Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “delay errors.”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Baseband signal combiner for large aperture antenna array

The invention provides a means whereby the baseband output signals of all but one of the receivers associated with each of the antennas are summed and used as a correlation reference for the baseband signal not contained in the summed signal, thereby providing a plurality of correlation or alignment loops, each having an output signal related to the phase difference between its input baseband signal and the summed signal. The invention further provides a means for subtracting an output or error signal generated in one of the correlation loops whose baseband signal has a predetermined phase delay from all the other alignment loops, thereby avoiding interaction and reflection effects in the signal combiner. A variable phase delay means for each of the other baseband signals is controlled by its corresponding correlation loop.

Easterling, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Comparison of GSFC and JPL VLBI modeling software: Benchmark

The Very Long Base Interferometry. The VLBI modeling software packages CALC 6.0 (GSFC) and MASTERFIT (JPL) are compared in some detail. Theoretical model delays are calculated for a set of 120 fictitious observations which involve a variety of sources, baselines, and antennas. Discrepancies between the total delays given by the two programs are of the order of 2 cm (RMS). The modeling of antenna offsets appears to account for approximately half of this difference. Relativistic bending contributions to the delay differ by 3 cm (RMS), and the there appears to be some mutual cancellation of errors involving antenna offsets, bending, and the effects of the two different Solar System ephemerides employed by CALC and MASTERFIT. This cancellation has not been completely characterized here.

Sovers, O. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The profile algorithm for microwave delay estimation from water vapor radiometer data

A new algorithm has been developed for the estimation of tropospheric microwave path delays from water vapor radiometer (WVR) data, which does not require site and weather dependent empirical parameters to produce accuracy better than 0.3 cm of delay. Instead of taking the conventional linear approach, the new algorithm first uses the observables with an emission model to determine an approximate form of the vertical water vapor distribution, which is then explicitly integrated to estimate wet path delays in a second step. The intrinsic accuracy of this algorithm, excluding uncertainties caused by the radiometers and the emission model, has been examined for two channel WVR data using path delays and corresponding simulated observables computed from archived radiosonde data. It is found that annual rms errors for a wide range of sites average 0.18 cm in the absence of clouds, 0.22 cm in cloudy weather, and 0.19 cm overall. In clear weather, the new algorithm's accuracy is comparable to the best that can be obtained from conventional linear algorithms, while in cloudy weather it offers a 35 percent improvement.

Robinson, Steven E.↗
NASA NTRS2013

GPS Position Time Series @ JPL

Different flavors of GPS time series analysis at JPL - Use same GPS Precise Point Positioning Analysis raw time series - Variations in time series analysis/post-processing driven by different users. center dot JPL Global Time Series/Velocities - researchers studying reference frame, combining with VLBI/SLR/DORIS center dot JPL/SOPAC Combined Time Series/Velocities - crustal deformation for tectonic, volcanic, ground water studies center dot ARIA Time Series/Coseismic Data Products - Hazard monitoring and response focused center dot ARIA data system designed to integrate GPS and InSAR - GPS tropospheric delay used for correcting InSAR - Caltech's GIANT time series analysis uses GPS to correct orbital errors in InSAR - Zhen Liu's talking tomorrow on InSAR Time Series analysis

Precise Point Positioning (PPP)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Practical Insights on Applying Simulation-Based Control Methods in Experimental Studies

