SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “gradient”

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 487 records · Page 27

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

NASA NTRS1985

Behavior of neutral wind gradients at meteor heights over midlatitude stations

The variation of wind gradients in the altitude range of 80 to 100 km, which contributes information on propagational characteristics of wave phenomena prevailing at those altitudes, was studied. Diurnal and semidiurnal components of the zonal (EW) and meridional (NS) neutral wind data collected over Atlanta using the Georgia Tech Meteor Wind Radar Facility during the period of August 1974 through March of 1978 over the height range of 80 to 100 km are analyzed in detail to obtain information on height gradients in amplitude and phase of neutral wind components over height intervals of 80 to 90 and 90 to 100 km. The details of the data analysis, major results, and conclusions are presented.

Devara, P. C. S.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Multi-color incomplete Cholesky conjugate gradient methods for vector computers

In this research, we are concerned with the solution on vector computers of linear systems of equations, Ax = b, where A is a larger, sparse symmetric positive definite matrix. We solve the system using an iterative method, the incomplete Cholesky conjugate gradient method (ICCG). We apply a multi-color strategy to obtain p-color matrices for which a block-oriented ICCG method is implemented on the CYBER 205. (A p-colored matrix is a matrix which can be partitioned into a pXp block matrix where the diagonal blocks are diagonal matrices). This algorithm, which is based on a no-fill strategy, achieves O(N/p) length vector operations in both the decomposition of A and in the forward and back solves necessary at each iteration of the method. We discuss the natural ordering of the unknowns as an ordering that minimizes the number of diagonals in the matrix and define multi-color orderings in terms of disjoint sets of the unknowns. We give necessary and sufficient conditions to determine which multi-color orderings of the unknowns correpond to p-color matrices. A performance model is given which is used both to predict execution time for ICCG methods and also to compare an ICCG method to conjugate gradient without preconditioning or another ICCG method. Results are given from runs on the CYBER 205 at NASA's Langley Research Center for four model problems.

Poole, E. L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Fugacity and concentration gradients in a gravity field

Equations are reviewed which show that at equilibrium fugacity and concentration gradients can exist in gravitational fields. At equilibrium, the logarithm of the ratio of the fugacities of a species at two different locations in a gravitational field is proportional to the difference in the heights of the two locations and the molecular weight of the species. An analogous relation holds for the concentration ratios in a multicomponent system. The ratio is calculated for a variety of examples. The kinetics for the general process are derived, and the time required to approach equilibrium is calculated for several systems. The following special topics are discussed: ionic solutions, polymers, multiphase systems, hydrostatic pressure, osmotic pressure, and solubility gradients in a gravity field.

May, C. E.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Heat transport in steep temperature gradients. I - Small flaring solar loops

Results on nonlocal heat transport which properly takes into account the presence of fast electrons with mean free paths much longer than the temperature scale height L are reviewed. In terms of the mean free path for the slow bulk electrons, lambda(s), the nonlocal effects are important whenever lambda(s)/L greater than 0.001, with the following consequences. The heat flux in the hot part of the gradient is reduced relative to the Spitzer-Haerm value q(SH) which does not take into account the heat carried away by the fast electrons. The heat flux in the cold part of the gradient is enhanced relative to the value q(SH) which does not take into account the heat deposited by the fast electrons. These quite general results, which should have several applications in astrophysics, are applied to the problem of thermal hard X-ray burst models. It is shown that heat is not bottled up as effectively as in some past models, and temperatures achieved for realistic energy input rates are consequently not as high. As a result such sources can be effective only in the soft part (10-30 keV) of the hard X-ray range for energy input rates up to 6,400 ergs/cu cm s. The analysis is based on a fluid model and does not consider the X-ray signature of fast electrons which escape to distances far beyond the conduction fronts formed. It is shown that such electrons could at most be effective in the soft part of the hard X-ray range.

Smith, D. F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Variation of cosmic rays and solar wind properties with respect to the heliospheric current sheet. II - Rigidity dependence of the latitudinal gradient of cosmic rays at 1 AU

The role which empirical determinations of the latitudinal variation of cosmic rays with respect to the current sheet may have in illuminating the importance of the cross-field drift of particles in the large-scale heliospheric magnetic field is discussed. Using K coronameter observations and measured solar wind speeds, the latitudinal gradients have been determined with respect to the current sheet for cosmic rays in four rigidity ranges. Gradients vary between approximately -2 and -50 pct/AU. The rigidity dependence of the decrease of cosmic ray flux with distance from the current sheet lies between the -0.72 to -0.86 power of the rigidity, with the exact dependence being determined by the definition used for the median rigidity of each monitor.

