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At least 253 records · Page 14

Algorithm for Estimating the Plume Centerline Temperature and Ceiling Jet Temperature in the Presence of a Hot Upper Layer

The experiments were designed to provide insight into the behavior of jet fuel fires in aircraft hangars and to study the impact of these fires on the design and operation of a variety of fire protection systems. As a result, the test series included small fires designed to investigate the operation of UV/IR detectors and smoke detectors as well as large fires which were used to investigate the operation of ceiling mounted heat detectors and sprinklers. The impact of the presence or absence of draft curtains was also studied in the 15 m hangar. It is shown that in order to predict the plume centerline temperature within experimental uncertainty, the entrainment of the upper layer gas must be modeled. For large fires, the impact of a changing radiation fraction must also be included in the calculation. The dependence of the radial temperature profile of the ceiling jet as a function of layer development is demonstrated and a ceiling jet temperature algorithm which includes the impact of a growing layer is developed.

ALGORITHMS↗

OGCM Simulations of Equatorial Pacific Current and Temperature to ERS-1, FSU and NMC Surface Winds and to Assimilation of Subsurface Temperature Data

The relative accuracies of three surface wind data products for the tropical Pacific Ocean during April 1992 to March 1994 were examined by analyzing temperature and current fields along the equator, which were simulated with an ocean general circulation model. Simulations were made with and without assimilation of surface and subsurface temperature data. Simulated currents were compared with observations at three sites (170oW, 140oW, 110oW) at the equator. Model-generated currents and temperatures indicated that the ERS-1 westward wind speeds were low compared to the FSU and NMC winds. With data assimilation, the agreement between simulated and observed currents was highest at 170oW and lowest at 110oW.

ERS-1 FSU↗

Analyzing the Effects of Climate Change on Sea Surface Temperature in Monitoring Coral Reef Health in the Florida Keys Using Sea Surface Temperature Data

This presentation discusses use of 4 kilometer satellite-based sea surface temperature (SST) data to monitor and assess coral reef areas of the Florida Keys. There are growing concerns about the impacts of climate change on coral reef systems throughout the world. Satellite remote sensing technology is being used for monitoring coral reef areas with the goal of understanding the climatic and oceanic changes that can lead to coral bleaching events. Elevated SST is a well-documented cause of coral bleaching events. Some coral monitoring studies have used 50 km data from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) to study the relationships of sea surface temperature anomalies to bleaching events. In partnership with NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the University of South Florida's Institute for Marine Remote Sensing, this project utilized higher resolution SST data from the Terra's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and AVHRR. SST data for 2000-2010 was employed to compute sea surface temperature anomalies within the study area. The 4 km SST anomaly products enabled visualization of SST levels for known coral bleaching events from 2000-2010.

Jones, Jason↗

Development and Performance Verification of Fiber Optic Temperature Sensors in High Temperature Engine Environments

A High Temperature Fiber Optic Sensor (HTFOS) has been developed at NASA Glenn Research Center for aircraft engine applications. After fabrication and preliminary in-house performance evaluation, the HTFOS was tested in an engine environment at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center. The engine tests enabled the performance of the HTFOS in real engine environments to be evaluated along with the ability of the sensor to respond to changes in the engine's operating condition. Data were collected prior, during, and after each test in order to observe the change in temperature from ambient to each of the various test point levels. An adequate amount of data was collected and analyzed to satisfy the research team that HTFOS operates properly while the engine was running. Temperature measurements made by HTFOS while the engine was running agreed with those anticipated.

