InthedemonstrationsthespillrespondersrequestedhigherzoomcapabilitieswiththeIRcamera.Cameraswithtwicetheresolutionareavailableandcanprovidebetterelectroniczoom.WiththecamerasystemPWSSCtested,itwaspossibletodetecta30footfishingvesselfrommorethantwomilesaway.Thisseemstobetheminimumresolutionnecessary.

WithIRsystemsitisalsoimportanttoconsiderthethermalrangeandresolution.Thesystemmustbeabletodetectalltemperatureswithinthenormaloperatingrange.Atthesametimeitisimportanttobeabletoresolvesmalltemperaturedifferences.Itisdesirabletoidentifylessthanonedegreetemperaturedifferencesinordertoidentifyoilonthesurface.With0.1°Cresolutionitispossibletoseeoilevenwhenthereisn’tatemperaturedifferencebecauseofthedifferenceinemissivityofoilandwater.Theinfluenceofthedifferenceinemissivityisdependentonthethicknessoftheoilsothickerlayers(>200µm)aremoreevidentthanthinsheensintheinfrared.

Whentestingthesystemthereseemstobeadesiretoseehowsmallanobjectcanbeseenandforgetwhatsizeofobjectneedstobeseenduringoperations.Duringfieldtrials,testerswereeagertozoomincloseonobjectstotestthecameras’abilities.PWSSC’sspeculationisthatundernormalresponsesituationsthough,onewouldlikelyrunthecamerasatwiderangles.

Becauseofthemotionoftheballoonitisveryimportanttohaveimagestabilization.Athighzoomlevelsitwouldbeimpossibletoremainfocusedonanobjectwithoutstabilizationandinterpretingimagesatlowzoommaybedifficultiftheimagemovessignificantly.


Thecamerashouldhavefullpanandtiltcontroltoensureitcanseetheentirewatersurfacewithinfivemiles.

Informationmanagementisanimportantconsiderationwhenspecifyingasystem.Ataminimumthecamerasignal,associatedgpsdata,andcamerapositionsmustberecordedandabletobeplayedbacktogether.Auserinterfacethatallowstheoperatortoseewherethecameraisandwhereitispointedatishighlydesirable.Itisbesttobeabletoseetheinformationonanavigationalchartorothermapinterface.

ItismoreimportanttoprovideageographiclocationwiththeimagethanfirstconsideredwhenspecifyingthesystemusedbyPWSSC.Theimagepositioniscalculatedbasedonthealtitude,compassposition,panandtiltofthecamerasystem.Thesystemtestedusesthegpsonthecameraforaltitudeandcompassorientation.Thecameraneedstobemovingtoprovideagpscompassreadingandthegpscalculationofaltitudehaslimitedaccuracy.Theseissueslimittheaccuracyofthepositioncalculation,whichismoreapparentthefurtheranobjectisaway.Theimagepositionestimatecanbeimprovedwiththeadditionofacompassandlaseraltimeter.

Itisdesirabletohavemorethanonevesselreceivethevideosignalwitha2400MHzreceiverandvideodisplay.Forcommunicationstomultiplevesselswithinataskforcetheballoonshouldbeabletotransmitwirelesslyatleasttwomiles.Toreceiveallthetelemetryinformationmayrequireanadditionalfullgroundsystem.Additionalgroundsystemswouldhavetobeconfiguredtoworkwiththemastercontroller.Theythenwouldhavetheabilitytooperatethecamera.Untilitisbetterunderstoodhowthesystemwillbeutilizeditisnotrecommendedtohavemultiplecontrolunits,butprovidingtheabilitytoviewatleastthevideofeedisdesirable.Theabilitytoviewthevideosignalshouldhavealow‐costsolution.Beingabletocombineandviewboththecameradataandvideosignalisdesirablebutlikelytobesignificantlymoreexpensive.

ItisdesirabletorelayinformationbacktotheIncidentCommand,whichmayrequiresomeadditionalsoftwaredevelopment.Itisunlikelytobeabletosendthefullvideosignalthroughexistinginternetconnectionssosomecompressionorsubsamplingmaybeneeded.Thelargequantityofdatageneratedbythesystemmakesitdifficulttotransmitmorethanaportionofthedatabacktoshore.

Ofthegroundsupportgeartherearetwocriticalcomponents.Thefirstisthecomputer,particularlytheharddrive.Thevideocangeneratehundredsofgigabytesofdataaday,whichrequiresexternalharddrivesbeavailablefordeploymentsgreaterthanadayifthedataisbeingrecorded.Thecomputermusthavetheavailableslotsforalltheconnectionstothedeckunit.Thesecondcomponentisthewinch.Duringdifferenttestswehaveusedshipcapstans,boomreel,andnetreel.Havingawinch,suchasanetreelmakesdeploymentandretrievalmuchsimplerthanusingacapstan.Sometypeofretrievalsystemcapableofretrievingtheballoonunderhighwindconditionsisabsolutelyrequired.Withwindsmuchgreaterthan15knotsitmaynotbepossibletoretrievetheballoonbyhand.Ifanelectricalconnectionismadethroughthetethereitheradedicatedwinchwithslipringsoranelectricaldisconnectnearthereelisneeded.Whilehavingadedicatedwinchisnice,itmaybebettertomaintain


flexibilityandreduceshippingrequirementsbygoingwithanelectricaldisconnectbetweenthedeckunitandthetethercable.

Costandweightmustbeconsideredasfactorsinselection.Aheavierapayloadrequiresalargerballoonandthatdictatestheamountofheliumneeded.Theheliumisoftenthelargestsinglepieceforshippingandcanbedifficulttoobtaininlargequantitiesinmanylocations.Reducingtheweightofthepayload,increasingthecameracapabilities,improvingweatherresistanceareallpossible,butatsomepointtheincreasingcostwilloutweighthegainincapability.

