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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 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1999

Numerical Analysis of Convection/Transpiration Cooling

An innovative concept utilizing the natural porosity of refractory-composite materials and hydrogen coolant to provide CONvective and TRANspiration (CONTRAN) cooling and oxidation protection has been numerically studied for surfaces exposed to a high heat flux high temperature environment such as hypersonic vehicle engine combustor walls. A boundary layer code and a porous media finite difference code were utilized to analyze the effect of convection and transpiration cooling on surface heat flux and temperature. The boundary layer code determined that transpiration flow is able to provide blocking of the surface heat flux only if it is above a minimum level due to heat addition from combustion of the hydrogen transpirant. The porous media analysis indicated that cooling of the surface is attained with coolant flow rates that are in the same range as those required for blocking, indicating that a coupled analysis would be beneficial.

Glass, David E.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Numerical Analysis of Convection/Transpiration Cooling

An innovative concept utilizing the natural porosity of refractory-composite materials and hydrogen coolant to provide CONvective and TRANspiration (CONTRAN) cooling and oxidation protection has been numerically studied for surfaces exposed to a high heat flux, high temperature environment such as hypersonic vehicle engine combustor walls. A boundary layer code and a porous media finite difference code were utilized to analyze the effect of convection and transpiration cooling on surface heat flux and temperature. The boundary, layer code determined that transpiration flow is able to provide blocking of the surface heat flux only if it is above a minimum level due to heat addition from combustion of the hydrogen transpirant. The porous media analysis indicated that cooling of the surface is attained with coolant flow rates that are in the same range as those required for blocking, indicating that a coupled analysis would be beneficial.

Glass, David E.↗
NASA NTRS2001

AVIRIS Land-Surface Mapping in Support of the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS)

A key scientific objective of the original Boreal Ecosystem-Atmospheric Study (BOREAS) field campaign (1993-1996) was to obtain the baseline data required for modeling and predicting fluxes of energy, mass, and trace gases in the boreal forest biome. These data sets are necessary to determine the sensitivity of the boreal forest biome to potential climatic changes and potential biophysical feedbacks on climate. A considerable volume of remotely-sensed and supporting field data were acquired by numerous researchers to meet this objective. By design, remote sensing and modeling were considered critical components for scaling efforts, extending point measurements from flux towers and field sites over larger spatial and longer temporal scales. A major focus of the BOREAS follow-on program is concerned with integrating the diverse remotely sensed and ground-based data sets to address specific questions such as carbon dynamics at local to regional scales. The Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) has the potential of contributing to BOREAS through: (1) accurate retrieved apparent surface reflectance; (2) improved landcover classification; and (3) direct assessment of biochemical/biophysical information such as canopy liquid water and chlorophyll concentration through pigment fits. In this paper, we present initial products for major flux tower sites including: (1) surface reflectance of dominant cover types; (2) a land-cover classification developed using spectral mixture analysis (SMA) and Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA); and (3) liquid water maps. Our goal is to compare these land-cover maps to existing maps and to incorporate AVIRIS image products into models of photosynthetic flux.

Roberts, Dar A.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Cassini Camera Contamination Anomaly: Experiences and Lessons Learned

We discuss the contamination 'Haze' anomaly for the Cassini Narrow Angle Camera (NAC), one of two optical telescopes that comprise the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS). Cassini is a Saturn Orbiter with a 4-year nominal mission. The incident occurred in 2001, five months after Jupiter encounter during the Cruise phase and ironically at the resumption of planned maintenance decontamination cycles. The degraded optical performance was first identified by the Instrument Operations Team with the first ISS Saturn imaging six weeks later. A distinct haze of varying size from image to image marred the images of Saturn. A photometric star calibration of the Pleiades, 4 days after the incident, showed stars with halos. Analysis showed that while the halo's intensity was only 1 - 2% of the intensity of the central peak of a star, the halo contained 30 - 70% of its integrated flux. This condition would impact science return. In a review of our experiences, we examine the contamination control plan, discuss the analysis of the limited data available and describe the one-year campaign to remove the haze from the camera. After several long conservative heating activities and interim analysis of their results, the contamination problem as measured by the camera's point spread function was essentially back to preanomaly size and at a point where there would be more risk to continue. We stress the importance of the flexibility of operations and instrument design, the need to do early infight instrument calibration and continual monitoring of instrument performance.

