SEARCH · Search NASA
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.
The Aviation System Modeling Study was directed toward two primary goals: an improved understanding of the U.S. aviation system, and technology. There are three major categories into which the individual study efforts may be subdivided. These three categories are: special issue studies, task studies, and data base development.
The primary focus during the third-phase of our on-going multi-year research effort has been on 3 activities. These are: (1) a global-scale model study of the anthropogenic component of the tropospheric sulfur cycle; (2) process-scale model studies of the factors influencing the distribution of aerosols in the remote marine atmosphere; and (3) an investigation of the mechanism of the OH-initiated oxidation of DMS in the remote marine boundary layer. In this paper, we describe in more detail our research activities in each of these areas. A major portion of our activities during the fourth and final phase of this project will involve the preparation and submission of manuscripts describing the results from our model studies of marine boundary-layer aerosols and DMS-oxidation mechanisms.
A detailed model of the IOP was developed and used to evaluate IOP performance and its effect of flight software performance. A redesign of FIOMCNTL, the MSC control program, is recommended.
A computer model (Nisbet, 1983) was used to evaluate the role of thunderstorm clouds in generating the currents necessary for the maintenance of the ionospheric potential. The effects of variations in the breakdown electric field below the lower charge center, heights of the upper and lower charge centers, generator currents and geometry, as well as of the conductivity profile of the cloud, the surrounding air, and the ionosphere, on the currents to the ionosphere were examined. It was shown that the most important single variable controlling the ionospheric current/generator current ratio for both very active storms and for storms that do not produce lightning is the height of the lower active center. The ionospheric conductivity has a negligible effect on the total current to the ionosphere, although it is very important in controlling the electric field and current density waveforms above the cloud.
Results from transonic flutter model studies are presented. The flutter model was constructed to support the flutter prevention and clearance program from preliminary design through flight flutter tests. The model tests were conducted in the Langley transonic dynamics tunnel. The large full span free-flying model was shown to be an effective tool in defining airplane flutter characteristics by demonstrating freedom from flutter for most configurations and by defining optimum solutions for a few troublesome configurations.
PAN AIR is a computer program that calculates linear potential flow about arbitrary configurations at both subsonic and supersonic Mach numbers. This paper is a follow-on of another paper entitled 'PAN AIR Modeling Studies', in which several studies were presented that exhibited PAN AIR's versatility for modeling diverse configurations. Results from four modeling studies of interest in modeling realistic aircraft shapes are presented. The topics addressed are (1) half-geometry option in sideslip, (2) network gaps, (3) three-dimensional forebody flows, and (4) trailing-edge representation.
The following is the final technical report for grant NAGW-3442, 'Observational and Model Studies of Large-Scale Mixing Processes in the Stratosphere'. Research efforts in the first year concentrated on transport and mixing processes in the polar vortices. Three papers on mixing in the Antarctic were published. The first was a numerical modeling study of wavebreaking and mixing and their relationship to the period of observed stratospheric waves (Bowman). The second paper presented evidence from TOMS for wavebreaking in the Antarctic (Bowman and Mangus 1993). The third paper used Lagrangian trajectory calculations from analyzed winds to show that there is very little transport into the Antarctic polar vortex prior to the vortex breakdown (Bowman). Mixing is significantly greater at lower levels. This research helped to confirm theoretical arguments for vortex isolation and data from the Antarctic field experiments that were interpreted as indicating isolation. A Ph.D. student, Steve Dahlberg, used the trajectory approach to investigate mixing and transport in the Arctic. While the Arctic vortex is much more disturbed than the Antarctic, there still appears to be relatively little transport across the vortex boundary at 450 K prior to the vortex breakdown. The primary reason for the absence of an ozone hole in the Arctic is the earlier warming and breakdown of the vortex compared to the Antarctic, not replenishment of ozone by greater transport. Two papers describing these results have appeared (Dahlberg and Bowman; Dahlberg and Bowman). Steve Dahlberg completed his Ph.D. thesis (Dahlberg and Bowman) and is now teaching in the Physics Department at Concordia College. We also prepared an analysis of the QBO in SBUV ozone data (Hollandsworth et al.). A numerical study in collaboration with Dr. Ping Chen investigated mixing by barotropic instability, which is the probable origin of the 4-day wave in the upper stratosphere (Bowman and Chen). The important result from this paper is that even in the presence of growing, unstable waves, the mixing barriers around
Model results and the observed cloud behavior are examined in terms of nonelectrical and electrical aspects of a thunderstorm. The characteristics of the two-dimensional, time-dependent atmospheric electricity model used to simulate the cloud observations of July 19, 1981 in Miles City, Montana are described. The interactions of the dynamics and microphysics of the cloud with the charge separation mechanisms are analyzed. It is observed that the model accurately represents many of the observed characteristics of the cloud; however, the cloud base height, maximum liquid water content, and the time from first formation of precipitation until it reaches the ground are not accurately modeled. It is found that the model adequately represents the electrical field structure of the cloud and the electrical field strengths.
