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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 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Regional Moisture Budget and Land-Atmosphere Coupling Over the U.S. Southern Great Plains Inferred From the ARM Long-Term Observations

Ten–year warm–season (May–August) observations at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains (SGP) site are used to examine the large–scale atmospheric moisture budget and the strength of land–atmosphere coupling. Atmospheric moisture budget components, computed from the ARM variational analysis data, are compared between different wet/dry scenarios and convection regimes. Consistent with previous studies, large–scale moisture flux convergence dominates the SGP regional moisture budget on the daily time scale, but surface evaporation does play a more prominent role on late–afternoon deep convection days. Moreover, the relationship between moisture flux convergence and precipitation increases significantly from dry year to wet years. The land–atmosphere coupling strength is quantified for local convective events within the “Local L–A Coupling Process Chain” (Santanello et al., 2018, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS–D–17–0001.1). The impact of land surface on the evolution of planetary boundary layer is highly dependent on the vegetation leaf area index. A significantly larger surface sensible heat flux is found over the SGP forest region in midsummer, which is accompanied by a much higher planetary boundary layer development and a large increase in shallow cumulus cloud fraction. Here the significant relationship between afternoon precipitation and surface turbulent flux only exists in the northeast part of the ARM SGP site, which is mainly covered by grassland/pasture.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Time-Varying Feedback Optimization for Quadratic Programs with Heterogeneous Gradient Step Sizes

Online feedback-based optimization has become a promising framework for real-time optimization and control of complex engineering systems. This tutorial paper surveys the recent advances in the field as well as provides novel convergence results for primal-dual online algorithms with heterogeneous step sizes for different elements of the gradient. The analysis is performed for quadratic programs and the approach is illustrated on applications for adaptive step-size and model-free online algorithms, in the context of optimal control of modern power systems.

gradient methods↗
DOE OSTI2016

STRATEGIES IN SEISMIC INFERENCE OF SUPERGRANULAR FLOWS ON THE SUN

Observations of the solar surface reveal the presence of flows with length scales of around 35 Mm, commonly referred to as supergranules. Inferring the subsurface flow profile of supergranules from measurements of the surface and photospheric wavefield is an important challenge faced by helioseismology. Traditionally, the inverse problem has been approached by studying the linear response of seismic waves in a horizontally translationally invariant background to the presence of the supergranule; following an iterative approach that does not depend on horizontal translational invariance might perform better, since the misfit can be analyzed post iterations. In this work, we construct synthetic observations using a reference supergranule and invert for the flow profile using surface measurements of travel times of waves belonging to modal ridges f (surface gravity) and p {sub 1} through p {sub 7} (acoustic). We study the extent to which individual modes and their combinations contribute to infer the flow. We show that this method of nonlinear iterative inversion tends to underestimate the flow velocities, as well as inferring a shallower flow profile, with significant deviations from the reference supergranule near the surface. We carry out a similar analysis for a sound-speed perturbation and find that analogous near-surface deviations persist, although the iterations converge faster and more accurately. We conclude that a better approach to inversion would be to expand the supergranule profile in an appropriate basis, thereby reducing the number of parameters being inverted for and appropriately regularizing them.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1974

Research study on stabilization and control modern sampled-data control theory

The methods of continuous and discrete describing function analysis were applied to predicting the existence of self-sustained oscillations in the single-axis model of the large space telescope system with nonlinear control moment gyroscope friction characteristics. It is shown that the stability equations may be solved by a numerical-iterative technique using the describing function analysis, instead of the usual graphical methods. The numerical method is found to be effective in leading to a convergent solution rapidly, with an appropriate guess of the initial condition.

Kuo, B. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Perturbation-iteration theory for analyzing microwave striplines

A perturbation-iteration technique is presented for determining the propagation constant and characteristic impedance of an unshielded microstrip transmission line. The method converges to the correct solution with a few iterations at each frequency and is equivalent to a full wave analysis. The perturbation-iteration method gives a direct solution for the propagation constant without having to find the roots of a transcendental dispersion equation. The theory is presented in detail along with numerical results for the effective dielectric constant and characteristic impedance for a wide range of substrate dielectric constants, stripline dimensions, and frequencies.

