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At least 433 records · Page 24

Boundary Layer Height Variation over the Savannah River Site during a Heat Wave

With the number of heat waves expect to increase in both in their severity and frequency in the coming years, an insight into their impact on planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights is essential for one development of future emergency and safety plans. Using High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) atmospheric model output, an analysis is done on the effects a heat wave has on PBL heights and temperature inversions across the Savannah River Site (SRS). This study showed that due to its adjacency to anthropogenic land use, SRS experiences a non-negligible gradient in its PBL height, with higher heights to the northwest. The singular location PBL heigh measurement and forecasts for SRS do not account for this gradient, which has potential implications on pollutant and smoke dispersion onsite. During a heat wave this gradient is present but PBL heights are less impacted than surrounding developed areas, possibly attributable to the woody wetlands that surround the Savannah River's banks. Additionally, the heat wave appears to strongly enhance the nocturnal temperature inversions that the site and surrounding areas experience. This is possibly due to increased stability from higher pressure conditions, which are often associated with heat waves. This influence on nocturnal inversions, however, is limited to their intensity, leaving their timing relatively unaltered. The impact a heat wave has on PBL heights and temperature inversions across SRS is seen to be more dependent on adjacent land use and features rather than the unique land use types onsite.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Rising Temperatures and Heat waves in the CSRA

Temperatures are gradually rising at the CSRA, to study this we compared temperature data from the CSRA from the 1970s and the 2010s. We discovered that the 2010 decade was hotter than the 1970s. A heat wave is a period of more than two days when the temperature is abnormally hot. However, heat waves involve more variables than just temperature-high pressure-and low soil moisture are also common. Also, the heat island effect- urban areas tend to be hotter than rural areas-affects the wave. I chose to study two heat waves, June 2015 and May 2019. The high temperatures in the heat wave were related to high pressures and low soil moistures. We compared SRS and Daniel Field and Bush Field Airport temperatures. Daniel Field was in the city and showed higher temperatures during the wave.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Plasma Emission, Wave Speeds, and Temperatures of Laser-Supported Plasmas in Air

A study of the generation and subsequent expansion of plasmas using a single beam (532 nm) from the second harmonic generator of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser is described. The plasmas in air are studied using an intensified charge-coupled device camera over periods of 1000 ns following the laser pulses. The plasma experimental results are interpreted in terms of wave speeds and plasma temperatures. Energy balance equations are considered to estimate the plasma temperatures and the laser-supported radiation (LSR) and the laser-supported detonation (LSD) wave speeds. Within 1000 ns observation time, the circular spectral images turn elliptical because of plasma expansion toward the laser beam. The plasma expansion increases with increasing laser irradiance. A laser irradiance range of [Formula: see text] yields LSR wave speeds between 45 and 170 km/s and LSD wave speeds of 90–130 km/s. The measured wave speeds are compared with the LSR and the LSR wave speed models. The plasma temperatures are between 90,000 and 120,000 K at 15 ns after the laser pulse based on measured emission spectra and are between 640,000 and 760,000 K at 3 ns based on the LSR model.

