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At least 1,135 records · Page 63

Experimental and theoretical studies of time-averaged and time resolved rotor heat transfer

Efforts in support of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) structural durability program have concentrated on obtaining detailed time-averaged and time-resolved (or phase-locked) measurements on a full-scale rotating turbine both with and without cold gas injection and on theoretical studies designed to improve the prediction capability for these turbine flows. The experimental efforts have concentrated on use of the Garrett TFE 731-2 hp turbine. However, it has been possible to apply the theoretical efforts to predicting heat-flux distributions obtained for two additional turbines - i.e., (1) the Garrett low aspect ratio turbine (LART) and (2) the Teledyne 702 turbine. The experimental technique is the short duration, shock-tunnel approach, in which fast-response, thin-film resistance thermometers are used to measure surface temperature histories at prescribed locations on the turbine component parts. Heat-flux values are then inferred from the temperature histories by using standard data reduction procedures. The turbine being used is the Garrett TFE 731-2 hp stage, and both the nozzle guide vanes and the rotor blades are heavily instrumented with thin-film heat-flux gauges. Depending on how the data from a particular heat-flux gauge are recorded, one can get either time-resolved (or phase-locked) or time-averaged results. Both types of data are illustrated.

Dunn, M. G.↗

Recent Observations of the Early Stage of Solar Eruptions

We examine the onset of two solar eruptions, using data from Hinode STEREO, TRACE, and SOHO, and other sources. One eruption occurred on 2007 March 2, and the other occurred on 2007 May 20. The first eruption involves a filament that erupts, and motions of the filament begin at least 20 min prior to onset of the main eruption; magnetic cancellation occurs beneath the filament among opposite polarity magnetic elements for at least six hours prior to the eruption.. In the second case, a surge-like filament is ejected from a location north of the main erupting magnetic neutral line; in this case magnetic cancellation occurs both along the main neutral line and also at the sight of the surge source north of the main neutral line. Thus in both cases, magnetic cancellation prior to eruption plays a crucial role in releasing the magnetic energy responsible for the respective eruptions.

Sterling, Alphonse↗

Use of MAGSAT anomaly data for crustal structure and mineral resources in the US midcontinent

While the preliminary magnetic anomaly map for the centra midcontinent is only in the hand-drawn stage, it agrees in broad aspects with the preliminary global MAGSAT map provided by NASA. Because of data evaluation and finer scale averaging, there are more detailed features which hold promise for eventual geological/crustal interpretation. Some current analysis is directed at examining whether a map data feature such as an elongated anomaly or trend, which seems parallel to satellite data tracks, is likely of crustal origin or is an artifact of the data set.

Carmichael, R. S.↗

A real-time navigation monitoring expert system for the Space Shuttle Mission Control Center

The ONAV (Onboard Navigation) Expert System has been developed as a real time console assistant for use by ONAV flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center. This expert knowledge based system is used to monitor the Space Shuttle onboard navigation system, detect faults, and advise flight operations personnel. This application is the first knowledge-based system to use both telemetry and trajectory data from the Mission Operations Computer (MOC). To arrive at this stage, from a prototype to real world application, the ONAV project has had to deal with not only AI issues but operating environment issues. The AI issues included the maturity of AI languages and the debugging tools, verification, and availability, stability and size of the expert pool. The environmental issues included real time data acquisition, hardware suitability, and how to achieve acceptance by users and management.

Wang, Lui↗

NASA's Space Launch System Takes Shape

Major hardware and software for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) began rolling off assembly lines in 2016, setting the stage for critical testing in 2017 and the launch of a major new capability for deep space human exploration. SLS continues to pursue a 2018 first launch of Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1). At NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, LA, Boeing completed welding of structural test and flight liquid hydrogen tanks, and engine sections. Test stands for core stage structural tests at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. neared completion. The B2 test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center, MS, completed major structural renovation to support core stage green run testing in 2018. Orbital ATK successfully test fired its second qualification solid rocket motor in the Utah desert and began casting the motor segments for EM-1. Aerojet Rocketdyne completed its series of test firings to adapt the heritage RS-25 engine to SLS performance requirements. Production is under way on the first five new engine controllers. NASA also signed a contract with Aerojet Rocketdyne for propulsion of the RL10 engines for the Exploration Upper Stage. United Launch Alliance delivered the structural test article for the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage to MSFC for tests and construction was under way on the flight stage. Flight software testing at MSFC, including power quality and command and data handling, was completed. Substantial progress is planned for 2017. Liquid oxygen tank production will be completed at Michoud. Structural testing at Marshall will get under way. RS-25 hotfire testing will verify the new engine controllers. Core stage horizontal integration will begin. The core stage pathfinder mockup will arrive at the B2 test stand for fit checks and tests. EUS will complete preliminary design review. This paper will discuss the technical and programmatic successes and challenges of 2016 and look ahead to plans for 2017.

