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A numerical model of the thermal field in the furnace-ampoule system developed for the 'contactless' Physical Vapor Transport growth geometry is presented. The model is used to assess the effect of the system geometry and growth parameters on the conditions of 'contactless' growth of cadmium telluride crystals.
The Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) is a pair of identical satellites that will orbit the Sun so as to drift ahead of and behind Earth respectively, to give a stereo view of the Sun. STEREO is currently scheduled for launch in November 2005. One of the instrument packages that will be own on each of the STEREO spacecrafts is the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI), which consists of an extreme ultraviolet imager, two coronagraphs, and two side-viewing heliospheric imagers to observe solar coronal mass ejections all the way from the Sun to Earth. We report here on the inner coronagraph, labeled COR1. COR1 is a classic Lyot internally occulting refractive coronagraph, adapted for the first time to be used in space. The field of view is from 1.3 to 4 solar radii. A linear polarizer is used to suppress scattered light, and to extract the polarized brightness signal from the solar corona. The optical scattering performance of the coronagraph was first modeled using both the ASAP and APART numerical modeling codes, and then tested at the Vacuum Tunnel Facility at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. In this report, we will focus on the COR1 optical design, the predicted optical performance, and the observed performance in the lab. We will also discuss the mechanical and thermal design, and the cleanliness requirements needed to achieve the optical performance.
In search of novel approaches to produce new materials for electro-optic technologies, advances have been achieved in the development of computer models for vapor deposition reactors in space. Numerical simulations are invaluable tools for costly and difficult processes, such as those experiments designed for high pressures and microgravity conditions. Indium nitride is a candidate compound for high-speed laser and photo diodes for optical communication system, as well as for semiconductor lasers operating into the blue and ultraviolet regions. But InN and other nitride compounds exhibit large thermal decomposition at its optimum growth temperature. In addition, epitaxy at lower temperatures and subatmospheric pressures incorporates indium droplets into the InN films. However, surface stabilization data indicate that InN could be grown at 900 K in high nitrogen pressures, and microgravity could provide laminar flow conditions. Numerical models for chemical vapor deposition have been developed, coupling complex chemical kinetics with fluid dynamic properties.
In search of novel approaches to produce new materials for electro-optic technologies, advances have been achieved in the development of computer models for vapor deposition reactors in space. Numerical simulations are invaluable tools for costly and difficult processes, such as those experiments designed for high pressures and microgravity conditions. Indium nitride is a candidate compound for high-speed laser and photo diodes for optical communication system, as well as for semiconductor lasers operating into the blue and ultraviolet regions. But InN and other nitride compounds exhibit large thermal decomposition at its optimum growth temperature. In addition, epitaxy at lower temperatures and subatmospheric pressures incorporates indium droplets into the InN films. However, surface stabilization data indicate that InN could be grown at 900 K in high nitrogen pressures, and microgravity could provide laminar flow conditions. Numerical models for chemical vapor deposition have been developed, coupling complex chemical kinetics with fluid dynamic properties.
Numerical models of structural-acoustic interactions are of interest to aircraft designers and the space program. This paper describes a comparison between two energy finite element codes, a statistical energy analysis code, a structural finite element code, and the experimentally measured response of a stiffened aluminum plate excited by a shaker. Different methods for modeling the stiffeners and the power input from the shaker are discussed. The results show that the energy codes (energy finite element and statistical energy analysis) accurately predicted the measured mean square velocity of the plate. In addition, predictions from an energy finite element code had the best spatial correlation with measured velocities. However, predictions from a considerably simpler, single subsystem, statistical energy analysis model also correlated well with the spatial velocity distribution. The results highlight a need for further work to understand the relationship between modeling assumptions and the prediction results.
A numerical model is being developed using Python which characterizes the conversion and temperature profiles of a packed bed reactor (PBR) that utilizes the Sabatier process; the reaction produces methane and water from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. While the specific kinetics of the Sabatier reaction on the RuAl2O3 catalyst pellets are unknown, an empirical reaction rate equation1 is used for the overall reaction. As this reaction is highly exothermic, proper thermal control is of the utmost importance to ensure maximum conversion and to avoid reactor runaway. It is therefore necessary to determine what wall temperature profile will ensure safe and efficient operation of the reactor. This wall temperature will be maintained by active thermal controls on the outer surface of the reactor. Two cylindrical PBRs are currently being tested experimentally and will be used for validation of the Python model. They are similar in design except one of them is larger and incorporates a preheat loop by feeding the reactant gas through a pipe along the center of the catalyst bed. The further complexity of adding a preheat pipe to the model to mimic the larger reactor is yet to be implemented and validated; preliminary validation is done using the smaller PBR with no reactant preheating. When mapping experimental values of the wall temperature from the smaller PBR into the Python model, a good approximation of the total conversion and temperature profile has been achieved. A separate CFD model incorporates more complex three-dimensional effects by including the solid catalyst pellets within the domain. The goal is to improve the Python model to the point where the results of other reactor geometry can be reasonably predicted relatively quickly when compared to the much more computationally expensive CFD approach. Once a reactor size is narrowed down using the Python approach, CFD will be used to generate a more thorough prediction of the reactors performance.