Advanced nuclear reactors are crucial to the future of energy both in the United States and around the globe. In contrast to the current operating fleet, they are characterized as being deployable in remote locations and able to operate in semi-autonomous or autonomous fashion. This leap forward necessitates a new reactor control paradigm. Because advanced nuclear reactors are still under development in the United States, the creation of new control methods to achieve autonomous operations has been based on systems modeling and simulation. However, an important factor in successfully deploying these new control methods is the ability to seamlessly transition from simulation environments to real-world settings. Control methods tested in both simulation and experimental settings need to be investigated in the context of advanced reactor applications. This work developed a series of simple controllers for Idaho National Laboratory (INL)’s Microreactor Applications Research Validation and Evaluation (MARVEL) microreactor operating in load-following scenarios. These controllers were tested in both simulation and experimental settings, and a comparative performance analysis was performed. The simulation tests leveraged the Control and Optimization Modular Modeling Application for Nuclear Deployment (COMMAND) software developed in a previous stage of the current effort, along with the MARVEL Reactor Excursion and Leak Analysis Program (RELAP5-3D) and Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) models. The experimental tests leveraged the COMMAND software, MARVEL models, and the U.S. Department of Energy Microreactor Program’s Microreactor Automated Control System (MACS). MACS was developed to serve as a control method testbed. It was customized to mirror the MARVEL microreactor, and COMMAND enabled MACS to emulate the physics of MARVEL. The load-following controller was developed using the simulation platform, with efforts to emulate real systems by introducing actuator saturation and noise. These factors were incrementally accounted for in the controller design. After finalizing the controller design, it was implemented with the experimental setup. The experimental conditions tested included an initial test under conditions similar to the final simulation test, and two additional scenarios. The first scenario introduced additional actuator saturation to account for equipment aging over time, which was unknown to the controller. The second scenario introduced sensor delay, a phenomenon anticipated with the use of remote operations or wireless communication in advanced reactors. These tests revealed several notable differences. While the controller performed well in simulation, it exhibited several limitations when transitioning to hardware. The main challenges involved maintaining the steady-state target power, as evidenced by larger error values between the true reactor power and setpoint power, as well as persistent oscillations in controlled reactor power. These issues could lead to unacceptable transient conditions in real reactor testing. Introducing actuator aging and stochastic delays in the experimental setup significantly impacted controller performance, resulting in increased overshoot and undershoot, and exacerbated error and oscillations previously mentioned. These findings underscore the importance of experimental testbeds for testing and validating control methods, as controllers developed using only theory and/or simulation may perform unexpectedly when applied to actual hardware. This research emphasizes the need for an experimental testbed for achieving such validation.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗
NASA NTRS1984

Radiometric correction of atmospheric path length fluctuations in interferometric experiments

To support very long baseline interferometric experiments, a system has been developed for estimating atmospheric water vapor path delay. The system consists of dual microwave radiometers, one operating at 20.7 GHz and the other at 31.4 GHz. The measured atmospheric brightness temperatures at these two frequencies yield the estimate of the precipitable water present in both vapor and droplets. To determine the accuracy of the system, a series of observations were undertaken, comparing the outputs of two water vapor radiometers with the phase variation observed with two connected elements of the very large array (VLA). The results show that: (1) water vapor fluctuations dominate the residual VLA phase and (2) the microwave radiometers can measure and correct these effects. The rms phase error after correction is typically 15 deg at a wavelength of 6 cm, corresponding to an uncertainty in the path delay of 0.25 cm. The residual uncertainty is consistent with the stability of the microwave radiometer but is still considerably larger than the stability of the VLA. The technique is less successful under conditions of heavy cloud.

Resch, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Effects of Tropospheric Spatio-Temporal Correlated Noise on the Analysis of Space Geodetic Data

The standard VLBI analysis models the distribution of measurement noise as Gaussian. Because the price of recording bits is steadily decreasing, thermal errors will soon no longer dominate. As a result, it is expected that troposphere and instrumentation/clock errors will increasingly become more dominant. Given that both of these errors have correlated spectra, properly modeling the error distributions will become increasingly relevant for optimal analysis. We discuss the advantages of modeling the correlations between tropospheric delays using a Kolmogorov spectrum and the frozen flow assumption pioneered by Treuhaft and Lanyi. We then apply these correlated noise spectra to the weighting of VLBI data analysis for two case studies: X/Ka-band global astrometry and Earth orientation. In both cases we see improved results when the analyses are weighted with correlated noise models vs. the standard uncorrelated models. The X/Ka astrometric scatter improved by approx.10% and the systematic Delta delta vs. delta slope decreased by approx. 50%. The TEMPO Earth orientation results improved by 17% in baseline transverse and 27% in baseline vertical.

instrumentation errors↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dynamic Aperture Studies at the Fermilab Recycler Ring

As part of the Proton Improvement Plan II (PIP-II), Fermilab aims to increase beam intensity delivered to neutrino experiments. In this context, higher intensity injection into the Recycler Ring enhances space charge effects, pushing operations closer to third-order resonances. These resonances reduce the Dynamic Aperture (DA), leading to increased beam loss. This study presents simulations of DA as a function of tune in the Recycler Ring, incorporating chaos indicators such as the Reversibility Error Method (REM). The effectiveness of existing resonance mitigation strategies is evaluated by quantifying their ability to delay DA degradation. Additionally, the study examines how space charge detuning and DA limitations dictate viable operational tune points for the Recycler Ring.

Gonzalez-Ortiz, Cristhian Eduardo [Fermilab]↗
NASA NTRS1976

Development and evaluation of a set of group delay standards

A set of cable assemblies serving as group delay standards having nominal delays of 15, 30, and 60 nsec are described. Various types of measurements were performed on the cable standards, including impedance, microwave phase shift, RF pulse burst delay, modulation pulsed delay, and envelope phase shift measurements. The results of these tests are given, and various sources of error are discussed, in particular, dispersion and internal reflections.

