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The Balloon Quick Fill Connector (BQFC)
Abstract:
Preparing and launching weather balloons can be a time-consuming process, taking up to twenty minutes and multiple personnel. The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) requires a balloon launch every hour for thirty hours, this necessitates an efficient process. The Balloon Quick Fill Connector (BQFC) identified two areas for improvement: attaching the balloon to the fill nozzle, and accurately filling the balloon to achieve a 5m/s ascent rate. The BQFC team created a clamping system that enables one person to attach the balloon to the helium fill nozzle in about 15 seconds. This clamping system was able to withstand the upward forces of the balloon while maintaining a secure connection between the fill nozzle and balloon, without helium leakage. The team incorporated the fill nozzle into a floating tripod mount that enables the user to reliably fill to the minimum buoyancy needed for a 5m/s accent. The tripod system has been designed to slide vertically upward with the force generated by the balloon. When the desired buoyancy is achieved, the tripod system rises to its upper vertical limit, indicating the balloon is ready to be launched. With these two innovations, BQFC has reduced the time it takes to fill and launch a balloon to less than two minutes and greatly increased the consistency of our balloon's ascent rate. This system was used during the October 2023 annular eclipse. The BQFC team intends to utilize this system for the April 2024 total eclipse.