SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “vertical”

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 1,153 records · Page 64

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

From the Ground Up: Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III on the International Space Station (SAGE III/ISS) Comparison of Vertical Profiles with 2022 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) In Situ Data

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) instrument, installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2017, has completed over five years of data collection and the accompanying production of science data products. SAGE III/ISS is a solar and lunar occultation instrument that scans the light from the Sun and Moon through the limb of the Earth’s atmosphere to produce vertical profiles of aerosol, ozone, water vapor, and other trace gasses. This year provided the unique opportunity to compare in situ data collected during the NASA Student Airborne Research Program (SARP) summer airborne campaign with data collected by SAGE III/ISS on coincident overpasses. SARP, a summer internship program typically for rising undergraduate seniors, provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience making earth system measurements using NASA’s airborne science platforms. The NASA DC-8 flying laboratory collected in-situ measurements of ozone and other trace gasses during the summer 2022 SARP campaign. While the general focus with SARP is on the airborne research component, this year, a suite of 10 ozonesonde launches spatially and temporally co-located with the research flights collected atmospheric state and in-situ ozone measurements from inland southern California. This presentation shows the results of comparing SAGE III/ISS vertical profiles with those of in situ data collected during the summer 2022 SARP campaign.

In Situ↗

NASA NTRS2022

Using Atmospheric Trace Gas Vertical Profiles to Evaluate Model Fluxes: A Case Study of Arctic-Cap Observations and Geos Simulations for the ABoVE Domain

Accurate estimates of carbon–climate feedbacks require an independent means for evaluating surface flux models at regional scales. The altitude-integrated enhancement (AIE) derived from the Arctic Carbon Atmospheric Profiles (Arctic-CAP) project demonstrates the utility of this bulk quantity for surface flux model evaluation. This bulk quantity leverages background mole fraction values from the middle free troposphere, is agnostic to uncertainties in boundary layer height, and can be derived from model estimates of mole fractions and vertical gradients. To demonstrate the utility of the bulk quantity, six airborne profiling surveys of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) throughout Alaska and northwestern Canada between April and November 2017 were completed as part of NASA’s Arctic–Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE). The Arctic-CAP sampling strategy involved acquiring vertical profiles of CO2, CH4, and CO from the surface to 5 km altitude at 25 sites around the ABoVE domain on a 4- to 6-week time interval. All Arctic-CAP measurements were compared to a global simulation using the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) modeling system. Comparisons of the AIE bulk quantity from aircraft observations and GEOS simulations of atmospheric CO2, CH4, and CO highlight the fidelity of the modeled surface fluxes. The model–data comparison over the ABoVE domain reveals that while current state-of-the-art models and flux estimates are able to capture broad-scale spatial and temporal patterns in near-surface CO2 and CH4 concentrations, more work is needed to resolve fine-scale flux features that are captured in CO observations

CO2↗

NASA NTRS2023

Aura/MLS Observes and SD-WACCM-X Simulates the Seasonality, Quasi-Biennial Oscillation and El Niño-Southern Oscillation of the Migrating Diurnal Tide Driving Upper Mesospheric CO Primarily Through Vertical Advection

This work uses 17 years of upper mesospheric carbon monoxide (CO) and temperature observations by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on-board the Aura satellite to present and explain the seasonal and interannual variability of the migrating diurnal tide (DW1) component of upper mesospheric CO. This work then compares these observations to simulations by the Specified Dynamics – Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with Ionosphere/Thermosphere eXtension (SD-WACCM-X). Results show that, for all seasons, MLS CO local-time perturbations peaks above 85 km and has a latitude structure resembling the (1,1) mode in temperature. On the other hand, SD-WACCM-X DW1 also peaks above 85 km and has a latitude structure resembling the (1,1) mode but it simulates 2 local maximum of the (1,1) mode between 85 km and 92 km. Despite the differences in altitude structure, a tendency analysis and the adiabatic displacement method revealed that, on seasonal and interannual timescales, observed and modelled CO’s (1,1) component can be reproduced solely using vertical advection. It was also found that both observed and modelled CO’s (1,1) component contains interannual oscillations with periodicities close to that of the Quasi-biennial Oscillation and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. From these results, this work concludes that on seasonal and interannual timescales, the observed and modelled (1,1) mode affects the global structure of upper mesospheric CO primarily through vertical advection.

