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At least 577 records · Page 32

Speed of CMEs and the Magnetic Non-Potentiality of their Source Active Regions

Most fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) originate from solar active regions (ARs). Non-potentiality of ARs plausibly determines the speed of CMEs in the outer corona. Several other unexplored parameters might be important as well. To find out the relation between the intial speed of CMEs and the non-potentiality of source ARs, we identified over a hundred of CMEs with source ARs via their co-produced flares. The speed of the CMEs are collected from the SOHO LASCO CME catalog. We have used vector magnetograms obtained with HMI/SDO, to evaluate various magnetic non-potentiality parameters, e.g. magnetic free-energy proxies, twist, shear angle, signed shear angle, net current etc. We have also included several other parameters e.g. total unsigned flux, magnetic area of ARs, area of sunspots, to investigate their correlation, if any, with the initial speeds of CMEs. Our preliminary results show that the ARs with larger non-potentiality and area produce faster CMEs but they can also produce slow ones. The ARs with lesser non-potentiality and area generally produce only slower CMEs.

sunspots↗

Speed of CMEs and the Magnetic Non-Potentiality of Their Source ARs

Most fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) originate from solar active regions (ARs). Non-potentiality of ARs is expected to determine the speed and size of CMEs in the outer corona. Several other unexplored parameters might be important as well. To find out the correlation between the initial speed of CMEs and the non-potentiality of source ARs, we associated over a hundred of CMEs with source ARs via their co-produced flares. The speed of the CMEs are collected from the SOHO LASCO CME catalog. We have used vector magnetograms obtained mainly with HMI/SDO, also with Hinode (SOT/SP) when available within an hour of a CME occurrence, to evaluate various magnetic non-potentiality parameters, e.g. magnetic free-energy proxies, computed magnetic free energy, twist, shear angle, signed shear angle etc. We have also included several other parameters e.g. total unsigned flux, net current, magnetic area of ARs, area of sunspots, to investigate their correlation, if any, with the initial speeds of CMEs. Our preliminary results show that the ARs with larger non-potentiality and area mostly produce fast CMEs but they can also produce slower ones. The ARs with lesser non-potentiality and area generally produce only slower CMEs, however, there are a few exceptions. The total unsigned flux correlate with the non-potentiality parameters and area of ARs but some ARs with large unsigned flux are also found to be least non-potential. A more detailed analysis is underway.

Tiwari, Sanjiv K.↗

MHD Modelling of Coronal Loops: Injection of High-Speed Chromospheric Flows

Context. Observations reveal a correspondence between chromospheric type II spicules and bright upward-moving fronts in the corona observed in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) band. However, theoretical considerations suggest that these flows are probably not the main source of heating in coronal magnetic loops. Aims. We investigate the propagation of high-speed chromospheric flows into coronal magnetic flux tubes and the possible production of emission in the EUV band. Methods. We simulated the propagation of a dense 104 K chromospheric jet upward along a coronal loop by means of a 2D cylindrical MHD model that includes gravity, radiative losses, thermal conduction, and magnetic induction. The jet propagates in a complete atmosphere including the chromosphere and a tenuous cool (approximately 0.8 MK) corona, linked through a steep transition region. In our reference model, the jet initial speed is 70 km per second, its initial density is 10(exp 11) per cubic centimeter, and the ambient uniform magnetic field is 10 G. We also explored other values of jet speed and density in 1D and different magnetic field values in 2D, as well as the jet propagation in a hotter (approximately 1.5 MK) background loop. Results. While the initial speed of the jet does not allow it to reach the loop apex, a hot shock-front develops ahead of it and travels to the other extreme of the loop. The shock front compresses the coronal plasma and heats it to about 10(exp 6) K. As a result, a bright moving front becomes visible in the 171 Angstrom channel of the SDO/AIA mission. This result generally applies to all the other explored cases, except for the propagation in the hotter loop. Conclusions. For a cool, low-density initial coronal loop, the post-shock plasma ahead of upward chromospheric flows might explain at least part of the observed correspondence between type II spicules and EUV emission excess.