Kretch, B. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Iterative solution techniques in boundary element analysis

Iterative techniques for the solution of the algebraic equations associated with the direct boundary element analysis (BEA) method are discussed. Continuum structural response analysis problems are considered, employing single- and multizone boundary element models with and without zone condensation. The impact on convergence rate and computer resource requirements associated with the sparse and blocked matrices, resulting in multizone BEA, is studied. Both conjugate gradient and generalized minimum residual preconditioned iterative solvers are applied for these problems and the performance of these algorithms is reported. Included is a quantification of the impact of the preconditioning utilized to render the boundary element matrices solvable by the respective iterative methods in a time competitive with direct methods.

Kane, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS2009

A Critical Study of Agglomerated Multigrid Methods for Diffusion

Agglomerated multigrid techniques used in unstructured-grid methods are studied critically for a model problem representative of laminar diffusion in the incompressible limit. The studied target-grid discretizations and discretizations used on agglomerated grids are typical of current node-centered formulations. Agglomerated multigrid convergence rates are presented using a range of two- and three-dimensional randomly perturbed unstructured grids for simple geometries with isotropic and highly stretched grids. Two agglomeration techniques are used within an overall topology-preserving agglomeration framework. The results show that multigrid with an inconsistent coarse-grid scheme using only the edge terms (also referred to in the literature as a thin-layer formulation) provides considerable speedup over single-grid methods but its convergence deteriorates on finer grids. Multigrid with a Galerkin coarse-grid discretization using piecewise-constant prolongation and a heuristic correction factor is slower and also grid-dependent. In contrast, grid-independent convergence rates are demonstrated for multigrid with consistent coarse-grid discretizations. Actual cycle results are verified using quantitative analysis methods in which parts of the cycle are replaced by their idealized counterparts.

Thomas, James L.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Finite element stress analysis of polymers at high strains

A numerical analysis is presented for the problem of a flat rectangular rubber membrane with a circular rigid inclusion undergoing high strains due to the action of an axial load. The neo-hookean constitutive equations are introduced into the general purpose TITUS program by means of equivalent hookean constants and initial strains. The convergence is achieved after a few iterations. The method is not limited to any specific program. The results are in good agreement with those of a company sponsored photoelastic stress analysis. The theoretical and experimental deformed shapes also agree very closely with one another. For high strains it is demonstrated that using the conventional HOOKE law the stress concentration factor obtained is unreliable in the case of rubberlike material.

Durand, M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Water foraging with dynamic roots in E3SM; The role of roots in terrestrial ecosystem memory on intermediate timescales (Final Technical Report)

Terrestrial ecosystems can show sustained responses to stress events that may last for years after the initial perturbation. This phenomenon is referred to as legacy or memory and it emerges from a set of ecosystem processes that are poorly captured by Earth System and Land Surface Models. Consequently, these models struggle to predict the impact that extreme climate events have on surface energy, carbon and hydrological exchange once a stressor such as drought has relaxed or in response to repeated exposure to stress. In this project, we set out to test how the addition of dynamic root profiles in land surface models impact the capacity for Earth System Models, such as the Department of Energy’s E3SM, to capture realistic legacy effects. Observations have shown that vegetation shifts their root profiles during stress events to forage for water and these altered root profiles may take years to relax back to the initial state. We hypothesized that the alteration of the belowground root structures may be a source of terrestrial ecosystem legacy that is missing from models. To test this idea we undertook three core activities. (1) We developed a global-scale analysis of the impact of dynamic roots on ecosystem legacy building from a recently developed dynamic root module. (2) We developed new root dynamics in the DOE’s Energy Land Model (ELM) that allowed not only root profiles to shift their profile but also simultaneously alter carbon allocation to fine root pools. We then tested the impact of these new dynamics with intensive sensitivity analysis at four long-term AmeriFlux sites. (3) We undertook detailed isotopic analysis of tree rings from these AmeriFlux sites to assess ecophysiological and ecohydrological legacy to stress events that can be used to benchmark the sensitivity experiments with ELM. From these core activities, we report the following key findings. Firstly, on a global scale, the addition of dynamic roots led to chronically water-stressed ecosystems recovering faster to climate stress while wetter ecosystem showed enhanced legacy. This is because across ecosystems, stress events were almost universally associated with water shortages that led to the development of deeper root profiles. These deeper root profiles proved beneficial for recovery from drought stress. While the root dynamics did not universally improve the modeled representation of legacy it showed complex transient dynamics that emerge from the addition of dynamic roots. Secondly, the sensitivity analysis illustrated long term shifts in rooting depths away from the prescribed default profile suggesting that initializing of root profiles could benefit from spin-up simulations that converge on locally optimized root profiles. In addition, by enabling dynamic allocation some of the sites predicted unrealistically low allocation to roots (and high allocation to leaves). While these changes did not dramatically alter modeled gross primary productivity, they illustrated that without more sophisticated root processes in models, there is little penalty to dramatically disinvest in roots. Thirdly, the isotopic analysis of tree rings showed highly distinct legacy responses across species and sites. For example, T. canadensis showed reduced transpiration the year after stress events illustrated by sustained elevated $\delta^{18}$O. In contrast, A saccharum displayed elevated $\delta^{13}$C associated with reduced stomatal conductance in response to the previous years’ stress event. These geochemical signatures of legacy were present despite tree growth returning to normal the year after the stress. The results show the importance of species-level dynamics in legacy that are absent in modeling that assumes common traits within plant functional types. In summary, the work here established new avenues to explore root dynamics in models while illustrating how additional root processes are needed before dynamic carbon allocation can be implemented. Lastly, this project provided mentorship to a postdoctoral fellow, training for an early career scientist and multiple undergraduate students recruited from a minority serving institution.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2011

