Duct Balloon®

   Inflatable Isolation Barriers - Since 1998

The locations where a Duct Balloon® has been used are as follows:



To reduce the intrusion of outside air from entering the inlet duct work, a Duct Balloon® can be installed in duct work that runs horizontally or vertically. The blower is typically placed outside the duct work and the inflation tube is fed through an existing man way.  While only one Duct Balloon® is required for this type of installation, this artist rendering shows how it could be installed in either vertical or horizontal duct work.

Another installation point can be in the exhaust ductwork of the HRSG just before the entrance into the exhaust stack. This Duct Balloon® is typically 7’ (2.13m) to 9’ (2.74m) wide and can be as tall as 50’ (15.2m) or more depending on the size of the unit. Either of these locations will permit temporary installation of Duct Balloon® without any modifications to the plant. Your choice depends on several factors including which direction the outside air is entering or if certain areas are experiencing off line corrosion.

To see how a HRSG Duct Balloon® is installed inside a HRSG Exhaust Stack, click here

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A Duct Balloon® can be used in conjunction with a dehumidification system to keep the humidity level at or below 35% to keep corrosion levels to a minimum during layups or long term preservation.

Our 1st generation HRSG Duct Balloon® was introduced in 2004. That design required the operator to install a support rod inside the stack and an access door. Support ropes or cables of varying lengths are attached to the support rod and then to the top surface of the Duct Balloon® so that it tilts downward toward the opening to direct water out through the open access door.   

While this design worked well it could cause corrosion on the outside of the stack


Our 2nd generation HRSG Duct Balloon® incorporates a sloped top surface that channels rain water towards the center drain hole and then internally conveys it to the perimeter edge when it can be connected to stack drains or a gutter system.  We also added a layer of heavy duty nylon around the perimeter edge to increased durability where it contacts the ID of the stack.


In retrofit applications, the installed access door size should be 36” × 24” (915mm x 610mm) (by others) to insure proper clearance for the inflation tube and external drain connection and allow of ease of installation and removal from the stack. A support cable is now used instead of a support rod to make installation easier. We work closely with HRST, Inc. and we can coordinate the design of the Duct Balloon®, access door, support cable and hanger hardware with them to insure that everything you’ll need for your project will arrive at the jobsite as required.