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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.

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At least 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Coupling a three-dimensional subsurface flow and transport model with a land surface model to simulate stream–aquifer–land interactions (CP v1.0)

A fully coupled three-dimensional surface and subsurface land model is developed and applied to a site along the Columbia River to simulate three-way interactions among river water, groundwater, and land surface processes. The model features the coupling of the Community Land Model version 4.5 (CLM4.5) and a massively parallel multiphysics reactive transport model (PFLOTRAN). The coupled model, named CP v1.0, is applied to a 400 m × 400 m study domain instrumented with groundwater monitoring wells along the Columbia River shoreline. CP v1.0 simulations are performed at three spatial resolutions (i.e., 2, 10, and 20 m) over a 5-year period to evaluate the impact of hydroclimatic conditions and spatial resolution on simulated variables. Results show that the coupled model is capable of simulating groundwater–river-water interactions driven by river stage variability along managed river reaches, which are of global significance as a result of over 30 000 dams constructed worldwide during the past half-century. Our numerical experiments suggest that the land-surface energy partitioning is strongly modulated by groundwater–river-water interactions through expanding the periodically inundated fraction of the riparian zone, and enhancing moisture availability in the vadose zone via capillary rise in response to the river stage change. Meanwhile, CLM4.5 fails to capture the key hydrologic process (i.e., groundwater–river-water exchange) at the site, and consequently simulates drastically different water and energy budgets. Furthermore, spatial resolution is found to significantly impact the accuracy of estimated the mass exchange rates at the boundaries of the aquifer, and it becomes critical when surface and subsurface become more tightly coupled with groundwater table within 6 to 7 meters below the surface. Inclusion of lateral subsurface flow influenced both the surface energy budget and subsurface transport processes as a result of river-water intrusion into the subsurface in response to an elevated river stage that increased soil moisture for evapotranspiration and suppressed available energy for sensible heat in the warm season. The coupled model developed in this study can be used for improving mechanistic understanding of ecosystem functioning and biogeochemical cycling along river corridors under historical and future hydroclimatic changes. The dataset presented in this study can also serve as a good benchmarking case for testing other integrated models.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Technical note: Using long short-term memory models to fill data gaps in hydrological monitoring networks

Abstract. Quantifying the spatiotemporal dynamics in subsurface hydrological flows over a long time window usually employs a network of monitoring wells. However, such observations are often spatially sparse with potential temporal gaps due to poor quality or instrument failure. In this study, we explore the ability of recurrent neural networks to fill gaps in a spatially distributed time-series dataset. We use a well network that monitors the dynamic and heterogeneous hydrologic exchanges between the Columbia River and its adjacent groundwater aquifer at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford site. This 10-year-long dataset contains hourly temperature, specific conductance, and groundwater table elevation measurements from 42 wells with gaps of various lengths. We employ a long short-term memory (LSTM) model to capture the temporal variations in the observed system behaviors needed for gap filling. The performance of the LSTM-based gap-filling method was evaluated against a traditional autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) method in terms of error statistics and accuracy in capturing the temporal patterns of river corridor wells with various dynamics signatures. Our study demonstrates that the ARIMA models yield better average error statistics, although they tend to have larger errors during time windows with abrupt changes or high-frequency (daily and subdaily) variations. The LSTM-based models excel in capturing both high-frequency and low-frequency (monthly and seasonal) dynamics. However, the inclusion of high-frequency fluctuations may also lead to overly dynamic predictions in time windows that lack such fluctuations. The LSTM can take advantage of the spatial information from neighboring wells to improve the gap-filling accuracy, especially for long gaps in system states that vary at subdaily scales. While LSTM models require substantial training data and have limited extrapolation power beyond the conditions represented in the training data, they afford great flexibility to account for the spatial correlations, temporal correlations, and nonlinearity in data without a priori assumptions. Thus, LSTMs provide effective alternatives to fill in data gaps in spatially distributed time-series observations characterized by multiple dominant frequencies of variability, which are essential for advancing our understanding of dynamic complex systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

How well are hazards associated with derechos reproduced in regional climate simulations?

