Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “WIND VELOCITY”

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 1,387 records · Page 77

Calibration and Lag of a Friez Type Cup Anemometer

Tests on a Friez type cup anemometer have been made in the variable density wind tunnel of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory to calibrate the instrument and to determine its suitability for velocity measurements of wind gusts. The instrument was calibrated against a Pitot-static tube placed directly above the anemometer at air densities corresponding to sea level, and to an altitude of approximately 6000 feet. Air-speed acceleration tests were made to determine the lag in the instrument reading. The calibration results indicate that there should be an altitude correction. It is concluded that the cup anemometer is too sluggish for velocity measurements of wind gusts.

INSTRUMENTS - ANEMOMETERS - FRIEZ↗

Winds in collision. I - Geometric implications of the emission lines for V 1016 Cyg and HM Sge

Emission line profiles and radial velocity data obtained from spectra in the visual region are presented for V1016 Cyg and HM Sge. The profiles of the forbidden emission lines are found to be inconsistent with spherical symmetry for the hot nebular material. It is argued that part of the nebular material in a detached binary system where both stars have spontaneous winds will naturally assume the shape of a curved, roughly conical, shell. The data can be satisfactorily interpreted in terms of the interaction of a low-velocity wind from a red giant with a high-velocity wind from a white dwarf in a detached binary system. This scheme provides a natural assignment of emission line forming regions to different portions of the interaction shell and the two winds, explaining both the profiles and the velocities of the features.

Willson, L. A.↗

Interplanetary magnetic field draping about fast coronal mass ejecta in the outer heliosphere

The possibility that the IMF becomes draped around coronal mass ejections (CMEs) propagating rapidly through the quiescent solar wind into the outer heliosphere is investigated theoretically. The results are presented in diagrams and graphs and discussed in detail. It is found that large sunward-directed structures analogous to the Venus and cometary magnetotails should form when the CME velocity exceeds the solar-wind velocity by more than the local Alfven speed; such structures could hang up swept-up IMF flux for as long as several days. Pioneer 11 magnetic-field measurements at 6.9-9.4 AU from three 20-d periods in 1978 are examined and shown to contain some features consistent with CME draping.

Mccomas, D. J.↗

SIMULATIONS OF DISK GALAXIES WITH COSMIC RAY DRIVEN GALACTIC WINDS

We present results from high-resolution hydrodynamic simulations of isolated Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC)- and Milky-Way-sized galaxies that include a model for feedback from galactic cosmic rays (CRs). We find that CRs are naturally able to drive winds with mass loading factors of up to ∼10 in dwarf systems. The scaling of the mass loading factor with circular velocity between the two simulated systems is consistent with η∝v{sub circ}{sup 1-2} required to reproduce the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function. In addition, simulations with CR feedback reproduce both the normalization and the slope of the observed trend of wind velocity with galaxy circular velocity. We find that winds in simulations with CR feedback exhibit qualitatively different properties compared to supernova-driven winds, where most of acceleration happens violently in situ near star forming sites. The CR-driven winds are accelerated gently by the large-scale pressure gradient established by CRs diffusing from the star-forming galaxy disk out into the halo. The CR-driven winds also exhibit much cooler temperatures and, in the SMC-sized system, warm (T ∼ 10{sup 4} K) gas dominates the outflow. The prevalence of warm gas in such outflows may provide a clue as to the origin of ubiquitous warm gas in the gaseous halos of galaxies detected via absorption lines in quasar spectra.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

High velocity molecular emission in Orion - A case for stellar winds

On the basis of data from the literature and observations of both a variety of molecules in the high-velocity source of the Orion molecular cloud and high-velocity emissions in other molecular clouds, it is proposed that the high-velocity source consists of clumps of dense molecular gas which are accelerated by the high-velocity stellar wind of a pre-main sequence star. Some of the H2O maser emissions, and the H2 and Herbig-Haro-type emissions, are attributed to shocks associated with the breakup of the protostellar cocoon.

Kuiper, T. B. H.↗

Neutrally stable atmospheric flow over a two-dimensional rectangular block

The phenomena of atmospheric flow over a two dimensional surface obstruction such as a building modeled as a rectangular block are analyzed by an approach using the Navier-Stokes equations with a two equation model of turbulence. The partial differential equations for the vorticity, stream function, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence length scale are solved by a finite difference technique. The predicted results are in agreement with the limited experimental data available. Current computed results show that the separation bubble originates from the upper front corner of the block and extends approximately 11.5 block heights behind the block. The decay of the mean velocity along the wake center line coincides almost perfectly with the experimental data. The vertical profiles of the mean velocity defect are also in reasonable agreement with wind tunnel results. Velocity profiles in the mixing region are shown to agree with the error function profile typically found in the shear layer. Details of the behavior of the turbulence kinetic energy and the turbulence length scale are also discussed.

