Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Average Accuracy”

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.

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

At least 1,207 records · Page 67

A fast, uncoupled, compressible, two-dimensional, unsteady boundary layer algorithm with separation for engine inlets

A finite difference boundary layer algorithm was developed to model viscous effects when an inviscid core flow solution is given. This algorithm solved each boundary layer equation separately, then iterated to find a solution. Solving the boundary layer equations sequentially was 2.4 to 4.0 times faster than solving the boundary layer equations simultaneously. This algorithm used a modified Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model, a weighted average of forward and backward differencing of the pressure gradient, and a backward sweep of the pressure. With these modifications, the boundary layer algorithm was able to model flows with and without separation. The number of grid points used in the boundary layer algorithm affected the stability of the algorithm as well as the accuracy of the predictions of friction coefficients and momentum thicknesses. Results of this boundary layer algorithm compared well with experimental observations of friction coefficients and momentum thicknesses. In addition, when used interactively with an inviscid flow algorithm, this boundary layer algorithm corrected for viscous effects to give a good match with experimental observations for pressures in a supersonic inlet.

Roach, Robert L.↗

Kernel PLS Estimation of Single-trial Event-related Potentials

Nonlinear kernel partial least squaes (KPLS) regressior, is a novel smoothing approach to nonparametric regression curve fitting. We have developed a KPLS approach to the estimation of single-trial event related potentials (ERPs). For improved accuracy of estimation, we also developed a local KPLS method for situations in which there exists prior knowledge about the approximate latency of individual ERP components. To assess the utility of the KPLS approach, we compared non-local KPLS and local KPLS smoothing with other nonparametric signal processing and smoothing methods. In particular, we examined wavelet denoising, smoothing splines, and localized smoothing splines. We applied these methods to the estimation of simulated mixtures of human ERPs and ongoing electroencephalogram (EEG) activity using a dipole simulator (BESA). In this scenario we considered ongoing EEG to represent spatially and temporally correlated noise added to the ERPs. This simulation provided a reasonable but simplified model of real-world ERP measurements. For estimation of the simulated single-trial ERPs, local KPLS provided a level of accuracy that was comparable with or better than the other methods. We also applied the local KPLS method to the estimation of human ERPs recorded in an experiment on co,onitive fatigue. For these data, the local KPLS method provided a clear improvement in visualization of single-trial ERPs as well as their averages. The local KPLS method may serve as a new alternative to the estimation of single-trial ERPs and improvement of ERP averages.

Rosipal, Roman↗

Ground Clutter as a Monitor of Radar Stability at Kwajalein,RMI

There are many applications in which the absolute and day-to-day calibration of radar sensitivity is necessary. This is particularly so in the case of quantitative radar measurements of precipitation. While absolute calibrations can be done periodically using solar radiation, variations that occur between such absolute checks are required to maintain the accuracy of the data. The authors have developed a method for h s purpose using the radar on Kwajalein Atoll, which has been used to provide a baseline calibration for control of measurements of rainfall made by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission 0T.he method u ses echoes from a multiplicity of ground targets. The average clutter echoes at the lowest elevation scan have been found to be remarkably stable from hour to hour, day to day, and month to month within better than +1 dB. They vary significantly only after either deliberate system modifications, equipment failure or unknown causes. A cumulative probability distribution of echo reflectivities (Ze in dBZ) is obtained on a daily basis. This CDF includes both the precipitation and clutter echoes. Because the precipitation echoes at Kwajalein rarely exceed 45 dBZ, selecting an upper percentile of the CDF associated with intense clutter reflectivities permits monitoring of radar stability. The reflectivity level at which the CDF attains 95% is our reference. Daily measurements of the CDFs have been made since August 1999 and have been used to correct the 7 M years of measurements and thus enhance the integrity of the global record of precipitation observed by TRMM. The method also has potential applicability to other pound radar sites.

