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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.

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At least 55 records · Page 3

The roles of direct input of energy from the solar wind and unloading of stored magnetotail energy in driving magnetospheric substorms

The contributions to the substorm expansive phase of direct energy input from the solar wind and from energy stored in the magnetotail which is released in an unpredictable manner are considered. Two physical processes for the dispensation of the energy input from the solar wind are identified: (1) a driven process in which energy supplied from the solar wind is directly dissipated in the ionosphere; and (2) a loading-unloading process in which energy from the solar wind is first stored in the magnetotail and then is suddenly released to be deposited in the ionosphere. The pattern of substorm development in response to changes in the interplanetary medium has been elucidated for a canonical isolated substorm.

Rostoker, G.↗

Theoretical characterization of the potential energy surface for the reversible reaction H + O2 yields HO2(asterisk) yields OH + O. III - Computed points to define a global potential energy surface

Computed energies and geometries are reported which, combined with previously published calculations, permit a global representation of the potential energy surface for the reaction H + O2 yields HO2(asterisk) yields OH + O. These new calculations characterize the potential energy surface (PES) for all H atom angles of approach to O2 and for the region of the inner repulsive wall. The region of the T-shaped H-O2 exchange saddle point is connected with the constrained energy minimum (CEM) path, and a new collinear H-O2 exchange saddle point is characterized which lies only 9 kcal/mol above the H + O2 asymptote. A vibrational analysis which utilizes local cubic and quartic polynomial representations of the PES along the CEM path has been carried out. Optimal geometries, energies, and harmonic frequencies are reported along with anharmonic analyses for the O2 and OH asymptotes and for the HO2 minimum region of the PES.

Walch, Stephen P.↗

An Application of the Direct Coulomb Electron Pair Production Process to the Energy Measurement of the "VH-Group" in the "Knee" Region of the "All-Particle" Energy Spectrum

The "all-particle" cosmic ray energy spectrum appears to be exhibiting a significant change in the spectral index just above approximately 3000 TeV. This could indicate (1) a change in the propagation of the cosmic rays in the galactic medium, and/or (2) the upper limit of the supernova shock wave acceleration mechanism, and/or (3) a new source of high-energy cosmic rays. Air shower and JACEE data indicate the spectral change is associated with a composition change to a heavier element mixture whereas DICE does not indicate this. A detector concept will be presented that utilizes the energy dependence of the production of direct Coulomb electron-positron pairs by energetic heavy ions. Monte Carlo simulations of a direct electron pair detector consisting of Pb target foils interleaved with planes of 1-mm square scintillating optical fibers will be discussed. The goal is to design a large area, non-saturating instrument to measure the energy spectrum of the individual cosmic ray elements in the "VH-group" for energies greater than 10 TeV/nucleon.

Derrickson, J. H.↗

Solar Energy Economics Revisited: The Promise and Challenge of Orbiting Reflectors for World Energy Supply

A system of orbiting, large-area, low mass density reflector satellites which provide nearly continuous solar energy to a world-distributed set of conversion sites is examined under the criteria for any potential new energy system: technical feasibility, significant and renewable energy impact, economic feasibility and social/political acceptability. Although many technical issues need further study, reasonable advances in space technology appear sufficient to implement the system. The enhanced insolation is shown to greatly improve the economic competitiveness of solar-electric generation to circa 1995 fossil/nuclear alternatives. The system is shown to have the potential for supplying a significant fraction of future domestic and world energy needs. Finally, the environmental and social issues, including a means for financing such a large shift to a world solar energy dependence, is addressed.

Billman, Kenneth W.↗

Energy Management Control Systems: Tools for Energy Savings and Environmental Protection

The change in the price of energy has encouraged the increase of energy efficiency. This report will discuss a tool to promote energy efficiency in intelligent buildings, energy management control systems (EMCS). In addition to the online control of energy production, supply, and consumption, the function of the EMCS is to support short- and long-term planning of the system operation as well as to collect, store, and regularly evaluate operation data. The strategies behind planning and implementing the EMCS as well as the manipulating the resulting data are discussed in this report.