Cornelius Csar Jude H Salinas↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Seasonal Evolution of Atmospheric Vertical Structure of Smoke and Humidity Over the Southeast Atlantic Biomass Burning Region

The atmosphere over the southeast Atlantic Ocean (SEA) sees a consistent springtime biomass burning (BB) smoke from widespread agricultural fires on the African continent. This smoke layer is initially lofted high in a continental mixed layer (~5-6km) and is then transported westward in the free troposphere, where it overlies and ultimately mixes into the SEA stratocumulus-topped oceanic boundary layer. Coincident with this smoke is an elevated humidity signal which is present from the time a given airmass is over the continental source region; this correlation is persistent through the biomass burning season, although varying through the course of the season. ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) was a NASA Earth Venture Suborbital mission with the goal of measuring aerosol, cloud, and atmospheric properties over this region during three deployments in September 2016, August 2017, and October 2018. We use the ORACLES observations to assess this smoke-vapor relationship. First, we discuss the good agreement between the airborne ORACLES dataset and the ECMWF ERA5 and CAMS reanalyses, as well as results from NASA’s MERRA-2, as seen over the three deployment years. We then use the reanalyses to develop a framework in which to understand more broadly the radiative and dynamical interactions between the elevated smoke and water vapor over the SEA through the biomass burning season, beyond the three ORACLES observation periods. Looking at seven years of reanalysis data for the BB season, we find distinct variations between each month/deployment in terms of vertical smoke distribution and correlation to atmospheric specific humidity, due to changing conditions through the BB season. Using k-means clustering of these climatological reanalyses, we identify six canonical atmospheric profile types of varying total atmospheric humidity and vertical structure and describe their changing incidence spatially and throughout the season, and six analogous profile types for carbon monoxide, allowing us to characterize the atmospheric structure of both vapor and BB over time throughout the SEA region. The radiative heating of both aerosol and water vapor has potential to influence the cloud-top entrainment and atmospheric turbulence, thus modifying the underlying stratocumulus cloud properties. We next discuss how these smoke-humidity variations influence both the low-cloud fraction (as observed by MODIS and VIIRS, and output by ERA5) and the boundary layer height in the region. This classification will ultimately allow for a more complete analysis of the broader radiative and dynamical effects of humid aerosols overlying stratocumulus clouds.

Kristina Marie Myers Pistone↗

NASA NTRS2023

Aura/MLS Observes, and SD-WACCM-X Simulates the Seasonality, Quasi-Biennial Oscillation and El Nino Southern Oscillation of the Migrating Diurnal Tide Driving Upper Mesospheric Co Primarily Through Vertical Advection

This work uses 17 years of upper mesospheric carbon monoxide (CO) and temperature observations by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on-board the Aura satellite to present and explain the seasonal and interannual variability of the migrating diurnal tide (DW1) component of upper mesospheric CO. This work then compares these observations to simulations by the Specified Dynamics – Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with Ionosphere/Thermosphere eXtension (SD-WACCM-X). Results show that, for all seasons, MLS CO local-time perturbations peaks above 85 km and has a latitude structure resembling the (1,1) mode in temperature. On the other hand, SD-WACCM-X DW1 also peaks above 85 km and has a latitude structure resembling the (1,1) mode but it simulates 2 local maximum of the (1,1) mode between 85 km and 92 km. Despite the differences in altitude structure, a tendency analysis and the adiabatic displacement method revealed that, on seasonal and interannual timescales, observed and modelled CO’s (1,1) component can be reproduced solely using vertical advection. It was also found that both observed and modelled CO’s (1,1) component contains interannual oscillations with periodicities close to that of the Quasi-biennial Oscillation and the El Nino Southern Oscillation. From these results, this work concludes that on seasonal and interannual timescales, the observed and modelled (1,1) mode affects the global structure of upper mesospheric CO primarily through vertical advection.

