Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Preprocessing Systems”

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 37 records · Page 2

Preprocessing Inconsistent Linear System for a Meaningful Least Squares Solution

Mathematical models of many physical/statistical problems are systems of linear equations. Due to measurement and possible human errors/mistakes in modeling/data, as well as due to certain assumptions to reduce complexity, inconsistency (contradiction) is injected into the model, viz. the linear system. While any inconsistent system irrespective of the degree of inconsistency has always a least-squares solution, one needs to check whether an equation is too much inconsistent or, equivalently too much contradictory. Such an equation will affect/distort the least-squares solution to such an extent that renders it unacceptable/unfit to be used in a real-world application. We propose an algorithm which (i) prunes numerically redundant linear equations from the system as these do not add any new information to the model, (ii) detects contradictory linear equations along with their degree of contradiction (inconsistency index), (iii) removes those equations presumed to be too contradictory, and then (iv) obtain the minimum norm least-squares solution of the acceptably inconsistent reduced linear system. The algorithm presented in Matlab reduces the computational and storage complexities and also improves the accuracy of the solution. It also provides the necessary warning about the existence of too much contradiction in the model. In addition, we suggest a thorough relook into the mathematical modeling to determine the reason why unacceptable contradiction has occurred thus prompting us to make necessary corrections/modifications to the models - both mathematical and, if necessary, physical.

Sen, Syamal K.↗

A linear shift-invariant image preprocessing technique for multispectral scanner systems

A linear shift-invariant image preprocessing technique is examined which requires no specific knowledge of any parameter of the original image and which is sufficiently general to allow the effective radius of the composite imaging system to be arbitrarily shaped and reduced, subject primarily to the noise power constraint. In addition, the size of the point-spread function of the preprocessing filter can be arbitrarily controlled, thus minimizing truncation errors.

Mcgillem, C. D.↗

Spectrum Preprocessing in the OPAD System

To determine the readiness of a rocket engine, and facilitate decisions on continued use of the engine before servicing is required, high-resolution optical spectrometers are used to acquire spectra from the exhaust plume. Such instruments are in place at the Technology Test Bed (TTB) stand at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the A1 stand at Stennis Space Center (SSC). The optical spectrometers in place have a wide wavelength range covering the visible and near-infrared regions, taking approximately 8000 measurements at about one Angstrom spacing every half second. In the early stages of this work, data analysis was done manually. A simple spectral model produced a theoretical spectrum for given amount of elements and an operator visually matched the theoretical and real spectra. Currently, extensive software is being developed to receive data from the spectrometer and automatically generate an estimate of element amounts in the plume. It will result in fast and reliable analysis, with the capability of real-time performance. This software is the result of efforts of several groups but mainly it has been developed and used by scientists and combustion engineers, in their effort of understanding the underlying physical processes and phenomena and creating visualization and report generation facilities. Most of the software has been developed using the IDL language and programming environment which allows for extensive data visualization. Although this environment has been very beneficial, the resulting programs execute very slowly and are not easily portable to more popular, real-time environments. The need for portability and high speed of execution is becoming more apparent as the software matures moving out of the experimentation stage and into the production stage where ease of use and short response time are the most desirable features. The purpose of the work described here is to assist the scientists who developed the original IDL-based version in the conversion of the software into the real-time, production version. Specifically, a section of the software devoted to the preprocessing of the spectra has been converted into the C language. In addition, parts of this software which may be improved have been identified, and recommendations are given to improve the functionality and ease of use of the new version.

Katsinis, Constantine↗

Multisatellite attitude determination/optical aspect bias determination (MSAD/OABIAS) system description and operating guide. Volume 1: Introduction and analysis

The Multisatellite Attitude Determination/Optical Aspect Bias Determination (MSAD/OABIAS) System, designed to determine spin axis orientation and biases in the alignment or performance of optical or infrared horizon sensors and Sun sensors used for spacecraft attitude determination is described. MSAD/OABIAS uses any combination of eight observation models to process data from a single onboard horizon sensor and Sun sensor to determine simultaneously the two components of the attitude of the spacecraft, the initial phase of the Sun sensor, the spin rate, seven sensor biases, and the orbital in-track error associated with the spacecraft ephemeris information supplied to the system. In addition, the MSAD/OABIAS System provides a data simulator for system and performance testing, an independent deterministic attitude system for preprocessing and independent testing of biases determined, and a multipurpose data prediction and comparison system.