Cassini↗
NASA NTRS2015

The Impact of Trends in the Large Scale Atmospheric Circulation on Mediterranean Surface Turbulent Heat Fluxes

Interannual variations of latent heat fluxes (LHF) and sensible heat fluxes (SHF) over the Mediterranean for the boreal winter season (DJF) show positive trends during 1958-2011. Comparison of correlations between the heat fluxes and the intensity and location of the Azores High (AH), and the NAO and East Atlantic-West Russia (EAWR) teleconnections, along with analysis of composites of surface temperature, humidity and wind fields for different teleconnection states, demonstrates that variations of the AH are found to explain the heat flux changes more successfully than the NAO and the EAWR. Trends in sea level pressure and longitude of the Azores High during DJF show a strengthening, and an eastward shift. DJF Azores High pressure and longitude are shown to co-vary such that variability of the Azores High occurs along an axis defined by lower pressure and westward location at one extreme, and higher pressure and eastward location at the other extreme. The shift of the Azores High from predominance of the low/west state to the high/east state induces trends in Mediterranean Sea surface winds, temperature and moisture. These, combined with sea surface warming trends, produce trends in wintertime Mediterranean Sea sensible and latent heat fluxes.

heat flux↗
NASA NTRS1990

50-500 MeV observations of LMC supernova 1987A

Since the discovery of the supernova outburst in the LMC in 1987, two attempts (on day 55 and day 407) have been made to measure the high energy gamma-ray flux in the range 50-500 MeV, by using a balloon-borne spark chamber telescope. On day 55, no positive signal was seen from the source. A 3 sigma upper limit of 2.9 x 10 to the -5th ph/sq cm s was obtained after the analysis of the spark chamber data. Preliminary analysis of the quick look data obtained in the second flight shows that the gamma-ray flux even on day 407 was less than 9 x 10 to the -4th ph/sq cm s (3 sigma).

Sumner, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

A bubblelike coronal mass ejection flux rope in the solar wind

A resolution to the question of whether coronal mass ejections are loops or bubbles is proposed and applied to the geometrical analysis of a solar wind event detected at 1 AU by ISEE 1 and 3. The discontinuity orientations, the size determined by time of passage, and the magnetic cloud signature are fit into the topology of a flux rope loop distorted by expansion into a thick rope with comparable dimensions in both the ecliptic and meridional planes. The looped rope fills a bubblelike cavity, thus preserving both types of proposed coronal mass ejection geometries. Other interesting features of the data include an apparent separation by the rope core of bidirectionally streaming protons in the leading section from electrons in the trailing section, possible vortical flow within the magnetic cloud, and a well-defined filamentary structure behind the shock.

Crooker, N. U.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Sensitivity of the Tropical Atmosphere Energy Balance to ENSO-Related SST Changes: How Well Can We Quantify Hydrologic and Radiative Responses?