Cornelius Csar Jude H. Salinas↗

NASA NTRS2023

Highly Resolved Mapping of NO 2 Vertical Column Densities From GeoTASO Measurements Over a Megacity and Industrial Area During the KORUS-AQ Campaign

The Korea–United States Air Quality (KORUS-AQ) campaign is a joint study between the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the South Korea National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) to monitor megacity and transboundary air pollution around the Korean Peninsula using airborne and ground-based measurements. Here, tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) slant column density (SCD) measurements were retrieved from Geostationary Trace and Aerosol Sensor Optimization (GeoTASO) L1B data during the KORUS-AQ campaign (2 May to 10 June 2016). The retrieved SCDs were converted to tropospheric vertical column densities using the air mass factor (AMF) obtained from a radiative transfer calculation with trace gas profiles and aerosol property inputs simulated with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model and surface reflectance data obtained from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). For the first time, we examine highly resolved (250 m × 250 m resolution) tropospheric NO 2 over the Seoul and Busan metropolitan regions and the industrial region of Anmyeon. We reveal that the maximum NO 2 vertical column densities (VCDs) were 4.94×10 16 and 1.46×10 17 molec. cm −2 at 09:00 and 15:00 LT over Seoul, respectively, 6.86×10 16 and 4.89×10 16 molec. cm −2 in the morning and afternoon over Busan, respectively, and 1.64×10 16 molec. cm −2 over Anmyeon. The VCDs retrieved from the GeoTASO airborne instrument were correlated with those obtained from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) (r=0.48), NASA's Pandora Spectrometer System (r=0.91), and NO 2 mixing ratios obtained from in situ measurements (r=0.07 in the morning, r=0.26 in the afternoon over the Seoul, and r>0.56 over Busan). Based on our results, GeoTASO is useful for identifying NO 2 hotspots and their spatial distribution in highly populated cities and industrial areas.

Gyo-Hwang Choo↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Parameterization of Vertical Cloud Distribution from C3M and MERRA Data Using ML Method

Clouds play a key role in regulating the hydrological cycle and the Earth's radiative energy budget. However, global climate models (GCMs) with a horizontal grid spacing on the order of 100 km have limitations in representing sub-grid cloud dynamics with spatial scales on the order of 1 km, leading to potential uncertainties in cloud radiative feedback on the global scale. In our research, we will leverage the capabilities of Deep Machine Learning (DML) methods to construct parameterizations of sub-grid volumetric cloud fraction (VCF), which is the frequency of occurrence on a grid volume accumulated in the horizontal and vertical directions. Our investigation delves into the intricate relationship between VCF obtained from the NASA CALIPSO-CloudSat-CERES-MODIS (CCCM) satellite observation data and 3-D MERRA-2 reanalysis meteorological profiling data (e.g., wind, relative humidity, temperature). Through a comprehensive one-year data training utilizing the Sequence to Sequence DML method, we have successfully disentangled the complicated cloud formation dynamics across diverse meteorological conditions through a day-to-day analysis framework. Preliminary findings reveal promising statistical agreements in geographical and vertical distributions and seasonal variations of volumetric cloud fraction between ML prediction and satellite measurements. These results underscore the aptitude of our DML model to discern underlying cloud physical processes and accurately represent sub-grid cloud formation dynamics. Additionally, we have also employed trained neural network to analyze uncertainties arising from errors in meteorological data, further enhancing the robustness of our VCF parameterization.

Shan Zeng↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Atmospheric Structure Investigation Instrument: in-Situ Measurement of Vertical Profiles of Temperature, Pressure, Wind, Aerosol Density, Hydrogen Ortho/Para Fraction and Helium Abundance on Saturn or Uranus.

The Atmospheric Structure Investigation (ASI) is designed as a threshold sensor suite for descent probes into any planetary atmosphere, principally for the Giant planets (e.g., Saturn for New Frontiers, or Uranus for an upcoming Flagship identified in the decadal survey), but also could be relevant for Venus, Titan or even specific applications on Earth. Its aim is to supply the key measurements establishing the atmospheric structure upon which all the other probe measurements would be placed in context. To that end, it measures vertical profiles of probe acceleration and rotation[1,2], pressure, temperature, vertical winds, aerosol number density and size and scattering properties, as well as Hydrogen ortho/para fraction and Helium abundance.