An improved k-epsilon model for low Reynolds number turbulence near a wall is presented. In the first part of this work, the near-wall asymptotic behavior of the eddy viscosity and the pressure transport term in the turbulent kinetic energy equation are analyzed. Based on these analyses, a modified eddy viscosity model with the correct near-wall behavior is suggested, and a model for the pressure transport term in the k-equation is proposed. In addition, a modeled dissipation rate equation is reformulated, and a boundary condition for the dissipation rate is suggested. In the second part of the work, one of the deficiencies of the existing k-epsilon models, namely, the wall distance dependency of the equations and the damping functions, is examined. An improved model that does not depend on any wall distance is introduced. Fully developed turbulent channel flows and turbulent boundary layers over a flat plate are studied as validations for the proposed new models. Numerical results obtained from the present and other previous k-epsilon models are compared with data from direct numerical simulation. The results show that the present k-epsilon model, with added robustness, performs as well as or better than other existing models in predicting the behavior of near-wall turbulence.
Theoretical and numerical modeling of solar activity and its effects on the solar atmosphere within the context of magnetohydrodynamics were examined. Specifically, the scientific objectives were concerned with the physical mechanisms for the flare energy build-up and subsequent release. In addition, transport of this energy to the corona and solar wind was also investigated. Well-posed, physically self-consistent, numerical simulation models that are based upon magnetohydrodynamics were sought. A systematic investigation of the basic processes that determine the macroscopic dynamic behavior of solar and heliospheric phenomena was conducted. A total of twenty-three articles were accepted and published in major journals. The major achievements are summarized.
A fiber-optic coupled telescope of low complexity was constructed and tested. The major loss mechanisms of the optical system have been characterized. Light collected by the receiver mirror is focused onto an optical fiber, and the output of the fiber is filtered by an interference filter and then focused onto an APD detector. This system was used in lidar field measurements with a 532-nm Nd:YAG laser beam. The results were encouraging. A numerical model used for calculation of the expected return signal agreed with the lidar return signal obtained. The assembled system was easy to align and operate and weighed about 8 kg for a 30 cm (12") mirror system. This weight is low enough to allow mounting of the fiber-optic telescope receiver system in a UAV. Furthermore, the good agreement between the numerical lidar model and the performance of the actual receiver system, suggests that this model may be used for estimation of the performance of this and other lidar systems in the future. Such telescopes are relatively easy to construct and align. The fiber optic cable allows easy placement of the optical detector in any position. These telescope systems should find widespread use in aircraft and space home DIAL water vapor receiver systems.
The use of rainfall rate data obtained from satellites to improve the initial specification of the hurricane circulation is discussed with particular reference to the techniques for incorporating rainfall data into high-resolution hurricane models. The variation of latent heating in a numerical model of a steady state tropical cyclone is considered to ascertain what features of the storm motion can be deduced from a given field of latent heat release. A real-data example involving a mesoscale model for hurricane Eloise (1975) has demonstrated that satellite measurements of rainfall may be beneficial to numerical hurricane prediction.