Engineering↗

Reimagining full wave rf quasilinear theory in a tokamak

The velocity dependent resonant interaction of particles with applied radio frequency (rf) waves during heating and current drive in the presence of pitch angle scattering collisions gives rise to narrow collisional velocity space boundary layers that dramatically enhance the role of collisions as recently shown by Catto (J. Plasma Phys., vol. 86, 815860302, 2020). The behavior is a generalization of the narrow collisional boundary layer that forms during Landau damping as found by Johnston (Phys. Fluids, vol. 14, 1971, pp. 2719-2726) and Auerbach (Phys. Fluids, vol. 20, 1977, pp. 1836-1844). For a wave of parallel wave number k|| interacting with weakly collisional plasma species of collision frequency ν and thermal speed vth , the effective collision frequency becomes of order ν(k_||v_th /ν)^2/3>> ν . The narrow boundary layers that arise because of the diffusive nature of the collisions allows a physically meaningful wave-particle interaction time to be defined that is the inverse of this effective collision frequency. The collisionality implied by the narrow boundary layer results in changes in the standard quasilinear treatment of applied rf fields in tokamaks while remaining consistent with causality. These changes occur because successive poloidal interactions with the rf are correlated in tokamak geometry and because the resonant velocity space dependent interactions are controlled by the spatial and temporal behavior of the perturbed full wave fields rather than just the spatially local Landau and Doppler shifted cyclotron wave-particle resonance condition associated with unperturbed motion of the particles. The correlation of successive poloidal circuits of the tokamak leads to the appearance in the quasilinear operator of transit averaged resonance conditions localized in velocity space boundary layers that maintain negative definite entropy production.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Scattering of Radio Frequency Waves by Density Filaments

The edge region and the scrape-off layer of magnetically confined fusion devices, like tokamaks and stellarators, are replete with turbulent plasma that is a mixture of coherent, blob or filament like, structures [1] and incoherent fluctuations [2]. The variation in the density due to turbulence can be comparable to or greater than the ambient density [2]. As part of an overall effort to optimize the efficiency of operation, radio frequency (RF) waves are commonly used for heating fusion plasmas and, in tokamaks, for generating plasma current needed for confinement and controlling instabilities. The RF waves are excited by antenna structures that are placed near the wall of a fusion device. In order to deliver energy and momentum to charged particles in the core of fusion plasmas, RF waves have to propagate through the turbulent plasma. In present fusion devices, the scrap-off layer and the edge plasma region is of the order of a few centimeters. In reactor type devices, like ITER, this region is expected to be of the order of tens of centimeters. Since the efficiency of operation of a fusion reactor is of prime importance, it is imperative that we understand the effect of turbulence on RF waves. The fluctuations in density lead to changes in the plasma permittivity. As in conventional electrodynamics, the propagation of RF waves through different dielectric media is subject to reflection, refraction, and diffraction. In this paper, we summarize our theoretical and computational studies on the propagation of RF waves through filamentary structures present in the scrape-off layer.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Systems and methods for plane-wave and fan-beam ultrasound-waveform tomography

A method for plane-wave or fan-beam ultrasound tomography includes: controlling, by a processor, a multi-channel ultrasound array controller to control a linear ultrasound transducer array to emit plane-wave or fan-beam ultrasound into a biological tissue, the linear ultrasound transducer array including a plurality of transducers; receiving, by the processor, plane-wave or fan-beam ultrasound waveform data from the transducers, the plane-wave or fan-beam ultrasound waveform data including reflections of the plane-wave or fan-beam ultrasound from the biological tissue; computing, by the processor, a synthetic ultrasound-waveform inversion from the received plane-wave or fan-beam ultrasound waveform data; and computing, by the processor, an image of the biological tissue from the synthetic ultrasound-waveform inversion.

Huang, Lianjie↗

System and method for wave prediction

A method and system for prediction of wave properties include collecting time series data streams from one or more wave measurement devices and processing the data using a wave-prediction algorithm to identify the frequency components of the data and compute wave parameters. The wave-field is propagated in space and time to predict wave height, speed, and velocity at a target location. A sliding window approach is used to continuously update the prediction in real-time.

Previsic, Mirko↗

A Physics-Based Digital Twin for Wave Elevation and Seabed Moment Estimation of Offshore Monopiles: Preprint

