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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 73 records · Page 4

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NASA NTRS1986

Method for contact resistivity measurements on photovoltaic cells and cell adapted for such measurement

A method is disclosed for scribing at least three grid contacts of a photovoltaic cell to electrically isolate them from the grid contact pattern used to collect solar current generated by the cell, and using the scribed segments for determining parameters of the cell by a combination of contact end resistance (CER) measurements using a minimum of three equally or unequally spaced lines, and transmission line modal (TLM) measurements using a minimum of four unequally spaced lines. TLM measurements may be used to determine sheet resistance under the contact, R.sub.sk, while CER measurements are used to determine contact resistivity, .rho..sub.c, from a nomograph of contact resistivity as a function of contact end resistance and sheet resistivity under the contact. In some cases, such as the case of silicon photovoltaic cells, sheet resistivity under the contact may be assumed to be equal to the known sheet resistance, R.sub.s, of the semiconductor material, thereby obviating the need for TLM measurements to determine R.sub.sk.

Burger, Dale R.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Use of In Situ Cloud Condensation Nuclei, Extinction, and Aerosol Size Distribution Measurements to Test a Method for Retrieving Cloud Condensation Nuclei Profiles From Surface Measurements

If the aerosol composition and size distribution below cloud are uniform, the vertical profile of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentration can be retrieved entirely from surface measurements of CCN concentration and particle humidification function and surface-based retrievals of relative humidity and aerosol extinction or backscatter. This provides the potential for long-term measurements of CCN concentrations near cloud base. We have used a combination of aircraft, surface in situ, and surface remote sensing measurements to test various aspects of the retrieval scheme. Our analysis leads us to the following conclusions. The retrieval works better for supersaturations of 0.1% than for 1% because CCN concentrations at 0.1% are controlled by the same particles that control extinction and backscatter. If in situ measurements of extinction are used, the retrieval explains a majority of the CCN variance at high supersaturation for at least two and perhaps five of the eight flights examined. The retrieval of the vertical profile of the humidification factor is not the major limitation of the CCN retrieval scheme. Vertical structure in the aerosol size distribution and composition is the dominant source of error in the CCN retrieval, but this vertical structure is difficult to measure from remote sensing at visible wavelengths.

Ghan, Stephen J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Measurement System Analysis of a Novel Phase-Based Ultrasonic NDE Technique for Bond Strength Measurement

Fiber reinforced polymer parts have shown tremendous benefits in aerospace structural applications, but their qualification and certification for use in safety critical areas are currently hindered by the lack of a capable non-destructive evaluation (NDE) method or technique for the inspection of these adhesively bonded parts. Conventional NDE methods and techniques typically detect gross bond defects in a qualitative (Pass/Fail) manner. These techniques struggle to detect weak or kissing bonds. Also, there are no widely adopted NDE methods or techniques for measuring interfacial bond strength or detecting kissing bonds. Bond strength is currently ensured by process control and semi-destructive testing. Results from recent research from other authors, including but not limited to mechanical testing, have shown an excellent correlation between interfacial stiffness of an adhesively bonded joint and the adhesive bond strength of that joint. In this paper, a measurement system analysis (MSA) of a novel phase-based ultrasonic NDE Technique, developed at NASA Langley Research Center, is presented for bond strength measurement to assess at an increased level the measurement process and identify components of variation in that measurement process.

Ultrasound↗

DOE OSTI2024

Measure this, not that: Optimizing the cost and model-based information content of measurements

Model-based design of experiments (MBDoE) is a powerful framework for selecting and calibrating science-based mathematical models from data. Here, this work extends popular MBDoE workflows by proposing a convex mixed integer (non)linear programming (MINLP) to optimize the selection of measurements. The solver MindtPy is modified to support calculating the D-optimality objective and its gradient via an external package, scipy, using the grey-box module in Pyomo. The new approach is demonstrated in two case studies: estimating highly correlated kinetics from a batch reactor and estimating transport parameters in a large-scale rotary packed bed for CO 2 capture. Both case studies show how examining the Pareto optimal trade-offs between information content measured by A- and D-optimality versus measurement budget offers practical guidance for selecting measurements for scientific experiments.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2025

Tidal energy resource characterization measurements at Cook Inlet’s East Foreland: Velocity and turbulence

To characterize tidal current and turbulence at a top tidal energy site off the East Foreland in Cook Inlet, Alaska, United States, three moorings were deployed for two months between July and August 2021, and a transect survey was conducted over the course of two tidal cycles at the end of the deployment period. Measurements of velocity and turbulence were then analyzed to better understand the site's hydrodynamics and power potential. Analysis reveals that swift, north-flowing flood currents peak at 4~m/s, while south-flowing ebb currents reach just over 3~m/s. Turbulence intensity ranges from 23\% at the seafloor to 8\% near the surface, and the presence of the foreland creates more intense turbulence near-shore during ebb tide than flood. Power availability at the site could be as high as 720~MW, or 13~kW/m$^2$, though the energy available to a marine energy device will be smaller than this estimate because of water-to-wire efficiency and wake losses. The results from this measurement campaign will inform the validation of a high-resolution tidal hydrodynamic model, as well as early tidal energy projects that are beginning to move beyond the prototyping and demonstration stages to full-scale deployments.

