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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 865 records · Page 48
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

THREE-MINUTE OSCILLATIONS ABOVE SUNSPOT UMBRA OBSERVED WITH THE SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY/ATMOSPHERIC IMAGING ASSEMBLY AND NOBEYAMA RADIOHELIOGRAPH

Three-minute oscillations over a sunspot's umbra in AR 11131 were observed simultaneously in UV/EUV emission by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and in radio emission by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH). We use 24 hr series of SDO and 8 hr series of NoRH observations to study spectral, spatial, and temporal variations of pulsations in the 5-9 mHz frequency range at different layers of the solar atmosphere. High spatial and temporal resolution of SDO/AIA in combination with long-duration observations allowed us to trace the variations of the cutoff frequency and spectrum of oscillations across the umbra. We found that higher frequency oscillations are more pronounced closer to the umbra's center, while the lower frequencies concentrate on the peripheral parts. We interpreted this discovery as a manifestation of variation of the magnetic field inclination across the umbra at the level of temperature minimum. Possible implications of this interpretation for the diagnostics of sunspot atmospheres are discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Spatially-resolved fluorescence-detected two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy probes varying excitonic structure in photosynthetic bacteria

Abstract Conventional implementations of two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy typically spatially average over ~10 10 chromophores spread over ~10 4 micron square area, limiting their ability to characterize spatially heterogeneous samples. Here we present a variation of two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy that is capable of mapping spatially varying differences in excitonic structure, with sensitivity orders of magnitude better than conventional spatially-averaged electronic spectroscopies. The approach performs fluorescence-detection-based fully collinear two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy in a microscope, combining femtosecond time-resolution, sub-micron spatial resolution, and the sensitivity of fluorescence detection. We demonstrate the approach on a mixture of photosynthetic bacteria that are known to exhibit variations in electronic structure with growth conditions. Spatial variations in the constitution of mixed bacterial colonies manifests as spatially varying peak intensities in the measured two-dimensional contour maps, which exhibit distinct diagonal and cross-peaks that reflect differences in the excitonic structure of the bacterial proteins.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Distribution of the surface potential of epitaxial HgCdTe

We studied the distribution of surface potential of the Hg{sub 1−x}Cd{sub x}Te epitaxial films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The studies showed that the variation of the spatial distribution of surface potential in the region of the V-defect can be related to the variation of the material composition of epitaxial film. The V-defect is characterized by increased of Hg content with respect to the composition of the solid solution of Hg{sub 1−x}Cd{sub x}Te epitaxial film. In this paper, it was demonstrated that the unformed V-defects can be observed together with the macroscopic V-defects on the epitaxial film surface. These unformed V-defects can allow the creation of a complex surface potential distribution profile due to the redistribution of the solid solution composition.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

An Overview of Atmospheric Features Over the Western North Atlantic Ocean and North American East Coast - Part 1: Analysis of Aerosols, Gases, and Wet Deposition Chemistry

The Western North Atlantic Ocean (WNAO) and adjoining East Coast of North America are of great importance for atmospheric research and have been extensively studied for several decades. This broad region exhibits complex meteorological features, diverse cloud types, and a wide range of conditions associated with gas and particulate species that originate from many sources regionally and from other continents. As Part 1 of a 2-part paper series, this work provides a characterization of quantities associated with atmospheric chemistry, including gases, aerosols, and wet deposition, based on satellite observations, ground-based data, model simulations, and reanalysis products. Key results include spatial and seasonal differences in composition along the North American East Coast and over the WNAO associated with varying sources of smoke and dust and meteorological drivers such as temperature, moisture, and precipitation. Spatial and seasonal variations of tropospheric carbon monoxide and ozone highlight different pathways towards accumulation of these species in the troposphere. Spatial distributions of speciated aerosol optical depth and vertical profiles of aerosol mass mixing ratios show a clear seasonal cycle highlighting the influence of both natural and anthropogenic sources in addition to the impact of intercontinental transport on their vertical profiles. Analysis of long-term climate model simulations of aerosol species and satellite observations of carbon monoxide confirm that there has been a significant decline in recent decades among anthropogenic constituents owing to regulatory activities. The results can inform current and future lines of research for the region.

