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Li, Xiaofan

Publications and source records attributed to Li, Xiaofan.

At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Oscillating surge wave energy converter using a novel above-water power takeoff with belt-arc speed amplification

We investigate the performance of a novel power takeoff (PTO) featuring belt-arc speed amplification for oscillating surge wave energy converters (OSWECs), aiming to address the challenges of extremely low rotary speed and large torque under the low-frequency ocean wave excitations. The belt-arc design significantly increases the rotary speed of the generator, enabling generator downsizing and decreasing the powertrain friction losses. The design also allows for placing the generator above water, eliminating the need for high Ingress Protection ratings for the generator and powertrain, and potentially leading to substantial reductions in capital and maintenance costs. Using the linear potential wave theory, the dynamics of the integrated system are analyzed, and key parameters are identified. To validate the numerical analysis, a 1:10 scale model is designed, fabricated, and tested in a wave tank. Performance evaluations are conducted under regular and irregular wave conditions, with quantified effects of parameter tuning. The results reveal an optimal wave-to-electric efficiency of 48% under regular wave excitation and 20% under irregular excitation. Furthermore, these findings underscore the effectiveness of the proposed novel PTO design in addressing the challenges of low rotation speed and large torque inherent in OSWECs, demonstrating its ability to efficiently convert wave power into electricity.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Experimental investigation of a reverse osmosis desalination system directly powered by wave energy

Powering desalination processes with renewable energy is a promising solution to address the global issue of water shortage with minimum carbon footprint and environmental impact. Here, we experimentally investigate a sustainable reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system directly powered by wave energy. In this system, seawater is pressurized and pumped to a RO desalination module via a piston pump directly driven by an oscillating surge wave energy converter (OSWEC). An accumulator is adopted on the feed inlet to mitigate the pressure fluctuations under time-varying ocean conditions. Meanwhile, a needle valve on the brine outlet is used to adjust the system pressure and water recovery. A 1:10 scaled model was designed, fabricated, and tested in a wave tank based on the Froude scaling law. Further, the optimal specific water productivity (SWP) obtained in the tank tests with 3.5 g/L feed salinity was 2.23m 3 /kWh, indicating a full-scale specific water productivity of 0.22m 3 /kWh for 35g/L seawater salinity. The influence of needle valve tuning on the specific water productivity was experimentally investigated and analyzed. Under a specific operational condition, tuning this valve improved specific water productivity by about 17% and reduced the system pressure by 24%, thereby avoiding extreme pressure and improving the system’s capability. This pilot study demonstrates that ocean wave energy is a promising source to sustainably power reverse osmosis desalination and provide freshwater water for coastal regions.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Numerical integration of stochastic contact Hamiltonian systems via stochastic Herglotz variational principle

Within this work, we establish a stochastic contact variational integrator and its discrete version via stochastic Herglotz variational principle for stochastic contact Hamiltonian systems. A general structure-preserving stochastic contact method is provided to seek the stochastic contact variational integrators. Numerical experiments are performed to verify the validity of this approach.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Design, dynamic modeling and wave basin verification of a Hybrid Wave–Current Energy Converter

Massive and high-density Marine and Hydrokinetic (MHK) energy is contained in the ocean, including waves, tidal streams, and ocean currents. Traditional MHK energy converters harvest energy from only a single MHK energy source, which does not fully exploit the energy potential that co-exists in multiple forms of MHK energy in the ocean. This paper presents the design and dynamics of a Hybrid Wave–Current Energy Converter (HWCEC) that can simultaneously convert both wave and current energy to electricity with a single Power Take-off (PTO) through the engagement and disengagement of the three one-way clutches. The critical design parameters are analyzed through modeling and simulation, including the transmission ratios, the electrical impedance, and the turbine-heave plate distance. Water basin tests in a wave–current tank were conducted, which shows the prototyped HWCEC can improve the electric power output by 38%–71% for regular waves and 79% for irregular waves, while providing a 70% reduction of the Peak to Average Ratio (PAR) of power compared to the baseline Wave Energy Converter (WEC). Here we further analyze the occurring percentages of the instant power of both WEC and HWCEC in irregular wave tests, shedding new insight on how HWCEC reduces the PAR.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dynamic characterization and performance evaluation of a 10-kW power take-off with mechanical motion rectifier for wave energy conversion