Silberstein, David S.↗

An Approach for the Long-Term 30-m Land Surface Snow-Free Albedo Retrieval from Historic Landsat Surface Reflectance and MODIS-based A Priori Anisotropy Knowledge

Land surface albedo has been recognized by the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) as an essential climate variable crucial for accurate modeling and monitoring of the Earth's radiative budget. While global climate studies can leverage albedo datasets from MODIS, VIIRS, and other coarse-resolution sensors, many applications in heterogeneous environments can benefit from higher-resolution albedo products derived from Landsat. We previously developed a "MODIS-concurrent" approach for the 30-meter albedo estimation which relied on combining post-2000 Landsat data with MODIS Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) information. Here we present a "pre-MODIS era" approach to extend 30-m surface albedo generation in time back to the 1980s, through an a priori anisotropy Look-Up Table (LUT) built up from the high quality MCD43A BRDF estimates over representative homogenous regions. Each entry in the LUT reflects a unique combination of land cover, seasonality, terrain information, disturbance age and type, and Landsat optical spectral bands. An initial conceptual LUT was created for the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of the United States and provides BRDF shapes estimated from MODIS observations for undisturbed and disturbed surface types (including recovery trajectories of burned areas and non-fire disturbances). By accepting the assumption of a generally invariant BRDF shape for similar land surface structures as a priori information, spectral white-sky and black-sky albedos are derived through albedo-to-nadir reflectance ratios as a bridge between the Landsat and MODIS scale. A further narrow-to-broadband conversion based on radiative transfer simulations is adopted to produce broadband albedos at visible, near infrared, and shortwave regimes.We evaluate the accuracy of resultant Landsat albedo using available field measurements at forested AmeriFlux stations in the PNW region, and examine the consistency of the surface albedo generated by this approach respectively with that from the "concurrent" approach and the coincident MODIS operational surface albedo products. Using the tower measurements as reference, the derived Landsat 30-m snow-free shortwave broadband albedo yields an absolute accuracy of 0.02 with a root mean square error less than 0.016 and a bias of no more than 0.007. A further cross-comparison over individual scenes shows that the retrieved white sky shortwave albedo from the "pre-MODIS era" LUT approach is highly consistent (R(exp 2) = 0.988, the scene-averaged low RMSE = 0.009 and bias = −0.005) with that generated by the earlier "concurrent" approach. The Landsat albedo also exhibits more detailed landscape texture and a wider dynamic range of albedo values than the coincident 500-m MODIS operational products (MCD43A3), especially in the heterogeneous regions. Collectively, the "pre-MODIS" LUT and "concurrent" approaches provide a practical way to retrieve long-term Landsat albedo from the historic Landsat archives as far back as the 1980s, as well as the current Landsat-8 mission, and thus support investigations into the evolution of the albedo of terrestrial biomes at fine resolution.

Albedo algorithm↗

Generation of Mars Helicopter Rotor Model for Comprehensive Analyses

The present research is aimed at providing a performance model for the Mars Helicopter (MH), to understand the complexity of the flow, and identify future regions of improvement. The low density of the Martian atmosphere and the relatively small MH rotor, result in very low chord-based Reynolds number flows. The low density and Reynolds numbers reduce the lifting force and lifting efficiency, respectively. The high drag coefficients in subcritical flow, especially for thicker sections, are attributed to laminar separation from the rear of the airfoil. In the absence of test data, efforts have been made to explore these effects using prior very low Reynolds number research efforts. The rotor chord-based Reynolds number range is observed to be subcritical, which makes boundary layer transition unlikely to occur. The state of the two-dimensional rotor boundary layer in hover is approximated by calculating the instability point, laminar separation point, and the transition location to provide understanding of the flow state in the high Mach-low Reynolds number regime. The results are used to investigate the need for turbulence modeling in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations afterwards. The goal is to generate a performance model for the MH rotor for a free wake analysis, because the computational budget for a complete Navier-Stokes solution for a rotating body-fitted rotor is substantial. In this study, a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based approach is used to generate the airfoil deck using C81Gen with stitched experimental data for very high angles of attack. A full Grid Resolution Study is performed and over 4,500 cases are completed to create the full airfoil deck. The laminar separation locations are predicted within the accuracy of the approximate method when compared with the CFD calculations. The model is presented through airfoil data tables (c81 files) that are used by comprehensive rotor analysis codes such as CAMRADII, or the mid-fidelity CFD solver RotCFD. Finally, the rotor performance is compared with experimental data from the 25ft Space Simulator at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and shows good correlation for the rotor Figure of Merit over the available thrust range.