McVey, James R.↗

DOE OSTI2025

Interference fringe (IF) technique for droplet contact angle and thickness measurements: Ultralow contact angle and nanoscale thickness measurement

Recently, reflection interference fringe (RIF) and transmission fringe (TIF) techniques have been introduced to investigate the origin of far-field interference fringe (IF) formation and to determine a droplet's contact angle and thickness by measuring the fringe radius. In this study, characteristics of the IF technique are analyzed based on the RIF and TIF by varying the schematics, such as configuration (transmission/reflection), the droplet's side (left-hand side/right-hand side), and the substrate types (flat/prism). The analysis also investigates the refraction effect at the droplet edge and the maximum incidence and contact angles. The schematic variation shows that the widest contact angle range can be measured in a transmission configuration with droplet's right-hand side, and that the fringe radius decreases with incidence angles on a prism substrate, consistent with the recent observation. Refraction at the droplet edge causes the fringe radius to increase or decrease depending on the degree of refraction. Based on the characteristics study, it is revealed that the IF technique can determine nanometer-scale thicknesses below 100 nm on droplets, corresponding to ultra-small contact angles of less than 0.01°, with an extended working distance of 3000 mm and an optimized incidence angle, assuming a spherical profile. This finding is significant, as it demonstrates that the nanoscale thickness can be determined in situ under ambient conditions using a simple optical configuration, without requiring a sophisticated setup, such as a microscope. It is anticipated that the IF technique can be combined with other nanoscale thickness measurement techniques to enhance its measurement reliability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2025

Measurement of the transverse energy density in Measurement of the transverse energy density in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠_{𝑁⁢𝑁}}$ = 200 GeV with the sPHENIX detector

Here, this paper reports measurements of the transverse energy per unit pseudorapidity (𝑑⁢𝐸 𝑇 /𝑑⁢𝜂) produced in Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{𝑠_{𝑁⁢𝑁}}$ = 200 GeV, performed with the sPHENIX detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The results cover the pseudorapidity range |𝜂| < 1.1 and constitute the first such measurement performed using a hadronic calorimeter at RHIC. Measurements of 𝑑⁢𝐸 𝑇 /𝑑⁢𝜂 are presented for a range of centrality intervals and the average 𝑑⁢𝐸 𝑇 /𝑑⁢𝜂 as a function of the number of participating nucleons, 𝑁 part , is compared to a variety of Monte Carlo heavy-ion event generators. The results are in agreement with previous measurements at RHIC, and feature an improved granularity in 𝜂 and improved precision in low-𝑁 part events.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2025

A precise measurement of the jet energy scale derived from single-particle measurements and in situ techniques in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=$ 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The jet energy calibration and its uncertainties are derived from measurements of the calorimeter response to single particles in both data and Monte Carlo simulation using proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV collected with the ATLAS detector during Run 2 at the Large Hadron Collider. The jet calibration uncertainty for anti-$k_T$ jets with a jet radius parameter of R$_\textrm{jet} = 0.4$ and in the central jet rapidity region is about 2.5% for transverse momenta ($p_{\text {T}}$) of 20 $\text {GeV}$ , about 0.5% for $p_{\text {T}} = 300$ GeV and 0.7% for $p_{\text {T}} = 4$ TeV . Excellent agreement is found with earlier determinations obtained from -balance based in situ methods ($Z/\gamma$ +jets). The combination of these two independent methods results in the most precise jet energy measurement achieved so far with the ATLAS detector with a relative uncertainty of 0.3% at $p_\textrm{T} = 300$ GeV and 0.6% at 4 TeV. The jet energy calibration is also derived with the single-particle calorimeter response measurements separately for quark- and gluon-induced jets and furthermore for jets with R jet varying from 0.2 to 1.0 retaining the correlations between these measurements. Differences between inclusive jets and jets from boosted top-quark decays, with and without grooming the soft jet constituents, are also studied.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Integration of a real-time orientation measurement system for a real-time evaluator (RTE) to measure the position and orientation of crane-lifted components

