SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “calibration methods”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,027 records · Page 57

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1973

The radiometer transfer function for the AAFE composite two-frequency radiometer scatterometer

A model was developed for the switching radiometer utilizing a continuous method of calibration. Sources of system degradation were identified and include losses and voltage standing wave ratios in front of the receiver input. After computing the three modes of operation, expressions were developed for the normalized radiometer output, the minimum detectable signal (normalized RMS temperature fluctuation), sensitivity, and accuracy correction factors).

Moore, J. H.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Scanning radiometer for measurement of forward-scattered light to determine mean diameter of spray particles

A scanning radiometer is reported that measures forward-scattered light to determine the mean diameter of spray particles. An optical scanning method gives a continuous measurement of the light-scattering angle during spray nozzle tests. A method of calibration and a correction for background light are presented. Mean particle diameters of 10 to 500 micrometers can be measured.

Buchele, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1978

GEOS-3 C-Band radar investigations

The absolute accuracy of instrumentation radar systems, refined methods of calibrating these systems, and the techniques employed in processing the associated data. A world-wide network of C-Band instrumentation radars augmented by lasers and other tracking instrumentation systems were used. The NASA WFC AN/FPQ-6 instrumentation radar and the AN/FPS-16 instrumentation radar also located at NASA WFC were the primary instruments used in the accuracy and calibration evaluations. The results achieved at WFC were then disseminated to other Ranges where they were verified, augmented and used as part of routine operations.

Dempsey, D. J.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Hot-wire anemometry for turbulence measurements in helium-air mixtures

The use of extended hot-wire anemometry involving an interfering probe is shown to permit measurements of variable density turbulence such as arises in the mixing of helium and air. The methods of calibration and data reduction leading to time series in one or more velocity components, in the mass fraction of helium, and in the mixture density are described. Typical results in various flows to which the technique has been applied are discussed.

Libby, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS1982

A worldwide photographic network for wide-field observations of Halley's Comet in 1985-1986

A global network of ground-based observatories for the study of Halley's Comet in 1985/1986 is discussed. Recommendations are made with respect to improving coordination between reporting observatories, in order to ensure detailed imaging of such fast-generating cometary phenomena as plasma-tail knots, helices, disconnected tails, rays and condensations. A method for calibrating telescopes is considered by which well-studied objects will be photographed to provide references for images of Halley's Comet. This procedure is expected to reduce errors to approximately 0.05 mag. A coordinated study of Halley's Comet will provide important data on the physical properties of the Comet. Examples of the topics of study related to the plasma physics of the Comet's tail include: magnetic reconnection, rippling and tearing modes, kink instability, Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and the flute instability.

Niedner, M. B., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Energy spectrum of cosmic-ray iron nucleus observed with emulsion chamber

Energy spectrum of cosmic-ray Fe-nucleus has been measured from 4 GeV per nucleon to beyond 100 GeV per nucleon. The data were obtained using emulsion chambers on a balloon from Sanriku, Japan. The energies were estimated by the opening angle method after calibrated using 1.88 GeV per nucleon Fe collisions. The spectrum of Fe is approximately E-2.5 in the range from 10 to 200 GeV per nucleon. This result is in good agreement with those of other experiments.

Sato, Y.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Active-passive airborne ocean color measurement. I - Instrumentation

The instrumentation used in a multichannel lidar fluorosensor spectrometer functioning concurrently as a passive spectroradiometer for measuring upwelling ocean color radiance is discussed. The instrument calibration techniques are addressed, including the absolute passive calibration technique, the importance of relative channel-to-channel calibration for accurate ocean color measurement, and active mode calibration techniques using passive calibration transfer methods. Ground and flight test results from the dual-mode active-passive ocean color sensor are discussed.

Hoge, F. E.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Calculation of three-dimensional boundary layers on rotating turbine blades

An assessment has been made of the applicability of a three dimensional boundary layer analysis to the calculation of heat transfer and streamline flow patterns on the surfaces of both stationary and rotating turbine passages. In support of this effort, an analysis has been developed to calculate a general nonorthogonal surface coordinate system for arbitrary three dimensional surfaces and also to calculate the boundary layer edge conditions for compressible flow using the surface Euler equations and experimental pressure distributions. Using available experimental data to calibrate the method, calculations are presented for the endwall, and suction surfaces of a stationary cascade and for the pressure surface of a rotating turbine blade. The results strongly indicate that the three dimensional boundary layer analysis can give good predictions of the flow field and heat transfer on the pressure, suction, and endwall surfaces in a gas turbine passage.