Sun: chromosphere↗

A Study of the Effect of Increased Size and Speed of Pursuit Airplanes on the Aileron Balancing Problem

The present trend is toward faster and larger pursuit airplanes. Because both speed and size increase the aileron control forces, the design of ailerons for manual operation is becoming increasingly difficult. In order to obtain a clearer picture of the future problem of balancing ailerons, and inspection has been made of the effects of airplane size and speed on the control forces. Computations were made of the aileron control forces required to meet specified rolling conditions for plain ailerons on wings with spans from 40 to 80 feet and for speeds up to 500 miles per hour. The rolling conditions were specified by two alternative criterions. One was the rolling criterion pb/2V of reference 1. For reasons, which will be discussed later, a value of 0.09 rather than the recommended value of 0.07 was assigned to this criterion. For the criterion pb/2V, the required value of the rolling velocity p varies inversely with the airplane span b. There is some question as to whether the rolling velocity of a pursuit airplane can be permitted to decrease simply because its size is increased. For the second criterion, therefore, the rolling velocity is independent of span (p/V is a constant). The value assigned to this criterion was so chosen that for a wing of 40-foot span the value of pb/2V would be 0.09. The computations neglected compressibility effects. Available experimental data and the results of tests given in reference 2 indicate that the effect of compressibility is to increase the control force. Recent flight tests have indicated that, with certain types of aileron, serious compressibility effects may cause discontinuity at speeds of approximately 400 miles per hour in the aileron control force curves.

Soule, H. A.↗

Cruise Speed Sensitivity Study for Transonic Truss Braced Wing

NASA's investment and research in aviation has led to new technologies and concepts that make aircraft more efficient and environmentally friendly. One aircraft design operational concept is the reduction of cruise speed to reduce fuel burned during a mission. Although this is not a new idea, it was used by all of the contractors involved in a 2008 NASA sponsored study that solicited concept and technology ideas to reduce environmental impacts for future subsonic passenger transports. NASA is currently improving and building new analysis capabilities to analyze advanced concepts. To test some of these new capabilities, a transonic truss braced wing configuration was used as a test case. This paper examines the effects due to changes in the design cruise speed and other tradeoffs in the design space. The analysis was baselined to the Boeing SUGAR High truss braced wing concept. An optimization was run at five different design cruise Mach numbers. These designs are compared to provide an initial assessment space and the parameters that should be considered when selecting a design cruise speed. A discussion of the design drivers is also included. The results show that the wing weight in the current analysis has more influence on the takeoff gross weight than expected. This effect caused lower than expected wing sweep angle values for higher cruise speed designs.

Wells, Douglas P.↗

Plasma Perturbations in High-Speed Probing of Hall Thruster Discharge Chambers: Quantification and Mitigation

An experimental investigation is presented to quantify the effect of high-speed probing on the plasma parameters inside the discharge chamber of a 6-kW Hall thruster. Understanding the nature of these perturbations is of significant interest given the importance of accurate plasma measurements for characterizing thruster operation. An array of diagnostics including a high-speed camera and embedded wall probes is employed to examine in real time the changes in electron temperature and plasma potential induced by inserting a high-speed reciprocating Langmuir probe into the discharge chamber. It is found that the perturbations onset when the scanning probe is downstream of the electron temperature peak, and that along channel centerline, the perturbations are best characterized as a downstream shift of plasma parameters by 15-20% the length of the discharge chamber. A parametric study is performed to investigate techniques to mitigate the observed probe perturbations including varying probe speed, probe location, and operating conditions. It is found that the perturbations largely disappear when the thruster is operated at low power and low discharge voltage. The results of this mitigation study are discussed in the context of recommended methods for generating unperturbed measurements of the discharge chamber plasma.

Jorns, Benjamin A.↗

Analysis of Influence of UAS Speed Range and Turn Performance on Detect and Avoid Sensor Requirements

In support of NASA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the National Airspace System project and RTCA Special Committee 228, an analysis has been performed to provide insight in to the trade space between unmanned aircraft speed and turn capability and detect and avoid sensor range requirements. The work was done as an initial part of the effort to understand low size, weight, and power sensor requirements for aircraft that have a limited speed envelope or can limit the envelope for portions of their mission and may be able to turn at higher than “standard rate.” Range and timeline reductions coming from limiting speed range and from increasing available turn rate in some speed ranges are shown.