The continuing debate over feedback mechanisms governing tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and tropical climate in general has highlighted the diversity of potential checks and balances within the climate system. Competing feedbacks due to changes in surface evaporation, water vapor, and cloud long- and shortwave radiative properties each may serve critical roles in stabilizing or destabilizing the climate system. It is also intriguing that even those climate variations having origins internal to the climate system-- changes in ocean heat transport for example, apparently require complementary equilibrating effects by changes in atmospheric energy fluxes. Perhaps the best observational evidence of this is the relatively invariant nature of tropically averaged net radiation exiting the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) as measured by broadband satellite sensors over the past two decades. Thus, analyzing how these feedback mechanisms are operating within the context of current interannual variability may offer considerable insight for anticipating future climate change. In this paper we focus on how fresh water and radiative fluxes over the tropical oceans change during ENSO warm and cold events and how these changes affect the tropical energy balance. At present, ENSO remains the most prominent known mode of natural variability at interannual time scales. Although great advances have been made in understanding this phenomenon and realizing prediction skill over the past decade, our ability to document the coupled water and energy changes observationally and to represent them in climate models seems far from settled (Soden, 2000 J Climate). Our analysis makes use a number of data bases, principally those derived from space-based measurements, to explore systematic changes in rainfall, evaporation, and surface and top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative fluxes, A reexamination of the Langley 8-Year Surface Radiation Budget data set reveals errors in the surface longwave emission due to use of biased SSTs. Subsequent correction allows subsequent use of this data set along with ERBE TOA fluxes to infer net atmospheric radiative beating. Further analysis of recent rainfall algorithms provides new estimates for precipitation variability in line with interannual evaporation changes inferred from the da Silva, Young, Levitus COADS analysis. The overall results from our analysis suggest an increase (decrease) of the hydrologic cycle during ENSO warm (cold) events at the rate of about 5 Wm-2 per K of SST change. This rate is slightly less than that which would be expected for constant relative humidity over the tropical oceans. Corresponding radiative fluxes seem systematically smaller resulting in a enhanced (suppressed) export of energy from the tropical ocean regions during warm (cold) SST events. Discussion of likely errors due to sampling and measurement strategies are discussed along with their impacts on our conclusions.

Robertson, Franklin R.↗
NASA NTRS1997

An Examination of Environment Perturbation Effects on Single Event Upset Rates

This paper presents an analysis of the sensitivity of single event upset (SEU) rate predictions to changes in the direct ionization-inducing environment. An examination based on the nature of the SEU rate equation is presented for the case in which the perturbation is constant across varying particle linear energy transfer (LET). It is shown that the relative variation in SEU rate is equal to the relative perturbation in flux. Results are also presented for the case in which the environment perturbations exist in small LET bins. Through this analysis it is shown that the relative variation in expected SEU rate is equal to that in flux only for the LET regime in which the product of the cross section and differential flux is maximum.

Gates, Michele M.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Intraseasonal Variations in Tropical Energy Balance: Relevance to Climate Sensitivity?

Intraseasonal variability of deep convection represents a fundamental mode of organization for tropical convection. While most studies of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) have focused on the spatial propagation and dynamics of convectively coupled circulations, here we examine the projection of ISOs on the tropically-averaged heat and moisture budget. One unresolved question concerns the degree to which observable variations in the "fast" processes (e.g. convection, radiative / turbulent fluxes) can inform our understanding of feedback mechanisms operable in the context of climate change. Our analysis use daily data from satellite observations, the Modern Era analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), and other model integrations to address these questions: (i) How are tropospheric temperature variations related to that tropical deep convection and the associated ice cloud fractional amount (ICF), ice water path (IWP), and properties of warmer liquid clouds? (ii) What role does moisture transport play vis-a-vis ocean latent heat flux in enabling the evolution of deep convection to mediate PBL - free atmospheric temperature equilibration? (iii) What affect do convectively generated upper-tropospheric clouds have on the TOA radiation budget? Our methodology is similar to that of Spencer et al., (2007 GRL ) whereby a composite time series of various quantities over 60+ ISO events is built using tropical mean tropospheric temperature signal as a reference to which the variables are related at various lag times (from -30 to +30 days). The area of interest encompasses the global oceans between 20oN/S. The increase of convective precipitation cannot be sustained by evaporation within the domain, implying strong moisture transports into the tropical ocean area. The decrease in net TOA radiation that develops after the peak in deep convective rainfall, is part of the response that constitutes a "discharge" / "recharge" mechanism that facilitates tropical heat balance maintenance on these time scales. However, water vapor and hydrologic scaling relationships for this mode of variability cast doubt on the utility of ISO variations as proxies for climate sensitivity response to external radiatively forced (e.g. greenhouse gas-induced) climate change.

