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At least 55 records · Page 3

Multispectral radiation detection of small changes in target emissivity

An investigation into the multispectral radiation detection of small changes in target emissivity has been performed by Georgia Tech. A series of ice detection measurements on the shuttle external tank (ET) were performed using an advanced instrumentation radiometer operating at 35/95 GHz. Actual shuttle ET ice detection measurements were run at NASA's National Space Technology Laboratory (NSTL) during cryogenic fueling operations prior to orbiter engine firing tests. Investigations revealed that ET icing caused an increase in surface brightness temperature and the test results further demonstrated the usefulness of millimeter wave radiometry for the detection of ice on the ET.

Gagliano, J. A.↗

Icing: Accretion, Detection, Protection

The global aircraft industry and its regulatory agencies are currently involved in three major icing efforts: ground icing; advanced technologies for in-flight icing; and tailplane icing. These three major icing topics correspondingly support the three major segments of any aircraft flight profile: takeoff; cruise and hold; and approach and land. This lecture addressess these three topics in the same sequence as they appear in flight, starting with ground deicing, followed by advanced technologies for in-flight ice protection, and ending with tailplane icing.

Reinmann, John J.↗

Scale Model Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Lewis Research Center's Icing Research Tunnel (IRT) is the world's largest refrigerated wind tunnel and one of only three icing wind tunnel facilities in the United States. The IRT was constructed in the 1940's and has been operated continually since it was built. In this facility, natural icing conditions are duplicated to test the effects of inflight icing on actual aircraft components as well as on models of airplanes and helicopters. IRT tests have been used successfully to reduce flight test hours for the certification of ice-detection instrumentation and ice protection systems. To ensure that the IRT will remain the world's premier icing facility well into the next century, Lewis is making some renovations and is planning others. These improvements include modernizing the control room, replacing the fan blades with new ones to increase the test section maximum velocity to 430 mph, installing new spray bars to increase the size and uniformity of the artificial icing cloud, and replacing the facility heat exchanger. Most of the improvements will have a first-order effect on the IRT's airflow quality. To help us understand these effects and evaluate potential improvements to the flow characteristics of the IRT, we built a modular 1/10th-scale aerodynamic model of the facility. This closed-loop scale-model pilot tunnel was fabricated onsite in the various shops of Lewis' Fabrication Support Division. The tunnel's rectangular sections are composed of acrylic walls supported by an aluminum angle framework. Its turning vanes are made of tubing machined to the contour of the IRT turning vanes. The fan leg of the tunnel, which transitions from rectangular to circular and back to rectangular cross sections, is fabricated of fiberglass sections. The contraction section of the tunnel is constructed from sheet aluminum. A 12-bladed aluminum fan is coupled to a turbine powered by high-pressure air capable of driving the maximum test section velocity to 550 ft/sec (Mach 0.45). The air turbine and instrumentation are housed inside a fiberglass nacelle. Total and static pressure measurements can be taken around the loop, and velocity and flow angularity measurements can be taken with hot-wire and five-hole probes at specific locations. The Scale Model Icing Research Tunnel (SMIRT) is undergoing checkout tests to determine how its airflow characteristics compare with the IRT. Near-term uses for this scale-model tunnel include determining the aerodynamic effects of replacing the 52-yearold W-shaped heat exchanger with a flat-faced heat exchanger. SMIRT is an integral part of the improvements planned for the IRT because testing the proposed IRT improvements in a scale-model tunnel will lower costs and improve productivity.

Canacci, Victor A.↗

Ice Detector and Deicing Fluid Effectiveness Monitoring System

An ice detector and deicing fluid effectiveness monitoring system for an aircraft is disclosed. The ice detection portion is particularly suited for use in flight to notify the flight crew of an accumulation of ice on an aircraft lifting and control surfaces, or helicopter rotors, whereas the deicing fluid effectiveness monitoring portion is particularly suited for use on the ground to notify the flight crew of the possible loss of the effectiveness of the deicing fluid. The ice detection portion comprises a temperature sensor and a parallel arrangement of electrodes whose coefficient of coupling is indicative of the formation of the ice, as well as the thickness of the formed ice. The fluid effectiveness monitoring portion comprises a temperature sensor and an ionic-conduction cell array that measures the conductivity of the deicing fluid which is indicative of its concentration and, thus, its freezing point. By measuring the temperature and having knowledge of the freezing point of the deicing fluid, the fluid effectiveness monitoring portion predicts when the deicing fluid may lose its effectiveness because its freezing point may correspond to the temperature of the ambient.

Seegmiller, H. Lee B.↗

MHD waves detected by ICE at distances greater than or = 28 million km from Comet Halley: Cometary or solar wind origin?