Abstract. A 15-member ensemble of convection-permitting regional simulations of the fast-moving and destructive derecho of 29–30 June 2012 that impacted the northeastern urban corridor of the USA is presented. This event generated 1100 reports of damaging winds, generated significant wind gusts over an extensive area of up to 500 000 km2, caused several fatalities, and resulted in widespread loss of electrical power. Extreme events such as this are increasingly being used within pseudo-global-warming experiments to examine the sensitivity of historical, societally important events to global climate non-stationarity and how they may evolve as a result of changing thermodynamic and dynamic contexts. As such it is important to examine the fidelity with which such events are described in hindcast experiments. The regional simulations presented herein are performed using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. The resulting ensemble is used to explore simulation fidelity relative to observations for wind gust magnitudes, spatial scales of convection (as is manifest in high composite reflectivity, cREF), and both rainfall and hail production as a function of model configuration (microphysics parameterization, lateral boundary conditions (LBCs), start date, use of nudging, compiler choice, damping, and number of vertical levels). We also examine the degree to which each ensemble member differs with respect to key mesoscale drivers of convective systems (e.g., convective available potential energy and vertical wind shear) and critical manifestations of deep convection, e.g., vertical velocities, cold-pool generation, and how those properties relate to the correct characterization of the associated atmospheric hazards (wind gusts and hail). Use of a double-moment, seven-class scheme with number concentrations for all species (including hail and graupel) results in the greatest fidelity of model-simulated wind gusts and convective structure to the observations of this event. All ensemble members, however, fail to capture the intensity of the event in terms of the spatial extent of convection and the production of high near-surface wind gusts. We further show very high sensitivity to the LBCs employed and specifically that simulation fidelity is higher for simulations nested within ERA-Interim compared to ERA5. Excess convective available potential energy (CAPE) in all ensemble members after the derecho passage leads to excess production of convective cells, wind gusts, cREF > 40 dBZ, and precipitation during a frontal passage on the subsequent day. This event proved very challenging to forecast in real time and to reproduce in the 15-member hindcast simulation ensemble presented here. Future work could examine if simulations with other initial and lateral boundary conditions can achieve greater fidelity.

Shepherd, Tristan (ORCID:0000000186276419)↗
DOE OSTI2022

The collapse of the Cordilleran–Laurentide ice saddle and early opening of the Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories, Canada, constrained by 10 Be exposure dating

Deglaciation of the northwestern Laurentide Ice Sheet in the central Mackenzie Valley opened the northern portion of the deglacial Ice-Free Corridor between the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets and a drainage route to the Arctic Ocean. In addition, ice sheet saddle collapse in this section of the Laurentide Ice Sheet has been implicated as a mechanism for delivering substantial freshwater influx into the Arctic Ocean on centennial timescales. However, there is little empirical data to constrain the deglaciation chronology in the central Mackenzie Valley where the northern slopes of the ice saddle were located. Here, we present 30 new 10Be cosmogenic nuclide exposure dates across six sites, including two elevation transects, which constrain the timing and rate of thinning and retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in the area. Our new 10Be dates indicate that the initial deglaciation of the eastern summits of the central Mackenzie Mountains began at ~15.8 ka (17.1–14.6 ka), ~1000 years earlier than in previous reconstructions. The main phase of ice saddle collapse occurred between ~14.9 and 13.6 ka, consistent with numerical modelling simulations, placing this event within the Bølling–Allerød interval (14.6–12.9 ka). Our new dates require a revision of ice margin retreat dynamics, with ice retreating more easterly rather than southward along the Mackenzie Valley. In addition, we quantify a total sea level rise contribution from the Cordilleran–Laurentide ice saddle region of ~11.2 m between 16 and 13 ka.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Extension and Validation of NEMA-Style Dual-Ring Controller in SUMO

Until recently, SUMO users could not model the behavior of a ring-and-barrier traffic signal via existing signal types, which left North American SUMO users without the direct ability to capture traffic dynamics of their local networks. This work presents the methods, implementation overview, and validation of a 'dual-ring' NEMA style traffic controller which has recently been added to the main SUMO code base. A brief explanation of the 'dual-ring' implementation is also provided as context for those new to this type of traffic controller. The foundation for this work was presented at the SUMO User Conference 2021 by researchers at the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, but was not integrated into SUMO code base at the time. Following the initial inclusion of the controller to SUMO, the authors began validation of the SUMO controller against an Econolite software-in-the-loop (SIL) traffic signal controller configured with actual setup parameters from controllers in a real-world three-intersection corridor in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. This paper documents the process of adding new features to the controller code as well as validating their implementation through simulation-based and automated grey-box testing is presented in this paper. Key features such as fully-actuated operation, various timing offset plans, proper next-phase fit algorithms and more, have been added and validated against this SIL system. Though not an exhaustive demonstration of features, this work is intended make more users aware of this extension of SUMO capabilities.

MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Interregional Renewable Energy Zones

Interregional Renewable Energy Zones (IREZs) are a component of the National Transmission Planning Study (NTPS), which analyzes strategies for building out transmission infrastructure to support decarbonizing the electricity sector by 2035. In particular, IREZs envision long-distance transmission corridors for moving large amounts of low-cost renewable energy. An IREZ is a transmission collection point that is easily accessible to a very high volume of low-cost developable wind and solar energy potential. This dataset includes 155 IREZs identified across the continental United States where each IREZ is characterized by its primary and secondary resource.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1963

Reentry

Major problems in reentry deceleration loads, corridor width, range control, and heating loads

RANGE CONTROL↗
NASA NTRS1971

Operating systems in the air transportation environment.

Consideration of the problems facing air transport at present, and to be expected in the future. In the Northeast Corridor these problems involve community acceptance, airway and airport congestion and delays, passenger acceptance, noise reduction, and improvements in low-density short-haul economics. In the development of a superior short-haul operating system, terminal-configured vs cruise-configured vehicles are evaluated. CTOL, STOL, and VTOL aircraft of various types are discussed. In the field of noise abatement, it is shown that flight procedural techniques are capable of supplementing ?quiet engine' technology.

Cherry, G. W.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Study of short haul high-density V/STOL transportation systems, volume 1

The relative advantages of STOL aircraft concepts were examined by simulating the operations of a short haul high-density intercity STOL system set in two arenas, the California corridor and the Chicago-Detroit-Cleveland triangle, during the 1980 time period. The study was constrained to the use of three aircraft concepts designated as the deflected slipstream turboprop, externally blown flap, and augmentor wing turbofan configurations. The projected demographic, economic, travel demand, and travel characteristics of the representative arenas were identified. The STOL airline operating scenarios were then formulated and through the use of the aerospace modal split simulation program, the traveler modal choices involving alternative STOL concepts were estimated in the context of the total transportation environment for 1980. System combinations that presented the best potential for economic return and traveler acceptance were then identified for each STOL concept.

Solomon, H. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Study of short haul high-density V/STOL transportation systems. Volume 2: Appendices

Essential supporting data to the short haul transportation study are presented. The specific appendices are arena characteristics, aerospace transportation analysis computer program, economics, model calibration, STOLport siting and services path selection, STOL schedule definition, tabulated California corridor results, and tabulated Midwest arena results.

Solomon, H. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Systems simulation for an airport trailing vortex warning system

The approach, development, and limited system studies associated with a system simulation for an Airport Trailing Vortex Warning System are documented. The usefulness is shown of a systems engineering approach to the problem of developing a system, as dictated by aircraft vortices, which will increase air-traffic flow in the takeoff/landing corridors of busy airports while maintaining the required safety factor for each operation. The simulation program has been developed in a modular form which permits new, more sophisticated component models, when they become available and are required, to be incorporated into the program with a minimum of program modifications. This report documents a limited system study that has been performed using this Total System Simulation Model. The resulting preliminary system requirements, conclusions, and recommendations are given.

Jeffreys, H. B.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Monitoring the vernal advancement and retrogradation (green wave effect) of natural vegetation

The author has identified the following significant results. The asserted homogeneity of the Great Plains Corridor was established, as evidenced from test site characteristic determinations. First-look visual analysis of ERTS-1 black and white images reveals the ability to locate network test sites. Geological formations associated with major vegetation types are readily apparent on the imagery. Grasslands are readily distinguishable from forested and cropped areas. Under magnification, pastures as small as five to ten acres can be recognized in areas of contrasting vegetation. Bodies of water (rivers, lakes, and large farm ponds) are easily located on bands 6 and 7. Urban areas and major highways are also easily observed and useful as landmarks.

Rouse, J. W., Jr.↗