Date of Graduation
5-2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Huang, Po-Huang Adam
Committee Member/Reader
Roe, Larry A.
Abstract
The Earth is daily bombarded with cosmic radiation which delivers ions to the atmosphere and creates new ions via the collision of the incoming particles with the atmospheric particles, stripping them of electrons. Generally, this process results in a positively charged atmosphere and a negatively charged surface of the Earth. This process causes an electrical current which flows throughout the atmosphere and into the Earth's surface and comprises a system referred to as "the global atmospheric electrical circuit." This electrical current is very small at the surface of the Earth, on the order of 161'-12 amperes per square meter. The voltage potential difference between the surface and the atmosphere increases with altitude, with an approximate potential difference of +250 kilo- Volts between the ionosphere and Earth's surface. Using high-altitude balloons, the possibility of extracting usable amounts of energy from the electric energy present in the atmosphere at extreme altitude is to be investigated.
Citation
Haynes, J. (2012). BalloonSat Based Investigation of Atmospheric Electric Potential for Sustainable Energy Production. Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/meeguht/33