Newkirk, G., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Simultaneous VHF and UHF radar observation of the mesosphere at Arecibo during a solar flare: A check on the gradient-mixing hypothesis

The results of a two wavelength (VHF and UHF) mesosphere experiment performed at the Arecibo Observatory on January 5, 1981 are discussed. The 46.8-MHz VHF radar (3.21 m Bragg scale) was operated to provide spectral measurements of signals scattered from refractivity fluctuations due to turbulence. Other physical parameters such as radial velocities, scattered signal power, and Doppler spread due to turbulence can be derived from signal spectra. The 430-MHz UHF radar (0.36 m Bragg scale) was used for D-region electron-density measurements using the incoherent scatter technique with a comparable height resolution. The radars were pointed symmetrically about the vertical with a beam spacing of 5.5 degree in the meridional plane. Occurrence of a type 4 solar flare during the experiment produced enhanced D-region electron-density gradients. This was a unique circumstance that provided the possibility of testing the basic premises of the turbulent gradient-mixing hypothesis.

Rastogi, P. K.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Modification of a variational objective analysis model for new equations for pressure gradient and vertical velocity in the lower troposphere and for spatial resolution and accuracy of satellite data

Since late 1982 NASA has supported research to develop a numerical variational model for the diagnostic assimilation of conventional and space-based meteorological data. In order to analyze the model components, four variational models are defined dividing the problem naturally according to increasing complexity. The first of these variational models (MODEL I), the subject of this report, contains the two nonlinear horizontal momentum equations, the integrated continuity equation, and the hydrostatic equation. This report summarizes the results of research (1) to improve the way the large nonmeteorological parts of the pressure gradient force are partitioned between the two terms of the pressure gradient force terms of the horizontal momentum equations, (2) to generalize the integrated continuity equation to account for variable pressure thickness over elevated terrain, and (3) to introduce horizontal variation in the precision modulus weights for the observations.

Achtemeier, G. L.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Beam-induced pressure gradients in the early phase of proton-heated solar flares

The pressure gradient induced in a coronal loop by proton beam momentum deposition is calculated and compared with the thermal pressure gradient arising from nonuniform deposition of beam energy; it is assumed that the transfer of momentum and energy from beam to target occurs via the Coulomb interaciton. Results are presented for both a low mean energy and a high mean energy proton beam injected at the loop apex and characterized by a power-law energy spectrum. The present treatment takes account of the breakdown of the cold target approximation for the low-energy proton beam in the corona, where the thermal speed of target electrons exceeds the beam speed. It is found that proton beam momentum deposition plays a potentially significant role in flare dynamics only in the low mean energy case and only in the corona, where it may dominate the acceleration of target material for as long as several tens of seconds. This conclusion suggest that the presence of low-energy nonthermal protons may be inferred from velocity-sensitive coronal observations in the early impulsive phase.

Tamres, David H.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Flow regimes in a shallow rotating cylindrical annulus with temperature gradients imposed on the horizontal boundaries

Experimental flow regime diagrams are determined for a new rotating cylindrical annulus configuration which permits a measure of control over the internal vertical temperature gradient. The new annulus has radial temperature gradients imposed on plane horizontal thermally conducting endwalls (with the cylindrical sidewalls as insulators) and is considered to be more relevant to atmospheric dynamics studies than the classical cylindrical annulus. Observations have revealed that, in addition to the axisymmetric flow and nonaxisymmetric baroclinic wave flow which occur in the classical annulus, two additional nonaxisymmetric flow types occur in the new annulus: boundary-layer thermal convection and deep thermal convection. Flow regime diagrams for three different values of the imposed vertical temperature difference are presented, and explanations for the flow transitions are offered. The new annulus provides scientific backup for the proposed Atmospheric General Circulation Experiment for Spacelab. The apparatus diagram is included.

Hathaway, D. H.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Acoustic radiation force on a particle in a temperature gradient

After deriving a general expression for the acoustic radiation force on a small spherical particle of radius R in a standing wave field in a temperature gradient, attention is given to the case of a particle in a long tube chamber having a temperature gradient along the axis of symmetry. A simplification of the analysis is obtained through the introduction of the mass flux density potential. A general expression is presented for the time-averaged acoustic force; results of the new sample positions and restoring forces for a plane-wave mode are compared to the homogeneous case.

Collas, P.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Interplanetary radial cosmic-ray gradients and their implication for a possible large modulation effect at the heliospheric boundary

It is proposed here that a large and time-variable part of the overall 11-year cosmic ray modulation in the heliosphere takes place near the heliosphere boundary itself. This conclusion is reached by examining interplanetary radial gradient measurements which show that out to 30-40 AU this gradient remains nearly independent of heliocentric distance throughout the solar cycle. Properties of the solar wind which suggest that the distance to the pressure balance boundary does not vary by more than + or - 25 percent over the solar cycle are also used in support of the proposal. The importance of the large modulation effect at the boundary could exceed that of interplanetary effects expected from present models.