Spectral analyses of the high resolution magnetic field data are employed to determine if there is evidence of cometary heavy ion pickup when ICE was closest to Halley. No evidence for the presence of heavy ion cyclotron waves is found. However, two wave modes are discovered in the solar wind: electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves and drift mirror mode waves. Both modes have scales of 10 to 60 s (1 to 6 Tp) in the spacecraft frame. The possibility of wave generation by cometary hydrogen pickup is explored. Theoretical and experimental evidence indicates that cometary origin is improbable. The most likely source is plasma instabilities associated with solar wind stream-stream interactions. Very low frequency electrostatic emissions occur in field minima or at gradients of the drift mirror structures. Possible generation mechanisms of drift mirror mode waves, cyclotron waves, and electrostatic waves are discussed.

Tsurutani, B. T.↗

Aircraft Engine Icing Event Avoidance and Mitigation Through Real-Time Simulation and Controls

A process for mitigating or proactively avoiding an aircraft engine icing event may include detecting ice crystals in the atmosphere using one or more sensors on board an aircraft in real time. The process may also include modulating one or more engine operating conditions to proactively change an ice accretion location, to avoid the occurrence of an icing event. The process may further include implementing one or more modulated engine operating conditions in engine controls software, hardware, or both.

Veres, Joseph P.↗

Detecting Seasonal Ice Dynamics in Satellite Images

Fully understanding how glaciers respond to environmental change will require new methods to help us identify the onset of ice acceleration events and observe how dynamic signals propagate within glaciers. In particular, observations of ice dynamics on seasonal timescales may offer insights into how a glacier interacts with various forcing mechanisms throughout the year. The task of generating continuous ice velocity time series that resolve seasonal variability is made more difficult by a spotty satellite record that contains no optical observations throughout the dark, polar winters. Furthermore, velocities obtained by feature tracking are marked by high noise when image pairs are separated by short time intervals and contain no direct insights into variability that occurs between images separated by long time intervals. In this paper, we describe a method of analyzing optical or SAR-derived feature-tracked velocities to characterize the magnitude and timing of seasonal ice dynamic variability. Our method is agnostic to data gaps and is able to recover climatological average winter velocities regardless of the availability of direct observations during winter. Using characteristic image acquisition times and error distributions from Antarctic image pairs in the ITS_LIVE dataset, we generate synthetic ice velocity time series, then apply our method to recover imposed magnitudes of seasonal variability within ±1.4 m yr−1. We then validate the techniques by comparing our results to GPS data collected on Russell Glacier in Greenland. The methods presented here may be applied to better understand how ice dynamic signals propagate on seasonal timescales, and what mechanisms control the flow of the world’s ice.

Chad A. Greene↗

Assessing the Roughness Properties of Circumpolar Lunar Craters: Implications for the Timing of Water-Ice Delivery to the Moon

The roughness properties of impact craters are valuable indicators of crater degradation and can provide insight into crater ages. We evaluate the roughness of lunar craters from different geologic eras, confirming that young, Copernican craters are distinctly rougher than older craters. We evaluate the potential age of small (less than similar to 15 km) craters that are thought to host surface ice by quantifying the roughness inside these craters, as well as outside. Interior roughness may be subdued by slope processes or the presence of volatiles. The distribution of ice-bearing craters is skewed toward roughness values higher than those of pre-Imbrian craters, although no ice-bearing craters are within the Copernican-only domain in roughness space. All of the 15 rough, permanently shadowed craters that are found within the Copernican-only domain lack water-ice detections, suggesting that either ice has not been delivered to these young craters or that it has since been destroyed.

Ariel N Deutsch↗

An Ice Protection and Detection Systems Manufacturer's Perspective

Accomplishments include: World Class Aircraft Icing Research Center and Facility. Primary Sponsor/Partner - Aircraft Icing Consortia/Meetings. Icing Research Tunnel. Icing Test Aircraft. Icing Codes - LEWICE/Scaling, et al. Development of New Technologies (SBIR, STTR, et al). Example: Look Ahead Ice Detection. Pilot Training Materials. Full Cooperation with Academia, Government and Industry.

Sweet, Dave↗

Ice conditions on the Chesapeake Bay as observed from LANDSAT during the winters of 1977, 1978 and 1979

The LANDSAT observations during the winters of 1977, 1978 and 1979, which were unusually cold in the northeastern U.S. and in the Chesapeake Bay area, were evaluated. Abnormal atmospheric circulation patterns displaced cold polar air to the south, and as a result, the Chesapeake Bay experienced much greater than normal icing conditions during these 3 years. The LANDSAT observations of the Chesapeake Bay area during these winters demonstrate the satellite's capabilities to monitor ice growth and melt, to detect ice motions, and to measure ice extent.

Foster, J. L.↗

Ice/frost detection using millimeter wave radiometry

A series of ice detection tests was performed on the shuttle external tank (ET) and on ET target samples using a 35/95 GHz instrumentation radiometer. Ice was formed using liquid nitrogen and water spray inside a test enclosure containing ET spray on foam insulation samples. During cryogenic fueling operations prior to the shuttle orbiter engine firing tests, ice was formed with freon and water over a one meter square section of the ET LOX tank. Data analysis was performed on the ice signatures, collected by the radiometer, using Georgia Tech computing facilities. Data analysis technique developed include: ice signature images of scanned ET target; pixel temperature contour plots; time correlation of target data with ice present versus no ice formation; and ice signature radiometric temperature statistical data, i.e., mean, variance, and standard deviation.

