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At least 181 records · Page 10

The Water‐Year Water Balance of the Colorado River Basin

Abstract Model‐estimated monthly water balance components (i.e., potential evapotranspiration, actual evapotranspiration, and runoff ( R )) for 146 United States (U.S.) Geological Survey 8‐digit hydrologic units located in the Colorado River Basin (CRB) are used to examine the temporal and spatial variability of the CRB water balance for water years 1901 through 2014 (a water year is the period from October 1 of one year through September 30 of the following year). Results indicate that the CRB can be divided into six subregions with similar temporal variability in monthly R . The water balance analyses indicated that approximately 75% of total water‐year R is generated by just one CRB subregion and that most of the R in the basin is derived from surplus ( S ) water generated during the months of October through April. Furthermore, the analyses show that temporal variability in S is largely controlled by the occurrence of negative atmospheric pressure anomalies over the northwestern conterminous U.S. (CONUS) and positive atmospheric pressure anomalies over the southeastern CONUS. This combination of atmospheric pressure anomalies results in an anomalous flow of moist air from the North Pacific Ocean into the CRB, particularly the Upper CRB. Additionally, the occurrence of extreme dry and wet periods in the CRB appears to be related to variability of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

McCabe, Gregory J.↗

Evolution of water structures in metal-organic frameworks for improved atmospheric water harvesting

Designing water uptake Although the locations of water molecules in some porous materials have been determined with diffraction techniques, determining the filling sequence of water sites has been challenging. Hanikel et al . used single-crystal x-ray diffraction to locate all of the water molecules in pores of the metal-organic framework MOF-303 at different water loadings (see the Perspective by Öhrström and Amombo Noa). They used this information on the water molecule adsorption sequence to modify the linkers of this MOF and control the water-harvesting properties from humid air for different temperature regimes. —PDS

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

General circulation models simulate negative liquid water path–droplet number correlations, but anthropogenic aerosols still increase simulated liquid water path

General circulation models' (GCMs) estimates of the liquid water path adjustment to anthropogenic aerosol emissions differ in sign from other lines of evidence. This reduces confidence in estimates of the effective radiative forcing of the climate by aerosol–cloud interactions (ERFaci). The discrepancy is thought to stem in part from GCMs' inability to represent the turbulence–microphysics interactions in cloud-top entrainment, a mechanism that leads to a reduction in liquid water in response to an anthropogenic increase in aerosols. In the real atmosphere, enhanced cloud-top entrainment is thought to be the dominant adjustment mechanism for liquid water path, weakening the overall ERFaci. We show that the latest generation of GCMs includes models that produce a negative correlation between the present-day cloud droplet number and liquid water path, a key piece of observational evidence supporting liquid water path reduction by anthropogenic aerosols and one that earlier-generation GCMs could not reproduce. However, even in GCMs with this negative correlation, the increase in anthropogenic aerosols from preindustrial to present-day values still leads to an increase in the simulated liquid water path due to the parameterized precipitation suppression mechanism. This adds to the evidence that correlations in the present-day climate are not necessarily causal. We investigate sources of confounding to explain the noncausal correlation between liquid water path and droplet number. These results are a reminder that assessments of climate parameters based on multiple lines of evidence must carefully consider the complementary strengths of different lines when the lines disagree.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Water hyacinths for removal of phenols from polluted waters

Removal of phenol by water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms) in static water was investigated. 2.75 g dry weight of this aquatic plant demonstrated the ability to absorb 100 mg of phenol per plant per 72 hours from distilled water, river water, and bayou water. One hectare of water hyacinth plants is shown to be potentially capable of removing 160 kg of phenol per 72 hours from waters polluted with this chemical.

Wolverton, B. C.↗

Airborne discrimination between ice and water - Application to the laser measurement of chlorophyll-in-water in a marginal ice zone

The concurrent active-passive measurement capabilities of the NASA Airborne Oceanographic Lidar have been used to (1) discriminate between ice and water in a large ice field within the Greenland Sea and (2) achieve the detection and measurement of chlorophyll-in-water by laser-induced and water-Raman-normalized pigment fluorescence. Passive upwelled radiances from sea ice are significantly stronger than those from the neighboring water, even when the optical receiver field-of-view is only partially filled with ice. Thus, weaker passive upwelled radiances, together with concurrently acquired laser-induced spectra, can rather confidently be assigned to the intervening water column. The laser-induced spectrum can then be processed using previously established methods to measure the chlorophyll-in-water concentration. Significant phytoplankton patchiness and elevated chlorophyll concentrations were found within the waters of the melting ice compared to ice-free regions just outside the ice field.