Robertson, Franklin R.↗
NASA NTRS2000

Global Analysis of the Effects of Dust on the Photodissociation Rates

Aerosols scatter and absorb UV radiation and consequently either enhance or reduce the actinic fluxes and photolysis rates. Mineral dust particles are known to absorb UV radiation, but the impact on the photolysis rates is complicated by the optical properties dependency on the particle size, composition and wavelength. The high spatial and temporal variabilities of the dust size distribution add difficulties to the global analysis. The Georgia Tech/Goddard Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model has been used to simulate several years of the global distribution of mineral dust in the troposphere. The optical parameters (extinction efficiency, single scattering albedo and asymmetry parameter) of the seven particle sizes (from 0.1 to 5 microns), transported by the model, have been inserted in the Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) radiation model version 4. The photodissociation rates of J(N02) and J(03 to O(1D)) have been calculated with TUV-4 with and without dust particles on the global scale. The effects of dust on J(N02) and J(03) will be analyzed with an emphasis on the difference between major dust sources in Africa and Asia.

Ginoux, Paul↗
NASA NTRS1987

Statistical analysis of total ozone and stratospheric Umkehr data for trends and solar cycle relationship

Dobson total ozone data from 1970-1984 and stratospheric Umkehr profile ozone data from 1970-1981 are analyzed. The relationship between ozone and long-term solar cycle activity is examined using 10.7 cm solar flux data. From the Dobson data it is estimated that the overall global trend in total ozone is -0.26 + or -0.92 percent per decade, which indicates no significant overall trend; and for the total ozone-solar flux relationship there is a 1.18 + or - 0.66 percent change in total ozone from solar cycle minimum to maximum that reveals a positive relationship. Analysis of the Umkehr data reveals a negative trend of -0.30 + or - 0.17 percent per year in the layers 7 snd 8. The relationship between Umkehr data and solar flux in layers 6 and 7 is 2.57 + or - 1.25 percent and 3.40 + or - 2.16 percent change from solar cycle minimum to maximum; however, no significant relationship is detected in the higher layers 8 and 9. These estimates are compared with theoretical model calculations. It is noted that the estimated effects of solar cycle activity on total ozone and stratospheric ozone agree with calculations of photochemical models.

Reinsel, Gregory C.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Radiative Susceptibility of Cloudy Atmospheres to Droplet Number Perturbations: 1. Theoretical Analysis and Examples from MODIS

Theoretical and satellite-based assessments of the sensitivity of broadband shortwave radiative fluxes in cloudy atmospheres to small perturbations in the cloud droplet number concentration (N) of liquid water clouds under constant water conditions are performed. Two approaches to study this sensitivity are adopted: absolute increases in N, for which the radiative response is referred to as absolute cloud susceptibility, and relative increases in N or relative cloud susceptibility. Estimating the former is more challenging as it requires an assumed value for either cloud liquid water content or geometrical thickness; both susceptibilities require an assumed relationship between the droplet volume and effective radius. Expanding upon previous susceptibility studies, present radiative calculations include the effect of AN perturbations on droplet asymmetry parameter and single-scattering albedo, in addition to extinction. Absolute cloud susceptibility has a strong nonlinear dependence on the droplet effective radius as expected, while relative cloud susceptibility is primarily dependent on optical thickness. Molecular absorption and reflecting surfaces both reduce the relative contribution of the cloud to the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) flux and therefore also reduce the TOA albedo susceptibility. Transmittance susceptibilities are negative with absolute values similar to albedo susceptibility, while atmospheric absorptance susceptibilities are about an order of magnitude smaller than albedo susceptibilities and can be either positive or negative. Observation-based susceptibility calculations are derived from MODIS pixel-level retrievals of liquid water cloud optical thickness, effective radius, and cloud top temperature; two data granule examples are shown. Susceptibility quantifies the aerosol indirect effect sensitivity in a way that can be easily computed from model fields. As such, susceptibilities derived from MODIS observations provide a higher-order test of model cloud properties used for indirect effect studies. MODIS-derived global distributions of cloud susceptibility and radiative forcing calculations are presented in a companion paper.