In this work, we present a proof of concept of a physics-based digital twin for a monopile structure (with overhead inertia) subjected to wave loading. The digital twin is formulated using reduced-order models derived from first principles and combined with a Kalman filter for state estimation. The proposed framework estimates the monopile top motion, the wave elevation, and the section forces and moments along the pile using primarily acceleration measurements at the monopile top. Key innovations include the use of a hydrodynamic shape function to represent distributed wave loading in a compact and computationally efficient manner, and the introduction of a shaping filter to augment the state-space with wave kinematics. Synthetic measurement data are generated using OpenFAST and used as a reference to assess the performance of the digital twin. Results demonstrate that the wave elevation can be accurately reconstructed without direct sea-state measurements as long as the wave regime is inertia-dominated. Under the ideal tested conditions, the total hydrodynamic force and sea-bed bending moment are estimated with relative errors on the order of 1% and correlation coefficients exceeding 96%. Future work will evaluate the estimator's performance under operational uncertainties and more complex loading conditions.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Wave Measurements taken NW of Culebra Is., PR, 2023

Wave and sea surface temperature measurements collected by a Sofar Spotter buoy in 2023. The buoy was deployed on July 27, 2023 at 11:30 UTC northwest of Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, (18.3878 N, 65.3899 W) and recovered on Nov 5, 2023 at 12:45 UTC. Data are saved here in netCDF format, organized by month, and include directional wave statistics, GPS, and SST measurements at 30-minute intervals. Figures produced from these data are provided here as well. They include timeseries of wave height/period/direction and SST, GPS location, wave roses, and directional spectra. Additionally, raw CSV files from the Spotter's memory card can also be found below. NetCDF files can be read in python using the netCDF4 or Xarray packages, or through MATLAB using the "ncread()" command.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Effect of Heave Plate Hydrodynamic Force Parameterization on a Two-Body Wave Energy Converter

Heave plates are one approach to generating the reaction force necessary to harvest energy from ocean waves. In a Morison equation description of the hydrodynamic force, the components of drag and added mass depend primarily on the heave plate oscillation. These terms may be parameterized in three ways: (1) as a single coefficient invariant across sea state, most accurate at the reference sea state, (2) coefficients dependent on the oscillation amplitude, but invariant in phase, that are most accurate for relatively small amplitude motions, and (3) coefficients dependent on both oscillation amplitude and phase, which are accurate for all oscillation amplitudes. We validate a MATLAB model for a two-body point absorber wave energy converter against field data and a dynamical model constructed in ProteusDS. We then use the MATLAB model to evaluate the effect of these parameterizations on estimates of heave plate motion, tension between the float and heave plate, and wave energy converter electrical power output. We find that power predictions using amplitude-dependent coefficients differ by up to 30% from models using invariant coefficients for regular waves ranging in height from 0.5 to 1.9 m. Amplitude- and phase-dependent coefficients, however, yield less than a 5% change when compared with coefficients dependent on amplitude only. This suggests that amplitude-dependent coefficients can be important for accurate wave energy converter modeling, but the added complexity of phase-dependent coefficients yields little further benefit. We show similar, though less pronounced, trends in maximum tether tension, but note that heave plate motion has only a weak dependence on coefficient fidelity. Finally, we emphasize the importance of using experimentally derived added mass over that calculated from boundary element methods, which can lead to substantial under-prediction of power output and peak tether tension.

dynamical model↗

A Novel Design of Guiding Stress Wave Propagation

Impact loads can induce a series of undesirable physical phenomena including vibration, acoustical shock, perforation, fracture and fragmentation, etc. The energy associated with the impact loads can lead to severe structure damage and human injuries. A design approach which effectively reduces these negative impacts through shock/stress wave diversion is highly needed. In this paper, a computational model which predicts stress wave propagation by considering different beam geometries and configurations is developed. Additionally, a novel concept of wave guide design which modifies the stress wave propagation path without disturbance is also presented. Furthermore, this design approach is not only useful for material property characterization particularly at intermediate or high strain rates, but also allows stress wave propagation in a desired direction as the shock/impact energy can be redistributed in controllable paths. The numerical results are experimentally verified through a Drop-Hopkinson bar apparatus at Sandia National Laboratories.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Optimum power analysis of a self-reactive wave energy point absorber with mechanically-driven power take-offs