The power take-off (PTO) is a key component for wave energy converters. In this paper, a compact PTO with mechanical motion rectification rated at 10 kW is designed and prototyped, and characterized. A piecewise nonlinear dynamic model is established to describe its unique dynamic property. A linear hydraulic actuator is adopted in lab testing to drive the prototype and the unknown parameters of the dynamic model are identified. Further verification shows that the model can predict the dynamic performance of the PTO well. The test results show that the mechanical motion rectifier-based PTO can achieve overall energy transfer efficiency as high as 65% in regular waves even when the generator is working below the rated electric load and speed. In the irregular wave test, the PTO achieved the overall energy transfer efficiency of 54%, and the peak-to-average ratio acquired during the test is 12.5.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dynamic Characterization and Performance Evaluation of a 10-kw Power Take-Off with Mechanical Motion Rectifier for Wave Energy Conversion

The power take-off (PTO) is a key component for wave energy converters (WECs). The dynamic properties of the PTO influence the response of the WEC and should be considered when designing the WEC and not oversimplified. In addition, the efficiency as well as the reliability can play an important role on whether the PTO can be suitable for real-world applications. In this paper, a novel compact PTO rated at 10 kW is designed and prototyped, and a comprehensive nonlinear dynamic model is established for the PTO. Through bench testing, the unknown parameters of the dynamic model are characterized and determined. Further verification shows that the model can predict the dynamic performance of the PTO well. In addition, the test results show that the mechanical motion rectifier PTO can achieve good energy transfer efficiency, especially for low-load and low-speed conditions.

bench test↗
DOE OSTI2021

A self-floating oscillating surge wave energy converter

Here this paper proposes a new conceptual configuration for oscillating surge wave energy converters. The concept is a self-floating device consisting of two vertical flaps with a common hinge and an averaged density equal to that of water. The two flaps will oscillate in opposite directions when driven by incident waves. Kinetic energy will be extracted from the relative speed between the two flaps by a power take-off embedded at the hinge. Numerical studies reveal that the self-floating device has a smaller resonant period and optimal power take-off damping compared with a bottom-hinged floating device of the same overall dimensions. As long as the power take-off damping is appropriately tuned, the opposite-rotation mechanism is valid in both regular and irregular waves, and no matter whether the hinge is fixed or connected with mooring lines. With the self-floating feature and opposite-rotation mechanism, the proposed concept can potentially benefit deep ocean applications by exerting a significantly less reaction loading on mooring lines and eliminating the need for a supporting frame to house the power take-off. The influence of various design parameters such as flap dimensions, submerged depth, incident wave direction, and water depth is also analyzed for a comprehensive evaluation of the proposed concept.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2020

Performance analysis and tank test validation of a hybrid ocean wave-current energy converter with a single power takeoff

This paper introduces a hybrid ocean wave-current energy converter (HWCEC) that harvests energy from ocean waves and current simultaneously with a single power takeoff (PTO). Specifically, the wave energy is extracted through relative heaving motion between a floating buoy and a submerged second body, while the current energy is extracted using a marine current turbine (MCT). Energy from both sources are integrated by a hybrid PTO whose concept is based on a mechanical motion rectifier (MMR). The hybrid PTO with two one-way clutches converts bidirectional, up-and-down motion from the waves into unidirectional rotation of the generator. Meanwhile a third one-way clutch couples the MCT with the same generator. The wave and current can simultaneously or separately drive the same generator through different engagement and disengagement statuses of the one-way clutches. Time-domain simulation is conducted with hydrodynamic coefficients obtained from computational fluid dynamics analysis and boundary element method. Tank tests were conducted for a HWCEC under co-existing wave and current inputs. For comparison, separate baseline tests of a turbine and a two-body point absorber, each acting in isolation, are conducted. Experimental results validate the dynamic modeling and show that a HWCEC can increase the output power with a range between 29-87% over either current turbine and wave energy converter acting individually, and it can reduce by up to 70% the peak-to-average power ratio compared with the wave energy converter on the tested conditions.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
NASA NTRS2009