Adamovsky, Grigory↗

Polarization Decomposition and Temperature Bias Resolution for SMAP Passive Soil Moisture Retrieval Using Time Series Brightness Temperature Observations

In passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture, the tau-omega (τ-ω) model has often been used to provide soil moisture estimates at a spatial scale representative of the satellite footprint dimensions. For modeling simplicity, model parameters such as the single scattering albedo (ω) and vegetation opacity (τ) that go into the geophysical inversion process are often assumed to be independent of polarizations. Although this absence of polarization dependence can often be justified in special cases as in low-frequency remote sensing or under dense vegetation conditions, it is not a robust assumption in general. Additional model parameterization errors arising from this assumption are possible, leading to degradation in soil moisture estimation accuracy. In this paper, we propose a time series approach to try to resolve the polarization dependence of several τ-ω model parameters as well as the temperature bias arising from the ancillary temperature data. The Version 4 of the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Level 1B brightness temperature time series observations were used to illustrate the mechanics of this approach, with an emphasis on a comparison between resulting satellite soil moisture retrievals and in situ data collected at several core validation sites. It was found that this time series approach resulted in significant reduction of the dry bias exhibited in the current SMAP passive soil moisture data products, while retaining the same performance in other metrics of the current baseline passive soil moisture retrieval algorithm.

time series↗

Development of an Ultra-Low-Temperature 5-Stage Continuous Adiabatic Demagnetization Refrigerator That Provides Cooling at Two Unique Temperatures

The cryogenics group at NASA-Goddard has built several adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators (ADRs) for cooling detectors to sub-Kelvin temperatures in a lab, balloon, or space environment. The effort presented here describes the development of a new 5-stage adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator capable of providing continuous cooling at 35 mK with a cooling power double that previously demonstrated at this temperature. It will also provide a separate continuous temperature platform near 1 K. This system will be qualified using flight-like conditions, culminating in an ADR that is ready for the rigors of spaceflight by the end of the effort.

ADR↗

Pressure-temperature effects on knock with iso-octane and propane at various compression ratios and intake temperatures

Knock remains one of the main limitations for increased internal combustion engine efficiency. Recent trends in light-duty vehicles towards downsized, boosted engines increases the need for improving the understanding between fuel chemistry and thermodynamic effects contributing to knock. Previous studies have shown the importance of end-gas thermodynamic conditions on knock onset and behavior, with relationships to fuel chemistry illustrated. However, a complete understanding of how fuels allow access to higher engine loads and the governing physics behind end-gas knock under a wide range of thermodynamic conditions is still unclear. Experiments in this work improve this understanding with the use of three fuels (1) iso-octane, a low octane sensitivity (OS) fuel (2) a Co-Optima aromatic core fuel, which has similar research octane number (RON) yet significantly higher OS, and (3) propane, known for its knock resistance. Engine load sweeps are conducted with each fuel while maintaining a CA50 of 8 crank angle degrees after top dead center (°CA aTDCf). As load increases and knock onset is observed, spark is delayed to its knock limited spark advance (KLSA) allowing further increases in load until either one of two limits is reached; (1) CA50 retard limit (2) Peak cylinder pressure limit. Experiments are conducted at 40°C and 90°C intake temperature and at two distinct compression ratios (rc) 9.2:1 and 13.6:1. Two-zone zero-dimensional simulations were performed in Chemkin to extract end-gas pressure and temperature conditions through the combustion process for each experimental condition of interest. CA50 response as a function of engine load is compared for all experimental conditions and fuels, and a pressure-temperature (PT) trajectory analysis is conducted using constant volume ignition delay contours to explain the behavior of each fuel.

Dal Forno Chuahy, Flavio↗

Chilled water temperature set-point reset based on outdoor air temperature and its cooling energy performance in an office building

Here, in this study, the cooling energy performance of two strategies for controlling ChWT (chilled water temperature) are compared: the conventional control strategy of constantly fixing ChWT and the OAT (outdoor air temperature) compensation control strategy that adjusts ChWT according to the changes in OAT. OAT compensation control strategy was modeled and realized based on Appendix G of ASHRAE Standard 90.1. It was confirmed that applying OAT compensation control strategy can significantly reduce chiller energy consumption, which accounts for the largest portion of total cooling energy consumption. It was found that the difference in total cooling energy consumption between applying the conventional control of constantly fixing ChWT to 6 °C and applying the OAT compensation control was approximately 8 % and 3 % during spring (March to May) and summer (June to August), respectively. Additionally, during the fall (September–November) period, about 7 % of total cooling energy consumption could be saved.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Sliding friction and wear behavior of nuclear graphite in high temperature inert environment: Influence of contact load, speed and temperature