Askins, Bruce↗

Testing the Hypothesis of Young Martian Volcanism: Studies of the Tharsis Volcanoes and Adjacent Lava Plains

We experienced much success in reaching our stated goals in our original MDAP proposal. Our work made substantial contributions towards an integrated understanding of the counting and calibration of crater data on Mars, and changing nature of the Martian surface influenced by craters, water, and wind, and their general relationship to Martian geothermal history. We accomplished this while being to responsive to the rapid changes in the field brought about by several key NASA missions that returned data during the life of the grant. Our integrated effort included three stages: The first major area of research (Crater Count Research) was conducted by Jennifer Grier (P.I.), Lazslo Keszthelyi (Collaborator), William Hartmann (Collaborator), with assistance from Dan Berman (Graduate student) and concerned the mapping and the collection of crater count data on various Martian terrains. The second major area of study (Absolute Age Calibration) was conducted by William Bottke (Co-I) at SWRI, and concerned constraining the nature of the Moon and Mars impactor populations to create better absolute age calibrations for counted areas. The third major area of study was the integration and leverage of this effort with ongoing related Mars crater work at PSI (Integrated and Continuing Studies - Older Volcanoes), headed by David Crown (PSI Scientist), assisted by Les Bleamaster (PSI Scientist) and Dan Berman (Graduate Student).

Grier, Jennifer A.↗

Dynamically Downscaled Hourly Future Weather Data with 12-km Resolution Covering Most of North America

This is an hourly future weather dataset for energy modeling applications. The dataset is primarily based on the output of a regional climate model (RCM), i.e., the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model version 3.3.1. The WRF simulations are driven by the output of a general circulation model (GCM), i.e., the Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4). This dataset is in the EPW format, which can be read or translated by more than 25 building energy modeling programs (e.g., EnergyPlus, ESP-r, and IESVE), energy system modeling programs (e.g., System Advisor Model (SAM)), indoor air quality analysis programs (e.g., CONTAM), and hygrothermal analysis programs (e.g., WUFI). It contains 13 weather variables, which are the Dry-Bulb Temperature, Dew Point Temperature, Relative Humidity, Atmospheric Pressure, Horizontal Infrared Radiation Intensity from Sky, Global Horizontal Irradiation, Direct Normal Irradiation, Diffuse Horizontal Irradiation, Wind Speed, Wind Direction, Sky Cover, Albedo, and Liquid Precipitation Depth. The weather data is created for two emissions scenarios: RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 and spans two 10-year time slices in the future: 2045 - 2054 and 2085 - 2094. It offers a spatial resolution of 12 km by 12 km with extensive coverage across most of North America. Due to the enormous size of the entire dataset, in the first stage of its distribution, we provide 20 years of future weather data for the centroid of each Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA), excluding Hawaii. PUMAs are non-overlapping, statistical geographic areas that partition each state or equivalent entity into geographic areas containing no fewer than 100,000 people each. The 2,378 PUMAs as a whole cover the entirety of the U.S. The weather data can be utilized alongside the large-scale energy analysis tools, ResStock and ComStock, developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory, whose smallest resolution is at the PUMA scale. The data for RCP4.5 is still being processed and will be published soon.

Array↗

Internal flow characteristics of a multistage compressor with inlet pressure distortion

The measured distribution of compressor interstage pressures and temperatures resulting from a 180 deg inlet-total-pressure distortion for a J85-13 turbojet engine is reported. Extensive inner stage instrumentation combined with stepwise rotation of the inlet distortion gave data of high circumferential resolution. The steady-state pressures and temperatures along with the amplitude, extent, and location of the distorted areas are given. Data for 80, 90, and 100 percent of rotor design speed are compared with clean (undistorted) inlet flow conditions to show pressure and temperature behavior within the compressor. Both overall and stagewise compressor performances vary only slightly when clean and distorted inlet conditions are compared. Total and static pressure distortions increase in amplitude in the first few stages of the compressor and then attenuate fairly uniformly to zero at the discharge. Total-temperature distortion induced by the pressure distortion reached a maximum amplitude by the first two stages and decayed only a little through the rest of the compressor. Distortion amplitude tended to peak in line with the screen edges, and, except for total and static pressure in the tip zone, there was little swirl in the axial direction.

