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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1981

Survey of in-situ and remote sensing methods for soil moisture determination

General methods for determining the moisture content in the surface layers of the soil based on in situ or point measurements, soil water models and remote sensing observations are surveyed. In situ methods described include gravimetric techniques, nuclear techniques based on neutron scattering or gamma-ray attenuation, electromagnetic techniques, tensiometric techniques and hygrometric techniques. Soil water models based on column mass balance treat soil moisture contents as a result of meteorological inputs (precipitation, runoff, subsurface flow) and demands (evaporation, transpiration, percolation). The remote sensing approaches are based on measurements of the diurnal range of surface temperature and the crop canopy temperature in the thermal infrared, measurements of the radar backscattering coefficient in the microwave region, and measurements of microwave emission or brightness temperature. Advantages and disadvantages of the various methods are pointed out, and it is concluded that a successful monitoring system must incorporate all of the approaches considered.

Schmugge, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Sources of atmospheric methane from coastal marine wetlands

Biological methanogenesis in wetlands is believed to be one of the major sources of global tropospheric methane. The present paper reports measurements of methane distribution in the soils, sediments, water and vegetation of coastal marine wetlands. Measurements, carried out in the salt marshes Bay Tree Creek in Virginia and Panacea in northwest Florida, reveal methane concentrations in soils and sediments to vary with depth below the surface and with soil temperature. The fluxes of methane from marsh soils to the atmosphere at the soil-air interface are estimated to range from -0.00067 g CH4/sq m per day (methane sink) to 0.024 g CH4/sq m per day, with an average value of 0.0066 g CH4/sq m per day. Data also demonstrate the important role of tidal waters percolating through marsh soils in removing methane from the soils and releasing it to the atmosphere. The information obtained, together with previous studies, provides a framework for the design of a program based on in situ and remote sensing measurements to study the global methane cycle.

Harriss, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

A second-order Budkyo-type parameterization of landsurface hydrology

A simple, second order parameterization of the water fluxes at a land surface for use as the appropriate boundary condition in general circulation models of the global atmosphere was developed. The derived parameterization incorporates the high nonlinearities in the relationship between the near surface soil moisture and the evaporation, runoff and percolation fluxes. Based on the one dimensional statistical dynamic derivation of the annual water balance, it makes the transition to short term prediction of the moisture fluxes, through a Taylor expansion around the average annual soil moisture. A comparison of the suggested parameterization is made with other existing techniques and available measurements. A thermodynamic coupling is applied in order to obtain estimations of the surface ground temperature.

Andreou, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Influence of liquid water and water vapor on antimisting kerosene (AMK)

Experiments have been performed to evaluate the compatibility of liquid water and water vapor with antimisting kerosenes (AMK) containing polymer additive FM-9 developed by Imperial Chemical Industries. This effort consists of the determination of water solubility in AMK, influence of water on restoration (degradation) of AMK, and effect of water on standard AMK quality control methods. The principal conclusions of this investigation are: (1) the uptake of water in AMK critically depends upon the degree of agitation and can be as high as 1300 ppm at 20 C, (2) more than 250 to 300 ppm of water in AMK causes an insoluble second phase to form. The amount of this second phase depends on fuel temperature, agitation, degree of restoration (degradation) and the water content of the fuel, (3) laboratory scale experiments indicate precipitate formation when water vapor comes in contact with cold fuel surfaces at a much lower level of water (125 to 150 ppm), (4) precipitate formation is very pronounced in these experiments where humid air is percolated through a cold fuel (-20 C), (5) laboratory tests further indicate that water droplet settling time is markedly reduced in AMK as compared to jet A, (6) limited low temperature testing down to -30 C under laboratory conditions indicates the formation of stable, transparent gels.

Yavrouian, A. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Sulfur cycling and metabolism of phototrophic and filamentous sulfur bacteria

Phototrophic sulfur bacteria taken from different habitate (Alum Rock State Park, Palo Alto salt marsh, and Big Soda Lake) were grown on selective media, characterized by morphological and pigment analysis, and compared with bacteria maintained in pure culture. A study was made of the anaerobic reduction of intracellular sulfur globules by a phototrophic sulfur bacterium (Chromatium vinosum) and a filamentous aerobic sulfur bacterium (Beggiatoa alba). Buoyant densities of different bacteria were measured in Percoll gradients. This method was also used to separate different chlorobia in mixed cultures and to assess the relative homogeneity of cultures taken directly or enriched from natural samples (including the purple bacterial layer found at a depth of 20 meters at Big Soda Lake.) Interactions between sulfide oxidizing bacteria were studied.