V Jha↗

NASA NTRS2024

Vertical Structure of Gas and Dust in Four Debris Disks

We present high-spectral-resolution M-band spectra from iSHELL on NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility along the line of sight to the debris disk host star HD 32297. We also present a Gemini Planet Imager H-band polarimetric image of the HD 131488 debris disk. We search for fundamental CO absorption lines in the iSHELL spectra of HD 32297, but do not detect any. We place an upper limit on the CO column density of ∼6×1015cm−2. By combining the column density upper limit, the CO mass measured with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), and the geometrical properties of the disk, we estimate the scale height of the CO to be 2au across the radial extent of the disk (∼80–120au). We use the same method to estimate the CO scale height of three other edge-on, CO-rich debris disks that all have CO observed in absorption with the Hubble Space Telescope as well as in emission with ALMA: β Pictoris, HD 110058, and HD 131488. We compare our estimated CO scale heights of these four systems to the millimeter dust scale heights and find that, under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium, there is a potential correlation between the CO and millimeter dust scale heights. There are multiple factors that affect the gas vertical structure such as turbulence, photodissociation with weak vertical mixing, as well as where the gas originates. One possible explanation for the potential correlation could be that the gas and dust are of a similar secondary origin in these four systems.

Kadin Worthen↗

NASA NTRS2026

Reliability Models and Demonstration of a Fault-Tolerant Motor Concept for Vertical Takeoff and Landing Vehicles

This report documents the completion of the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology Project Annual Performance Indicator 24-3.2.4.1: “Apply and document reliability prediction for high reliability motor concept.” Two modeling tools were completed for calculation of reliability of fault-tolerant (FT) motors, and key FT operations of a modular FT motor were demonstrated experimentally. The two models are complementary tools for the stakeholder and user community. Both models employ Markov chain theory. The first model is a time-homogeneous Markov chain model, and the second is a time-inhomogeneous Markov-Weibull model. This report’s main sections are as follows: 1.0 Introduction, 2.0 Theory, 3.0 Motor Reliability Models, 4.0 Validation of FT Operation by Hardware Demonstration, and 5.0 Concluding Remarks. Novel contributions to the field include development of a modular FT motor concept for electrified vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) application, solution methods to solve the reliability calculations, development of figures of merit, and the introduction of “linked chains” to formulate a building-block approach for time-inhomogeneous Markov-Weibull modeling of motor reliability. Example case studies have been completed, and results are provided and discussed herein. A four-module FT motor concept was developed to a preliminary-design level of detail. This eVTOL FT motor concept was designed for galvanic, magnetic, and thermal isolation of stator winding faults. The reliability of the concept motor was calculated using a time-inhomogeneous Markov chain model. Employing average failure rate as a metric, 570 times greater reliability was achieved as compared to a baseline motor without fault tolerance. A demonstrator motor was built and tested. The testing demonstrated the key features of FT operation and validated the essential premises of the FT motor concepts presented herein. The experiments included successful demonstration of the feasibility of the following four key FT features: (1) terminal open-circuit operation, (2) thermal isolation after fault, (3) terminal short-circuit operation, and (4) internal short-circuit operation. These works indicate that FT modular motor drives offer promise for addressing the daunting reliability gap that electric aircraft propulsor drives are facing relative to the best conventional motor drive technology that is available today.

Electric Motor↗

DOE OSTI2014

Large-scale fabrication of vertically aligned ZnO nanowire arrays

A generator includes a substrate, a first electrode layer, a dense plurality of vertically-aligned piezoelectric elongated nanostructures, an insulating layer and a second electrode layer. The substrate has a top surface and the first electrode layer is disposed on the top surface of the substrate. The dense plurality of vertically-aligned piezoelectric elongated nanostructures extends from the first electrode layer. Each of the nanostructures has a top end. The insulating layer is disposed on the top ends of the nanostructures. The second electrode layer is disposed on the non-conductive layer and is spaced apart from the nanostructures.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2015

Taxel-addressable matrix of vertical nanowire piezotronic transistors

A tactile sensing matrix includes a substrate, a first plurality of elongated electrode structures, a plurality of vertically aligned piezoelectric members, an insulating layer infused into the piezoelectric members and a second plurality of elongated electrode structures. The first plurality of elongated electrode structures is disposed on the substrate along a first orientation. The vertically aligned piezoelectric members is disposed on the first plurality of elongated electrode structures and form a matrix having columns of piezoelectric members disposed along the first orientation and rows of piezoelectric members disposed along a second orientation that is transverse to the first orientation. The second plurality of elongated electrode structures is disposed on the insulating layer along the second orientation. The elongated electrode structures form a Schottky contact with the piezoelectric members. When pressure is applied to the piezoelectric members, current flow therethrough is modulated.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2016

