Análise técnica e econômica da utilização de dirigíveis no transporte de cargas indivisíveis e volumosas em situações de difícil acesso

Abstract

Transportation of bulky loads in the Brazilian territory demands stiff planning due to cargo dimension and weight that trespasses what is permitted by law. Added to that, logic infrastructure has many problems, from bureaucratic issues to lack of maintenance on roads, ports and airports. Such problems can hinder transportation and, in difficult access locations, can make projects unfeasible due to high costs. Proposing airships for cargo transportation is not new, but it has been disregarded because of its existing technical limitations. Today, thanks to the latest technological advances, airships can prove to be a niche alternative for acting in niches in which logistics conditions are adverse to conventional transportation, where access ways are necessary due to cargo dimension or even route change or due to walkways and towers, which hinder transportation. Airships can be an intermediate solution between speed and cost, as well as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and minimal dependence of landing and loading/unloading infrastructure. This paper does a technical comparison between aircrafts and highway models. From these analyzes it is possible to conceive that airships can be a viable alternative both economically and technically.