Jack, Devin P.↗

Validation of Special Sensor Microwave Imager Monthly-Mean Wind Speed From July 1987 to December 1989

Since July 1987 the Remote Sensing Systems, Santa Rosa, California, routinely computes from first principles the wind speed from Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) measurements of the intensity of microwave radiation emitted at the ocean surface. The accuracy of monthly-mean SSM/I wind speeds is determined by comparisons with moored-buoy wind measurements, which were recorded by four different institutions at 44 sites in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans during July 1987 to December 1989. All results for 1988 were virtually identical with 1989. The range of monthly mean moored-buoy wind speeds was 2-10 m s^(-1). During 1987, the equatorial matchups were not equivalent with 1998 and 1989, and the cause remains unknown. The root-mean-square (rms) difference of 697 monthly-mean matchups of the composite 1988 and 1989 data set was 1.2 m s^(-1). The rms differences were smaller in the equatorial zone and higher in middle latitudes, in accord with the monthly standard deviation. At middle latitudes the time series of rms differences displayed an annual cycle. In the equatorial zone the agreement between SSM/I and in situ data was better in regions with a lesser amount of clouds, and vice versa. For SSM/I monthly standard deviations of 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 m s^(-1), the average absolute values of the monthly-mean difference between SSM/I and moored-buoy wind speeds were 0.6, 0.9, and 1.4 m s^(-1), respectively.

Halpern, D.↗

STIG: A Two-Speed Transmission Aboard the Mars2020 Coring Drill

The coring drill, part of the Sampling & Caching Subsystem (SCS) aboard the Mars2020 rover, demands a wide range of drill bit torque and speed capabilities during sample acquisition operations. The two driving operating points are high speed, low torque for rotary-percussive coring, as well as low speed, high torque for separating the rock core sample from its parent rock. The spindle twin-input transmission (STIG) allows these and other operating points to be reached with an actuator of substantially less peak power and maximum current draw than that of a single-speed actuator. Rather than containing gearing of its own, the transmission interfaces to an actuator with two outputs of different gear ratios, allowing the transmission to select one of the two of the outputs to be coupled to the drill bit. This paper describes the design, capabilities, and challenges associated with the transmission and the dual-output actuator.

Szwarc, Timothy↗

Source Diagnostic Fan II (22-Inch) Duct Mode Characteristics as Measured by the Rotating Rake Mode Measurement System while Operated in the NASA Glenn 9x15 Low Speed Wind Tunnel

A 22-inch scale model of the Honeywell Quiet High Speed Fan II was tested in the NASA Glenn 9- by 15-foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel at a tunnel Mach number of 0.10. This was an entry to investigate the effect of “stator clocking” on noise. The fan consisted of a moderately aft swept rotor, and an aft swept set of stator vanes. The fan stage consisted of 22 rotor blades, 50 stator vanes, and 10 downstream support struts. A set of stator vanes designed for lower noise was tested as well as a baseline stator vane set. The stator assembly could be rotated several degrees to adjust the clocking angle between the stator vane pack and the strut assembly. All configurations were with a hard wall duct (no acoustic treatment). The NASA Glenn Research Center’s Rotating Rake Mode Measurement System was utilized to obtain a complete map of the acoustic duct modes present in the ducted fan. The system is a radial rake emersed into the duct that continuously rotates about the duct centerline. For the two stator configurations, data were acquired at several different fan speeds which included nominal, approach, cutback, and takeoff conditions. Analysis of the mode power level results at the fan fundamentals showed the improved designed set resulted in lower rotor-stator and rotor-strut interaction acoustic levels for the interaction modes. Varying the angle between the stators and struts was shown to be a viable method to achieve a minimum in rotor-strut interaction mode power level. Multiple-pure-tones generated by the Quiet High Speed Fan II in the inlet were also measured.