Model↗

Real-Time Fault Tracking and Ground Motion Prediction for Large Earthquakes With HR-GNSS and Deep Learning

Earthquake early warning (EEW) systems aim to forecast the shaking intensity rapidly after an earthquake occurs and send warnings to affected areas before the onset of strong shaking. The system relies on rapid and accurate estimation of earthquake source parameters. However, it is known that source estimation for large ruptures in real-time is challenging, and it often leads to magnitude underestimation. In a previous study, we showed that machine learning, HR-GNSS, and realistic rupture synthetics can be used to reliably predict earthquake magnitude. This model, called Machine-Learning Assessed Rapid Geodetic Earthquake model (M-LARGE), can rapidly forecast large earthquake magnitudes with an accuracy of 99%. Here, we expand M-LARGE to predict centroid location and fault size, enabling the construction of the fault rupture extent for forecasting shaking intensity using existing ground motion models. We test our model in the Chilean Subduction Zone with thousands of simulated and five real large earthquakes. The result achieves an average warning time of 40.5 s for shaking intensity MMI4+, surpassing the 34 s obtained by a similar GNSS EEW model. Our approach addresses a critical gap in existing EEW systems for large earthquakes by demonstrating real-time fault tracking feasibility without saturation issues. This capability leads to timely and accurate ground motion forecasts and can support other methods, enhancing the overall effectiveness of EEW systems. Additionally, the ability to predict source parameters for real Chilean earthquakes implies that synthetic data, governed by our understanding of earthquake scaling, is consistent with the actual rupture processes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

A second order yield-temperature relation for accurate inference of burn-averaged quantities in multi-species plasmas

Measured yields and ion temperatures inferred from the fusion product energy spectra can be used as metrics for the performance of an ICF implosion. This can be to infer species separation, thermal decoupling, flows or other effects that can cause the inferred ion temperatures to deviate from the true underlying thermal temperature and the yield ratio to deviate from the expected value. Direct inference of the impact of these effects on observed temperatures and yields can be difficult to uncover due to underlying dependence on the shape and time evolution of the temperature and density proles of the fusing plasma. Due to differences in the temperature dependence of the reactivities, different fusion products are emitted from different regions and times within the implosion. In order to properly account for this, a second order analytic expression relating the apparent temperatures and yield ratios is developed. This expression can be coupled to models of yield and/or temperature altering effects to infer their burn-averaged impact on an implosion. The second order expression shows significant improvement over lower order expressions in synthetic data studies. Demonstrations of its applications to synthetic data coupled with models of ion thermal decoupling and radial flows are presented. In the case of thermal decoupling both first and second order expressions show reasonable levels of accuracy. To consistently infer the amplitude of radial flow with <10% error the second order equation is required.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Elementary analytic models of climate. 1: The mean global heat balance

Climate models based on global radiative equilibrium are normally so complicated that they require extensive computer codes to provide adequate accuracy. However, by simply modifying the concept of a gray atmosphere, a reasonably correct mean global temperature is obtained. This elementary model is then used to estimate the effects of changes in the abundances of minor infrared absorbers and changes in the solar constant or earth albedo. When applied to a Budyko-Sellers zonally averaged model, the quasi-gray model could give a physical basis for the latitude dependence of outgoing radiation and of opacity due to H2O vapor content. The latter effect constitutes an important positive feedback on surface temperature.

Chamberlain, J. W.↗

Central difference TVD and TVB schemes for time dependent and steady state problems

We use central differences to solve the time dependent Euler equations. The schemes are all advanced using a Runge-Kutta formula in time. Near shocks, a second difference is added as an artificial viscosity. This reduces the scheme to a first order upwind scheme at shocks. The switch that is used guarantees that the scheme is locally total variation diminishing (TVD). For steady state problems it is usually advantageous to relax this condition. Then small oscillations do not activate the switches and the convergence to a steady state is improved. To sharpen the shocks, different coefficients are needed for different equations and so a matrix valued dissipation is introduced and compared with the scalar viscosity. The connection between this artificial viscosity and flux limiters is shown. Any flux limiter can be used as the basis of a shock detector for an artificial viscosity. We compare the use of the van Leer, van Albada, mimmod, superbee, and the 'average' flux limiters for this central difference scheme. For time dependent problems, we need to use a small enough time step so that the CFL was less than one even though the scheme was linearly stable for larger time steps. Using a total variation bounded (TVB) Runge-Kutta scheme yields minor improvements in the accuracy.