BestAvailableTechnologyselectioncriteriaTheballoonprovidesaplatformthatcouldbeusedfordeployingawidearrayofoildetectionsensors.TheevaluationonbestavailabletechnologyprovidedhereisbasedonavisibleandthermalIRsensorpackage.ThisevaluationofbestavailabletechnologyisrequiredunderAlaskastatestatuteAK75.255(k).

1.1. Availability:Thissystemusesoff‐the‐shelftechnologiesavailablefrommultiplevendors.Thesystemscanbeputtogetherusingvariouspartsorpurchasedasaturn‐keypackage.Twovendorsofthekite‐styleballoonsareSkyDoc(http://www.skydocballoon.com/)andAerialProducts(http://www.aerialproducts.com/).Bothvendorsalsosupplyawiderangeofturn‐keysurveillancesystems.Thereareavarietyofpotentialsurveillancesystemsthatcanbeconsideredforthepayload.Theserangefromunstabilized,fixed‐view,visible‐onlycamerastosystemswithoneswithgyroscopicallystabilized,dualvisibleandcooled‐IRcameras.Thisleadstoawiderangeofpriceoptionsandcapabilities.Themidtohighendsystemsmayhaveexportrestrictionsassociatedwiththembecauseoftheleveloftechnologybeingincorporated.

1.2. Transferability:Thistechnologyisreadytobetransferredintospillresponseapplications.Ithasbeendeployedfromboatsrangingbetween40and110feetlong.Additionally,theballoonsystemhasbeendeployedfromsmallerflatbedstyleworktrucks.Solongastherearewinchcapabilities,theballoonsystemiseasytomovefromplatformtoplatformascontrolboxesandantennasareeasilypackedup.

1.3. Effectiveness:Thisapproachallowsforlong‐termaerialobservationcapabilities.Thereisthepotentialformaintainingaerialobservationalcapabilitiesforseveraldayswithoutneedingtoretrievethesystem.Theinformationissentdirectlydowntotheresponseteamandthereisthepotentialforittobeseenbymultiplevesselsatthesametime.

1.4. Cost:Costofacompletesystemisdependentonthesizeandgradeoftheballoon,typeofcamera,communicationsapproach,andgroundstationcomponents.Theapproximatecostofaballoonandassociatedcamerasystemwithstabilizedgimbal,visibleandthermalinfraredcameras,communicationscapabilitiesofafewmiles,andassociatedcontrolsoftwareis$85,000.TheoperationalcostisfortheballoonPWSSCtestedisabout$1500forheliumplusvesselcosts.Theheliumshouldbeabletooperatetheballoonformorethan10days.Longerdeploymentsrequireasmallincreaseinheliumused.Additionalgroundsupportcomponents,suchasadedicatedwinchanddockingstationwilladdtotheestimatedcostofthesystem.A


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:AircraftElectro‐Magneticsensors

Alternatemethod:BalloonbasedVisibleandIR

Availability:Whethertechnologyisbestinuseinsituationorisavailableforusebyapplicant

Technologyisavailableandusedworldwide

Technologyisavailableandusedworldwide

Technologyisavailable,butlimitedsensorsuitesavailableintheUS

Thetechnologyisavailableforuse

Transferability:Whethereachtechnologyistransferabletoapplicantsoperations. Currentlyinplace

Currentlyinplace Yes Yes

Effectiveness:Whetherthereisareasonableexpectationeachtechnologywillprovideincreasedspillpreventionorotherenvironmentalbenefits.

Effectiveaslongasplaneswithobserversareabletofly

VisibleandIRsystemsarelimitedbycloudcover.Allsystemslimitedbynumberofobservationoportunities.Therecanbeissueswithdeterminingwhatisbeingobserved

Effectiveaslongasplanesareabletoflyinthearea

Thetechnologyallowsforgreaterobservationtimesoverotherapproaches.Theinformationissentdirectlytotheresponsevesselsdecreasingthetimenecessarytogetinformationtothosevessels


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




Feasibility:thepracticalfeasibilityofeachtechnologyintermsofengineeringandotheroperationalaspects. Currentlyinplace

Currentlyinplace

Currentlyinplaceelsewhere

Hasbeendemonstratedasfeasible

EnvironmentalImpacts:Whetherotherenvironmentalimpactsofeachtechnology,suchasair,land,waterpollution,andenergyrequirementsoffsetanyanticipatedenvironmentalbenefits.

Limitedtoaircraftexhaust None

Limitedtoaircraftexhaust None


SafetyConsiderations

Potentialforlossoflifeifaircraftfails None

Potentialforlossoflifeifaircraftfails

Minimalimpact/overheadhazard

PotentialforPropertyDamage(platform/Ancillaryequipmentdamage)

Possiblytotallostofplatform/damagetostructure/areaofimpact.Increasednumberofflightscouldmeanaincreasetothepossiblelossofaplateform.(i.e.mechanicalfailure,weatherconditions)

None‐veryunlikelythatasatellitewillloseorbit

Possiblytotallostofplatform/damagetostructure/areaofimpact.Increasednumberofflightscouldmeanaincreasetothepossiblelossofaplateform.(i.e.mechanicalfailure,weatherconditions)

Possibleloseofcamerasystem&balloon/minimaldamagetoareaofimpact

Documents

OSRI Balloon‐Based Spill Surveillance System Operations ... · to describe in more detail the use and operation of a balloon surveillance system. A ... a reasonable limiting case