Aeroelastically coupled blades for vertical axis wind turbines

Various technologies described herein pertain to a vertical axis wind turbine blade configured to rotate about a rotation axis. The vertical axis wind turbine blade includes at least an attachment segment, a rear swept segment, and optionally, a forward swept segment. The attachment segment is contiguous with the forward swept segment, and the forward swept segment is contiguous with the rear swept segment. The attachment segment includes a first portion of a centroid axis, the forward swept segment includes a second portion of the centroid axis, and the rear swept segment includes a third portion of the centroid axis. The second portion of the centroid axis is angularly displaced ahead of the first portion of the centroid axis and the third portion of the centroid axis is angularly displaced behind the first portion of the centroid axis in the direction of rotation about the rotation axis.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2019

Vertically stacked photovoltaic and thermal solar cell

According to some embodiments, the present invention provides a novel photovoltaic solar cell system from photovoltaic modules that are vertically arrayed in a stack format using thin film semiconductors selected from among organic and inorganic thin film semiconductors. The stack cells may be cells that are produced in a planar manner, then vertically oriented in an angular form, also termed herein tilted, to maximize the light capturing aspects. The use of a stack configuration system as described herein allows for the use of a variety of electrode materials, such as transparent materials or semitransparent metals. Light concentration can be achieved by using fresnel lens, parabolic mirrors or derivatives of such structures. The light capturing can be controlled by being reflected back and forth in the photovoltaic system until significant quantities of the resonant light is absorbed. Light that passes to the very end and can be reflected back through the device by beveling or capping the end of the device with a different refractive index material, or alternatively using a reflective surface. The contacting between stacked cells can be done in series or parallel. According to some embodiments, the present invention uses a concentrator architecture where the light is channeled into the cells that contain thermal fluid channels (using a transparent fluid such as water) to absorb and hence reduce the thermal energy generation.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2018

Vertically integrated optoelectronics package for MEMS devices

The present application relates to vertically integrated assemblies including a MEMS-based optomechanical architecture. In some embodiments, the assembly includes a MEMS/optoelectronic module, an emitter module, and a detector module, where these modules are vertically integrated. Methods of fabricating such assemblies are also described herein.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2019

Structures for nitride vertical transistors

A vertical semiconductor transistor and a method of forming the same. A vertical semiconductor transistor has at least one semiconductor region, a source, and at least one gate region. The at least one semiconductor region includes a III-nitride semiconductor material. The source is formed over the at least one semiconductor region. The at least one gate region is formed around at least a portion of the at least one semiconductor region.

Sun, Min↗

DOE OSTI2019

Bottom emitting vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

A bottom-emitting vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) structure includes a first substrate permitting the passage of light therethrough, an n-doped distributed Bragg reflector (nDBR), a p-doped distributed Bragg reflector (pDBR), one or more active layers, at least one of a high contrast grating mirror and a dielectric-enhanced metal mirror, and a plurality of layers, where the VCSEL structure is configured to be flip chipped to a second substrate. The pDBR and the nDBR define a laser cavity extending vertically therebetween and containing the one or more active layers. The at least one of a high contrast grating mirror and a dielectric-enhanced metal mirror may be disposed over the pDBR. The plurality of layers may be disposed over the at least one of the high contrast grating mirror and the dielectric-enhanced metal mirror to optically and hermetically seal the laser cavity.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2019

Vertical Magnetic Measurement System Commis-sioning and First Measurements of the First Full-Length Prototype Quadrupole Magnet for the LHC Hi-Lumi Upgrade

This paper will report the commissioning of the vertical magnetic measurement system and the warm (room temperature) and cold (cryogenic) magnetic field measurements of the first full-length (4.2 m) quadrupole built by the US Accelerator Upgrade Project (AUP) project (formerly the LARP collaboration) for the high luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The magnet, designated MQXFAP2, is a prototype preceding production for the AUP Accelerator Upgrade Project (AUP). AUP will provide ten 8.4 m superconducting insertion region (IR) quadrupoles for the Hi-Lumi Upgrade. The 8.4 m quadrupoles will be built by assembling two 4.2 m magnets in a single cryostat. Agreement between BNL’s and LBNL’s warm measurement data has indicated that the upgraded vertical magnetic measurement system at BNL is ready for MQXFA magnet production testing. The cold magnetic measurement has been performed and preliminary data analysis has been conducted. The measured data indicates that the MQXFAP2 magnet has good magnetic field which meets the preliminary MQXFA magnet acceptance criteria.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