Prefabrication of building components holds the potential to revolutionize the construction industry. Prefabrication consists of manufacturing building components, modules, and other elements in a factory to be shipped and installed on a construction site. Prefabricated components have been produced for various applications including precast concrete panels for new construction and exterior wall retrofits. The manufacturing process has seen much innovation in recent years; however, the installation process has seen minimal advancements. A real-time evaluator (RTE) was developed to reduce the installation cost of prefabricated components by reducing installation time, decreasing rework, and improving accuracy. The RTE uses off-the-shelf hardware and novel algorithms to assist erectors with component installation by measuring the real-time positions of connections and prefabricated components, providing installation guidance through a graphical user interface, and monitoring the accumulated installation errors. An overview of the RTE and the proposed workflow is presented. Previous on-site demonstrations provided valuable feedback from users on the potential areas for improvement of the system. One common request was real-time measurement of component orientation during lifting, a process that previously required that the component remain stationary while the laser tracker cycled through target prisms. This paper will present the incorporation and testing of a real-time orientation measurement system as it was implemented into the RTE, allowing for measurement of component orientation during movement.

Selvakumar, Balaji [ORNL]↗

DOE OSTI2024

Measuring Impact: Evaluating Thermal Zoning Simplification on Energy Efficiency Measures Analysis

Building Energy Modeling (BEM) is a versatile tool for designing, retrofitting, ensuring code compliance, obtaining certifications, qualifying for incentives, and enabling real-time building control. However, capturing all the details of building geometry for thermal zoning can be time-consuming, costly, and sometimes computationally challenging. As a result, modelers have been applying zoning simplification based on factors such as space functions and internal loads, as well as relying on their experience and judgment while adhering to zoning rules outlined in industry standards. Despite the prevalence of this common practice, a notable gap exists in the literature regarding studies quantifying the influence of simplified thermal zoning on the evaluation of Energy Efficiency Measures (EEMs). Recognizing this gap, this paper seeks to contribute to the field by enhancing the understanding of how the simplification of thermal zoning influences the evaluation of EEMs against a baseline design. The study utilized a medium office prototype model with a detailed floor plan featuring over 20 zones per floor covering diverse functional spaces with varying internal loads and occupancy schedules. A standard thermal zoning strategy outlined in ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Appendix G was employed as the simplified zoning method. This strategy condenses the zoning into a core zone and four perimeter zones per floor. It was compared with the detailed zoning approach, which involves one zone per space. Common Energy EEMs, such as enhanced envelope, high-efficiency appliances and equipment, and HVAC controls, were individually implemented and evaluated. The results indicate that the performance comparison between the two zoning methods varies depending on the type of measures considered. Basic measures, such as adding wall insulation, demonstrate similar energy impacts, while advanced HVAC control measures, such as static pressure reset, exhibit a more substantial difference that cannot be overlooked.

Xie, Jiarong↗

NASA NTRS1975

The measurement of winds over the ocean from Skylab with application to measuring and forecasting typhoons and hurricanes

On Skylab, a combination microwave radar-radiometer (S193) made measurements in a tropical hurricane (AVA), a tropical storm, and various extratropical wind systems. The winds at each cell scanned by the instrument were determined by objective numerical analysis techniques. The measured radar backscatter is compared to the analyzed winds and shown to provide an accurate method for measuring winds from space. An operational version of the instrument on an orbiting satellite will be able to provide the kind of measurements in tropical cyclones available today only by expensive and dangerous aircraft reconnaissance. Additionally, the specifications of the wind field in the tropical boundary layer should contribute to improved accuracy of tropical cyclone forecasts made with numerical weather predictions models currently being applied to the tropical atmosphere.

Cardone, V. J.↗

NASA NTRS1952

The Calculated and Measured Performance Characteristics of a Heated-Wire Liquid-Water-Content Meter for Measuring Icing Severity

Ground tests have been made of an instrument which, when assembled in a more compact form for flight installation, could be used to obtain statistical flight data on the liquid-water content of icing clouds and to provide an indication of icing severity. The sensing element of the instrument consists of an electrically heated wire which is mounted in the air stream. The degree of cooling of the wire resulting from evaporation of the impinging water droplets is a measure. of the liquid-water content of the cloud. Determination of the value of the liquid-water content from the wire temperature at any instant requires a knowledge of the airspeed, altitude, and air temperature. An analysis was made of the temperature response of a heated wire exposed to an air stream containing water drops. Comparisons were made of the liquid-water content as measured with several heated wires and absorbent cylinders in an artificially produced cloud. For one of the wires, comparative tests were made with a rotating-disk icing-rate meter in an icing wind tunnel. From the test results, it was shown that an instrument for measuring the concentration of liquid water in an air stream can be built using an electrically heated wire of known temperatureresistance characteristics, and that the performance of such a device can be predicted using appropriate theory. Although an instrument in a form suitable for gathering statistical data in flight was not built, the practicability of constructing such an instrument was illustrated. The ground-test results indicated that a flight heated-wire instrument would be simple and durable, would respond rapidly to variations in liquid-water content, and could be used for the measurement of water content in clouds which are above freezing temperature, as well as in icing clouds.