Full three-dimensional numerical models based on partical-in-cell with Monte Carlo collisions (PIC-MCC) simulations are developed to study ion thruster plasma interactions. 3-D simulation results for the NSTAR ion thruster plasma environment are presented.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimation methods that use atmospheric trace gas observations, including inverse modeling techniques, perform better when carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes are more accurately transported and dispersed in the atmosphere by a numerical model. In urban areas, transport and dispersion is particularly difficult to simulate using current mesoscale meteorological models due, in part, to added complexity from surface heterogeneity and fine spatial/temporal scales. It is generally assumed that the errors in GHG estimation methods in urban areas are dominated by errors in transport and dispersion. Other significant errors include, but are not limited to, those from assumed emissions magnitude and spatial distribution. To assess the predictability of simulated trace gas mole fractions in urban observing systems using a numerical weather prediction model, we employ an Eulerian model that combines traditional meteorological variables with multiple passive tracers of atmospheric CO2 from anthropogenic inventories and a biospheric model. The predictability of the Eulerian model is assessed by comparing simulated atmospheric CO2 mole fractions to observations from four in situ tower sites (three urban and one rural) in the Washington DC/Baltimore, MD area for February 2016. Four different gridded fossil fuel emissions inventories along with a biospheric flux model are used to create an ensemble of simulated atmospheric CO2 observations within the model. These ensembles help to evaluate whether the modeled observations are impacted more by the underlying emissions or transport. The spread of modeled observations using the four emission fields indicates the model's ability to distinguish between the different inventories under various meteorological conditions. Overall, the Eulerian model performs well; simulated and observed average CO2 mole fractions agree within 1% when averaged at the three urban sites across the month. However, there can be differences greater than 10% at any given hour, which are attributed to complex meteorological conditions rather than differences in the inventories themselves. On average, the mean absolute error of the simulated compared to actual observations is generally twice as large as the standard deviation of the modeled mole fractions across the four emission inventories. This result supports the assumption, in urban domains, that the predicted mole fraction error relative to observations is dominated by errors in model meteorology rather than errors in the underlying fluxes in winter months. As such, minimizing errors associated with atmospheric transport and dispersion may help improve the performance of GHG estimation models more so than improving flux priors in the winter months. We also find that the errors associated with atmospheric transport in urban domains are not restricted to certain times of day. This suggests that atmospheric inversions should use CO2 observations that have been filtered using meteorological observations rather than assuming that meteorological modeling is most accurate at certain times of day (such as using only mid-afternoon observations).
A mixed numerical method has been developed for mesoscale models. The technique consists of a forward difference scheme for time tendency terms, an upstream scheme for advective terms, and a central scheme for the other terms in a physical system. It is shown that the mixed method is conditionally stable and highly accurate for approximating the system of either shallow-water equations in one dimension or primitive equations in three dimensions. Since the technique is explicit and two time level, it conserves computer and programming resources.
Numerical experimentation of explosive east-coast cyclogenesis is performed using the Florida State University Global Spectral Model (FSUGSM). The three cases examined here are the Presidents' Day storm of February 18-19, 1979 and the North Atlantic and Pacific bombs of January 18-20, 1979 which formed off the east coasts of the United States and Japan, respectively. The use of a global model provides a framework for studying the phenomena on the 3-5 day time scale. The forecast verifications of the numerical experiments indicate that the FSUGSM was able to adequately predict the phase, intensity, and synoptic-scale structure. These results justify the use of model data for diagnostic studies of the bomb. The model data are used to quantify the role of the adiabatic and diabatic forcing in the explosive cyclogenetic process, using surface pressure tendency to gage development.
The progress and problems associated with the dynamical forecast system which was developed to predict severe storms are examined. The meteorological problem of severe convective storm forecasting is reviewed. The cascade hypothesis which forms the theoretical core of the nested grid dynamical numerical modelling system is described. The dynamical and numerical structure of the model used during the 1978 test period is presented and a preliminary description of a proposed multigrid system for future experiments and tests is provided. Six cases from the spring of 1978 are discussed to illustrate the model's performance and its problems. Potential solutions to the problems are examined.
Essential Water Variables (EWV) were developed over the last decade to ensure that key datasets were made available for closing the global water budget, and addressing the many international actions that require water data. Satellite, surface, and numerical model data all have a role in providing EWVs, and it is a key point that these data must be merged and then fed into decision support applications to answer all the needs of the panoply of user communities. The more specialized the applications become, the higher the demand for development and maintenance resources. Some examples of applications include the NASA Goddard Giovanni, which provides on-line data access and simple analysis; the Global Flood Monitor, which focuses on precipitation-driven flooding; the NASA Landslide Hazard Assessment for Situational Awareness, which similarly treats landslides; and the Global Streamflow Forecasting Project, which provides multiple decision support interfaces, as well as a general toolkit for building new interfaces.
Analytical and numerical models of plasma temperatures in the Venusian ionosphere are proposed. The magnitudes of plasma thermal parameters are calculated using thermal-structure data obtained by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter. The simple models are found to be in good agreement with the more detailed models of thermal balance. Daytime and nighttime temperature data along with corresponding temperature profiles are provided.
Noncoherent and coherent numerical models for predicting emission from soils are compared. Coherent models use the boundary conditions on the electric fields across the layer boundaries to calculate the radiation intensity, and noncoherent models consider radiation intensities directly. Interference may cause different results in the two approaches when coupling between soil layers in coherent models causes greater soil moisture sampling depths. Calculations performed at frequencies of 1.4 and 19.4 GHz show little difference between the models at 19.4 GHz, although differences are apparent at the lower frequency. A definition for an effective emissivity is also given for when a nonuniform temperature profile is present, and measurements made from a tower show good agreement with calculations from the coherent model.