Jorgenson, P.↗

Central difference TVD and TVB schemes for time dependent and steady state problems

We use central differences to solve the time dependent Euler equations. The schemes are all advanced using a Runge-Kutta formula in time. Near shocks, a second difference is added as an artificial viscosity. This reduces the scheme to a first order upwind scheme at shocks. The switch that is used guarantees that the scheme is locally total variation diminishing (TVD). For steady state problems it is usually advantageous to relax this condition. Then small oscillations do not activate the switches and the convergence to a steady state is improved. To sharpen the shocks, different coefficients are needed for different equations and so a matrix valued dissipation is introduced and compared with the scalar viscosity. The connection between this artificial viscosity and flux limiters is shown. Any flux limiter can be used as the basis of a shock detector for an artificial viscosity. We compare the use of the van Leer, van Albada, mimmod, superbee, and the 'average' flux limiters for this central difference scheme. For time dependent problems, we need to use a small enough time step so that the CFL was less than one even though the scheme was linearly stable for larger time steps. Using a total variation bounded (TVB) Runge-Kutta scheme yields minor improvements in the accuracy.

Jorgenson, P.↗

Effects of Mesh Irregularities on Accuracy of Finite-Volume Discretization Schemes

The effects of mesh irregularities on accuracy of unstructured node-centered finite-volume discretizations are considered. The focus is on an edge-based approach that uses unweighted least-squares gradient reconstruction with a quadratic fit. For inviscid fluxes, the discretization is nominally third order accurate on general triangular meshes. For viscous fluxes, the scheme is an average-least-squares formulation that is nominally second order accurate and contrasted with a common Green-Gauss discretization scheme. Gradient errors, truncation errors, and discretization errors are separately studied according to a previously introduced comprehensive methodology. The methodology considers three classes of grids: isotropic grids in a rectangular geometry, anisotropic grids typical of adapted grids, and anisotropic grids over a curved surface typical of advancing layer grids. The meshes within the classes range from regular to extremely irregular including meshes with random perturbation of nodes. Recommendations are made concerning the discretization schemes that are expected to be least sensitive to mesh irregularities in applications to turbulent flows in complex geometries.

Diskin, Boris↗

Trade-Space Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C)

Traditionally, space missions have relied on relatively large and monolithic satellites, but in the past few years, under a changing technological and economic environment, including instrument and spacecraft miniaturization, scalable launchers, secondary launches as well as hosted payloads, there is growing interest in implementing future NASA missions as Distributed Spacecraft Missions (DSM). The objective of our project is to provide a framework that facilitates DSM Pre-Phase A investigations and optimizes DSM designs with respect to a-priori Science goals. In this first version of our Trade-space Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C), we are investigating questions such as: How many spacecraft should be included in the constellation? Which design has the best costrisk value? The main goals of TAT-C are to: Handle multiple spacecraft sharing a mission objective, from SmallSats up through flagships, Explore the variables trade space for pre-defined science, cost and risk goals, and pre-defined metrics Optimize cost and performance across multiple instruments and platforms vs. one at a time.This paper describes the overall architecture of TAT-C including: a User Interface (UI) interacting with multiple users - scientists, missions designers or program managers; an Executive Driver gathering requirements from UI, then formulating Trade-space Search Requests for the Trade-space Search Iterator first with inputs from the Knowledge Base, then, in collaboration with the Orbit Coverage, Reduction Metrics, and Cost Risk modules, generating multiple potential architectures and their associated characteristics. TAT-C leverages the use of the Goddard Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) to compute coverage and ancillary data, streamlining the computations by modeling orbits in a way that balances accuracy and performance.TAT-C current version includes uniform Walker constellations as well as Ad-Hoc constellations, and its cost model represents an aggregate model consisting of Cost Estimating Relationships (CERs) from widely accepted models. The Knowledge Base supports both analysis and exploration, and the current GUI prototype automatically generates graphics representing metrics such as average revisit time or coverage as a function of cost.

Science Data Processing↗

Free-Flight Trajectory Simulation of the ADEPT Sounding Rocket Test Using CFD

A computational study of the Adaptive Deployable Entry and Placement Technology (ADEPT) Sounding Rocket (SR-1) Test is presented using the US3D flow solver. ADEPT SR-1 is intended, in part, to assess the dynamic stability of this entry vehicle architecture. Given that no dynamic stability data exists for the ADEPT geometry, a limited ballistic range campaign has been performed to characterize the vehicle's stability characteristics pre-flight for Mach numbers between 1.21 and 2.5. Here, this data is used to assess the accuracy of US3D's free-flight CFD capability. Computed trajectories from US3D and experimental data show that the flow solver compares well in vehicle oscillation frequency, downrange distance, and oscillatory amplitude during high Mach number flight (Mavg = 2.36). For Mach numbers below 1.5, the solver under predicts total angle-of-attack by an average of 16%, but compares well in oscillatory frequency and downrange distance. Additionally, a capability for simulating the trajectory of the flight article through the atmosphere using CFD is presented. This capability couples US3D's free-flight capability to an atmosphere model that accounts for changes in free-stream density and temperature as the vehicle descends. Two simulations for the purpose of demonstrating the capability and viability of this approach are applied to SR-1 flight article, and some unique challenges are discussed.