Fan Noise↗

Evaluation of Transport-Equations-Based Transition Models for High-Speed Boundary Layers Using OVERFLOW

Accurate modeling of laminar-turbulent transition is crucial for the design of hypersonic flight systems. However, the current transition models used in production CFD codes are insufficient for high-speed flows. Many extensions to low-speed models have been suggested; however, a thorough verification and validation effort is needed before these models can be used in design settings. Challenges include potentially missing details of the model implementation requirements and/or a complete specification of the input parameters needed to replicate the test findings. A meaningful assessment of the generalization capability of these models is also hindered by a lack of information regarding the specific flow configurations and associated grids employed for model calibration. As a key first step toward model verification, we present an independent assessment of two recently proposed models for high-speed transition, namely, a model within the SST-𝛾 framework and a model based on the SST-𝛾 – 𝜈 𝐿 equations. These models are implemented in the NASA OVERFLOW 2.3e solver and their performance in predicting first mode, second mode, and crossflow transition has been evaluated for several test cases in the supersonic and hypersonic regimes. Besides the test cases employed by the model developers, which could have also been used for model calibration, the present assessment includes supplementary configurations that contribute to an unbiased assessment of the models. The outcomes presented in this study indicate the potential for the models to be applied to high-speed flight configurations. Key steps toward future improvements to these models are also outlined.

CFD↗

Novel Conceptual Designs for Stopped-Rotor Aerial Vehicles and Other High-Speed Rotorcraft

The objective of this paper is to present some novel vertical lift aircraft design concepts that hold potential for high-speed (greater than or equal to 400 knots) flight but still provide for efficient hover and vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. The pursuit of a high-speed rotorcraft has periodically captured the attention of rotorcraft researchers for decades. In the late 1990’s to early 2000’s, NASA sponsored several high-speed rotorcraft studies. A few recent works have begun to outline novel high-speed rotorcraft concepts that have been largely unexplored so far. This paper discusses four such novel concepts: two stopped-rotor concepts and two non-stopped-rotor concepts.

Stopped-Rotor↗

Multi-range vehicle speed prediction using vehicle connectivity for enhanced energy efficiency of vehicles

An integrated speed prediction framework based on historical traffic data mining and real-time V2I communications for CAVs. The present framework provides multi-horizon speed predictions with different fidelity over short and long horizons. The present multi-horizon speed prediction is integrated with an economic model predictive control (MPC) strategy for the battery thermal management (BTM) of connected and automated electric vehicles (EVs) as a case study. The simulation results over real-world urban driving cycles confirm the enhanced prediction performance of the present data mining strategy over long prediction horizons. Despite the uncertainty in long-range CAV speed predictions, the vehicle level simulation results show that 14% and 19% energy savings can be accumulated sequentially through eco-driving and BTM optimization (eco-cooling), respectively, when compared with normal-driving and conventional BTM strategy.

Amini, Mohammad Reza↗

Operando visualization of porous metal additive manufacturing with foaming agents through high-speed x-ray imaging

Porous metals find extensive applications in soundproofing, filtration, catalysis, and energy-absorbing structures, thanks to their unique internal pore structure and high specific strength. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in fabricating porous metals using additive manufacturing (AM), leveraging its unique advantages, including improved design freedom, spatial material control, and cost-effective small-batch production. In this study, we conducted pioneering operando visualization of AM porous metal using a laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) setup combined with a high-speed synchrotron x-ray imaging system. Single track printing experiments using Ti6Al4V (Ti64) combined with titanium hydride (TiH 2 ) and sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) as foaming agents, with varying mixing ratios were performed under different processing conditions. Here. the results elucidate the dynamic development of porosity formation. The average pore size is significantly influenced by the particle size of foaming agents when pore coalescence is absent. For all foaming agent content tested in the current study, the number of pores is found to be more sensitive to changes in laser power than in laser scanning speed. Increasing linear energy density (increasing laser power or reducing laser scanning speed) promotes the foaming agent activation thereby porosity formation. However, high linear energy density skews pore distribution towards the surface despite forming deeper melt pools. In addition, the impact of additional factors including foaming agent's laser absorptivity and decomposition kinetics with respect to AM time scales should be carefully considered to avoid ineffective activation of foaming agents during the AM of porous metals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

An algorithmic approach to predicting mechanical draft cooling tower fan speeds from infrasound signals