Effect of Cross-Correlation on Geomagnetic Forecast Accuracies

Surface geomagnetic observation can determine up to degree L = 14 time-varying spherical harmonic coefficients of the poloidal magnetic field. Assimilation of these coefficients to numerical dynamo simulation could help us understand better the dynamical processes in the Earth's outer core, and to provide more accurate forecast of geomagnetic secular variations (SV). In our previous assimilation studies, only the poloidal magnetic field in the core is corrected by the observations in the analysis. Unobservable core state variables (the toroidal magnetic field and the core velocity field) are corrected via the dynamical equations of the geodynamo. Our assimilation experiments show that the assimilated core state converges near the CMB, implying that the dynamo state is strongly constrained by surface geomagnetic observations, and is pulled closer to the truth by the data. We are now carrying out an ensemble of assimilation runs with 1000 years of geomagnetic and archeo/paleo magnetic record. In these runs the cross correlation between the toroidal and the poloidal magnetic fields is incorporated into the analysis. This correlation is derived from the physical boundary conditions of the toroidal field at the core-mantle boundary (CMB). The assimilation results are then compared with those of the ensemble runs without the cross-correlation, aiming at understanding two fundamental issues: the effect of the crosscorrelation on (1) the convergence of the core state, and (2) the SV prediction accuracies. The constrained dynamo solutions will provide valuable insights on interpreting the observed SV, e.g. the near-equator magnetic flux patches, the core-mantle interactions, and possibly other geodynamic observables.

Kuang, Weijia↗
DOE OSTI2018

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Joint Analysis of Galaxy Clustering, Galaxy Lensing, and CMB Lensing Two-point Functions

We perform a joint analysis of the auto and cross-correlations between three cosmic fields: the galaxy density field, the galaxy weak lensing shear field, and the cosmic microwave background (CMB) weak lensing convergence field. These three fields are measured using roughly 1300 sq. deg. of overlapping optical imaging data from first year observations of the Dark Energy Survey and millimeter-wave observations of the CMB from both the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich survey and Planck. We present cosmological constraints from the joint analysis of the two-point correlation functions between galaxy density and galaxy shear with CMB lensing. We test for consistency between these measurements and the DES-only two-point function measurements, finding no evidence for inconsistency in the context of flat $\Lambda$CDM cosmological models. Performing a joint analysis of five of the possible correlation functions between these fields (excluding only the CMB lensing autospectrum) yields $S_{8}\equiv \sigma_8\sqrt{\Omega_{\rm m}/0.3} = 0.782^{+0.019}_{-0.025}$ and $\Omega_{\rm m}=0.260^{+0.029}_{-0.019}$. We test for consistency between these five correlation function measurements and the Planck-only measurement of the CMB lensing autospectrum, again finding no evidence for inconsistency in the context of flat $\Lambda$CDM models. Combining constraints from all six two-point functions yields $S_{8}=0.776^{+0.014}_{-0.021}$ and $\Omega_{\rm m}= 0.271^{+0.022}_{-0.016}$. These results provide a powerful test and confirmation of the results from the first year DES joint-probes analysis.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1990

Thickness and orientational design for a maximum stiff membrane

Recent results from sensitivity analysis for strain energy with anisotropic elasticity are applied to thickness and orientational design of laminated membranes. Primarily, the first order gradients of the total elastic energy are used in an optimality criteria based method. This traditional method is shown to give slow convergence with respect to design parameters, although the convergence of strain energy is very good. To get a deeper insight into this rather general characteristic, second order derivatives are included and it is shown how they can be obtained by first order sensitivity analysis. Examples of only thickness design, only orientational design, and combined thickness--orientational design are presented.