Debogdan, C. E.↗

Developing Multi-Gene CRISPRa/I Programs to Accelerate DBTL Cycles in ABF Hosts Engineered for Chemical Production (CRADA 468)

Bacterial metabolism is comprised of large and complex gene networks that can produce valuable chemical products. Sophisticated organism engineering efforts are required to optimize production of high-value compounds from these networks. In principle, synthetic multi-gene transcriptional programs could be constructed to reengineer these networks for efficient industrial chemical production. In practice, however, our incomplete ability to understand and model the underlying networks, combined with our limited ability to predictably control the expression of multiple genes makes achieving this goal difficult. To overcome these challenges, we will combine new CRISPR-Cas multi-gene expression programs with computational modeling, machine learning, and multi-omics data to enhance the efficacy of design-build-test-learn (DBTL) cycles. For industrially promising microorganisms in early stages of development, creating technologies for rapidly engineering complex multi-gene programs could be transformative for accelerating data- and model-driven strain design. New CRISPR-Cas tools allow programmable gene activation (CRISPRa) or repression (CRISPRi) at multiple genes simultaneously, using the catalytically inactive Cas9 protein (dCas9) with guide RNAs that recognize DNA targets through predictable Watson-Crick base pairing. To enable accelerated DBTL cycles, we will combine these technologies with advanced Agile BioFoundry (ABF) capabilities for multi-omics data collection and machine learning. We will demonstrate the immediate applicability of these tools by rapidly improving the production of an industrial aromatic in multiple ABF organisms. We recently identified and optimized new transcriptional activators that can be linked to programmable CRISPR-Cas DNA binding domains to activate gene expression in E. coli. We can now use these CRISPRa tools as generalizable trans-acting regulators for combinatorial multi-gene expression tuning that can be easily transferred to new pathways and networks without additional genome engineering. We anticipate these tools will also transfer to new hosts. We have recently found that CRISPRa systems developed in E. coli can be readily ported to Pseudomonas putida, suggesting that multi-gene CRISPRa/i programs for diverse ABF organisms may be within reach.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

CFD Models of a Serpentine Inlet, Fan, and Nozzle

Several computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes were used to analyze the Versatile Integrated Inlet Propulsion Aerodynamics Rig (VIIPAR) located at NASA Glenn Research Center. The rig consists of a serpentine inlet, a rake assembly, inlet guide vanes, a 12-in. diameter tip-turbine driven fan stage, exit rakes or probes, and an exhaust nozzle with a translating centerbody. The analyses were done to develop computational capabilities for modeling inlet/fan interaction and to help interpret experimental data. Three-dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) calculations of the fan stage were used to predict the operating line of the stage, the effects of leakage from the turbine stream, and the effects of inlet guide vane (IGV) setting angle. Coupled axisymmetric calculations of a bellmouth, fan, and nozzle were used to develop techniques for coupling codes together and to investigate possible effects of the nozzle on the fan. RANS calculations of the serpentine inlet were coupled to Euler calculations of the fan to investigate the complete inlet/fan system. Computed wall static pressures along the inlet centerline agreed reasonably well with experimental data but computed total pressures at the aerodynamic interface plane (AIP) showed significant differences from the data. Inlet distortion was shown to reduce the fan corrected flow and pressure ratio, and was not completely eliminated by passage through the fan

Chima, R. V.↗

A Unified Air-Sea Visualization System: Survey on Gridding Structures

The goal is to develop a Unified Air-Sea Visualization System (UASVS) to enable the rapid fusion of observational, archival, and model data for verification and analysis. To design and develop UASVS, modelers were polled to determine the gridding structures and visualization systems used, and their needs with respect to visual analysis. A basic UASVS requirement is to allow a modeler to explore multiple data sets within a single environment, or to interpolate multiple datasets onto one unified grid. From this survey, the UASVS should be able to visualize 3D scalar/vector fields; render isosurfaces; visualize arbitrary slices of the 3D data; visualize data defined on spectral element grids with the minimum number of interpolation stages; render contours; produce 3D vector plots and streamlines; provide unified visualization of satellite images, observations and model output overlays; display the visualization on a projection of the users choice; implement functions so the user can derive diagnostic values; animate the data to see the time-evolution; animate ocean and atmosphere at different rates; store the record of cursor movement, smooth the path, and animate a window around the moving path; repeatedly start and stop the visual time-stepping; generate VHS tape animations; work on a variety of workstations; and allow visualization across clusters of workstations and scalable high performance computer systems.