Otoshi, T. Y.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Long term frequency stability analysis of the GPS NAVSTAR 6 Cesium clock

Time domain measurements, taken between the NAVSTAR 6 Spacecraft Vehicle (SV) and the Vandenberg Global Positioning System (GPS) Monitor Site, by a pseudo random noise receiver, were collected over an extended period of time and analyzed to estimate the long term frequency stability of the NAVSTAR 6 onboard frequency standard, referenced to the Vandenberg MS frequency standard. The technique employed separates the clock offset from the composite signal by first applying corrections for equipment delays, ionospheric delay, tropospheric delay, Earth rotation and the relativistic effect. The data are edited and smoothed using the predicted SV ephemeris to calculate the geometric delay. Then all available passes from each of the four GPS monitor stations, are collected at 1-week intervals and used to calculate the NAVSTAR orbital elements. The procedure is then completed by subtracting the corrections and the geometric delay, using the final orbital elements, from the composite signal, thus leaving the clock offset and random error.

Mccaskill, T. B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Performance analysis of the ALOHA protocol with replication in a fading channel for the Mobile Satellite Experiment

The analysis of the ALOHA random access protocol for communications channels with fading is presented. The protocol is modified to send multiple contiguous copies of a message at each transmission attempt. Both pure and slotted ALOHA channels are considered. A general two state model is used for the channel error process to account for the channel fading memory. It is shown that greater throughput and smaller delay may be achieved using repetitions. The model is applied to the analysis of the delay-throughput performance in a fading mobile communications environment. Numerical results are given for NASA's Mobile Satellite Experiment.

Clare, L. P.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Effect of actuator dynamics on control of beam flexure during nonlinear slew of SCOLE model

The effect of actuator dynamics on the control of beam flexure during nonlinear slewing of the SCOLE model is discussed. Two aspects of physical limitations on the regulation of beam flexure are similated, i.e., (1) a one foot travel limitation of displacement of proof-mass actuators; and (2) a time delay of 0.1 secs. in application of controls. The goal was to assess the magnitude of induced errors and, comparing the results to the ideal, and to determine how much flexure there is during slew and settling.

Fisher, Shalom↗
NASA NTRS2001

Dynamic regulation of heart rate during acute hypotension: new insight into baroreflex function

To examine the dynamic properties of baroreflex function, we measured beat-to-beat changes in arterial blood pressure (ABP) and heart rate (HR) during acute hypotension induced by thigh cuff deflation in 10 healthy subjects under supine resting conditions and during progressive lower body negative pressure (LBNP). The quantitative, temporal relationship between ABP and HR was fitted by a second-order autoregressive (AR) model. The frequency response was evaluated by transfer function analysis. Results: HR changes during acute hypotension appear to be controlled by an ABP error signal between baseline and induced hypotension. The quantitative relationship between changes in ABP and HR is characterized by a second-order AR model with a pure time delay of 0.75 s containing low-pass filter properties. During LBNP, the change in HR/change in ABP during induced hypotension significantly decreased, as did the numerator coefficients of the AR model and transfer function gain. Conclusions: 1) Beat-to-beat HR responses to dynamic changes in ABP may be controlled by an error signal rather than directional changes in pressure, suggesting a "set point" mechanism in short-term ABP control. 2) The quantitative relationship between dynamic changes in ABP and HR can be described by a second-order AR model with a pure time delay. 3) The ability of the baroreflex to evoke a HR response to transient changes in pressure was reduced during LBNP, which was due primarily to a reduction of the static gain of the baroreflex.

Clinical Trial↗
DOE OSTI2023

TDCOSMO. XII. Improved Hubble constant measurement from lensing time delays using spatially resolved stellar kinematics of the lens galaxy