Corral, Andrea↗
DOE OSTI2020

Predicting and Managing Risk to Bats at Commercial Wind Farms using Acoustics

Bat populations in North America face novel threats from white-nose syndrome and widespread turbine-related mortality related to the rapidly expanding wind power industry in addition to long-standing pressures from habitat loss and degradation. Bats, unlike most small mammals, are long-lived and slow to reproduce, highlighting the importance of understanding and managing anthropogenic sources of mortality. My dissertation research used acoustic bat detectors to measure bat activity at commercial wind projects, predict patterns in risk, and design strategic measures to reduce fatality rates by curtailing turbine operation during periods when bats are most active. Bats collide with wind turbines only when their rotors are spinning, and risk of turbine-related fatality is therefore a dynamic factor that can be manipulated by curtailing turbine operation when bats are active. We first measured inter-detector variation in metrics of acoustic bat activity to understand how the acoustic detection process may affect inferences related to spatial and temporal variation in bat activity. Using acoustic detectors mounted on top of wind turbines at two commercial wind farms in West Virginia, we then demonstrated that the amount of bat activity recorded when turbines were operating aligned closely with bat fatality rates on multiple scales. Accordingly, the metric of bat activity exposed to turbine operation provides a meaningful, quantitative indicator of turbine-related bat fatality risk. Further, bats responded consistently to changing wind speed and temperature at turbines in both wind farms across multiple years, enabling exposed bat activity to be predicted accurately among turbines and years. Building on these results, we simulated exposure of bats to turbine operation and energy loss for curtailment strategies recommended by state and federal agencies in the United States and Canada. By adjusting parameters such as cut-in wind speeds and temperature thresholds, we demonstrated the ability to design strategic curtailment programs that achieve equivalent or greater predicted reductions in bat activity exposure for substantially less energy-production loss. Characterizing fatality risk on a finer scale using acoustics will help regulatory agencies and the wind industry alike reduce risks of population-level impacts to vulnerable bat species while continuing to expand large-scale renewable energy generation.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2022

Genotype–environment associations across spatial scales reveal the importance of putative adaptive genetic variation in divergence

Abstract Identifying areas of high evolutionary potential is a judicious strategy for developing conservation priorities in the face of environmental change. For wide‐ranging species occupying heterogeneous environments, the evolutionary forces that shape distinct populations can vary spatially. Here, we investigate patterns of genomic variation and genotype–environment associations in the hermit thrush ( Catharus guttatus ), a North American songbird, at broad (across the breeding range) and narrow spatial scales (at a hybrid zone). We begin by building a genoscape or map of genetic variation across the breeding range and find five distinct genetic clusters within the species, with the greatest variation occurring in the western portion of the range. Genotype–environment association analyses indicate higher allelic turnover in the west than in the east, with measures of temperature surfacing as key predictors of putative adaptive genomic variation rangewide. Since broad patterns detected across a species' range represent the aggregate of many locally adapted populations, we investigate whether our broadscale analysis is consistent with a finer scale analysis. We find that top rangewide temperature‐associated loci vary in their clinal patterns (e.g., steep clines vs. fixed allele frequencies) across a hybrid zone in British Columbia, suggesting that the environmental predictors and the associated candidate loci identified in the rangewide analysis are of variable importance in this particular region. However, two candidate loci exhibit strong concordance with the temperature gradient in British Columbia, suggesting a potential role for temperature‐related barriers to gene flow and/or temperature‐driven ecological selection in maintaining putative local adaptation. This study demonstrates how patterns identified at the broad (macrogeographic) scale can be validated by investigating genotype–environment correlations at the local (microgeographic) scale. Furthermore, our results highlight the importance of considering the spatial distribution of putative adaptive variation when assessing population‐level sensitivity to climate change and other stressors.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Interannual and interdecadal variations in typhoon tracks around Japan

