Abstract

The Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE) project investigates the benefits, risks, costs and feasibility of solar radiation management through the deployment of reflective aerosols in the stratosphere. The proposed delivery system for this project is a number of tethered balloons reaching from sea level to an altitude of 20km. By means of an ultra-high pressure pumping system, the particulate slurry is pumped through the tethers and dispersed at altitude. The economic feasibility of such a system depends upon the long-term deployment of the balloon and sufficient pumping capacity to deliver an estimated 10 million tonnes per year of aerosol.

There are many novel engineering challenges that are involved in the design, manufacture and operation of such a system. This presentation discusses a number of these challenges, and presents a preliminary design consderations for a 1km test-bed that is due to be constructed in November this year. Preliminary wind tunnel test results are also presented, to illustrate the complexity of the dynamic behaviour of the tethered balloon system.