Repeated dynamic interactions of graphitic components in pebble-bed gas-cooled nuclear reactors can cause abrasive wear-induced pebble surface damage, generate hazardous fine graphite debris, and alter fuel circulation dynamics due to changes in friction behavior. Comprehensive tribological characterization of nuclear graphitic materials in conditions relevant to reactor operation is needed to assess reactor long-term safety and performance. This work reports sliding friction and wear behavior of self-mated nuclear graphite ET-10 at various elevated temperatures (650 °C and 750 °C), sliding speeds (1 and 10 mm/s) and contact loads (20 and 40 N) in a controlled argon environment. The results revealed nonmonotonic frictional behavior with a higher running-in coefficient of friction (COF) followed by a lower steady-state COF, as a result of transition from two-body abrasion to three-body abrasion along with formation of a tribofilm. A key finding of this work is the sensitivity of the running-in COF to experimental conditions; maximum running-in values were lower at either elevated temperature (0.52–0.54) or reduced sliding speed (0.51–0.54). Conversely, the steady-state COF remained invariant at approximately 0.3 across all tested parameters. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a 0.5–2.0 μm thick nanocrystalline tribofilm that was thought to be formed by the compaction of the graphitic wear debris on the contact surface during the sliding process. The nanocrystalline nature of the tribofilm was further confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. As a result, the combination of tribological testing and morphological characterization provided a mechanistic understanding of the frictional behavior of nuclear graphite upon sliding.

Friction↗

MHTLS Cross-flow Heat Exchanger Temperature Performance Data

The presentation and supporting information provide data on the performance of an engineering-scale cross-flow heat exchanger used in hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). Temperature profiles are provide for the process of waste water treatment sludges and a food waste. The data can be used to model larger-scale heat exchangers used in HTL.

Bioenergy Technologies Tags Heat Exchanger HTL MHT↗

Interpreting test temperature and loading rate effects on the fracture toughness of polymer-metal interfaces via time–temperature superposition

Here, in this letter, we present interfacial fracture toughness data for a polymer-metal interface where tests were conducted at various test temperatures T and loading rates $\dot{δ}$. An adhesively bonded asymmetric double cantilever beam (ADCB) specimen was utilized to measure toughness. ADCB specimens were created by bonding a thinner, upper adherend to a thicker, lower adherend (both 6061 T6 aluminum) using a thin layer of epoxy adhesive, such that the crack propagated along the interface between the thinner adherend and the epoxy layer. The specimens were tested at T from 25 to 65 °C and $\dot{δ}$ from 0.002 to 0.2 mm/s. The measured interfacial toughness Γ increased as both T and $\dot{δ}$ increased. For an ADCB specimen loaded at a constant $\dot{δ}$, the energy release rate G increases as the crack length a increases. For this reason, we defined rate effects in terms of the rate of change in the energy release rate $\dot{G}$. Although not rigorously correct, a formal application of time–temperature superposition (TTS) analysis to the Γ data provided useful insights on the observed dependencies. In the TTS-shifted data, Γ decreased and then increased for monotonically increasing $\dot{G}$. Thus, the TTS analysis suggests that there is a minimum value of Γ. This minimum value could be used to define a lower bound in Γ when designing critical engineering applications that are subjected to T and $\dot{δ}$ excursions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Room temperature crystallography of human acetylcholinesterase bound to a substrate analogue 4K-TMA: Towards a neutron structure