Hoge, Frank E.↗

A systems approach to water recovery testing for space life support - Initial biomedical results from the ECLSS Water Recovery Test and plans for testbed utilization

Among the challenges of designing and constructing Space Station Freedom is the development of the water system. A review of past efforts in reclaiming waste water in enclosed environments reveals that there are many gaps in the biomedical understanding of this process. Some of the key uncertainties of human interaction with a closed water system include determining potential contaminants and establishing safe levels of multiple compounds in the enclosed system of Space Station. Another uncertainty is the microbial constituency of such a system and what impact it could have on crew health and performance. The use of iodine as the passive biocide may have both an indirect and direct impact on the crew. In this paper the initial results of the Water Recovery Test are reviewed from a biomedical perspective, revealing areas where more information is needed to develop the ECLSS water system. By including the approach of 'man as a subsystem', consideration is given to how man interacts with the total water system. Taking this systems approach to providing the crew with a safe source of water gives useful insight into the most efficient design and utilization of closed system testbeds.

Aten, Laurie A.↗

Analysis of thrust augmentation of turbojet engines by water injection at compressor inlet including charts for calculating compression processes with water injection

A psychrometric chart having total pressure (sum of partial pressures of air and water vapor) as a variable, a Mollier diagram for air saturated with water vapor, and charts showing the thermodynamic properties of various air-water vapor and exhaust gas-water vapor mixtures are presented as aids in calculating the thrust augmentation of a turbojet engine resulting from the injection of water at the compressor inlet. Curves are presented that show the theoretical performance of the augmentation method for various amounts of water injected and the effects of varying flight Mach number, altitude, ambient-air temperature, ambient relative humidity, compressor pressure ratio, and inlet-diffuser efficiency. Numerical examples, illustrating the use of the psychrometric chart and the Mollier diagram in calculating both compressor-inlet and compressor-outlet conditions when water is injected at the compressor inlet, are presented.

Wilcox, E Clinton↗

Excess chemical potential of small solutes across water--membrane and water--hexane interfaces

The excess chemical potentials of five small, structurally related solutes, CH4, CH3F, CH2F2, CHF3, and CF4, across the water-glycerol 1-monooleate bilayer and water-hexane interfaces were calculated at 300, 310, and 340 K using the particle insertion method. The excess chemical potentials of nonpolar molecules (CH4 and CF4) decrease monotonically or nearly monotonically from water to a nonpolar phase. In contrast, for molecules that possess permanent dipole moments (CH3F, CH2F, and CHF3), the excess chemical potentials exhibit an interfacial minimum that arises from superposition of two monotonically and oppositely changing contributions: electrostatic and nonelectrostatic. The nonelectrostatic term, dominated by the reversible work of creating a cavity that accommodates the solute, decreases, whereas the electrostatic term increases across the interface from water to the membrane interior. In water, the dependence of this term on the dipole moment is accurately described by second order perturbation theory. To achieve the same accuracy at the interface, third order terms must also be included. In the interfacial region, the molecular structure of the solvent influences both the excess chemical potential and solute orientations. The excess chemical potential across the interface increases with temperature, but this effect is rather small. Our analysis indicates that a broad range of small, moderately polar molecules should be surface active at the water-membrane and water-oil interfaces. The biological and medical significance of this result, especially in relation to the mechanism of anesthetic action, is discussed.

NASA Center ARC↗

Determination of Ice Water Path in Ice-over-Water Cloud Systems Using Combined MODIS and AMSR-E Measurements

To provide more accurate ice cloud properties for evaluating climate models, the updated version of multi-layered cloud retrieval system (MCRS) is used to retrieve ice water path (IWP) in ice-over-water cloud systems over global ocean using combined instrument data from the Aqua satellite. The liquid water path (LWP) of lower layer water clouds is estimated from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) measurements. With the lower layer LWP known, the properties of the upper-level ice clouds are then derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer measurements by matching simulated radiances from a two-cloud layer radiative transfer model. Comparisons with single-layer cirrus systems and surface-based radar retrievals show that the MCRS can significantly improve the accuracy and reduce the over-estimation of optical depth and ice water path retrievals for ice over-water cloud systems. During the period from December 2004 through February 2005, the mean daytime ice cloud optical depth and IWP for overlapped ice-over-water clouds over ocean from Aqua are 7.6 and 146.4 gm(sup -2), respectively, significantly less than the initial single layer retrievals of 17.3 and 322.3 gm(sup -2). The mean IWP for actual single-layer clouds was 128.2 gm(sup -2).