Mechanical draft cooling towers (MDCTs) serve a critical heat management role in a variety of industries. For nuclear reactors in particular, the consistent, predictable operation of MDCTs is required to avoid damage to infrastructure and reduce the potential for catastrophic failure. Accurate, reliable measurement of MDCT fan speed is therefore an important maintenance and safety requirement. To that end, we have developed an algorithm for automatically predicting the rotational speeds of multiple, simultaneously operating fan rotors using contactless, infrasound measurements. The algorithm is based on identifying the blade passing frequencies (BPFs), their harmonics, as well as the motor frequencies (MFs) for each fan in operation. Using the algorithm, these frequencies can be automatically identified in the acoustic waveform’s short-time Fourier transform spectrogram. Attribution is aided by a set of filters that rely on the unique spectral and temporal characteristics of fan operation, as well as the intrinsic frequency ratios of the BPF harmonics and the BPF/MF signals. The algorithm was tested against infrasound data acquired from infrasound sensors deployed at two research reactors: the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). After manually identifying the MDCT gearbox ratio, the algorithm was able to quickly yield fan speeds at both reactors in good agreement with ground truth. Ultimately, this work demonstrates the ease by which MDCT fans may be monitored in order to optimize operational conditions and avoid infrastructure damage.

42 ENGINEERING↗

On the influence of test speed and environment in the fatigue life of small diameter nitinol and stainless steel wire

Here, to better understand the complex interplay of speed and environment on metals commonly used in implants, rotary bend fatigue tests were conducted on stainless steel and nitinol wires. A range of alternating strains was tested to create ε-N curves at two speeds (physiologic and accelerated) and in three environments (deionized water at body temperature, phosphate buffered saline at body temperature, and laboratory air at ambient room temperature). Results indicate that speed and environment can affect the observed fatigue life in nuanced ways. An electropotential monitoring technique was demonstrated to characterize fatigue crack growth which may be useful in future investigations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Energy and mobility impacts of connected autonomous vehicles with co-optimization of speed and powertrain on mixed vehicle platoons

Intersections are known to be traffic bottlenecks where a significant amount of energy consumption could be caused due to deceleration/acceleration in the presence of red signals. With an increased level of connectivity and automation of intelligent transportation systems, connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) are expected to be able to proactively adjust their driving strategies subject to constraints imposed by the predicted future traffic. As a result, many potential benefits can be achieved, such as improved energy efficiency, enhanced traffic safety, among many others. Notably, the way CAVs are controlled affects the following legacy vehicles (LVs) due to complex traffic dynamics. Here, we are particularly interested in studying the energy and mobility impact of CAVs with an improved traffic prediction method on mixed vehicle platoons at various market penetration rates. Leveraging traffic prediction, CAVs are controlled with co-optimization of their speed and gear position. Specifically, a traffic prediction framework in a rolling horizon fashion is employed based upon a modified Payne–Whitham (PW) model capable of handling mixed traffic consisting of CAVs and LVs. The prediction error of the modified PW model is reduced by 53.62% compared to that of the standard PW model under test scenarios. According to the predicted traffic conditions, speed and gear position of CAVs are co-optimized with the primary goal of minimizing energy consumption when driving on a signalized arterial. The energy benefits achieved by CAVs and the impact of CAVs on LVs behind are studied comprehensively for mixed vehicle platoons. The lead LV follows a real-world speed profile collected on TH-55 in Minnesota. Numerical results show that energy benefits achieved by the vehicle platoon range from 2% to 16%, and a 1% to 5% reduction in travel time for LVs behind CAVs is also observed, at different penetration rates of CAVs in various traffic scenarios. Furthermore, it is observed that CAVs using the proposed eco-driving approach appear to have a positive impact on the LVs behind in terms of energy consumption, regardless of the driving styles of the LVs ahead.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Brownian bridge-based speed imputation technique for truck energy consumption and emissions estimation

The available truck Global Positioning System (GPS) data, typically collected with large time gaps, rely on imputation techniques to obtain second-by-second data that are required in models for estimating truck energy consumption and emissions. However, existing speed imputation techniques either require a large amount of high-resolution data for model training or rely on special movement assumptions. Here, to fill the gap and effectively apply the low-resolution truck GPS datasets, this paper proposes a simple imputation technique that adopts the Brownian bridge structure to impute missing speed data. The proposed technique introduces a feasible imputation region and a combined drift into the imputation procedure to capture vehicle acceleration constraint, travel distance constraint, and speed volatility. The calibrated model is applied to a set of low-resolution truck GPS data. The results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed technique in enhancing estimation accuracy when using low-resolution GPS data to estimate fuel consumption and emissions.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