Guerrero, R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Large-cell Monte Carlo renormalization of irreversible growth processes

Monte Carlo sampling is applied to a recently formulated direct-cell renormalization method for irreversible, disorderly growth processes. Large-cell Monte Carlo renormalization is carried out for various nonequilibrium problems based on the formulation dealing with relative probabilities. Specifically, the method is demonstrated by application to the 'true' self-avoiding walk and the Eden model of growing animals for d = 2, 3, and 4 and to the invasion percolation problem for d = 2 and 3. The results are asymptotically in agreement with expectations; however, unexpected complications arise, suggesting the possibility of crossovers, and in any case, demonstrating the danger of using small cells alone, because of the very slow convergence as the cell size b is extrapolated to infinity. The difficulty of applying the present method to the diffusion-limited-aggregation model, is commented on.

Nakanishi, H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Dark matter and cosmological nucleosynthesis

Existing dark matter problems, i.e., dynamics, galaxy formation and inflation, are considered, along with a model which proposes dark baryons as the bulk of missing matter in a fractal universe. It is shown that no combination of dark, nonbaryonic matter can either provide a cosmological density parameter value near unity or, as in the case of high energy neutrinos, allow formation of condensed matter at epochs when quasars already existed. The possibility that correlations among galactic clusters are scale-free is discussed. Such a distribution of matter would yield a fractal of 1.2, close to a one-dimensional universe. Biasing, cosmic superstrings, and percolated explosions and hot dark matter are theoretical approaches that would satisfy the D = 1.2 fractal model of the large-scale structure of the universe and which would also allow sufficient dark matter in halos to close the universe.

Schramm, D. N.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Mean-field theory of spin-glasses with finite coordination number

The mean-field theory of dilute spin-glasses is studied in the limit where the average coordination number is finite. The zero-temperature phase diagram is calculated and the relationship between the spin-glass phase and the percolation transition is discussed. The present formalism is applicable also to graph optimization problems.

Kanter, I.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Transmission of order in some unusual dilute systems

As a system is diluted, the critical temperature T may fall to zero at a concentration X sub c greater than the percolation concentration, because mere connectivity does not guarantee the transmission of order even at T = 0. Detailed results, including bounds on X sub c, are presented for the three-state Potts antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice and for quadrupolar models of (o-H2)x(p-H2)1-x mixtures on fcc and triangular lattices.

Adler, Joan↗
NASA NTRS1987

Quantitative characterization of the viscosity of a microemulsion

The viscosity of the three-component microemulsion water/decane/AOT has been measured as a function of temperature and droplet volume fraction. At temperatures well below the phase-separation temperature the viscosity is described by treating the droplets as hard spheres suspended in decane. Upon approaching the two-phase region from low temperature, there is a large (as much as a factor of four) smooth increase of the viscosity which may be related to the percolation-like transition observed in the electrical conductivity. This increase in viscosity is not completely consistent with either a naive electroviscous model or a simple clustering model. The divergence of the viscosity near the critical point (39 C) is superimposed upon the smooth increase. The magnitude and temperature dependence of the critical divergence are similar to that seen near the critical points of binary liquid mixtures.

Berg, Robert F.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Orbital magnetoconductance in the variable-range-hopping regime

The orbital magnetoconductance (MC) in the variable-range-hopping (VRH) regime is evaluated by use of a model which approximately takes into account the interference among random paths in the hopping process. Instead of logarithmic averaging the MC is obtained by the critical percolating resistor method. The small-field MC is quadratic in H; it is positive deep in the VRH regime and changes sign when the zero-field conductivity is high enough. This behavior (except for the sign change) and the relevant magnetic field scale are in agreement with recent experiments. The calculated MC is always positive for strong fields and is predicted to saturate at sufficiently large fields.

Sivan, U.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Computer modeling of the mineralogy of the Martian surface, as modified by aqueous alteration

Mineralogical constraints can be placed on the Martian surface by assuming chemical equilibria among the surface rocks, atmosphere and hypothesized percolating groundwater. A study was made of possible Martian surface mineralogy, as modified by the action of aqueous alteration, using the EQ3/6 computer codes. These codes calculate gas fugacities, aqueous speciation, ionic strength, pH, Eh and concentration and degree of mineral saturation for complex aqueous systems. Thus, these codes are also able to consider mineralogical solid solutions. These codes are able to predict the likely alteration phases which will occur as the result of weathering on the Martian surface. Knowledge of the stability conditions of these phases will then assist in the definition of the specifications for the sample canister of the proposed Martian sample return mission. The model and its results are discussed.

Zolensky, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Dynamics of Mars' magnetosphere

If Mars has a small intrinsic magnetic moment, Mars' magnetosphere could vary on time scales of a few minutes due to reconnection with the solar wind magnetic field. The day-side magnetopause will be one or two reflected-ion Larmor radii from the bow shock. Substorms will have scale-times of about six minutes. Mars' high ionospheric conductance will virtually stop polar cap convection, and create a magnetic 'topological crisis' unless convecting magnetic flux finds a dissipative way to return to the day-side. The strong magnetic shear induced by magnetospheric convection above the ionosphere could be tearing unstable. The magnetic field might diffusively 'percolate' through the tearing layer. This shearing also draws field aligned currents from the ionosphere which could inject few KeV heavy ionospheric ions into the magnetotail.