Strong-lensing time delays enable measurement of the Hubble constant ($H_{0}$) independently of other traditional methods. The main limitation to the precision of time-delay cosmography is mass-sheet degeneracy (MSD). Some of the previous TDCOSMO analyses broke the MSD by making standard assumptions about the mass density profile of the lens galaxy, reaching 2% precision from seven lenses. However, this approach could potentially bias the $H_0$ measurement or underestimate the errors. For this work, we broke the MSD for the first time using spatially resolved kinematics of the lens galaxy in RXJ1131$-$1231 obtained from the Keck Cosmic Web Imager spectroscopy, in combination with previously published time delay and lens models derived from Hubble Space Telescope imaging. This approach allowed us to robustly estimate $H_0$, effectively implementing a maximally flexible mass model. Following a blind analysis, we estimated the angular diameter distance to the lens galaxy $D_{\rm d} = 865_{-81}^{+85}$ Mpc and the time-delay distance $D_{\Delta t} = 2180_{-271}^{+472}$ Mpc, giving $H_0 = 77.1_{-7.1}^{+7.3}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$ - for a flat $\Lambda$ cold dark matter cosmology. The error budget accounts for all uncertainties, including the MSD inherent to the lens mass profile and the line-of-sight effects, and those related to the mass-anisotropy degeneracy and projection effects. Our new measurement is in excellent agreement with those obtained in the past using standard simply parametrized mass profiles for this single system ($H_0 = 78.3^{+3.4}_{-3.3}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$) and for seven lenses ($H_0 = 74.2_{-1.6}^{+1.6}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$), or for seven lenses using single-aperture kinematics and the same maximally flexible models used by us ($H_0 = 73.3^{+5.8}_{-5.8}$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$). This agreement corroborates the methodology of time-delay cosmography.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1991

Sub-nanosecond clock synchronization and precision deep space tracking

Interferometric spacecraft tracking is accomplished at the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) by comparing the arrival time of electromagnetic spacecraft signals to ground antennas separated by baselines on the order of 8000 km. Clock synchronization errors within and between DSN stations directly impact the attainable tracking accuracy, with a 0.3 ns error in clock synchronization resulting in an 11 nrad angular position error. This level of synchronization is currently achieved by observing a quasar which is angularly close to the spacecraft just after the spacecraft observations. By determining the differential arrival times of the random quasar signal at the stations, clock synchronization and propagation delays within the atmosphere and within the DSN stations are calibrated. Recent developments in time transfer techniques may allow medium accuracy (50-100 nrad) spacecraft observations without near-simultaneous quasar-based calibrations. Solutions are presented for a global network of GPS receivers in which the formal errors in clock offset parameters are less than 0.5 ns. Comparisons of clock rate offsets derived from GPS measurements and from very long baseline interferometry and the examination of clock closure suggest that these formal errors are a realistic measure of GPS-based clock offset precision and accuracy. Incorporating GPS-based clock synchronization measurements into a spacecraft differential ranging system would allow tracking without near-simultaneous quasar observations. The impact on individual spacecraft navigation error sources due to elimination of quasar-based calibrations is presented. System implementation, including calibration of station electronic delays, is discussed.

Charles Dunn↗
NASA NTRS2011

Reconfigurable Microwave Phase Delay Element for Frequency Reference and Phase-Shifter Applications

A technique was developed to provide a reconfigurable high-precision micro - wave electrical phase delay for resonators and phase shifters. The invention employs multiple branches of transmission lines with open-ended or ground-ended terminations as configurable bits or digits. This technique minimizes the errors due to limited precision of switching devices. In addition, the proposed linear analytical approach significantly produces a much simpler design than that of other prior inventions at the time of this reporting. Microwave components such as filters, phase delay elements, or resonators require a method that can accurately adjust their frequency responses. Most tuning techniques offer very wide frequency tuning range; however, it is often difficult and expensive to tune their response in a very narrow operating frequency, especially when the tuning element reaches its minimum discrete step due to fabrication tolerances. The problem becomes worse as the operating frequency is in mm-wave frequency range (>26 GHz). The electrical tuning sensitivity of a microwave line is dependent on the position of the tuning element with respect to the reference termination. By placing this tuning element away from this reference with the main transmission line connecting the two elements together the sensitivity of the tuning element can change significantly. This concept can be used in the system that requires multiple tuning sensitivities. In this case, multiple tuning branches are superimposed in the main transmission line. The proposed invention allows the transmission-line electrical length to be accurately programmed using switching elements that have limited accuracy. The invention consists of multiple branches of transmission lines connected to discrete switching devices with open-ended terminations. They are used as discrete tuning elements. These elements are connected to the main microwave transmission line and are separated by a well-defined electrical degree spacing. Each branch is programmed to have different electrical degree sensitivity, such as a combination of discrete steps in each branch, which results in a reflective line with a unique effective phase response. To reduce the number of switching devices, it is desirable to program the devices in binary configuration where each branch represents one bit in the base-2 number system. This invention allows the transmission line electrical length to be tuned precisely with customizable sensitivity based on the known sensitivity of the base tuning circuit. The tuning resolution is dependent on the distance among tuning branches.

Hsieh, Wen-Ting↗