Webber, W. R.↗

NASA NTRS1984

The thermocapillary motion of two bubbles oriented arbitrarily relative to a thermal gradient

The interaction problem of two bubbles oriented at an arbitrary angle to a thermal gradient in the absence of gravity is studied. The problem is considered in the quasi-static limit, wherein unsteady and convective transport terms are completely neglected in the momentum and energy equations. Instead of bipolar coordinates, an approximation used in a previous analysis of the interaction effects of two bubbles moving along their line of centers in a thermal gradient is applied here to predict the interaction parameter.

Meyyappan, M.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Secondary subharmonic instability of boundary layers with pressure gradient and suction

Three-dimensional linear secondary instability is investigated for boundary layers with pressure gradient and suction in the presence of a finite amplitude TS wave. The focus is on principal parametric resonance responsible for a strong growth of subharmonics in a low disturbance environment. Calculations are presented for the effect of pressure gradients and suction on controlling the onset and amplification of the secondary instability.

El-Hady, Nabil M.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Near-infrared imaging of Comet Halley: Discovery of a color gradient in the inner coma

Near-infrared images of Comet Halley were obtained in the standard J, H, and K bandpasses, on 3.5 Nov. 1985 with an HgCdTe camera at a 1.54 m telescope. Each image covers 38.4 arcsec on the side. A well defined gradient in the J-H and H-K colors within 5000 km of the nucleus is discovered with the bluest colors at the photocenter. Surface brightness profiles steeper than the canonical 1/rho are observed in the same region. Analysis indicates that the color gradient and the brightness profiles can both be explained by the presence of volatile (dirty ice) grains in the inner coma. An outburst of very small (Rayleigh scattering) dust particles could also account for the observations, however, this model is not supported by the spacecraft measurements. No obvious jets or other structures are observed.

Rieke, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

On the role of sea surface temperature gradients in forcing low-level winds and convergence in the tropics

The potential contribution of the SST gradient-driven flow to the low-level (p not less than 700 mb) convergence over tropical oceans is determined using a simple one-layer model of the trade cumulus boundary layer wherein surface temperature gradients are mixed vertically (consistent with the ECMWF analyzed data). The influence of the layers above 700 mb is intentionally suppressed. The results of the study demonstrate the importance of taking account of the fact that cumulonimbus convection takes a small but finite time to adjust to low-level convergence. Failure to consider this effect leads to unreasonably large equatorial convergence.

Lindzen, Richard S.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Accurate pressure gradient calculations in hydrostatic atmospheric models

A method for the accurate calculation of the horizontal pressure gradient acceleration in hydrostatic atmospheric models is presented which is especially useful in situations where the isothermal surfaces are not parallel to the vertical coordinate surfaces. The present method is shown to be exact if the potential temperature lapse rate is constant between the vertical pressure integration limits. The technique is applied to both the integration of the hydrostatic equation and the computation of the slope correction term in the horizontal pressure gradient. A fixed vertical grid and a dynamic grid defined by the significant levels in the vertical temperature distribution are employed.

Carroll, John J.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Experimental and theoretical investigation of the stability of stepwise pH gradients in continuous flow electrophoresis

Isoelectric focusing in the continuous flow mode can be more quickly and economically performed by admitting a stepwise pH gradient composed of simple buffers instead of uniform mixtures of synthetic carrier ampholytes. The time-consuming formation of the pH gradient by the electric field is thereby omitted. The stability of a three-step system with arginine - morpholinoethanesulfonic acid/glycylglycine - aspartic acid is analyzed theoretically by one-dimensional computer simulation as well as experimentally at various flow rates in a continuous flow apparatus. Excellent agreement between experimental and theoretical data was obtained. This metastable configuration was found to be suitable for focusing of proteins under continuous flow conditions. The influence of various combinations of electrolytes and membranes between electrophoresis chamber and electrode compartments is also discussed.

Kuhn, Reinhard↗

NASA NTRS1988

Internal temperature gradient of alloy semiconductor melts from interrupted growth experiments

Interrupted growth experiments on Hg(0.8)Cd(0.2)Se alloys were performed in an attempt to estimate the actual internal temperature gradient in the melt during directional solidification. The results have been analyzed in terms of a theoretical model which assumes an axial composition profile characteristic of diffusion controlled solute redistribution during growth. A comparison of the calculated and measured values suggests a reduction in the applied (empty furnace) temperature gradient by about a factor of three. Values of the interface segregation coefficient (k) determined from the phase diagram, predict values of solute concentration build up in the solid during growth interruptions which are inconsistent with measured results. It appears that the k values used tend to underestimate the actual k values for higher alloy compositions and overestimate k for the lower alloy compositions.

Andrews, R. N.↗