Although balloons have been around since 1783 when the first balloon took to the skies in France, a real breakthrough in ballooning occurred in 1960 with the design of the modern hot-air balloon fueled by inexpensive propane and constructed of lightweight nylon fabric. Over the years, ballooning has become a sport and a hobby for many people around the world. Unlike balloons filled with the light helium gas, hot-air balloons are open to the atmosphere. Therefore, the pressure in the balloon is always the same as the local atmospheric pressure, and the balloon is never in danger of exploding. Hot-air balloons range from about 15 to 25 m in diameter. The air in the balloon cavity is heated by a propane burner located at the top of the passenger cage. The flames from the burner that shoot into the balloon heat the air in the balloon cavity, raising the air temperature at the top of the balloon from 65°C to over 120°C. The air temperature is maintained at the desired levels by periodically firing the propane burner.
FB = pcool air GC balloon
The buoyancy force that pushes the balloon upward is proportional to the density of the cooler air outside the balloon and the volume of the balloon, and can be expressed as where g is the gravitational acceleration. When air resistance is negligible, the buoyancy force is opposed by (1) the weight of the hot air in the balloon, (2) the weight of the cage, the ropes, and the balloon material, and (3) the weight of the people and other load in the cage. The operator of the balloon can control the height and the vertical motion of the balloon by firing the burner or by letting some hot air in the balloon escape, to be replaced by cooler air. The forward motion of the balloon is provided by the winds. Consider a 20-m-diameter hot-air balloon that, together with its cage, has a mass of 80 kg when empty. This balloon is hanging still in the air at a location where the atmospheric pressure and temperature are 90 kPa and 15°C, respectively, while carrying three 65-kg people. Determine the average temperature of the air in the balloon. What would your response be if the atmospheric air temperature were 30°C?