Zsebik, Albin↗

Radiant energy to electric energy converter

Radiant energy is converted into electric energy by irradiating a capacitor including an ionic dielectric. The dielectric is a sintered crystal superionic conductor, e.g., lanthanum trifluoride, lanthanum trichloride, or silver bromide, so that a multiplicity of crystallites exist between electrodes of the capacitor. The radiant energy cyclically irradiates the dielectric so that the dielectric exhibits a cyclic photocapacitive like effect. Adjacent crystallites have abutting surfaces that enable the crystallites to effectively form a multiplicity of series capacitor elements between the electrodes. Each of the capacitor elements has a dipole layer only on or near its surface. The capacitor is initially charged to a voltage just below the dielectric breakdown voltage by connecting it across a DC source causing a current to flow through a charging resistor to the dielectric. The device can be utilized as a radiant energy detector or as a solar energy cell.

Sher, Arden↗

Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) and Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA) Predictions for a Floor-Equipped Composite Cylinder

Comet Enflow is a commercially available, high frequency vibroacoustic analysis software founded on Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA) and Energy Boundary Element Analysis (EBEA). Energy Finite Element Analysis (EFEA) was validated on a floor-equipped composite cylinder by comparing EFEA vibroacoustic response predictions with Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) and experimental results. Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) predictions were made using the commercial software program VA One 2009 from ESI Group. The frequency region of interest for this study covers the one-third octave bands with center frequencies from 100 Hz to 4000 Hz.

Grosveld, Ferdinand W.↗

Discussion of the reliability of electron densities and energies interpreted from data and limits on the proton energy and density

Analysis of radio observations of Jupiter were changed to take into account the antenna resolution. A dipole magnetic field with a surface equatorial value of 7 gauss is assumed. The electron temperature is found to increase for r 2.5 Jupiter radii with decreasing r as 1/r cubed, reaching a peak of about 100 MeV at r = 2.5 Jupiter radii. For r 2.5 Jupiter radii, the electron temperature goes as r to the 6th power because of energy lost to radiation. The consequences of making an upper estimate on the proton flux by assuming the magnetic field is loaded with all the energetic protons it can hold are described. The upper limits of proton energy, density, flux, and energy flux are calculated for 1, 2, 2.5, 3, and 6 Jupiter radii. The proton energy and velocity estimates are considered to be fairly reliable; the upper limit to the number density is probably much higher than actuality.

Beard, D. B.↗

Changes in the frequency distribution of energy deposited in short pathlengths as a function of energy degradation of the primary beam.

The frequency distributions of event size in the deposition of energy over small pathlengths have been measured after penetration of 44.3 MeV protons through various thicknesses of tissue-equivalent material. Results show that particle energy straggling of an initially monoenergetic proton beam after passage through an absorber causes the frequency distributions of energy deposited in short pathlengths of low atomic number materials to remain broad. In all cases investigated, the ratio of the most probable to the average energy losses has been significantly less than unity.

Baily, N. A.↗

Solar energy to meet the nation's energy needs

Solar energy, being a non-depleting clean source of energy, is shown to be capable of providing energy in all the forms in which it is used today. It can be used to generate electricity, for heating and cooling buildings, and for producing clean renewable gaseous, liquid and solid fuel. There is little question of the technical feasibility for utilizing solar energy. The chief problem is rapidly providing innovative solutions that are economically competititive with other systems.

Rom, F. E.↗

Investigation of storage system designs and techniques for optimizing energy conservation in integrated utility systems. Volume 2: (Application of energy storage to IUS)

The applicability of energy storage devices to any energy system depends on the performance and cost characteristics of the larger basic system. A comparative assessment of energy storage alternatives for application to IUS which addresses the systems aspects of the overall installation is described. Factors considered include: (1) descriptions of the two no-storage IUS baselines utilized as yardsticks for comparison throughout the study; (2) discussions of the assessment criteria and the selection framework employed; (3) a summary of the rationale utilized in selecting water storage as the primary energy storage candidate for near term application to IUS; (4) discussion of the integration aspects of water storage systems; and (5) an assessment of IUS with water storage in alternative climates.