Gagliano, J. A.↗

ICE plasma wave measurements in the ion pick-up region of Comet Halley

In late March 1986 the plasma wave instrument on the International Cometary Explorer (ICE) detected sporadic bursts of strong plasma turbulence with average wave characteristics very similar to those detected six months earlier, during the ICE traversal of the Comet Giacobini-Zinner (G-Z) heavy ion pick-up region. In both cases the observations of enhanced wave levels were generally correlated with simultaneous detection of energetic ions. The 1986 activity is interpreted in terms of plasma instabilities associated with solar wind pick-up of ions produced by heavy neutrals from Comet Halley. On March 25, when the distance between Comet Halley and ICE was 28.1 million kilometers, the ICE-to-comet range was about six times greater than the distance that marked the measured outer boundary of the turbulent heavy ion pick-up region of G-Z. Based on comparison with G-Z data and with earlier Halley observations, plausible arguments suggest that in late March, Halley should have produced detectable levels of energetic ions and associated plasma turbulence in a region with a spatial extent of 30-40 million kilometers.

Scarf, F. L.↗

Preliminary Results From a Heavily Instrumented Engine Ice Crystal Icing Test in a Ground Based Altitude Test Facility

Preliminary results from the Heavily Instrumented ALF503R-5 Engine test conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center Propulsion Systems Laboratory will be discussed. The effects of ice crystal icing on a full scale engine is examined and documented. This model engine, serial number LF01, was used during the inaugural icing test in the PSL facility. The reduction of thrust (rollback) events experienced by this engine in flight were replicated in the facility. Limited instrumentation was used to detect icing. Metal temperature on the exit guide vanes and outer shroud and the load measurement were the only indicators of ice formation. The current study features a similar engine, serial number LF11, which is instrumented to characterize the cloud entering the engine, detect characterize ice accretion, and visualize the ice accretion in the region of interest.

enigine icing↗

Preliminary Results From a Heavily Instrumented Engine Ice Crystal Icing Test in a Ground Based Altitude Test Facility

Preliminary results from the heavily instrumented ALF502R-5 engine test conducted in the NASA Glenn Research Center Propulsion Systems Laboratory are discussed. The effects of ice crystal icing on a full scale engine is examined and documented. This same model engine, serial number LF01, was used during the inaugural icing test in the Propulsion Systems Laboratory facility. The uncommanded reduction of thrust (rollback) events experienced by this engine in flight were simulated in the facility. Limited instrumentation was used to detect icing on the LF01 engine. Metal temperatures on the exit guide vanes and outer shroud and the load measurement were the only indicators of ice formation. The current study features a similar engine, serial number LF11, which is instrumented to characterize the cloud entering the engine, detect/ characterize ice accretion, and visualize the ice accretion in the region of interest. Data were acquired at key LF01 test points and additional points that explored: icing threshold regions, low altitude, high altitude, spinner heat effects, and the influence of varying the facility and engine parameters. For each condition of interest, data were obtained from some selected variations of ice particle median volumetric diameter, total water content, fan speed, and ambient temperature. For several cases the NASA in-house engine icing risk assessment code was used to find conditions that would lead to a rollback event. This study further helped NASA develop necessary icing diagnostic instrumentation, expand the capabilities of the Propulsion Systems Laboratory, and generate a dataset that will be used to develop and validate in-house icing prediction and risk mitigation computational tools. The ice accretion on the outer shroud region was acquired by internal video cameras. The heavily instrumented engine showed good repeatability of icing responses when compared to the key LF01 test points and during day-to-day operation. Other noticeable observations are presented.

turbomachinery↗

Evaluate the application of ERTS-A data for detecting and mapping sea ice

The author has identified the following significant results. Sea ice is detectable in all of the ERTS-1 MSS bands and can be distinguished from clouds through a number of interpretive keys. Considerable information on ice type can be derived from the ERTS-1 data. Ice types that appear to be identifiable include: ice floes of various categories, pack ice of various concentrations, ice belts, brash ice, rotten ice, fast ice, leads, fractures, cracks, puddles, thaw holes, and flooded ice. Although larger icebergs can be seen, it is difficult to distinguish them from ice floes. Ice features as small as the small floe of 20 to 100 m across can be detected, and the sizes of features somewhat smaller than 100 m can be measured from enlarged ERTS-1 prints. The multispectral analysis of the ERTS-1 MSS-7 bands provides much information on ice type and ice surface features that cannot be derived from a single spectral band. For example, thaw holes can often be distinguished from puddles because of their different appearances in the two bands. These surface features can be indicative of ice age. Furthermore, snow lines on glaciers can be reliably mapped through the joint use of the MSS-4 and 7 data.

Barnes, J. C.↗