Shieh, C. F.↗

HH55 and its energy source

Imaging and spectroscopic observations of HH55 in the Lupus molecular cloud are presented. Cohen and Schwartz (1987) have shown that HH55 is apparently not excited by the nearby T Tau star RU Lup as once thought but rather by the coincident FIR point source 15533 - 3742 extracted from IRAS coadded images. The optical counterpart of this IR source is identified as an active, relatively unobscured M-dwarf star. The forbidden emission lines observed in the stellar spectrum exhibit slight asymmetries to blueshifted velocities. Deconvolution of the emission lines reveals a weak moderate-velocity (-100 km/sec) wind component and a stronger emission component whose velocity is very close to that of the star.

Heyer, Mark H.↗

Comparison of vertical velocities analyzed by a numerical model and measured by a VHF wind profiler

The use of wind profilers for measuring vertical velocities in the troposphere and lower stratosphere is potentially of great interest for verification of forecasts, diagnosis of mesoscale circulations, and studies of wave motions. The studies of profiler vertical velocities to date have shown that the observed patterns of ascent and subsidence are reasonable when compared to the synoptic conditions. However, difficulties arise when a direct verification of the profiler vertical winds is sought. Since no other technique can measure the vertical velocities over the same height range and with the same claimed accuracy as the profilers, direct comparisons are impossible. The only alternative is to compare the measurements to analyzed vertical velocity fields. Here, researchers compare vertical measurements made with the SOUSY VHF radar over a period of 11 days at the beginning of November 1981 to the analyzed vertical velocities produced by the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) model for grid points near the radar site.

Larsen, M. F.↗

The effect of convection upon charged particle transport in random magnetic fields

In a coordinate system moving with the plasma and random magnetic fields of a wind that blows with constant velocity in the direction of the guiding field, transport of energetic particles is described by a Boltzmann equation which is similar to the one that describes unconvected transport. Although this formulation is mathematically identical to that developed by Luhmann, which refers to the system where the guiding field is static, there are both practical and fundamental reasons to adopt the new approach. It leads to first-order approximate transport equations which are similar to those that apply in the absence of convection. However, these equations are more general than Parker's description of diffusion and convection, for they describe the coherent modes of transport that appear when the mean free path is large compared to the scale length for spatial variations of the guiding field, and they are valid for arbitrary wind velocity. The latter characteristic opens up new possibilities for analyzing particle transport in relativistic flows seen in some astronomical objects.

Earl, J. A.↗

Swift Spectroscopy of the Accretion Disk Wind in the Black Hole GRO J1655–40

Chandra obtained two High Energy Transmission Grating spectra of the stellar-mass black hole GRO J1655−40 during its 2005 outburst, revealing a rich and complex disk wind. Soon after its launch, the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory began monitoring the same outburst. Some X-ray Telescope (XRT) observations were obtained in a mode that makes it impossible to remove strong Mn calibration lines, so the Fe Kα line region in the spectra was previously neglected. However, these lines enable a precise calibration of the energy scale, facilitating studies of the absorption-dominated disk wind and its velocity shifts. Here we present fits to 15 Swift/XRT spectra, revealing variability and evolution in the outflow. The data strongly point to a magnetically driven disk wind: both the higher-velocity (e.g., v~-104 km s-1) and lower-velocity (e.g., v~-103 km s-1) wind components are typically much faster than is possible for thermally driven outflows (v </ 200 km s-1), and photoionization modeling yields absorption radii that are two orders of magnitude below the Compton radius that defines the typical inner extent of thermal winds. Moreover, correlations between key wind parameters yield an average absorption measure distribution that is consistent with magnetohydrodynamic wind models. We discuss our results in terms of recent observational and theoretical studies of black hole accretion disks and outflows, as well as future prospects.

Black hole↗

Interplanetary disturbances in the solar wind produced by density, temperature, or velocity pulses at 0.08 AU

Time-dependent solutions of a one-fluid model of the interplanetary medium are investigated. This set of unsteady hydrodynamic equations has been written in conserved form in order to apply the Lax-Wendroff (1960) method for the solution of this problem. The initial disturbance is specified by a pulse at 0.08 AU. Physically, this pulse can be interpreted as having been caused by a solar flare, surge, or any other solar disturbance. The equilibrium condition is determined to be the steady solution of the governing equations and represents the quiet solar wind. Results are presented in terms of density, temperature, and velocity profiles of the interplanetary gas flow at heliocentric distances up to 6 AU at several times. Also, the trajectories of disturbances for various initial pulses are shown. Some June 1972 interplanetary observational data are compared with these theoretical calculations. On the basis of these results, the effects of solar disturbances on the interplanetary environment (such as the generation of large nonlinear wave trains in the shock wakes) can be inferred.

Wu, S. T.↗

Hot relativistic winds and the Crab Nebula

Efforts to formulate a self-consistent model of pulsar magnetospheres which links the particle source near the pulsar to the outflowing relativistic wind and couples the wind to the surrounding nebula are reviewed. The use of a relativistic MHD wind is recommended to account for global photon emission and the invisibility of the method of plasma transport. Consideration of a magnetic monopole relativistic wind due to an axially symmetric aligned rotator is combined with calculations of the initial velocity of the wind to show that the flow velocity in such a model will never exceed Mach 1. Extending the solution to the case of a hot relativistic wind at supersonic speeds is noted to yield results consistent with observations of the Crab Nebula

Fujimura, F. S.↗

Mass loss at discrete velocities in Be stars: Evidence for non-radiatively driven wind

The temporal behavior of the high velocity, relatively narrow absorption components in C IV, Si III, IV observed in the pole-one Be stars psi Ori, 66 Oph, and HR 4009 and what these observations contribute toward our understanding of the Be phenomenon are discussed. Ground based and X-ray data on these stars are compared as well as their UV differences with similarly active Be stars with larger projected rotational velocities.