This study employs Geographical Information Systems software to develop a classification system for typhoons (TYs) affecting Japan (1951–2011) and uses that system to investigate the spatial and temporal variations of storm tracks and their connection to the location and strength of the North Pacific subtropical high (NPSH). TYs coming within a 300-km buffer zone around the four main islands of Japan (JZOI) are grouped into two main types: those that remain on the Pacific Coast (PC) and those that enter the Japan Sea (JS). Results indicate that fewer TYs enter the JZOI when the NPSH extends strongly to the west and more reach Japan when it extends to the northwest. The winds around the periphery of the NPSH affect the recurvature of TYs directing them either west towards the China Mainland or around the western edge of the high towards Japan. More importantly, during periods when greater numbers of TYs affect the PC side of Japan (PC+), the NPSH extends to the southwest. However, during periods when greater numbers of TYs affect JS side of Japan (JS+), the NPSH extends to the northwest closer to Japan. The southwest extension of the NPSH enables TYs to recurve and pass to the eastern side (PC) of Japan while the northwest extension forces TYs around or across Japan into the JS. An important finding is that the moderately different positions of the NPSH change the atmospheric circulation around Japan dramatically and affect whether TYs pass over the PC side or the JS coast side of Japan. At the interannual time scale, increased JS+ years were observed since 1980 because of the frequent occurrence of the Pacific-Japan pattern. We also found that at the interdecadal time scale, PC+ years have increased due to the southwestward extension of the NPSH since 1980.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Life Cycle Assessment of Switchgrass Cellulosic Ethanol Production in the Wisconsin and Michigan Agricultural Contexts

Spatial variability in yields and greenhouse gas emissions from soils has been identified as a key source of variability in life cycle assessments (LCAs) of agricultural products such as cellulosic ethanol. This study aims to conduct an LCA of cellulosic ethanol production from switchgrass in a way that captures this spatial variability and tests results for sensitivity to using spatially averaged results. The Environment Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model was used to calculate switchgrass yields, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and nitrogen and phosphorus emissions from crop production in southern Wisconsin and Michigan at the watershed scale. These data were combined with cellulosic ethanol production data via ammonia fiber expansion and dilute acid pretreatment methods and region-specific electricity production data into an LCA model of eight ethanol production scenarios. Standard deviations from the spatial mean yields and soil emissions were used to test the sensitivity of net energy ratio, global warming potential intensity, and eutrophication and acidification potential metrics to spatial variability. Substantial variation in the eutrophication potential was also observed when nitrogen and phosphorus emissions from soils were varied. This work illustrates the need for spatially explicit agricultural production data in the LCA of biofuels and other agricultural products.

Acidification↗
DOE OSTI2014

Gas bulk motion in the Perseus Cluster measured with Suzaku

We present the results from Suzaku observations of the Perseus Cluster, which is relatively close, the brightest in the X-ray sky, and a relaxed object with a cool core. A number of exposures of central regions and offset pointing with the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer cover a region within radii of 20'-30'. The central data are used to evaluate the instrumental energy-scale calibration with accuracy confirmed to within around 300 km s{sup –1} by the spatial and temporal variation of the instruments. These deep and well-calibrated data are used to measure X-ray redshifts of the intracluster medium. A hint of gas bulk motion, with radial velocity of about –(150-300) km s{sup –1} relative to the main system, was found at 2'-4' (45-90 kpc) west of the cluster center, where an X-ray excess and a cold front were found previously. No other velocity structure was discovered. Over spatial scales of 50-100 kpc and within 200 kpc radii of the center, the gas-radial-velocity variation is below 300 km s{sup –1}, while over scales of 400 kpc within 600 kpc radii, the variation is below 600 km s{sup –1}. These X-ray redshift distributions are compared spatially with those of optical member galaxies for the first time in galaxy clusters. Based on X-ray line widths, gas turbulent velocities within these regions are also constrained within 1000-3000 km s{sup –1}. These results of gas dynamics in the core and larger scales in association with cluster merger activities are discussed, and the future potential of high-energy resolution spectroscopy with ASTRO-H is considered.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Experimental analysis of spatial correlation effects on capillary trapping of supercritical CO 2 at the intermediate laboratory scale in heterogeneous porous media