CFD↗

Evaluation of Multiple Flow Constrained Area Capacity Setting Methods for Collaborative Trajectory Options Program

The purpose of this study was to compare flow constrained area (FCA) capacity setting methods for Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP) as they pertain to the Integrated Demand Management (IDM) concept. IDM uses flow balancing to manage air traffic across multiple FCAs with a common downstream constraint, as well as constraints at the respective FCA locations. FCA capacity rates can be set manually, but generating capacities for multiple, interdependent FCAs could potentially over-burden a user. A new enhancement to CTOP called the FCA Balance Algorithm (FBA) was developed at NASA Ames Research Center to improve the process of allocating capacity across multiple flow constrained segments in the airspace. The FBA evaluates the predicted demand and capacity across multiple FCAs and dynamically generates capacity settings for the FCAs that best meet capacity limits for all identified constraints. In a human-in-the-loop simulation study, both manual and automated capacity setting methods were evaluated in terms of their overall feasibility using measures of system performance, human performance, and qualitative feedback. Subject matter experts were asked to use three different methods to allocate capacity to three FCAs, either (1) by manually setting capacity for every 60-minute time window, (2) by manually setting capacity for every 15-minute time window, or (3) by using the FBA capability to automatically generate capacity settings. Results showed no significant differences in terms of overall system performance, indicated by similar ground delay and airport throughput numbers between methods. However, differences in individual strategies afforded by the manual methods allowed some participants to achieve system-wide delay that was much lower than the average. The FBA was the fastest method of capacity setting, and it received the lowest subjective rating scores on physical task load, mental task load, task difficulty and task complexity out of the three methods. Finally, participants explained through qualitative feedback that there were many benefits to using the FBA, such as ease of use, accuracy, and low risk of human input error. Participants did not experience the same limitations with the FBA that they did with the manual methods, such as reduced accuracy in the 60-minute manual condition, or high complexity in the 15-minute/manual condition. These results suggest that the FBA automation enhancement to CTOP maintains system performance while improving human performance. Therefore, the FBA could be introduced as a way to mitigate operator workload while planning a CTOP.

NextGen↗

Evaluation of Multiple Flow Constrained Area Capacity Setting Methods for Collaborative Trajectory Options Program

The purpose of this study was to compare flow constrained area (FCA) capacity setting methods for Collaborative Trajectory Options Program (CTOP) as they pertain to the Integrated Demand Management (IDM) concept. IDM uses flow balancing to manage air traffic across multiple FCAs with a common downstream constraint, as well as constraints at the respective FCA locations. FCA capacity rates can be set manually, but generating capacities for multiple, interdependent FCAs could potentially over-burden a user. A new enhancement to CTOP called the FCA Balance Algorithm (FBA) was developed at NASA Ames Research Center to improve the process of allocating capacity across multiple flow constrained segments in the airspace. The FBA evaluates the predicted demand and capacity across multiple FCAs and dynamically generates capacity settings for the FCAs that best meet capacity limits for all identified constraints. In a human-in-the-loop simulation study, both manual and automated capacity setting methods were evaluated in terms of their overall feasibility using measures of system performance, human performance, and qualitative feedback. Subject matter experts were asked to use three different methods to allocate capacity to three FCAs, either (1) by manually setting capacity for every 60-minute time window, (2) by manually setting capacity for every 15-minute time window, or (3) by using the FBA capability to automatically generate capacity settings. Results showed no significant differences in terms of overall system performance, indicated by similar ground delay and airport throughput numbers between methods. However, differences in individual strategies afforded by the manual methods allowed some participants to achieve system-wide delay that was much lower than the average. The FBA was the fastest method of capacity setting, and it received the lowest subjective rating scores on physical task load, mental task load, task difficulty and task complexity out of the three methods. Finally, participants explained through qualitative feedback that there were many benefits to using the FBA, such as ease of use, accuracy, and low risk of human input error. Participants did not experience the same limitations with the FBA that they did with the manual methods, such as reduced accuracy in the 60-minute manual condition, or high complexity in the 15-minute/manual condition. These results suggest that the FBA automation enhancement to CTOP maintains system performance while improving human performance. Therefore, the FBA could be introduced as a way to mitigate operator workload while planning a CTOP.