Huang, Jianping↗

Design and Evaluation of a Water Recirculation Loop Maintenance Device for the Advanced Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator

A dual-bed device to maintain the water quality of the Advanced Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporation (SWME) water recirculation loop has been designed and is undergoing testing. The SWME is a heat rejection device under development at the NASA Johnson Space Center to perform thermal control for advanced spacesuits. One advantage to this technology is the potential for a significantly greater degree of tolerance to contamination when compared to the existing Sublimator technology. The driver for the development of a water recirculation maintenance device is to further enhance this advantage through the leveraging of fluid loop management lessons-learned from the International Space Station (ISS). A bed design that was developed for a Hamilton Sundstrand military application, and considered for a potential ISS application with the Urine Processor Assembly, provides a low pressure drop means for water maintenance in a recirculation loop. The bed design is coupled with high capacity ion exchange resins, organic adsorbents, and a cyclic methodology developed for the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Transport Water loop. The bed design further leverages a sorbent developed for ISS that introduces a biocide in a microgravity-compatible manner for the Internal Active Thermal Control System (IATCS). The leveraging of these water maintenance technologies to the SWME recirculation loop is a clear demonstration of applying the valuable lessons learned on the ISS to the next generation of manned spaceflight Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) hardware.

Steele, John W.↗

Design and Evaluation of a Water Recirculation Loop Maintenance Device for the Advanced Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator

A dual-bed device to maintain the water quality of the Advanced Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporation (SWME) water recirculation loop has been designed and is undergoing testing. The SWME is a heat rejection device under development at the NASA Johnson Space Center to perform thermal control for advanced spacesuits. One advantage to this technology is the potential for a significantly greater degree of tolerance to contamination when compared to the existing sublimator technology. The driver for the development of a water recirculation maintenance device is to further enhance this advantage through the leveraging of fluid loop management lessons learned from the International Space Station (ISS). A bed design that was developed for a Hamilton Sundstrand military application, and considered for a potential ISS application with the Urine Processor Assembly, provides a low pressure drop means for water maintenance in a recirculation loop. The bed design is coupled with high-capacity ion exchange resins, organic adsorbents, and a cyclic methodology developed for the Extravehicular Mobility Unit Transport Water Loop. The bed design further leverages a sorbent developed for the ISS that introduces a biocide in a microgravity-compatible manner for the Internal Active Thermal Control System. The leveraging of these water maintenance technologies to the SWME recirculation loop is a unique demonstration of applying the valuable lessons learned on the ISS to the next generation of crewed spaceflight Environmental Control and Life Support System hardware.

Steele, John W.↗

Performance of a Water Recirculation Loop Maintenance Device and Process for the Advanced Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporator

A dual-bed device to maintain the water quality of the Advanced Spacesuit Water Membrane Evaporation (SWME) water recirculation loop has been designed and is undergoing testing. The SWME is a heat rejection device under development at the NASA Johnson Space Center to perform thermal control for advanced spacesuits. One advantage to this technology is the potential for a significantly greater degree of tolerance to contamination when compared to the existing Sublimator technology. The driver for the development of a water recirculation maintenance device is to further enhance this advantage through the leveraging of fluid loop management lessons-learned from the International Space Station (ISS). A bed design that was developed for a Hamilton Sundstrand military application, and considered for a potential ISS application with the Urine Processor Assembly, provides a low pressure drop means for water maintenance in a recirculation loop. The bed design is coupled with high capacity ion exchange resins, organic adsorbents, and a cyclic methodology developed for the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Transport Water loop. The bed design further leverages a sorbent developed for ISS that introduces a biocide in a microgravity-compatible manner for the Internal Active Thermal Control System (IATCS). The leveraging of these water maintenance technologies to the SWME recirculation loop is a unique demonstration of applying the valuable lessons learned on the ISS to the next generation of manned spaceflight Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) hardware.

Steele, John W.↗

A Novel Ion Exchange System to Purify Mixed ISS Waste Water Brines for Chemical Production and Enhanced Water Recovery

Current International Space Station water recovery regimes produce a sizable portion of waste water brine. This brine is highly toxic and water recovery is poor: a highly wasteful proposition. With new biological techniques that do not require waste water chemical pretreatment, the resulting brine would be chromium-free and nitrate rich which can allow possible fertilizer recovery for future plant systems. Using a system of ion exchange resins we can remove hardness, sulfate, phosphate and nitrate from these brines to leave only sodium and potassium chloride. At this point modern chlor-alkali cells can be utilized to produce a low salt stream as well as an acid and base stream. The first stream can be used to gain higher water recovery through recycle to the water separation stage while the last two streams can be used to regenerate the ion exchange beds used here, as well as other ion exchange beds in the ISS. Conveniently these waste products from ion exchange regeneration would be suitable as plant fertilizer. In this report we go over the performance of state of the art resins designed for high selectivity of target ions under brine conditions. Using ersatz ISS waste water we can evaluate the performance of specific resins and calculate mass balances to determine resin effectiveness and process viability. If this system is feasible then we will be one step closer to closed loop environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) for current or future applications.