Joseph, M.↗

Multisatellite attitude determination/optical aspect bias determination (MSAD/OABIAS) system description and operating guide. Volume 3: Operating guide

The Multisatellite Attitude Determination/Optical Aspect Bias Determination (MSAD/OABIAS) System, designed to determine spin axis orientation and biases in the alignment or performance of optical or infrared horizon sensors and Sun sensors used for spacecraft attitude determination, is described. MSAD/OABIAS uses any combination of eight observation models to process data from a single onboard horizon sensor and Sun sensor to determine simultaneously the two components of the attitude of the spacecraft, the initial phase of the Sun sensor, the spin rate, seven sensor biases, and the orbital in-track error associated with the spacecraft ephemeris information supplied to the system. In addition, the MSAD/OABIAS system provides a data simulator for system and performance testing, an independent deterministic attitude system for preprocessing and independent testing of biases determined, and a multipurpose data prediction and comparison system.

Joseph, M.↗

Nonterrestrial material processing and manufacturing of large space systems

An attempt is made to provide pertinent and readily usable information on the extraterrestrial processing of materials and manufacturing of components and elements of these planned large space systems from preprocessed lunar materials which are made available at a processing and manufacturing site in space. Required facilities, equipment, machinery, energy and manpower are defined.

Vontiesenhausen, G. F.↗

Evaluation of temporal registration of Landsat scenes

The registration of Landsat images is important for multitemporal classification and for detecting change. Landsat data are now rectified to a ground coordinate system during preprocessing, hence scenes obtained over the same area are registered. The machine responsible for preprocessing the Landsat multispectral scanner data is the master data processor (MDP). This paper describes the rectification approach taken by the MDP, reviews the accuracy standards of the resultant product, and provides an assessment of the accuracy of the scene to scene registration of two Landsat images.

Nelson, R.↗

Preprocessing in Matlab Inconsistent Linear System for a Meaningful Least Squares Solution

Mathematical models of many physical/statistical problems are systems of linear equations~ Due to measurement and possible human errors/mistakes in modeling/data, as well as due to certain assumptions to reduce complexity, inconsistency (contradiction) is injected into the model, viz. the linear system. While any inconsistent system irrespective of the degree of inconsistency has always a least-squares solution, one needs to check whether an equation is too much inconsistent or, equivalently too much contradictory. Such an equation will affect/distort the least-squares solution to such an extent that renders it unacceptable/unfit to be used in a real-world application. We propose an algorithm which (i) prunes numerically redundant linear equations from the system as these do not add any new information to the model, (ii) detects contradictory linear equations along with their degree of contradiction (inconsistency index), (iii) removes those equations presumed to be too contradictory, and then (iv) obtain the . minimum norm least-squares solution of the acceptably inconsistent reduced linear system. The algorithm presented in Matlab reduces the computational and storage complexities and also improves the accuracy of the solution. It also provides the necessary warning about the existence of too much contradiction in the model. In addition, we suggest a thorough relook into the mathematical modeling to determine the reason why unacceptable contradiction has occurred thus prompting us to make necessary corrections/modifications to the models - both mathematical and, if necessary, physical.

Sen, Symal K.↗

A technique for real-time data preprocessing

A processing system is presented that implements simultaneously the efficiency of the special-purpose processor and the total applicability of the general-purpose computer - characteristics commonly thought of as being mutually exclusive. The solution adopted is that of specializing the machine by programming the hardware structure, rather than by adding software systems to it. Data are organized in circulating pages which form a plurality of local dynamic memories for each process. Programs are made up of modules, each describing a transient special-purpose machine. Applications to real-time processing of radar signals are referred to.

Schaffner, M. R.↗

Intelligent Text Retrieval and Knowledge Acquisition from Texts for NASA Applications: Preprocessing Issues

A system that retrieves problem reports from a NASA database is described. The database is queried with natural language questions. Part-of-speech tags are first assigned to each word in the question using a rule based tagger. A partial parse of the question is then produced with independent sets of deterministic finite state a utomata. Using partial parse information, a look up strategy searches the database for problem reports relevant to the question. A bigram stemmer and irregular verb conjugates have been incorporated into the system to improve accuracy. The system is evaluated by a set of fifty five questions posed by NASA engineers. A discussion of future research is also presented.

Source record↗

Design of an Integrated Solids Handling System to Maximize Syngas Process Reliability (Cooperative Research and Development Final Report)

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in partnership with Wonderful Renewable Energy (WRE) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL), plans to develop a general methodology for designing integrated biorefinery solids preprocessing, handling, and feeding systems based on the chemical, physical, and mechanical attributes of the starting biomass material. This attribute-driven approach will include detailed feedstock property measurements, iterative computational modeling, and bench-scale testing to design systems for preprocessing, handling, and reactor in-feed, up to and including the selection of the conversion reactor. The initial tests and system design will be conducted using waste material from almond and pistachio growing and production operations (shells, hulls, and wood), targeting the conversion of this material to syngas for electricity production. The methodology will then be generalized to other feedstocks. The purpose of this project is to design an integrated solids handling system to maximize the process reliability of converting almond and pistachio waste to electricity. The design methodology and workflow developed from this example will then be applied to the Feedstock Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) benchmark loblolly pine residues, thus demonstrating the robustness of the overall design approach and providing insight and guidance for future conversion systems. V-Grid Energy Systems was brought on as a subcontractor to provide gasifiers and labor to complete gasifier runs.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Continuous monitoring of the lunar or Martian subsurface using on-board pattern recognition and neural processing of Rover geophysical data