Source record↗

Variational energy principle for compressible, baroclinic flow. 2: Free-energy form of Hamilton's principle

The first and second variations are calculated for the irreducible form of Hamilton's Principle that involves the minimum number of dependent variables necessary to describe the kinetmatics and thermodynamics of inviscid, compressible, baroclinic flow in a specified gravitational field. The form of the second variation shows that, in the neighborhood of a stationary point that corresponds to physically stable flow, the action integral is a complex saddle surface in parameter space. There exists a form of Hamilton's Principle for which a direct solution of a flow problem is possible. This second form is related to the first by a Friedrichs transformation of the thermodynamic variables. This introduces an extra dependent variable, but the first and second variations are shown to have direct physical significance, namely they are equal to the free energy of fluctuations about the equilibrium flow that satisfies the equations of motion. If this equilibrium flow is physically stable, and if a very weak second order integral constraint on the correlation between the fluctuations of otherwise independent variables is satisfied, then the second variation of the action integral for this free energy form of Hamilton's Principle is positive-definite, so the action integral is a minimum, and can serve as the basis for a direct trail and error solution. The second order integral constraint states that the unavailable energy must be maximum at equilibrium, i.e. the fluctuations must be so correlated as to produce a second order decrease in the total unavailable energy.

Schmid, L. A.↗

Energy consumption program: A computer model simulating energy loads in buildings

The JPL energy consumption computer program developed as a useful tool in the on-going building modification studies in the DSN energy conservation project is described. The program simulates building heating and cooling loads and computes thermal and electric energy consumption and cost. The accuracy of computations are not sacrificed, however, since the results lie within + or - 10 percent margin compared to those read from energy meters. The program is carefully structured to reduce both user's time and running cost by asking minimum information from the user and reducing many internal time-consuming computational loops. Many unique features were added to handle two-level electronics control rooms not found in any other program.

Stoller, F. W.↗

Measurement of the daytime photoelectron energy distribution from AE-E with improved energy resolution

A substantial improvement in energy resolution for photoelectron energy spectra in the 150-320 km altitude range is reported. The spectra were obtained with the AE-E satellite. The improvement is based on a data analysis technique which makes use of spectra obtained from the spinning spacecraft when the potential of the sensor varies slightly with respect to the ionospheric plasma as a consequence of the v x B induced voltage in the spacecraft body. The results permit determination of the line shape and area of the O and N2 304A solar radiation-produced photoelectron lines as a function of altitude. The photoelectron lines are found to be essentially unbroadened by coulomb scattering below 200 km, but substantial broadening occurs by 250 km. At 300 km, the characteristic line shape due to coulomb scattering with a degradation to low energy and a sharp high energy side can be observed readily.

Lee, J. S.↗

A satellite investigation of energy flux and inferred potential drop in auroral electron energy spectra

Because predicted relationship (epsilon directly varies with V squared) between auroral electron energy flux (epsilon) and the inferred acceleration potential drop (V) for accelerated Maxwellian distributions was favorably tested by other using sounding rocket data for the limiting case of eVE 1 (where Ec is the characteristic energy of the accelerated Maxwellian distribution) and for a single inverted-V observed by the Injun 5 satellite, data from Atmosphere D were used to extend these studies over the range .2 eV/Ec 5 and for a wide range of latitudes and local times on both the nightside and the dayside. Results show good agreement with the full accelerated Maxwellian model. An analytical approximation to the electron energy flux was derived which better describes the data over the range .2 eV/Ec approximated 3. Analyses of individual energy spectra at small and large pitch angles through well-defined inverted-V structures suggest that the altitude of the inferred potential drop maximizes near the center of the inverted-V's.

Meniett, J. D.↗

Measurements of energy distribution and thrust for microwave plasma coupling of electrical energy to hydrogen for propulsion

A microwave plasma system for transfer of electrical energy to hydrogen flowing through the system has potential application for coupling energy to a flowing gas in the electrothermal propulsion concept. Experimental systems have been designed and built for determination of the energy inputs and outputs and thrust for the microwave coupling of energy to hydrogen. Results for experiments with pressure in the range 100 microns-6 torr, hydrogen flow rate up to 1000 micronmoles/s, and total absorbed power to 700 w are presented.

Morin, T.↗

Energy spectrum and arrival direction of primary cosmic rays of energy above 10 to the 18th power eV

The observation of ultra high energy cosmic rays with 20 sq km array has started at Akeno. The preliminary results on energy spectrum and arrival direction of energies above 10 to the 18th eV are prsented with data accumulated for four years with the 1 sq km array, for two years with the 4 sq km array and for a half year with the new array. The energy spectrum is consistent with the previous experiments showing the flattening above 10 to the 18.5 eV.

Teshima, M.↗