A Contribution by Ice Nuclei to Global Warming

Ice nuclei (IN) significantly affect clouds via supercooled droplets, that in turn modulate atmospheric radiation and thus climate change. Since the IN effect is relatively strong in stratiform clouds but weak in convective ones, the overall effect depends on the ratio of stratiform to convective cloud amount. In this paper, 10 years of TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) satellite data are analyzed to confirm that stratiform precipitation fraction increases with increasing latitude, which implies that the IN effect is stronger at higher latitudes. To quantitatively evaluate the IN effect versus latitude, large-scale forcing data from ten field campaigns are used to drive a CRM (cloud-resolving model) to generate longterm cloud simulations. As revealed in the simulations, the increase in the net downward radiative flux at the TOA (top of the atmosphere) from doubling the current IN concentrations is larger at higher latitude, which is attributed to the meridional tendency in the stratiform precipitation fraction. Surface warming from doubling the IN concentrations, based on the radiative balance of the globe, is compared with that from anthropogenic COZ . It is found that the former effect is stronger than the latter in middle and high latitudes but not in the Tropics. With regard to the impact of IN on global warming, there are two factors to consider: the radiative effect from increasing the IN concentration and the increase in IN concentration itself. The former relies on cloud ensembles and thus varies mainly with latitude. In contrast, the latter relies on IN sources (e.g., the land surface distribution) and thus varies not only with latitude but also longitude. Global desertification and industrialization provide clues on the geographic variation of the increase in IN concentration since pre-industrial times. Thus, their effect on global warming can be inferred and then be compared with observations. A general match in geographic and seasonal variations between the inferred and observed warming suggests that IN may have contributed positively to global warming over the past decades, especially in middle and high latitudes.

Zeng, Xiping↗
NASA NTRS2004

Modeling Nonlinear Acoustic Standing Waves in Resonators: Theory and Experiments

The overall goal of the cooperative research with NASA Glenn is to fundamentally understand, computationally model, and experimentally validate non-linear acoustic waves in enclosures with the ultimate goal of developing a non-contact acoustic seal. The longer term goal is to transition the Glenn acoustic seal innovation to a prototype sealing device. Lucas and coworkers are credited with pioneering work in Resonant Macrosonic Synthesis (RMS). Several Patents and publications have successfully illustrated the concept of Resonant Macrosonic Synthesis. To utilize this concept in practical application one needs to have an understanding of the details of the phenomenon and a predictive tool that can examine the waveforms produced within resonators of complex shapes. With appropriately shaped resonators one can produce un-shocked waveforms of high amplitude that would result in very high pressures in certain regions. Our goal is to control the waveforms and exploit the high pressures to produce an acoustic seal. Note that shock formation critically limits peak-to-peak pressure amplitudes and also causes excessive energy dissipation. Proper shaping of the resonator is thus critical to the use of this innovation.

Raman, Ganesh↗
NASA NTRS2004

Nonlinear Oscillations and Flow of Gas Within Closed and Open Conical Resonators

A dissonant acoustic resonator with a conical shaped cavity was tested in four configurations: (A) baseline resonator with closed ends and no blockage; (B) closed resonator with internal blockage; (C) ventilated resonator with no blockage; and (D) ventilated resonator with an applied pressure differential. These tests were conducted to investigate the effects of blockage and ventilation holes on dynamic pressurization. Additionally, the investigation was to determine the ability of acoustic pressurization to impede flow through the resonator. In each of the configurations studied, the entire resonator was oscillated at the gas resonant frequency while dynamic pressure, static pressure, and temperature of the fluid were measured. In the final configuration, flow through the resonator was recorded for three oscillation conditions. Ambient condition air was used as the working fluid. The baseline results showed a marked reduction in the amplitude of the dynamic pressure waveforms over previously published studies due to the use of air instead of refrigerant as the working fluid. A change in the resonant frequency was recorded when blockages of differing geometries were used in the closed resonator, while acoustic pressure amplitudes were reduced from baseline measurements. A sharp reduction in the amplitude of the acoustic pressure waves was expected and recorded when ventilation ports were added. With elevated pressure applied to one end of the resonator, flow was reduced by oscillating the cavity at the fluid fundamental resonant frequency compared to cases without oscillation and oscillation off-resonance.

Daniels, Christopher↗
NASA NTRS2003

Nonlinear Resonant Oscillations of Gas in Optimized Acoustical Resonators and the Effect of Central Blockage

Optimizing resonator shapes for maximizing the ratio of maximum to minimum gas pressure at an end of the resonator is investigated numerically. It is well known that the resonant frequencies and the nonlinear standing waveform in an acoustical resonator strongly depend on the resonator geometry. A quasi-Newton type scheme was used to find optimized axisymmetric resonator shapes achieving the maximum pressure compression ratio with an acceleration of constant amplitude. The acoustical field was solved using a one-dimensional model, and the resonance frequency shift and hysteresis effects were obtained through an automation scheme based on continuation method. Results are presented for optimizing three types of geometry: a cone, a horn-cone and a half cosine-shape. For each type, different optimized shapes were found when starting with different initial guesses. Further, the one-dimensional model was modified to study the effect of an axisymmetric central blockage on the nonlinear standing wave.