Platnick, Steven↗
NASA NTRS2011

Analysis of the Relationship Between Climate and NDVI Variability at Global Scales

interannual variability in modeled (CASA) C flux is in part caused by interannual variability in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) Fraction of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR). This study confirms a mechanism producing variability in modeled NPP: -- NDVI (FPAR) interannual variability is strongly driven by climate; -- The climate driven variability in NDVI (FPAR) can lead to much larger fluctuation in NPP vs. the NPP computed from FPAR climatology

Zeng, Fan-Wei↗
NASA NTRS2016

Forecasting the Northern African Dust Outbreak Towards Europe in April 2011: A Model Intercomparison

In the framework of the World Meteorological Organisation's Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System, we evaluated the predictions of five state-of-the-art dust forecast models during an intense Saharan dust outbreak affecting western and northern Europe in April 2011. We assessed the capacity of the models to predict the evolution of the dust cloud with lead times of up to 72 hours using observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and dust surface concentrations from a ground-based measurement network. In addition, the predicted vertical dust distribution was evaluated with vertical extinction profiles from the Cloud and Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP). To assess the diversity in forecast capability among the models, the analysis was extended to wind field (both surface and profile), synoptic conditions, emissions and deposition fluxes. Models predict the onset and evolution of the AOD for all analysed lead times. On average, differences among the models are larger than differences among lead times for each individual model. In spite of large differences in emission and deposition, the models present comparable skill for AOD. In general, models are better in predicting AOD than near-surface dust concentration over the Iberian Peninsula. Models tend to underestimate the long-range transport towards northern Europe. Our analysis suggests that this is partly due to difficulties in simulating the vertical distribution dust and horizontal wind. Differences in the size distribution and wet scavenging efficiency may also account for model diversity in long-range transport.

dust storms↗
NASA NTRS1978

Enclosure fire modeling

A fire characterization methodology is presented, which for the first time provides a unified analysis framework for the integration of all fire tests data on a common basis. Fire temperatures, smoke densities, toxic gas concentrations and heat fluxes to material properties, enclosure geometry, and ventilation factors are provided in this fire characterization approach. The fire characterization methodology was used to develop an enclosure fire hazards analysis procedure capable of predicting the probable course in fire prevention.

Coulbert, C. D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The winds of high luminosity late-type bright stars

The occurrence and characteristics of the Fe II line asymmetries were studied to determine the radial dependence of the wind velocity for each star. The dependence of the Fe II profiles on spectral type and luminosity class and thus the variation of the velocity fields with stellar type was also investigated. This allows the generality of the results reported for alpha Ori by Carpenter (1984b) to be judged. In addition, new atomic data was used along with observations of the C II (UV 0.01) multiplet to estimate N(sub e) in the stellar winds. Measures of relative Fe II fluxes can be used in a probability-of-escape model to determine the opacity and hydrogen column density versus height in the chromosphere of each star. Finally, analysis of the fluorescent Fe II lines (pumped by Ly alpha) near 2507 A will yield estimates of the intrinsic stellar Ly alpha flux that cannot be measured directly because of interstellar and circumstellar absorption. One important goal of the effort was to acquire high resolution spectra of the whole 2300 to 3200 A region of 13 luminous K and M stars as a data base that will be enormously valuable in planning observations with the Hubble Space Telescope High Resolution Spectrograph. It is also proposed to follow up the recent discovery of significant variations in the Fe II chromospheric emission line profiles from the M-giant Gamma Cru for the purpose of determining the underlying cause of the variations.

Stencel, Robert E.↗