The overall aim is to provide base technology for an automated vision system for on-board interpretation of geophysical data. During the first year's work, it was demonstrated that geophysical data can be treated as patterns and interpreted using single neural networks. Current research is developing an integrated vision system comprising neural networks, algorithmic preprocessing, and expert knowledge. This system is to be tested incrementally using synthetic geophysical patterns, laboratory generated geophysical patterns, and field geophysical patterns.

Glass, Charles E.↗

Nonterrestrial material processing and manufacturing of large space systems

Nonterrestrial processing of materials and manufacturing of large space system components from preprocessed lunar materials at a manufacturing site in space is described. Lunar materials mined and preprocessed at the lunar resource complex will be flown to the space manufacturing facility (SMF), where together with supplementary terrestrial materials, they will be final processed and fabricated into space communication systems, solar cell blankets, radio frequency generators, and electrical equipment. Satellite Power System (SPS) material requirements and lunar material availability and utilization are detailed, and the SMF processing, refining, fabricating facilities, material flow and manpower requirements are described.

Von Tiesenhausen, G.↗

Value Proposition of Coatings or New Alloys on Hammer Wear

The goal of this Case Study was to compare the cost savings from improving the life span of parts that wear within a system to the additional material cost required to reach varying levels of improved life span. We recognize that the failure limits and system performance are representative of a single system that may or may not exist in the real world, however, our goal for this analysis was not to provide an answer for a specific system or to provide a full understanding the economics of all potential systems. The analysis was performed using relative changes from the base alloy cost and considered relative improvements in part life in order to generalize the comparison without referencing specific alloys or coatings that might be employed. Ultimately, this work provides a first check of the potential for improving wear characteristics of grinder hammers to provide a meaningful and impactful benefit to biomass preprocessing and conversion systems.

biomass conversion↗

Natural Resources Inventory and Land Evaluation in Switzerland

The author has identified the following significant results. A system was developed to operationally map and measure the areal extent of various land use categories for updating existing and producing new and actual thematic maps showing the latest state of rural and urban landscapes and its changes. The processing system includes: (1) preprocessing steps for radiometric and geometric corrections; (2) classification of the data by a multivariate procedure, using a stepwise linear discriminant analysis based on carefully selected training cells; and (3) output in form of color maps by printing black and white theme overlays of a selected scale with photomation system and its coloring and combination into a color composite.

Haefner, H.↗

Value proposition of coatings or new alloys on hammer wear

The goal of this Case Study was to elucidate the value of improving of the life of parts that wear within a system in terms of the additional material cost that it takes to reach the level of improvement. We recognize that the failure limits and system performance are representative of a single system that may or may not exist in the real world, however, our goal of this project was not to provide an answer for a specific system or to provide a full understanding the economics of all potential systems. The analysis was performed using relative changes from the base alloy cost and considered relative improvements in part life in order to generalize the comparison without referencing specific alloys or coatings that might be employed. Ultimately, this work provides a first check of the potential for improving wear characteristics of grinder hammers to provide a meaningful and impactful benefit to biomass preprocessing and conversion systems. Key takeaways include: • Increasing the life of hammers by 3× provides a delivered feedstock cost benefit of approximately $\$2.25$/dry ton assuming that the relative cost of the hammer material of construction is not increased. • The feasible area of relative hammer cost increase ranges from 110% to 122% of the relative life increase, i.e., a 3× life increase can cost 3.66× the cost of the original hammers • Beyond a 3× increase in relative hammer life, little economic benefit is realized • Even when moisture impacts are included, the relationship between relative hammer cost and relative hammer life was reduced only slightly to a range of 108% to 116% • From the simulation we would expect delivered feedstock costs to be within ±$1.10/dry ton, based on the uncertainty analysis

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Storage, retrieval, and analysis of ST data

Space Telescope can generate multidimensional image data, very similar in nature to data produced with microdensitometers. An overview is presented of the ST science ground system between carrying out the observations and the interactive analysis of preprocessed data. The ground system elements used in data archival and retrieval are described and operational procedures are discussed. Emphasis is given to aspects of the ground system that are relevant to the science user and to general principles of system software development in a production environment. While the system being developed uses relatively conservative concepts for the launch baseline, concepts were developed to enhance the ground system. This includes networking, remote access, and the utilization of alternate data storage technologies.

Albrecht, R.↗