Peters, G. P.↗

Wind laws for shockless initialization

A system of diagnostic equations for the velocity field, or wind laws, was derived for each of a number of models of large-scale atmospheric flow. The derivation in each case is mathematically exact and does not involve any physical assumptions not already present in the prognostic equations, such as nondivergence or vanishing of derivatives of the divergence. Therefore, initial states computed by solving these diagnostic equations should be compatible with the type of motion described by the prognostic equations of the model and should not generate initialization shocks when inserted into the model. Numerical solutions of the diagnostic system corresponding to a barotropic model are exhibited. Some problems concerning the possibility of implementing such a system in operational numerical weather prediction are discussed.

Ghil, M.↗

CHARGE STATE EVOLUTION IN THE SOLAR WIND. II. PLASMA CHARGE STATE COMPOSITION IN THE INNER CORONA AND ACCELERATING FAST SOLAR WIND

In the present work, we calculate the evolution of the charge state distribution within the fast solar wind. We use the temperature, density, and velocity profiles predicted by Cranmer et al. to calculate the ionization history of the most important heavy elements in the solar corona and solar wind: C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, and Fe. The evolution of each charge state is calculated from the source region in the lower chromosphere to the final freeze-in point. We show that the solar wind velocity causes the plasma to experience significant departures from equilibrium at very low heights, well inside the field of view (within 0.6 R{sub sun} from the solar limb) of nearly all the available remote-sensing instrumentation, significantly affecting observed spectral line intensities. We also study the evolution of charge state ratios with distance from the source region, and the temperature they indicate if ionization equilibrium is assumed. We find that virtually every charge state from every element freezes in at a different height, so that the definition of freeze-in height is ambiguous. We also find that calculated freeze-in temperatures indicated by charge state ratios from in situ measurements have little relation to the local coronal temperature of the wind source region, and stop evolving much earlier than their correspondent charge state ratio. We discuss the implication of our results on plasma diagnostics of coronal holes from spectroscopic measurements as well as on theoretical solar wind models relying on coronal temperatures.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A spectral analysis of thunderstorm turbulence and jet transport landing performance

A description is presented of a study which examines not only wind shear, but considers the velocity spectrum of the wind, as it may affect the flight of an aircraft. A model reported by McCarthy and Blick (1976) and by Blick et al. (1978) is considered. The model simulated the approach performance of a Boeing 727-type aircraft, as affected by the time series winds measured along the aircraft's longitudinal axis. Attention is given to the model and its implications, wind shear simulations, and the use of the model in the study of a crash on June 24, 1975.

Mccarthy, J.↗

Heat transfer distributions around nominal ice accretion shapes formed on a cylinder in the NASA Lewis icing research tunnel

Local heat transfer coefficients were obtained on irregular cylindrical shapes which typify the accretion of ice on circular cylinders in cross flow. The ice shapes were grown on a 5.1 cm (2.0 in.) diameter cylinder in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel. The shapes were 2, 5, and 15 min accumulations of glaze ice and 15 min accumulation of rime ice. Heat transfer coefficients were also measured around the cylinder with no ice accretion. These icing shapes were averaged axially to obtain a nominal shape of constant cross section for the heat transfer tests. Heat transfer coefficients around the perimeter of each shape were measured with electrically heated copper strips embedded in the surface of the model which was cast from polyurethane foam. Each strip contained a thermocouple to measure the local surface temperature. The models were run in a 15.2 x 68.6 cm (6 x 27 in.) wind tunnel at several velocities. Background turbulence in the wind tunnel was less than 0.5 percent. The models were also run with a turbulence producing grid which gave about 3.5 percent turbulence at the model location with the model removed. The effect of roughness was also simulated with sand grains glued to the surface. Results are presented as Nusselt number versus angle from the stagnation line for the smooth and rough models for both high and low levels of free stream turblence. Roughness of the surface in the region prior to flow separation plays a major role in determining the heat transfer distribution.

Vanfossen, G. J.↗

An investigation of flap-lag stability of wind turbine rotors in the presence of velocity gradients and helicopter rotors in forward flight

The flap-lag equations of motion of a torsionally rigid and centrally hinged spring-restrained rigid blade are developed using quasi-steady blade-element aerodynamic theory. These equations have periodic coefficients and are applicable to both wind-turbine rotors with velocity gradients and helicopter rotors in forward flight. By solving these equations both by the Floquet-Liapunov method and by an approximate method, the range of applicability of the latter method is established. Flap-lag and pure flapping stability boundaries illustrating the effects of flow and rotor parameters are presented. Finally, some discussion on the techniques for generating the Floquet transition matrix and on the relative merits of the coordinate axes system is presented.

Kaza, K. R. V.↗