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) catalyzes hydrolysis of acetylcholine thereby terminating cholinergic nerve impulses for efficient neurotransmission. Human AChE (hAChE) is a target of nerve agent and pesticide organophosphorus compounds that covalently attach to the catalytic Ser203 residue. Reactivation of inhibited hAChE can be achieved with nucleophilic antidotes, such as oximes. Understanding structural and electrostatic (i.e. protonation states) determinants of the catalytic and reactivation processes is crucial to improve design of oxime reactivators. Here we report X-ray structures of hAChE conjugated with a reversible covalent inhibitor 4K-TMA (4K-TMA:hAChE) at 2.8 Å resolution and of 4K-TMA:hAChE conjugate with oxime reactivator methoxime, MMB4 (4K-TMA:hAChE:MMB4) at 2.6 Å resolution, both at physiologically relevant room temperature, as well as cryo-crystallographic structure of 4K-TMA:hAChE at 2.4 Å resolution. 4K-TMA acts as a substrate analogue reacting with the hydroxyl of Ser203 and generating a reversible tetrahedral hemiketal intermediate that closely resembles the first tetrahedral intermediate state during hAChE-catalyzed acetylcholine hydrolysis. Structural comparisons of room temperature with cryo-crystallographic structures of 4K-TMA:hAChE and published mAChE complexes with 4K-TMA, as well as the effect of MMB4 binding to the peripheral anionic site (PAS) of the 4K-TMA:hAChE complex, revealed only discrete, minor differences. The active center geometry of AChE, already highly evolved for the efficient catalysis, was thus indicative of only minor conformational adjustments to accommodate the tetrahedral intermediate in the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh). To map protonation states in the hAChE active site gorge we collected 3.5 Å neutron diffraction data paving the way for obtaining higher resolution datasets that will be needed to determine locations of individual hydrogen atoms.

4K-TMA↗

Voltage cycling as a dynamic operation mode for high temperature electrolysis solid oxide cells

Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOECs) have emerged as a promising technology for the efficient production of H2 via high-temperature electrolysis. However, power input from dynamic energy sources remains a significant challenge for their long-term stability. It is important to analyze the tolerance of cells under dynamic operation conditions. This study focuses on evaluating the impact of voltage cycling on the performance and durability of electrode-supported SOECs. We explore the operational limits and degradation mechanisms of SOECs subjected to various voltage conditions and find that the cells have high tolerance for dynamic voltage. Voltage cycling between 1.3 V and 1.5 V for 9000 cycles does not damage the cell. Conversely, cycling to higher voltages (≥1.7 V) results in accelerated degradation. Advanced characterization is used to screen for various degradation modes post operation. Within the oxygen electrode, XRD and STEM EDS find compositional and phase evolution in all voltage cycled samples including increased decomposition of the air electrode resulting in cation migration. Microstructural analysis of the fuel electrode from nano-CT data shows minimal change throughout the sample set and no evidence of Ni migration, indicating the fuel electrode is stable and not impacted by cycling to higher voltages within the timeframe studied.

Zhu, Zhikuan↗

A structural underpinning of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior behind temperature-switchable liquids

In this work, we use state-of-the-art X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics to analyze amine-water mixtures that show the unusual lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior. The goal is to provide direct experimental evidence for the entropy-lowering molecular cluster formation hypothesized as necessary for LCST behavior. Differential wide-angle X-ray scattering and pair distribution analysis and small-angle X-ray scattering measurements were combined with molecular modeling and liquid-liquid equilibrium measurements, revealing direct experimental evidence for the hypothesis. However, the response of the amine phase to accommodating water is even more subtle than the simple hypothesis suggests, with the formation of robust nanoscale reverse micelles. The techniques developed in this paper can be expected to yield insights in the use of temperature-switchable liquids in solvent extraction and other separations, and the stabilization of organelles in living cells that do not have physical membranes but do require compositional gradients to operate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