Anderson, O. L.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Accurate ab initio calculations which demonstrate a 3Pi(u) ground state for Al2

The computational requirements for accurately describing the spectroscopic constants for all three candidates for the ground state of Al2 are determined. Full CI(FCI) calculations are used to calibrate approximate methods of including the electron correlation. CASSCF/MRCI calculations which accurately reproduce the FCI results in the valence DZ + 2d Gaussian basis are carried to chemical accuracy by using extensive one-particle basis sets. The effect of 2s and 2p correlation and relativistic effects are considered as well as the valence 3s and 3p correlation. Several excited states are also considered. It is shown that the computed vibrational frequency of the (2) 3Pi(g) state and the Franck-Condon factors for the (1) 3Pi(u) - (2) 3Pi(g) transition are consistent with the spectrum obtained by Douglas et al. (1983) and Abe and Kolb (1983). It is therefore concluded that the ground state is 3Pi(u).

Bauschlicher, Charles W., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1985

User's manual for three dimensional boundary layer (BL3-D) code

An assessment has been made of the applicability of a 3-D boundary layer analysis to the calculation of heat transfer, total pressure losses, and streamline flow patterns on the surface of both stationary and rotating turbine passages. In support of this effort, an analysis has been developed to calculate a general nonorthogonal surface coordinate system for arbitrary 3-D surfaces and also to calculate the boundary layer edge conditions for compressible flow using the surface Euler equations and experimental data to calibrate the method, calculations are presented for the pressure endwall, and suction surfaces of a stationary cascade and for the pressure surface of a rotating turbine blade. The results strongly indicate that the 3-D boundary layer analysis can give good predictions of the flow field, loss, and heat transfer on the pressure, suction, and endwall surface of a gas turbine passage.

Anderson, O. L.↗

NASA NTRS1988

A ground-based technique for millimeter wave spectroscopic observations of stratospheric trace constituents

Recent concern over possible long term stratospheric changes caused by the introduction of man-made compounds has increased the need for instrumentation that can accurately measure stratospheric minor constituents. The technique of radio spectroscopy at millimeter wavelengths was first used to observe rotational transitions of stratospheric ozone nearly two decades ago, but has not been highly developed until recently. A ground-based observing technique is reported which employs a millimeter-wave superheterodyne receiver and multichannel filter spectrometer for measurements of stratospheric constituents that have peak volume mixing ratios that are less than 10 to the -9th, more than 3 orders of magnitude less than that for ozone. The technique is used for an extensive program of observations of stratospheric chlorine monoxide and also for observations of other stratospheric trace gases such as (O-16)3, vibrationally excited (O-16)3, (O-18)2(O-16), N2O, HO2, and HCN. In the present paper, analysis of the observing technique is given, including the method of calibration and analysis of sources of error. The technique is found to be a reliable means of observing and monitoring important stratospheric trace constituents.

Parrish, A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Determination of the vertical pattern of the SIR-B antenna

Determination of the antenna pattern is important for a spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar such as Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B). For SIR-B the antenna was so large that apart from one section, no complete pattern could be measured on the ground. Attempts were made to measure the pattern while the shuttle was in space by using ground receivers and active radar calibrators. The method used and described is a supplement to these measurements. The vertical pattern of an antenna can be extracted from radar signals returned from regions whose scattering coefficients versus incidence angle characteristics are suitably flat and uniform. The method used shows that the main vertical lobe of the SIR-B antenna is slightly wider than previously reported (6.9 deg at 3 dB points versus 6.2 deg used in radiometric corrections).