This termination report covers the latter part of a single research effort spanning several grant cycles. During this time there was a single title, "Experimental and Modeling Studies of Massif Anorthosites", but there were several contract numbers as the mode and location of NASA contract administration changed. Initially, the project was funded as an increment to the PI's other grant, "Early Differentiation of the Moon: Experimental and Modeling Studies", but subsequently it became an independent grant. Table 1 contains a brief summary of the dates and contract numbers.
Here, we present a multiscale modeling study on the electro-reduction of benzaldehyde (BZY) on Au(111) under realistic electrochemical conditions. To model the electrochemical cell, we adopt a capacitor model in which complex solvents are confined between a Au cathode and a carbon anode. Classical molecular dynamics simulations reveal that electrode charge density and the presence of alcohol show strong effects on the density, adsorption geometry and dynamics of benzaldehyde on the Au electrode. Under charging conditions, the surface concentration of benzaldehyde on the Au electrode decreases, while the content of other species increases. Finally, we proposed a scheme that correlates the electric current running through the Au/solvent interface with the applied bias. This study provides a molecular level understanding of how solvent composition, in this case water/alcohol content, controls the activity of electrocatalytic hydrogenation
A group of mathematical models of various physiological systems have been developed and applied to studying problems associated with adaptation to weightlessness. One biomedical issue which could be addressed by at least three of these models from varying perspectives was the reduction in blood volume that universally occurs in astronauts. Accordingly, models of fluid-electrolyte, erythropoiesis, and cardiovascular regulation were employed to study the causes and consequences of blood volume loss during space flight. This analysis confirms the notion that alterations of blood volume are central to an understanding of adaptation to prolonged space flight. More importantly, the modeling studies resulted in specific hypotheses accounting for plasma volume and red cell mass losses and testable predictions concerning the behavior of the circulatory system.
This paper introduces a model for simulating hybrid plants participating in energy and ancillary services for bulk power system studies. The model considers a hybrid plant comprised of a renewable energy source, a thermal power unit, a storage unit, fixed power loads, or any combination of these technologies. The model focuses on Production Cost Modeling (PCM) studies under the assumption of centralized dispatch. We present an example case study to illustrate the use of the model in a single-stage production cost model similar to those conducted by planning agencies. We explore the allocation of behind-the-meter ancillary services products and total energy participation to hybrid plant sub-assets and the resulting impacts on the system's ancillary service allocation. The model is implemented and simulated in a unit commitment problem in the RTS test system, which was modified to include a hybrid plant asset.
The flutter prevention and clearance task for the F-16 airplane is being accomplished in a combined analysis, wind-tunnel dynamic model test, and flight flutter test program. This paper presents highlight results from transonic flutter model studies. The flutter model was constructed to support the flutter prevention and clearance program from preliminary design through flight flutter tests. The model tests were conducted in NASA's Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. The large full-span free-flying model is shown to be an effective tool in defining airplane flutter characteristics by demonstrating freedom from flutter for most configurations and by defining optimum solutions for a few troublesome configurations.
Propagation characteristic model study of kinked Z trace observed on topside ionograms and explained by magnetoionic theory
Model studies of the potential of laser absorption-computed tomography are presented which demonstrate the possibility of sensitive remote atmospheric pollutant measurements, over kilometer-sized areas, with two-dimensional resolution, at modest laser source powers. An analysis of this tomographic reconstruction process as a function of measurement SNR, laser power, range, and system geometry, shows that the system is able to yield two-dimensional maps of pollutant concentrations at ranges and resolutions superior to those attainable with existing, direct-detection laser radars.
Dynamic model study to determine low subsonic speed stability and drag characteristics during vertical descent of entry configurations considered for probes of planetary atmospheres
This paper introduces a model for simulating hybrid plants participating in energy and ancillary services for bulk power system studies. The model considers a hybrid plant comprised of a renewable energy source, a thermal power unit, a storage unit, fixed power loads, or any combination of these technologies. The model focuses on Production Cost Modeling (PCM) studies under the assumption of centralized dispatch. We present an example case study to illustrate the use of the model in a single-stage production cost model similar to those conducted by planning agencies. We explore the allocation of behind-themeter ancillary services products and total energy participation to hybrid plant sub-assets and the resulting impacts on the system's ancillary service allocation. The model is implemented and simulated in a unit commitment problem in the RTS test system, which was modified to include a hybrid plant asset.
Time dependent model for study of plasmapause motion during changes in magnetic activity