NextGen↗

SnSe 2 thermal conductivity from optothermal Raman and Stokes/anti-Stokes thermometry

The optothermal Raman method is useful in determining the in-plane thermal conductivity of two-dimensional (2D) materials that are either suspended or supported on a substrate. We compare this method with the Stokes/anti-Stokes scattering thermometry method, which can play a role in both calibration of Raman peak positions as well as extraction of the local phonon temperature. This work demonstrates that the Stokes/anti-Stokes intensity ratio plays an important role in determining the in-plane thermal conductivity of 2D tin diselenide (SnSe 2 ) dry-transferred onto a polished copper (Cu) substrate. The statistically-averaged thermal conductivity of the 108 ± 24 nm-thick SnSe 2 yielded 5.4 ± 3.5 Wm −1 K −1 for the optothermal Raman method, and 2.40 ± 0.81 Wm −1 K −1 for the Stokes/anti-Stokes thermometry method, indicating that the Stokes/anti-Stokes thermometry method to calculate the thermal conductivity of a material can simultaneously increase both precision and accuracy. The uncertainty value was also lowered by a factor of 1.9 from the traditional optothermal Raman method to the Stokes/anti-Stokes thermometry method. The low in-plane thermal conductivity of 2D SnSe 2 , 1.3–2.9 times lower than bulk, is useful for applications in thermal and electrical energy conversion and thermoelectric devices.

2D materials↗

SIGHT: Stacked Integration of Geospatial Hierarchical Typologies for Inferring Building Characteristics

Building characteristics are often absent in building stock datasets, particularly in regions most vulnerable to climate change and requiring effective disaster management strategies. Traditional machine learning approaches, while widely used to predict building attributes, typically neglect the spatial context of the data, leading to less accurate and reliable outcomes. To address these challenges, this paper introduces a novel algorithm, the Stacked Integration of Geospatial Hierarchical Typologies. This algorithm adapts a meta-learning framework to incorporate geospatial context into the predictive modeling process. We demonstrate the utility of the algorithm through two primary use cases: building use type classification and building height prediction. The algorithm consistently achieved or exceeded a 0.94 macro average F1 score across five geographically distinct countries for building use type classification. For building height prediction, it accurately predicted heights with a root mean square error of 3.01 in a comprehensive study using roughly 3.6 million buildings in Japan. These results underscore the benefits of integrating spatial hierarchies into machine learning models, enhancing both predictive accuracy and reliability in geospatial modeling. This work introduces a new algorithm to address the pervasive data sparsity issue in existing building stock datasets.

Adams, Daniel [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000196950577)↗

Impact of Advection Schemes on Tracer Interrelationships in Large-Eddy Simulations of Deep Convection

This study investigates the preservation of tracer interrelationships during advection in large-eddy simulations of an idealized deep convective cloud, which is particularly relevant to chemistry, aerosol, and cloud microphysics models. Employing the Cloud Model 1, advection is represented using third-, fifth-, and seventh-order weighted essentially non-oscillatory schemes. As a simplified analogy for cloud hydrometeors and aerosols, several inert passive tracers following linear and nonlinear relationships are initialized after the cloud reaches ~6-km depth. Numerical mixing in the simulated turbulent convective clouds leads to significant deviations from the initial nonlinear relationships between tracers. In these simulations, a considerable fraction of the grid points where the tracers’ nonlinear relationships are altered from advection are classified as unrealistic (e.g., ~13% for the environmental tracers on average), including errors from range-preserving unmixing and overshooting. Errors in the sum of three tracers are also relatively large, ranging between ~1% and 16% for 5% of the grid points in and near the cloud. The magnitude of unrealistic mixing and errors in the sum of three tracers generally increase with the order of accuracy of the advection scheme. These results are consistent across model grid spacings ranging from 50 to 200 m, and across three different flow realizations for each combination of grid spacing and advection scheme tested. Tests employing a previously proposed scalar normalization procedure show substantially reduced errors in the sum of three tracers with a relatively small negative impact on other tracer relationships. This analysis, therefore, suggests efficacy of the normalization procedure when applied to turbulent three-dimensional cloud simulations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