Several numerical studies have demonstrated that the heterogeneous nature of typical sedimentary formations can favorably dampen the accumulation of mobile CO 2 phase underneath the caprock. Core flooding experiments have also shown that contrasts in capillary entry pressure can lead to buildup of nonwetting fluid phase (NWP) at interfaces between facies. Explicit representation of geological heterogeneity at the intermediate (cm-to-m) scale is a powerful approach to identify the key mechanisms that control multiphase flow dynamics in porous media. The ability to carefully control flow regime and permeability contrast at a scale that is relevant to CO 2 plume dynamics in saline formations offers valuable information to understand immiscible displacement processes and provides a benchmark for mathematical models. To provide insight into the impact of capillary heterogeneity on flow dynamics and trapping efficiency of supercritical CO 2 under successive drainage and imbibition conditions, we present an experimental investigation conducted in a synthetic sand reservoir. By mimicking the interplay of governing forces at reservoir conditions via application of surrogate fluids, we performed three immiscible displacement experiments to observe the entrapment of NWP in heterogeneous porous media. Capillary trapping performance is evaluated for each scenario through spatial and temporal variations of NWP saturation; for this reason we adopted X-ray attenuation to precisely measure phase saturation throughout the flow domain and apply spatial moment analysis. Furthermore, the sweeping performance of two different permeability fields with comparable variance but distinct spatial correlation was compared against a homogeneous base case with equivalent mean permeability by means of spatial moment analysis.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Replication Concepts for Bioenergy Research Experiments

While there are some large and fundamental differences among disciplines related to the conversion of biomass to bioenergy, all scientific endeavors involve the use of bio- logical feedstocks. As such, nearly every scientific experiment conducted in this area, regardless of the specific discipline, is subject to random variation, some of which is unpredictable and unidentifiable (i.e., pure random variation such as variation among plots in an experiment, individuals within a plot, or laboratory samples within an experimental unit) while some is predictable and identifiable (repeatable variation, such as spatial or temporal patterns within an experimental field, a glasshouse or growth chamber, or among laboratory containers). Identifying the scale and sources of this variation relative to the specific hypotheses of interest is a critical component of designing good experiments that generate meaningful and believable hypothesis tests and inference statements. Many bioenergy feedstock experiments are replicated at an incorrect scale, typically by sampling feedstocks to estimate laboratory error or by completely ignoring the errors associated with growing feedstocks in an agricultural area at a field or farmland (micro- or macro-region) scale. As such, actual random errors inherent in experimental materials are frequently underestimated, with unrealistically low standard errors of statistical parameters (e.g., means), leading to improper inferences. The examples and guidelines set forth in this paper and many of the references cited are intended to form the general policy and guidelines for replication of bioenergy feedstock experiments to be published in BioEnergy Research .

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Strong temporal variation in treefall and branchfall rates in a tropical forest is related to extreme rainfall: results from 5 years of monthly drone data for a 50 ha plot

Abstract. A mechanistic understanding of how tropical-tree mortality responds to climate variation is urgently needed to predict how tropical-forest carbon pools will respond to anthropogenic global change, which is altering the frequency and intensity of storms, droughts, and other climate extremes in tropical forests. We used 5 years of approximately monthly drone-acquired RGB (red–green–blue) imagery for 50 ha of mature tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, to quantify spatial structure; temporal variation; and climate correlates of canopy disturbances, i.e., sudden and major drops in canopy height due to treefalls, branchfalls, or the collapse of standing dead trees. Canopy disturbance rates varied strongly over time and were higher in the wet season, even though wind speeds were lower in the wet season. The strongest correlate of monthly variation in canopy disturbance rates was the frequency of extreme rainfall events. The size distribution of canopy disturbances was best fit by a Weibull function and was close to a power function for sizes above 25 m2. Treefalls accounted for 74 % of the total area and 52 % of the total number of canopy disturbances in treefalls and branchfalls combined. We hypothesize that extremely high rainfall is a good predictor because it is an indicator of storms having high wind speeds, as well as saturated soils that increase uprooting risk. These results demonstrate the utility of repeat drone-acquired data for quantifying forest canopy disturbance rates at fine temporal and spatial resolutions over large areas, thereby enabling robust tests of how temporal variation in disturbance relates to climate drivers. Further insights could be gained by integrating these canopy observations with high-frequency measurements of wind speed and soil moisture in mechanistic models to better evaluate proximate drivers and with focal tree observations to quantify the links to tree mortality and woody turnover.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Scale-dependent spatial variabilities of hydrological exchange flows and transit time in a large regulated river