This paper studies a self-reactive ocean wave energy converter (WEC) where energy is absorbed through the relative motion between a floating buoy on the ocean surface and a submerged body. Two types of direct-drive power take off (PTO) systems are examined. One adopts a ball screw system in inverse driving mode with mechanical motion rectifier (MMR) that converts the oscillating bi-directional input heave motion into unidirectional rotation to drive an electromagnetic generator, and another one uses a ball screw system to directly drive the generator (called non-MMR). Dynamic models for both types of PTOs are established and integrated with the overall WEC system model in both the time and frequency domains. Numerical simulation is used to investigate the dynamic performance of both PTOs. The influences of the PTO inerter, which is from the rotational inertia of the flywheel and generator, and the WEC drag damping coefficient are discussed and explored. The analytical closed-form solution for the optimum condition of the non-MMR system is derived based on the criterion of maximum power absorption, and numerical simulation yields the optimum condition for the MMR system. Overall, the results under regular and irregular waves show that the PTO inerter in the MMR system can improve the power absorption for small wave periods and maintain the same performance for large wave periods. The PTO inerter in the non-MMR system shifts the peak frequency. The WEC drag damping negatively influences the power absorption in both PTO systems, especially at large wave periods.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Experimental demonstration of externally driven millimeter-wave particle accelerator structure

We report the experimental demonstration of a mm-wave electron accelerating structure powered by a high-power rf source. We demonstrate reliable coupling of an unprecedented rf power—up to 575kW into the mm-wave accelerator structure using a quasi-optical setup. This standing wave accelerating structure consists of a single-cell copper cavity and a Gaussian to TM 01 mode converter. The accelerator structure is powered by 110 GHz, 10-ns long rf pulses. These pulses are chopped from 3 microsecond pulses from a gyrotron oscillator using a laser-driven silicon switch. We show an unprecedented high gradient up to 230MV/m that corresponds to a peak surface electric field of more than 520 MV/m. We have achieved these results after conditioning the cavity with more than 100,000 pulses. We also report preliminary measurements of rf breakdown rates, which are important for understanding rf breakdown physics in the millimeter-wave regime. Furthermore, these results open up many frontiers for applications not only limited to the next generation particle accelerators but also x-ray generation, probing material dynamics, and nonlinear light-matter interactions at mm-wave frequency.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

All-sky search for continuous gravitational waves from isolated neutron stars using Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo O3 data

We present results of an all-sky search for continuous gravitational waves which can be produced by spinning neutron stars with an asymmetry around their rotation axis, using data from the third observing run of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. Four different analysis methods are used to search in a gravitational-wave frequency band from 10 to 2048 Hz and a first frequency derivative from -10 -8 to 10 -9 Hz/s. No statistically significant periodic gravitational-wave signal is observed by any of the four searches. As a result, upper limits on the gravitational-wave strain amplitude ℎ 0 are calculated. The best upper limits are obtained in the frequency range of 100 to 200 Hz and they are ~1.1 ×10 -25 at 95% confidence level. The minimum upper limit of 1.10 ×10 -25 is achieved at a frequency 111.5 Hz. In conclusion, we also place constraints on the rates and abundances of nearby planetary- and asteroid-mass primordial black holes that could give rise to continuous gravitational-wave signals.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Using Pulsar Parameter Drifts to Detect Subnanohertz Gravitational Waves

Gravitational waves with frequencies below 1 nHz are notoriously difficult to detect. With periods exceeding current experimental lifetimes, they induce slow drifts in observables rather than periodic correlations. Observables with well-known intrinsic contributions provide a means to probe this regime. In this Letter, we demonstrate the viability of using observed pulsar timing parameters to discover such “ultralow” frequency gravitational waves, presenting two complementary observables for which the systematic shift induced by ultralow-frequency gravitational waves can be extracted. Using existing data for these parameters, we search the ultralow-frequency regime for continuous-wave signals, finding a sensitivity near the expected prediction from inspirals of supermassive black holes. We do not see an excess in the data, setting a limit on the strain of 1.3 × 10 –12 at 450 pHz with a sensitivity dropping approximately quadratically with frequency until 10 pHz. Finally, our search method opens a new frequency range for gravitational wave detection and has profound implications for astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Techno-Economic Implications of Electrical Machine Scaling for Wave Energy Converters