Pedersen, Pauli↗
DOE OSTI2020

Efficient and robust stability analysis in the internal energy, volume, and moles (UVN) space

Hydrodynamic simulation of fluids in vessels is often based on the internal energy (U), volume (V), and the number of moles of all components ( re N = N 1 , N 2 , ..., N n ) as the working variables to determine the thermodynamic state by finding the global maximum of entropy. The procedure of finding the equilibrium state may be divided into two steps: stability analysis and phase-split computations. Stability analysis is performed first, and the phase-split computation proceeds if the system is unstable. Most of the past work on UVN space has been based on phase-split computations, while the stability analysis is barely investigated. Furthermore, previous studies for the stability analysis use only Newton's method to solve the non-linear algebraic equations. We present an efficient and robust approach for stability analysis where UVN is specified. The successive substitution iteration (SSI) is used to provide good initial guesses for Newton's method. The proposed approach results in a reduced number of unknowns and does not require a large number of iterations to achieve convergence in Newton's method. Overall, our proposed formulation is compatible with different equations of state and is applicable to both pure component and multi-components. The robustness and efficiency of the algorithm for stability analysis are demonstrated in various examples.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2025

Laser resonance ionization spectroscopy of thorium

High-lying Rydberg and autoionizing (AI) states of thorium (Th) have been studied via resonance laser ionization spectroscopy at both TRIUMF Canada’s particle accelerator center and Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL). Multiple Rydberg series converging to the ionization potential (IP) were observed via different stepwise laser excitation schemes and were assigned to be the 6d 2 7s ( 4 F 3/2 ) np, nd, and nf series. Analysis of these series enabled the determination of the IP to be 50 868.735(54) cm −1 , which improved the precision by two orders of magnitude over the current adopted NIST value of 50 867(2) cm −1 . Additionally, four AI Rydberg series were identified and assigned to nf and nd series converging to the 6d 2 7s 4 F 5/2 and 6d7s 2 2 D 3/2 metastable states of Th + . In conclusion, the measured energies of the Rydberg and AI Rydberg states are reported, and observed perturbations within the series are discussed.

Rydberg series↗
DOE OSTI2012

Moisture Flux Convergence in Regional and Global Climate Models: Implications for Droughts in the Southwestern United States Under Climate Change

The water cycle of the southwestern United States (SW) is dominated by winter storms that maintain a positive annual net precipitation. Analysis of the control and future climate from four pairs of regional and global climate models (RCMs and GCMs) shows that the RCMs simulate a higher fraction of transient eddy moisture fluxes because the hydrodynamic instabilities associated with flow over complex terrain are better resolved. Under global warming, this enables the RCMs to capture the response of transient eddies to increased atmospheric stability that allows more moisture to converge on the windward side of the mountains by blocking. As a result, RCMs simulate enhanced transient eddy moisture convergence in the SW compared to GCMs, although both robustly simulate drying due to enhanced moisture divergence by the divergent mean flow in a warmer climate. This enhanced convergence leads to reduced susceptibility to hydrological change in the RCMs compared to GCMs.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1942

Square plate with clamped edges under normal pressure producing large deflections

A theoretical analysis is given for the stresses and deflections of a square plate with clamped edges under normal pressure producing large deflections. Values of the bending stress and membrane stress at the center of the plate and at the midpoint of the edge are given for center deflections up to 1.9 times the plate thickness. The shape of the deflected surface is given for low pressures and for the highest pressure considered. Convergence of solution is considered and it is estimated that the possible error is less than 2 percent. The results are compared with the only previous approximate analysis known to the author and agrees within 5 percent. They are also shown to compare favorably with the known exact solutions for the long rectangular plate and the circular plate.

Levy, Samuel↗