Kennel, C. F.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Theory of droplet. Part 1: Renormalized laws of droplet vaporization in non-dilute sprays

The vaporization of a droplet, interacting with its neighbors in a non-dilute spray environment is examined as well as a vaporization scaling law established on the basis of a recently developed theory of renormalized droplet. The interacting droplet consists of a centrally located droplet and its vapor bubble which is surrounded by a cloud of droplets. The distribution of the droplets and the size of the cloud are characterized by a pair-distribution function. The vaporization of a droplet is retarded by the collective thermal quenching, the vapor concentration accumulated in the outer sphere, and by the limited percolative passages for mass, momentum and energy fluxes. The retardation is scaled by the local collective interaction parameters (group combustion number of renormalized droplet, droplet spacing, renormalization number and local ambient conditions). The numerical results of a selected case study reveal that the vaporization correction factor falls from unity monotonically as the group combustion number increases, and saturation is likely to occur when the group combustion number reaches 35 to 40 with interdroplet spacing of 7.5 diameters and an environment temperature of 500 K. The scaling law suggests that dense sprays can be classified into: (1) a diffusively dense cloud characterized by uniform thermal quenching in the cloud; (2) a stratified dense cloud characterized by a radial stratification in temperature by the differential thermal quenching of the cloud; or (3) a sharply dense cloud marked by fine structure in the quasi-droplet cloud and the corresponding variation in the correction factor due to the variation in the topological structure of the cloud characterized by a pair-distribution function of quasi-droplets.

Chiu, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Topological defects in extended inflation

The production of topological defects, especially cosmic strings, in extended inflation models was considered. In extended inflation, the Universe passes through a first-order phase transition via bubble percolation, which naturally allows defects to form at the end of inflation. The correlation length, which determines the number density of the defects, is related to the mean size of bubbles when they collide. This mechanism allows a natural combination of inflation and large scale structure via cosmic strings.

Copeland, Edmund J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Plastic superconductor bearings any size, any shape, 77 k and up

Friction free bearings at 77 k or higher are possible using the high T(sub c) copper oxide ceramic superconductors. The conventional method for making such bearings is to use a sintered ceramic monolith. This puts great restraints on size, shape and postforming machining. The material is hard and abrasive. It's possible to grind up ceramic superconductors and suspend the granules in a suitable matrix. Mechanical properties improve and are largely dependent on the binder. The Meissner effect is confined to individual grains containing electron vortices. Tracks, rails, levitation areas and bearings can be made this way with conventional plastic molding and extruding machines or by painting. The parts are easily machined. The sacrifice is in bulk electrical conductivity. A percolating wick feel for LN2 can be used to cool remote superconductors and large areas quite effectively. A hollow spheroid or cylinder of superconductor material can be molded with the internal surfaces shielded by the Meissner effect. It might be thought of as the dc magnetic analogue of the Faraday cage and the inside can be called the Meissner space. It's selective. The ac fields are transmitted with minor attenuation. Particle size and distribution have a profound effect on final magnetic and electrical characteristics.

Reick, Franklin G.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Relic gravitational waves and extended inflation

In extended inflation, a new version of inflation where the transition from the false-vacuum phase to a radiation-dominated Universe is accomplished by bubble nucleation and percolation, bubble collisions supply a potent-and potentially detectable-source of gravitational waves. The present energy density in relic gravity waves from bubble collisions is expected to be about 10(exp -5) of closure density-many orders of magnitude greater than that of the gravity waves produced by quantum fluctuations. Their characteristic wavelength depends upon the reheating temperature T(sub RH): lambda is approximately 10(exp 4) cm (10(exp 14) GeV/T(sub RH)). If large numbers of black holes are produced, a not implausible outcome, they will evaporate producing comparable amounts of shorter wavelength waves, lambda is approximately 10(exp -6) cm (T(sub RH)/10(exp 14) GeV).

Turner, Michael S.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Technique for assessing vegetation-induced moisture flux, with implications for global climate modeling

The time between storms, the duration of storms, and the storm depths are studied in relation to vegetation controls on the disposition of rainfall. It is proposed that understanding the movement of water between the vegetation and soil (including evapotranspiration and infiltration) will be the gateway for modeling atmospheric flux and improving global climate models. The overall objective goal of the proposed research effort is to develop a field/lab methodology which will provide a better understanding of vegetation induced water movement. Water flow initiated from stem flow of wooded slopes feeds soil water pathways, which in turn feed the deeper ground water system and give rise to stream response. This is balanced by more water inputs via throughfall, where it percolates the soil matrix and allows much greater rates of evapotranspiration and atmospheric/soil moisture flux. This research study seeks to gain an understanding of the effect of vegetation on soil moisture, and the effect of this differential wetting on resulting evapotranspiration and atmospheric flux.

Macari, Emir Jose↗