Pneumatic Covering for Local Rainfall Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for promoting rainfall, such as artificial rain techniques using aircraft or large-scale burning, are limited by the need for specific weather conditions and are either ineffective or environmentally harmful, and existing structures for storing hot air are cumbersome and difficult to scale due to stress distribution issues.
Innovation Solution
A covering system that uses thermal energy to heat air trapped beneath a skin, preventing mixing with outside air and utilizing buoyancy to lift the skin and create space, with anti-buoyancy apparatuses to manage stress, allowing the accumulation and release of hot, humid air to increase local atmospheric instability and stimulate rainfall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional structures with boards or beams are used to store hot air, then structural strength is sufficient, but the sectional area and weight increase significantly making large-scale structures difficult to build
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin film skin made of air-tight material to replace conventional thick structural components. The skin is supported by pneumatic pressure from stored air, allowing it to maintain structural integrity while being extremely thin and lightweight. This enables construction of large-scale structures that would be impossible with conventional materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic pressure from stored air to provide structural support and maintain the shape of the skin. The air pressure creates an outward force that counteracts gravitational and environmental loads, eliminating the need for heavy structural frameworks while maintaining sufficient strength.
2Volume of stationary object
If pneumatic structures with uniform pressure distribution are used, then air storage volume is achieved, but stress concentrates on edge components limiting structure size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces varying pressure distribution within the air storage, creating higher pressure near the center and lower pressure near the edges. This local quality variation in pressure distribution reduces stress concentration on edge components while maintaining sufficient air storage volume, enabling larger structure dimensions.
3Productivity
If conventional artificial rain techniques are used, then rainfall increase is achieved under specific conditions, but the techniques require heavy clouds or fronts and are ineffective in drought areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent stores large volumes of air in advance within the covering structure, preparing the thermal and pressure conditions needed for cloud formation. This preliminary action allows the system to generate its own convective updrafts without waiting for external weather systems, making it effective in drought areas where no clouds or fronts are present.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the stored air itself to generate buoyancy-driven convection currents that lift moisture-laden air and promote cloud formation. The stored air serves both as structural support and as the driving force for rainfall generation, eliminating dependence on external weather conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively promotes local rainfall by increasing atmospheric instability and humidity, even in areas lacking heavy clouds or fronts, without causing environmental pollution, and can be scaled to larger areas due to efficient stress management.
Implementation Method 1
the air covered by the covering receives thermal energy from the field
Implementation Method 2
making the temperature of air on the inside to be higher than that on the outside so as to generate buoyancy. Buoyancy generated by the air temperature difference is utilized to lift up the liftable portion of the skin
Implementation Method 3
the skin of the covering prevents the air covered by the covering from mixing and convecting with the air outside the covering and thereby reducing a transmission of the thermal energy to the outside
Implementation Method 4
The hot air covered by the covering can be released to increase the local atmospheric instability and stimulate the occurrence of the local rainfall
Data Source
AI summary
Covering and method for promoting local rainfall are provided. The covering has a skin to cover a field that can get thermal energy. An edge part of the skin is installed at a surface of the field, and the inner part of the skin surrounded by the edge part can be lifted up from the surface to form a space to store air. The covered air receives thermal energy and the skin prevents air convection and reduces thermal energy loss, thereby generating a temperature difference between the inside and outside of the skin. By utilizing buoyancy resulted from the air temperature difference to lift up the inner part of the skin, a huge space is formed to contain a large amount of air. Thereafter, the covered air continues to receive thermal energy, causing huge thermal energy to be stored in the covered air, which is then used to promote rainfall.