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Cloud Electrification as a Source of Ignition for Hydrogen Lift-Gas Airships Disasters

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14th Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference (CHAOS 2021)

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Abstract

The first half of the twentieth century became the Golden Age of the dirigible airship. After the Hindenburg disaster, (1937), the dirigible use fell into rapid decline leaving the non-rigid airships to serve in maritime roles until the mid 1960s. Throughout dirigible and non-rigid use, violent storm systems have been associated with in-flight airship disasters. In particular, the popular press at time instilled into the public perception that lightning strikes were the guilty ignition source of the disasters. Over the past 25 years, Saint Elmo’s Fire has come forward as an alternative ignition source for in-flight airship disasters. Understanding the role of low energy discharges events is important for the emerging hydrogen economy that is intended to reduce the world’s energy consumption and greenhouse emissions. This paper reviews 2H2 + O2 = 2H2O combustion chemistry, the role of heterogeneous graupel chemistry within electrification of Cumulonimbus, and how the empirical mathematical construct of Peek’s Law which attempts to identify the visual inception voltage in terms of the minimum electrical field stress required for the generation of Saint Elmo’s Fire. Using this electrochemical knowledge, in-flight airship disasters associated with nearby cloud electrification, or violent storms systems, are correlated and reviewed. This study is supported by firsthand accounts (from survivors), including radio messages prior to an airship disaster, ground eyewitness accounts, along with the structural design of the airship. The hydrogen lift-gas airships reviewed here are four dirigibles (LZ-4 (L-10), SL-9, Dixmude and Hindenburg) and one non-rigid airship (NS.11). As a comparative control, this paper reviews the worst airship disaster, that of the helium lift-gas flying aircraft carrier, USS Akron (ZRS-4), which led to the loss of 73 lives. In addition to that of the sister airship, USS Macon (ZRS-5) disaster where two lives were also lost.

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Acknowledgements

The Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper. The Authors dedicate this work to all the people who perished in airship disasters.

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  1. School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

    V. J. Law & D. P. Dowling

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  1. V. J. Law
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Correspondence to V. J. Law .

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  1. ManLab, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Crete, Greece

    Christos H. Skiadas

  2. Department of Management Science and Technology, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Lasithi, Greece

    Yiannis Dimotikalis

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Law, V.J., Dowling, D.P. (2022). Cloud Electrification as a Source of Ignition for Hydrogen Lift-Gas Airships Disasters. In: Skiadas, C.H., Dimotikalis, Y. (eds) 14th Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference. CHAOS 2021. Springer Proceedings in Complexity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96964-6_19

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