Hydrological exchange flows (HEF) across the river-aquifer interface and the associated residence time of river water in the aquifer have important implications for contaminant plume migration and biogeochemical processes in the river corridor. HEFs and residence time are influenced by both subsurface physical features and hydrologic forcing related to the transport process, which can exhibit complex spatial and temporal variations. In this study, we used a massively parallel subsurface flow model and a particle-tracking model to study the influences of different control factors on spatial variability of HEFs and residence time distributions (RTD) in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River in Washington State. A total number of 100M particles were randomly injected in time and space and then tracked in a model domain that covers a 51-km 2 area (15.1M model cells). We used hourly river stages and groundwater levels to drive the model to provide dynamic velocity fields for the particle tracking in the simulation period that was longer than 2 years. The groundwater flow simulation and particle-tracking results provide the first comprehensive assessment of the spatial distribution of HEFs and residence time in large complex river corridors. Overall, our results show that the aquifer hydrogeological structure has the strongest correlation with the extent and magnitude of exchange flux. The residence time exhibits complex patterns that are impacted by all the river geomorphologic, hydrodynamic, and hydrogeologic factors and are strongly correlated with the downwelling ratio of exchange flux. The new insights gained through this study can be used to support the development of reduced-order models of HEFs and RTDs for large complex river systems.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Report on laser-induced fluorescence transitions relevant for the microelectronics industry and sustainability applications

A wide variety of feed gases are used to generate low-temperature plasmas for the microelectronics and sustainability applications. These plasmas often have a complex combination of reactive and nonreactive species which may have spatial and temporal variations in density, temperature, and energy. Accurate knowledge of these parameters and their variations is critically important for understanding and advancing these applications through validated and predictive modeling and the design of relevant devices. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) provides both spatial and temporally resolved information about the plasma-produced radicals, ions, and metastables. However, the use of this powerful diagnostic tool requires the knowledge of optical transitions including excitation and fluorescence wavelengths which may not be available or scattered through a huge literature domain. In this paper, we collected, analyzed, and compiled the available transitions for laser-induced fluorescence for more than 160 chemical species relevant to the microelectronics industry and the sustainability applications. A list of species with overlapping LIF excitations and fluorescence wavelengths have been identified. Finally, this summary is intended to serve as a data reference for LIF transitions and should be updated in the future.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Influences of lidar scanning parameters on wind turbine wake retrievals in complex terrain

Abstract. Scanning lidars enable the collection of spatially distributed measurements of turbine wakes and the estimation of wake properties such as magnitude, extent, and trajectory. Lidar-based characterizations, however, may be subject to distortions due to the observational system. Distortions can arise from the resolution of the measurement points across the wake, the projection of the winds onto the beam, averaging along the beam probe volume, and intervening evolution of the flow over the scan duration. Using a large-eddy simulation and simulated measurements with a virtual lidar model, we assess how scanning lidar systems may influence the properties of the retrieved wake using a case study from the Perdigão campaign. We consider three lidars performing range-height indicator sweeps in complex terrain, based on the deployments of lidars from the Danish Technical University (DTU) and German Aerospace Center (DLR) at the Perdigão site. The unwaked flow, measured by the DTU lidar, is well-captured by the lidar, even without combining data into a multi-lidar retrieval. The two DLR lidars measure a waked transect from different downwind vantage points. In the region of the wake, the observation system reacts to the smaller spatial and temporal variations of the winds, allowing more significant observation distortions to arise. While the measurements largely capture the wake structure and trajectory over its 4–5 D extent, limited spatial resolution of measurement points and volume averaging lead to a quicker loss of the two lobes in the near wake, smearing of the vertical bounds of the wake (< 30 m), wake center displacements up to 10 m, and dampening of the maximum velocity deficit by up to a third. The virtual lidar tool, coupled with simulations, provides a means for assessing measurement capabilities in advance of measurement campaigns.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