Li, Xiaofan↗
NASA NTRS2002

An Experimental Study of Nonlinear Standing Waves in Resonators with Numerical Comparison

Lawrenson et. al. [Journal of the Acoustic Society of America, Nov. 1998] described the generation of shock-free high-amplitude pressure waves in closed cavities using large equipment and resonators to produce the reported effects. An attempt is made to generate shock-free high-amplitude pressure waves using relatively small resonators. Ambient air is used as the working fluid. A small cylindrical resonator is tested resulting in the lack of a shocked waveform while a larger model of the same shape produces shock waves. A small conical resonator produces shock-free pressure waves at resonance, but the amplitude of these waves is small. A larger cone resonator model produces shock-free pressure waves of higher amplitude. A large horn-cone resonator also produces shock-free high amplitude pressure waves, A numerical model is used to compare the experimental results to theoretical results. The effects of structural resonances on the production of shock-free high-amplitude pressure waves are discussed, especially concerning difficulties encountered when these resonances were in the frequency ranges of interest. Identifying features of a structural resonance are presented.

Finkbeiner, Joshua R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

New Insights on Hydro-Climate Feedback Processes over the Tropical Ocean from TRMM

In this paper, we study hydro-climate feedback processes over the tropical oceans, by examining the relationships among large scale circulation and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager-Sea Surface Temperature (TMI-SST), and a range of TRMM rain products including rain rate, cloud liquid water, precipitable water, cloud types and areal coverage, and precipitation efficiency. Results show that for a warm event (1998), the 28C threshold of convective precipitation is quite well defined over the tropical oceans. However, for a cold event (1999), the SST threshold is less well defined, especially over the central and eastern Pacific cold tongue, where stratiform rain occurs at much lower than 28 C. Precipitation rates and cloud liquid water are found to be more closely related to the large scale vertical motion than to the underlying SST. While total columnar water vapor is more strongly dependent on SST. For a large domain, over the eastern Pacific, we find that the areal extent of the cloudy region tends to shrink as the SST increases. Examination of the relationship between cloud liquid water and rain rate suggests that the residence time of cloud liquid water tends to be shorter, associated with higher precipitation efficiency in a warmer climate. It is hypothesized that the reduction in cloudy area may be influenced both by the shift in large scale cloud patterns in response to changes in large scale forcings, and possible increase in the cloud liquid water conversion to rain water in a warmer environment. Results of numerical experiments with the Goddard cloud resolving model to test the hypothesis will be discussed.

Lau, William K. M.↗
NASA NTRS2001

The Impacts of Daily Surface Forcing in the Upper Ocean over Tropical Pacific: A Numerical Study

Tropical Pacific Ocean is an important region that affects global climate. How the ocean responds to the atmospheric surface forcing (surface radiative, heat and momentum fluxes) is a major topic in oceanographic research community. The ocean becomes warm when more heat flux puts into the ocean. The monthly mean forcing has been used in the past years since daily forcing was unavailable due to the lack of observations. The daily forcing is now available from the satellite measurements. This study investigates the response of the upper ocean over tropical Pacific to the daily atmospheric surface forcing. The ocean surface heat budgets are calculated to determine the important processes for the oceanic response. The differences of oceanic responses between the eastern and western Pacific are intensively discussed.

Sui, C.-H.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Precipitation Efficiency in the Tropical Deep Convective Regime

Precipitation efficiency in the tropical deep convective regime is analyzed based on a 2-D cloud resolving simulation. The cloud resolving model is forced by the large-scale vertical velocity and zonal wind and large-scale horizontal advections derived from TOGA COARE for a 20-day period. Precipitation efficiency may be defined as a ratio of surface rain rate to sum of surface evaporation and moisture convergence (LSPE) or a ratio of surface rain rate to sum of condensation and deposition rates of supersaturated vapor (CMPE). Moisture budget shows that the atmosphere is moistened (dryed) when the LSPE is less (more) than 100 %. The LSPE could be larger than 100 % for strong convection. This indicates that the drying processes should be included in cumulus parameterization to avoid moisture bias. Statistical analysis shows that the sum of the condensation and deposition rates is bout 80 % of the sum of the surface evaporation rate and moisture convergence, which ads to proportional relation between the two efficiencies when both efficiencies are less han 100 %. The CMPE increases with increasing mass-weighted mean temperature and creasing surface rain rate. This suggests that precipitation is more efficient for warm environment and strong convection. Approximate balance of rates among the condensation, deposition, rain, and the raindrop evaporation is used to derive an analytical solution of the CMPE.

Li, Xiaofan↗