The sizing of an electrical machine for a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) can have a substantial impact on the overall sizing, cost, and rating of the device. An electrical generator is typically part of the power take-off system, which is the mechanism by which the energy absorbed by the prime mover is transformed into usable electrical energy. For practically all WECs, the rate of change of actuation is predominantly determined by the wave resource (i.e., the wave height and frequency), and devices will see a sinusoidal varying velocity according to the wave conditions. The same can then be said for both directly and indirectly coupled power take-offs with electrical generators. This techno-economic study investigates electrical machine scaling and associated cost implications through core machine design theory, manufacturer data, supporting literature, and the Reference Model Project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Reference Model Project was a partnered effort to develop open-source marine energy point designs as reference models to benchmark marine energy technology performance and costs, methods for design and analysis of marine energy technologies, estimations for capital costs, operational costs, and levelized cost of energy. The results from this study show torque is directly related to (1) the physical size of the machine required to increase the air-gap sheer stresses, (2)the amount of active material, (3) the support structure, (4) bearing size and rating, and (5) offshore cable rating, all of which have a significant effect on overall system costs in terms of both capital and operational expenditures. This paper aims to be a critical benchmark in helping determine an "optimal" nameplate rating for wave energy devices and their associated power take-offs. With an optimized rating and sizing process, WEC costs can be reduced and overall performance can be improved.

cables↗

Design of a Two-Body Wave Energy Converter Featuring Controllable Geometry

While the field of wave energy has been the subject of numerical simulation, scale model testing, and precommercial project testing for decades, wave energy technologies remain in the early stages of development and must continue to prove themselves as a promising modern renewable energy field. A wave energy converter (WEC) concept currently being explored is the variable-geometry WEC (VGWEC), which aims to add an extra control option to WEC design. VGWECs attempt to incorporate controllable geometric features to adjust the floating body hydrodynamics to favor either power absorption, load shedding, or other operational goals. These variable geometry components have been proposed to be controlled on a sea-state-to-sea-state or wave-to-wave time scale depending on the force (or torque) and bandwidth limitations of the actuators required to manipulate just the controllable geometric hull features. Having control over both the WEC geometry components and the power takeoff (PTO) offers the potential to improve overall system performance and reliability if a cost-effective solution can be found for a given WEC architecture. This paper will present the recent developments and results of a VGWEC concept that incorporates variable-geometry modules into a two-body WEC. In the proposed VGWEC concept, the variable-geometry modules consist of air-inflatable bags in the surface float and a water inflatable ring in the subsurface body. The surface float is tethered directly to the subsurface body through tether lines, each connected to a separate PTO. Adjusting the geometry of both the surface and subsurface bodies along with the PTO coefficients can maximize power in design sea states while reducing motion response and PTO forces when transitioning to sea states where rated power is reached and load shedding is prioritized. The ability to transition between operating condition is expected to increase the sea state operational map and power capacity.

geometry control↗

Experimental Study of Alfvén Wave Reflection from an Alfvén-speed Gradient Relevant to the Solar Coronal Holes

Abstract We report the first experimental detection of a reflected Alfvén wave from an Alfvén-speed gradient under conditions similar to those in coronal holes. The experiments were conducted in the Large Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles. We present the experimentally measured dependence of the coefficient of reflection versus the wave inhomogeneity parameter, i.e., the ratio of the wavelength of the incident wave to the length scale of the gradient. Two-fluid simulations using the Gkeyll code qualitatively agree with and support the experimental findings. Our experimental results support models of wave heating that rely on wave reflection at low heights from a smooth Alfvén-speed gradient to drive turbulence.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