Anand, Harsh↗

Identification and interpretation of patterns in rocket engine data

A prototype software system was constructed to detect anomalous Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) behavior in the early stages of fault development significantly earlier than the indication provided by either redline detection mechanism or human expert analysis. The major task of the research project is to analyze ground test data, to identify patterns associated with the anomalous engine behavior, and to develop a pattern identification and detection system on the basis of this analysis. A prototype expert system which was developed on both PC and Symbolics 3670 lisp machine for detecting anomalies in turbopump vibration data was checked with data from ground tests 902-473, 902-501, 902-519, and 904-097 of the Space Shuttle Main Engine. The neural networks method was also applied to supplement the statistical method utilized in the prototype system to investigate the feasibility in detecting anomalies in turbopump vibration of SSME. In most cases the anomalies detected by the expert system agree with those reported by NASA. On the neural networks approach, the results are given the successful detection rate higher than 95 percent to identify either normal or abnormal running condition based on the experimental data as well as numerical simulation.

Lo, C. F.↗

Identifying Controlling Variables for Mercury Vapors in Alpha-4 at Y-12: Two Year Data Collection Update

Multiple sensor packages were deployed at Alpha-4 by SRNL, in collaboration with United Cleanup Oak Ridge LLC (UCOR), to monitor mercury vapor concentrations and meteorological parameters. These sensors collected data, inside and outside of the legacy-use facility, for approximately two years. Though data gaps still exist, particularly in colder months, several controlling variables were identified that govern mercury vapor concentrations within Alpha-4. Temperature, barometric pressure gradients, humidity, and wind speed have been identified as controlling variables. A strong positive correlation was seen between mercury vapor concentrations and temperature which generally followed diurnal fluctuations. Temperatures below approximately 10 degrees Celsius did not show any spikes above the PEL, indicating more work can be performed at any time during the winter months – more data should be collected to confirm consistency in this finding. Additionally, spikes in mercury vapor concentrations above that of the permissible exposure limit (PEL; 100 µg/m 3 ) occurred primarily in late afternoon or evening/overnight hours (between 3 PM and 6 AM), which suggests D&D operations might be best scheduled during morning or daytime hours prior to the late afternoon. However, a limited number of spikes did occur outside of the identified window, although this may be attributed to disturbances in air flow and mercury vapor release from work activities performed inside of the Alpha-4 building. The analysis conducted allows for a strong predictive capability for estimating mercury vapor concentrations based upon accurate meteorological parameters. Still, additional data collection, particularly in the winter months, could help to strengthen the predictive power and validate the identified data trends. Further, increased temporal resolution could also help to better characterize the incipient stages of the increases and decreases in the mercury vapor concentration. Continued monitoring support by SRNL at Y-12 is underway at Alpha-4 to further close remaining data gaps and support deactivation and decommissioning work. Within a collaborative effort with UCOR, the SRNL team is collecting mercury vapor data to study the efficacy of a novel mercury suppressant, FerroBlack® which was recently deployed at Alpha-4. In addition, modifications to the current monitoring setup to increase measurement resolution is also being investigated.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Globally Gridded Satellite (GridSat) Observations for Climate Studies

Geostationary satellites have provided routine, high temporal resolution Earth observations since the 1970s. Despite the long period of record, use of these data in climate studies has been limited for numerous reasons, among them: there is no central archive of geostationary data for all international satellites, full temporal and spatial resolution data are voluminous, and diverse calibration and navigation formats encumber the uniform processing needed for multi-satellite climate studies. The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project set the stage for overcoming these issues by archiving a subset of the full resolution geostationary data at approx.10 km resolution at 3 hourly intervals since 1983. Recent efforts at NOAA s National Climatic Data Center to provide convenient access to these data include remapping the data to a standard map projection, recalibrating the data to optimize temporal homogeneity, extending the record of observations back to 1980, and reformatting the data for broad public distribution. The Gridded Satellite (GridSat) dataset includes observations from the visible, infrared window, and infrared water vapor channels. Data are stored in the netCDF format using standards that permit a wide variety of tools and libraries to quickly and easily process the data. A novel data layering approach, together with appropriate satellite and file metadata, allows users to access GridSat data at varying levels of complexity based on their needs. The result is a climate data record already in use by the meteorological community. Examples include reanalysis of tropical cyclones, studies of global precipitation, and detection and tracking of the intertropical convergence zone.