Moore, Richard K.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Characterization of Si/CoSi2/Si(111) heterostructures using Auger plasmon losses

The Si/CoSi2/Si heterostructures prepared by codeposition and solid-phase epitaxy on Si(111) substrates were characterized using Auger plasmon data as a measure of Si overlayer thickness. The method of calibration is described, and the results of two studies, including a study of islanding in Si/CoSi2/Si and a study of diffusion in CoSi2/Si are presented, illustrating the utility of the Auger plasmon loss technique. It is shown that, most likely, the diffusion proceeds through residual defects in the CoSi2.

Schowengerdt, F. D.↗

NASA NTRS1989

A statistical study of radio-source structure effects on astrometric very long baseline interferometry observations

Errors from a number of sources in astrometric very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) have been reduced in recent years through a variety of methods of calibration and modeling. Such reductions have led to a situation in which the extended structure of the natural radio sources used in VLBI is a significant error source in the effort to improve the accuracy of the radio reference frame. In the past, work has been done on individual radio sources to establish the magnitude of the errors caused by their particular structures. The results of calculations on 26 radio sources are reported in which an effort is made to determine the typical delay and delay-rate errors for a number of sources having different types of structure. It is found that for single observations of the types of radio sources present in astrometric catalogs, group-delay and phase-delay scatter in the 50 to 100 psec range due to source structure can be expected at 8.4 GHz on the intercontinental baselines available in the Deep Space Network (DSN). Delay-rate scatter of approx. 5 x 10(exp -15) sec sec(exp -1) (or approx. 0.002 mm sec (exp -1) is also expected. If such errors mapped directly into source position errors, they would correspond to position uncertainties of approx. 2 to 5 nrad, similar to the best position determinations in the current JPL VLBI catalog. With the advent of wider bandwidth VLBI systems on the large DSN antennas, the system noise will be low enough so that the structure-induced errors will be a significant part of the error budget. Several possibilities for reducing the structure errors are discussed briefly, although it is likely that considerable effort will have to be devoted to the structure problem in order to reduce the typical error by a factor of two or more.

Ulvestad, J. S.↗

NASA NTRS1989

The development of two-dimensional object identification techniques

This report marks the end of the first year of an anticipated three year effort to study methods for numerically identifying objects according to shape in two dimensions. The method is based upon comparing the unit gradient of an observed object and the unit gradient of a standard object over a specified range of points. The manner in which the gradients are compared forms the basis of a shape recognition scheme, which is then applied to simple closed plane figures. The gradient based method is calibrated by using various distorted objects in comparison with a set of standard reference objects. The use of pattern recognition techniques for computer identification of two-dimensional figures will be investigated during the second and third years of this project.

Lebby, Gary↗

NASA NTRS1989

Differential elastic electron scattering cross sections for SO2

Differential cross sections for elastic electron scattering by SO2 were measured by utilizing a modulated, crossed-beam method and calibration against He. The energy and angular ranges were from 5 to 50 eV and from 12 to 156 deg, respectively. The present results are compared with earlier data of Orient et al. (1982), and it is suggested that their cross section values should be increased by about a factor of two.

Trajmar, Sandor↗

NASA NTRS1990

Remote sensing of Mars' ionosphere and solar wind interaction - Lessons from Venus

Although the Phobos spacecraft will make some limited in situ measurements of Mars' upper ionosphere during its transfer orbits, the major part of the mission will be limited to remote sensing by radio occultation and topside sounding methods. To 'calibrate' the former as a means of studying the ionosphere and solar wind interaction, the Pioneer Venus Orbiter radio occultation experiment results are examined in light of what is known from in situ plasma and magnetic field data. This calibration can be used to reassess the data from previous Mars missions and to provide a basis for interpreting data from the upcoming Phobos mission.

Luhmann, J. G.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Observations on practical turbulence modeling for high-speed jet/plume flowfields

An overview is presented of the current status in terms of simulating basic high-speed/straightback free jet flowfields with two-equation turbulence models. A building-block approach is described which provides a systematic method of calibrating such turbulence models. Data to support this approach focuses on obtaining turbulence modeling capabilities to reproduce basic mean flow structure for simple flows before progressing to more complex problems. For transverse jets and wall jets, new building-blocks of data are necessary with turbulence modeling capabilities unifying the free jet building-blocks discussed, and fundamental boundary layer and shock/boundary layer interaction building-blocks resulting from other studies.

Dash, Sanford M.↗