brine↗

Lunar Water ISRU Measurement Study (LWIMS): Establishing a Measurement Plan for Identification and Characterization of a Water Reserve

NASA’s Artemis program aims to achieve a sustainable lunar presence by 2028. To carry out sustained crewed surface operations, In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), which would use lunar resources (e.g., water) to produce mission consumables, will be critical. Water-bearing materials have been identified at both lunar poles, butthe nature and extent of this resource is not well understood. Identification of the presence of water alone is not adequate for ISRU architecture planning and engineering design. The Lunar Water ISRU Measurement Study (LWIMS) assessed and defined the type, amount, and fidelity of the information and measurements needed to select mining locations for lunar water ISRU and to define requirements for ISRU hardware and architecture development. Current ISRU requirements were used to define a water ‘reserve’ in this context. A measurement plan to achieve these goals includes three key elements; a predictive ‘water favorability’ model to identify and map potential deposits, continued assessment of orbital data, and three types of landed missions to make direct ground measurements. Corresponding mission scenarios and instrument suites will depend on risk posture and timelines for ISRU implementation.

In situ resource utilization↗

Ultrasonic in-situ water-cut measurement using ultrasonic oil-water separation for affecting sound speed calibration

An apparatus and method for the separation of an oil-water mixture into its components are described. An acoustic radiation force moves oil droplets to the nodes of an acoustic standing wave generated in a vertical column containing the oil-water mixture. Once the droplets are sufficiently close together, attractive forces become dominant and the droplets may coalesce to form larger droplets, which have greater buoyancy, and separation of the mixture into a layer of oil and a layer of water occurs, not possible by simple gravitational separation. Acoustically-driven oil-water separation may be used for water-cut measurements in oil production wells, since separation of the oil from the water permits accurate sound speed measurements to be made for both the oil and the water, thereby allowing frequent in situ calibrations of the apparatus to determine whether sound speed measurements on the mixture are accurate in the event that one or both of the mixture constituents is changing.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Hybrid Cooling and Water Treatment for Resilient, Water-Self-Sufficient Data Centers

The continued growth of data center infrastructure is intensifying demand for freshwater resources, particularly in water-stressed regions, and is increasingly limiting sustainable capacity expansion. This work investigates a conceptual hybrid system that integrates freeze desalination with ultrasonic-assisted ice separation to enable on-site production of pure water from diverse sources, including seawater, brackish groundwater, and reclaimed industrial or agricultural wastewater. Simultaneously, the system produces low-temperature cooling streams that enhance heat removal in high power density computing environments. A process-level thermodynamic analysis is performed across a range of boundary and operating conditions, including variations in feed concentration, freezing temperature, and mass flow rate. The results are presented as performance curves relating feedwater concentration and target purified water output to the corresponding intake flow requirements, enabling estimation of source water demand per unit of Information Technology Equipment (ITE) energy consumption (kWh) across varying data center scales and operational scenarios. The corresponding electrical energy consumption for integrated cooling and water treatment is also evaluated as a function of system operating parameters and target water production levels. These results provide a basis for evaluating system feasibility across different conditions and for identifying parameter ranges in which integrated water treatment and cooling improve resource efficiency, thermal performance, and operational flexibility in data centers.

Elhefny, Aly [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000284907923)↗

Analytical investigation of the dew point water recovery system with potential application for drinking water production

The article presents the analytical investigation of the Dew Point Water Recovery (DPWR) system with potential application for drinking water production. Four different configurations of the DPWR system were proposed, differing in the number and type of dew point cooling exchangers used, and their operation was described using a validated convective heat transfer coefficient mathematical model. It was found that the three stage configu-ration of the DPWR system with a regenerative exchanger has the best water recovery performance, while the three stage configuration with a counter-flow exchanger has the best ratio of energy supplied to the system in relation to the amount of water produced. It was also found that the DPWR system can operate in a wide range of operating conditions with a specific electric energy consumption reaching below 0.9 kWh/m 3 and GOR in the range of 0.36-2.16. What distinguishes the DPWR system from other methods of drinking water production is the ability to work without an additional source of thermal energy apart from the energy of the air supplied to the system. Thanks to this property, the system has the potential to fill the technological gap of a low-energy and easily accessible method of drinking water production.

42 ENGINEERING↗