Neel, Carr B.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Shuttle lidar resonance fluorescence investigations. I - Analysis of Na and K measurements. II - Analysis of thermospheric Mg/+/ measurements

Optical radar systems (lidar) have a number of advantages compared to passive techniques with respect to applications involving the measurement of alkali atoms (Na and K) in the atmosphere. By using Shuttle-borne optical radar systems, analytical capabilities can be extended to cover wider geographic areas. One of the objectives of the present investigation is to assess the performance and application of a recently defined Shuttle optical radar system for the measurements of sodium and potassium in the 80-110-km region. A second objective is related to a study of the effects of high-intensity laser beams on the optical radar measurements, giving particular attention to the saturation in the atomic absorption of laser photons. A numerical simulation is conducted of the measurements of magnesium ions (Mg/+/) over the 80-500-km altitude range using recently defined Shuttle optical radar system parameters to study the performance of such a system.

Yeh, S.-D.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Wind estimation using air data probe measurements to evaluate meteorological measurements made during Space Shuttle entries

Deterministic and weighted least squares methods for obtaining estimates of the horizontal winds encountered during the Shuttle entry phase are described. The estimates are based on in situ Air Data System (ADS) measurements of angle-of-attack, side-slip angle and true airspeed, in conjunction with inertial trajectory parameters obtained from the post flight trajectory reconstruction. Accuracies in the wind estimates obtained from each method are assessed using both theoretical arguments and flight results. Comparisons of derived winds with meteorological measurements taken during the first three Shuttle entries have demonstrated: (1) the usefulness of the wind estimators for evaluating meteorological measurements below 50 kft, and (2) the potential for adequate wind determinations in the absence of independent wind measurements. Comparisons of STS-3 flight-derived L/D versus predicted values from the LaRC aerodynamic data base are presented from 50 kft to touchdown. These results exemplify the importance of such determinations to enhance the ongoing Shuttle aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic research.

Kelly, G. M.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Merits of supplemental ground-based measurements of lightning electric fields in the interpretation of airborne measurements

Calculations are presented which indicate that airborne recordings of the electric fields from lightning will be difficult to interpret without correlated continuous broadband electric field measurements at a ground-based station. Furthermore, through application of the results in Master et al. (1981), field measurements made at altitudes above ground may be calibrated by comparison with ground-based measurements of the same discharge. The requirements of the electric-field recording systems sufficient for identification, characterization, and calibration of airborne field measurements are discussed.

Beasley, W. H.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Water vapor measurements in the 0.94 micron absorption band - Calibration, measurements and data applications

This paper describes methods and presents results for sensing the columnar content of atmospheric water vapor via differential solar transmission measurements in and adjacent to the 0.94-micron water-vapor absorption band. Calibration and measurement techniques are presented for obtaining the water vapor transmission from the radiometer measurements. Models are also presented for retrieving the columnar water vapor amount from the estimated transmission. Example retrievals are presented for radiometer measurements made during the 1986 Arizona Monsoon Season to track temporal variations in columnar water vapor amount.

Reagan, J. A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Aerosol measurements in the winter/spring Antarctic stratosphere. I - Correlative measurements with ozone. II - Impact on polar stratospheric cloud theories

Aerosol measurements collected from August 25-November 3, 1986 at McMurdo Station using balloon-borne optical particle counters are examined in order to study the relationship between aerosol and ozone distribution and the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). Ozone, aerosol, and condensation nuclei profiles, and pressure, temperature, and humidity measurements are analyzed. It is observed that the height of the stratospheric sulfate layer decreases over the period of measurement suggesting that upwelling in the votex is not important in the zone depletion process. Three theories on PSC formation are described, and the effects of the aerosol measurements on the theories are considered. The three theories are: (1) the original theory of water vapor pressure over a solution of H2SO4 of Steele et al. (1983) and Hamill and Mc Master (1984); (2) the nitric acid theory of PSCs of Toon et al. (1986) and Hamill et al. (1986); and (3) the quasi-cirrus cloud theory of Heymsfield (1986).

Hofmann, D. J.↗

NASA NTRS1990

The radiation budget of stratocumulus clouds measured by tethered balloon instrumentation: Variability of flux measurements

Measurements of longwave and shortwave radiation were made using an instrument package on the NASA tethered balloon during the FIRE Marine Stratocumulus experiment. Radiation data from two pairs of pyranometers were used to obtain vertical profiles of the near-infrared and total solar fluxes through the boundary layer, while a pair of pyrgeometers supplied measurements of the longwave fluxes in the cloud layer. The radiation observations were analyzed to determine heating rates and to measure the radiative energy budget inside the stratocumulus clouds during several tethered balloon flights. The radiation fields in the cloud layer were also simulated by a two-stream radiative transfer model, which used cloud optical properties derived from microphysical measurements and Mie scattering theory.

Duda, David P.↗