High-latitude, transluscent molecular clouds as probes of local cosmic rays

We analyze the gamma ray emission from nine high latitude, translucent molecular clouds taken with the Fermi Large Area Telescope between 250 MeV and 10 GeV. Observations of gamma rays allow us to probe the density and spectrum of cosmic rays in the solar neighborhood. The clouds studied lie within ∼270 pc from the Sun and are selected from the Planck all-sky CO map. Gamma rays in this energy range mostly result from cosmic-ray interactions with the interstellar medium, which is traced with three components: H i, CO, and dark gas. Every cloud is detected and shows significant, extended gamma ray emission from molecular gas. The gamma ray emission is dominated by the CO-emitting gas in some clouds, but by the CO-dark gas in others. The average emissivity and gamma ray power law index from H i above 1 GeV shows no evidence of a systematic variation. The CO-to-H{sub 2} conversion factor shows no variation between clouds over this small spatial range, but shows significant variations within each cloud. The average CO-to-H{sub 2} conversion factor suggests that the CO-dark gas is molecular as opposed to optically thick H i.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The compression–error trade-off for large gridded data sets

The netCDF-4 format is widely used for large gridded scientific data sets and includes several compression methods: lossy linear scaling and the non-lossy deflate and shuffle algorithms. Many multidimensional geoscientific data sets exhibit considerable variation over one or several spatial dimensions (e.g., vertically) with less variation in the remaining dimensions (e.g., horizontally). On such data sets, linear scaling with a single pair of scale and offset parameters often entails considerable loss of precision. We introduce an alternative compression method called "layer-packing" that simultaneously exploits lossy linear scaling and lossless compression. Layer-packing stores arrays (instead of a scalar pair) of scale and offset parameters. An implementation of this method is compared with lossless compression, storing data at fixed relative precision (bit-grooming) and scalar linear packing in terms of compression ratio, accuracy and speed. When viewed as a trade-off between compression and error, layer-packing yields similar results to bit-grooming (storing between 3 and 4 significant figures). Bit-grooming and layer-packing offer significantly better control of precision than scalar linear packing. Relative performance, in terms of compression and errors, of bit-groomed and layer-packed data were strongly predicted by the entropy of the exponent array, and lossless compression was well predicted by entropy of the original data array. Layer-packed data files must be "unpacked" to be readily usable. The compression and precision characteristics make layer-packing a competitive archive format for many scientific data sets.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

RELIABILITY BASED DESIGN OF FIXED FOUNDATION WIND TURBINES

Recent analysis of offshore wind turbine foundations using both applicable API and IEC standards show that the total load demand from wind and waves is greatest in wave driven storms. Further, analysis of overturning moment loads (OTM) reveal that impact forces exerted by breaking waves are the largest contributor to OTM in big storms at wind speeds above the operating range of 25 m/s. Currently, no codes or standards for offshore wind power generators have been adopted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) for use on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Current design methods based on allowable stress design (ASD) incorporate the uncertainty in the variation of loads transferred to the foundation and geotechnical capacity of the soil and rock to support the loads is incorporated into a factor of safety. Sources of uncertainty include spatial and temporal variation of engineering properties, reliability of property measurements applicability and sufficiency of sampling and testing methods, modeling errors, and variability of estimated load predictions. In ASD these sources of variability are generally given qualitative rather than quantitative consideration. The IEC 61400‐3 design standard for offshore wind turbines is based on ASD methods. Load and resistance factor design (LRFD) methods are being increasingly used in the design of structures. Uncertainties such as those listed above can be included quantitatively into the LRFD process. In LRFD load factors and resistance factors are statistically based. This type of analysis recognizes that there is always some probability of failure and enables the probability of failure to be quantified. This paper presents an integrated approach consisting of field observations and numerical simulation to establish the distribution of loads from breaking waves to support the LRFD of fixed offshore foundations.

17 WIND ENERGY↗