Knapp, Kenneth R.↗

Quantifying Water Storage Change and Land Subsidence Induced by Reservoir Impoundment Using GRACE, Landsat, and GPS Data

The construction of hydropower dams is a common strategy to support a country's increasing need for electricityand river water management for industry and agriculture. Although the hydrological and geophysical impacts ofwater relocation are usually assessed prior to impoundment, their accuracy is generally limited due to the lack ofin situ observations, especially in a remote area. This study presents a workflow to quantify the terrestrial waterstorage change (TWS) and land subsidence induced by a reservoir's water impoundment using multiple satelliteobservations (GRACE, Landsat), land surface models (CABLE, GLDAS, NCEP, ECMWF), and GPS data. The studysite is the Bakun Dam, located in Sarawak, Malaysia, which is the largest hydropower dam in Southeast Asia.Commencing operation in late 2010, the dam induced a change of water mass and lake surface area that wasclearly observed by GRACE and Landsat observations, respectively. During the 17-month impounding period(from August 2010 to December 2011), GRACE observed a dramatic increase of approximately 200mmequivalent water height, while Landsat detected an increased lake extent of around 600 km2. In this paper, aforward model is developed to determine the increased water surface level corresponding to GRACE observations,estimated to be about 120 m. In contrast to GRACE, the TWS derived from land surface models cannotcapture the increased TWS, due to the lack of reservoir routing algorithms in the models. In addition, the landsubsidence was calculated using the disk load model constructed based on the GRACE-derived lake level andLandsat-derived lake extent; the result is validated with the GPS data from BIN1 station, located at the westerncoast of Borneo. The commencement stage of the Bakun Dam induces the large-scale land subsidence, whichcauses the GPS-BIN1 station to subside by ~9 mm, and move toward the Bakun Lake by ~4 mm. Computation ofthe surface displacements directly from GRACE spherical harmonic coefficient data fails to capture the subsidencefeature, mainly due to the truncation error. Overall, this study demonstrates that evaluating GRACE inconjunction with Landsat, LSMs, and GPS data allows the exploitation of the gravity signal at a much smallerspatial scale than its intrinsic resolution. Benefiting from global coverage, the newly developed satellite-basedalgorithm is a valuable tool for assessing the impacts of reservoir operation on hydrological and geophysicalchanges from local to regional scales.

Tangdamrongsub, Natthachet↗

Carbon Storage Planning Inquiry Tool (CS PlanIT)

The CS PlanIT provides stakeholders with easy access to geographically explore, query, and evaluate multiple data layers for a user-defined area of interest, with the goal to accelerate carbon storage resource, feasibility assessments, and planning efforts. The data within CS PlanIT are arranged and categorized to assess each stage of the Carbon Capture and Storage supply chain, from CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emission sources, critical energy infrastructure (including transport), to CO2 geologic storage and sink locations. Furthermore, stakeholders can gain insights into community and environmental impacts, as CS PlanIT leverages Environmental Justice and Social Justice (EJSJ) and natural hazard datasets. Additionally, documentation in the form of an interactive ArcGIS story map and data catalog are included within the EDX publication to provide user’s information to better understand and explain CS PlanIT’s layout, functions, and associated data sets.

Justman, Devin M.↗

Mars gravity derived from the long-period motion of Mariner 9

The spherical harmonic coefficients in the Mars gravity field are determined using a two-stage filtering process. In the first stage, a weighted least-squares orbit determination processor is applied to Mariner 9 radio data to estimate the mean Kepler elements of each orbit. A finite difference method is then used to generate orbital element rates. In the second stage, the gravity coefficients are determined using another weighted least-squares processor which fits the long period Lagrange perturbation equations to the estimated rates. The resulting gravity potential and associated equipotential surface is presented and error sources discussed. Gravity field results are applied to various physical properties of Mars, such as moments of inertia.-

Ferrari, A. J.↗

Continental land cover assessment using Landsat MSS data

A statistical procedure to assess level-II continental resources using Landsat MSS digital data is presented. The statistical procedure involves a two-stage cluster sample within a stratified random sample. The utility of this procedure is assessed by using it to estimate the areal extent of the conifer and hardwood resources of the continental U.S. National estimates of conifer and hardwood derived using this sampling procedure were within 3 percent of U.S. Forest Service (USFS) figures. According to the Landsat-based study, 11 percent of the country is conifer forest and 12 percent is hardwood. The corresponding USFS figures are 13 and 15 percent, respectively. Comparison of the MSS classification products and airphotos showed that the conifer cover class was correctly identified 74 percent of the time and hardwood 80 percent of the time. The average classification accuracy countrywide for the four cover types considered (conifer, hardwood, water, and 'other') is 74 percent, and the overall accuracy is 85 percent. The statistical procedure provides a method of incorporating Landsat MSS digital data as a second state for level-II continental resource assessment. Alternate data sources, e.g., satellite and aircraft photographic imagery, may also be used in conjunction with this statistical model.

Nelson, Ross↗