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At least 91 records · Page 5

Random function tracer Patent

Design and development of random function tracer for obtaining coordinates of points on contour maps

Eskew, M. H., Jr.↗

Fluid dynamic studies on scattering aerosol and its generation for application as tracer particles in supersonic flow measurements utilizing laser Doppler velocimeter

An experimental study on the particle-fluid interactions of scattering aerosols was performed using monodisperse aerosols of different particle sizes for the application of laser Doppler velocimeters in subsonic turbulence measurements. Particle response was measured by subjecting the particles to an acoustically excited oscillatory fluid velocity field and by comparing the ratio of particle velocity amplitude to the fluid velocity amplitude as a function of particle size and the frequency of oscillation. Particle velocity was measured by using a differential laser Doppler velocimeter. The test aerosols were fairly monodisperse with a mean diameter that could be controlled over the size range from 0.1 to 1.0 micron. Experimental results on the generation of a fairly monodisperse aerosol of solid particles and liquid droplets and on the aerosol response in the frequency range 100 Hz to 100 kHz are presented. It is indicated that a unit density spherical scatterer of 0.3 micron-diameter would be an optimum choice as tracer particles for subsonic air turbulence measurements.

Mazumder, M. K.↗

M558 radioactive tracer diffusion

This experiment was performed in Skylab 3 with two objectives in mind. First, the experimental self-diffusion coefficients for liquid zinc were to be determined in a convection-free environment. Secondly the reduction in convective mixing in earth gravity by going into the zero-gravity environment of space was to be estimated. The experiment was designed to utilize high temperatures and linear thermal gradients provided by the M518 Multipurpose Electric Furnace, and the radioactivity of zinc-65 of 245-day half-life to investigate self-diffusion in liquid zinc. The distribution of zinc-65 tracer, after melting, maintaining at soak temperature for 1 hour of soak time and then resolidifying, was obtained by sample sectioning. The concentration of activity of each section (microcurie-gram) was plotted against positions along the sample axial and radial position. Experimental data and theoretical results from solution of Fick's law of diffusion in one dimensional were compared. Samples tested on earth showed very rapid diffusion. Diffusion coefficient in unit gravity was 50 times the zero-gravity diffusion coefficient of Skylab.

Ukanwa, A. O.↗

True Airspeed Measurement by Ionization-Tracer Technique

Ion bundles produced in a pulse-excited corona discharge are used as tracers with a radar-like pulse transit-time measuring instrument in order to provide a measurement of airspeed that is independent of all variables except time and distance. The resulting instrumentation need not project into the air stream and, therefore, will not cause any interference in supersonic flow. The instrument was tested at Mach numbers ranging from 0.3 to 3.8. Use of the proper instrumentation and technique results in accuracy of the order of 1 percent.

Boyd, B.↗

Radioisotope tracer studies in the NASA Skylab ethothermic brazing experiment M-552

The first use of radioisotope tracer for mapping flow patterns during brazing of metal components in a space environment (near-zero gravity) proved successful. A nickel ferrule was brazed to a nickel tube with Lithobraze BT (71.8% Ag, 28% Cu, 0.2% Li) which contained a trace amount of radioactive Ag-110. Mapping of the flow of the braze alloy in the annulus formed between the tube and the concentric ferrule was determined by counting the radiation intensity as a function of position in the braze joint. Significant information concerning the thermal history of the braze was determined.

Braski, D. N.↗

Motion of near-neutrally buoyant tracers in vortical flows

An analysis of the motion of particles of arbitrary density and size in solid body and potential vortex flows is presented. The study provides a basis for precise, quantitative reduction of tracer-particle visualization of such flows in water tunnels.

Charwat, A. F.↗

Curve tracer checks CMOS IC's

Conventional transistor curve tracer can speed up failure analysis of CMOS integrated circuits by displaying transfer characteristics while device is subjected to vibration or environmental testing. Failures that show up as change in threshold voltage or transfer characteristics are quickly detected.

Kizer, F.↗

Solar p-mode oscillations as a tracer of radial differential rotation

Photoelectric observations of solar p-modes obtained with improved wavenumber and frequency resolution are presented. The observations are compared with model calculations of the p-modes, and the degree of spatial and temporal coherence of the observed wave pattern is investigated. It is found that the p-mode oscillations pervade the visible surface of the sun with a high degree of coherence in space and time, so that the whole complex pattern of standing waves with its nodes and antinodes can be regarded as a fixed pattern corotating with the solar surface layers. The p-modes are introduced as a tracer of solar rotational flow velocities. The equatorial differential rotation is estimated as a function of effective depth on the basis of the theoretical contribution functions for the p-modes recently derived by Ulrich et al. (1978). The results strongly indicate that the angular speed of rotation is not uniform even in the relatively shallow layer extending about 20,000 km below the photosphere.

Deubner, F.-L.↗

Absolute tracer dye concentration using airborne laser-induced water Raman backscatter

The use of simultaneous airborne-laser-induced dye fluorescence and water Raman backscatter to measure the absolute concentration of an ocean-dispersed tracer dye is discussed. Theoretical considerations of the calculation of dye concentration by the numerical comparison of airborne laser-induced fluorescence spectra with laboratory spectra for known dye concentrations using the 3400/cm OH-stretch water Raman scatter as a calibration signal are presented which show that minimum errors are obtained and no data concerning water mass transmission properties are required when the laser wavelength is chosen to yield a Raman signal near the dye emission band. Results of field experiments conducted with an airborne conical scan lidar over a site in New York Bight into which rhodamine dye had been injected in a study of oil spill dispersion are then indicated which resulted in a contour map of dye concentrations, with a minimum detectable dye concentration of approximately 2 ppb by weight.

Hoge, F. E.↗

Impingement of Cloud Droplets on 36.5-Percent-Thick Joukowski Airfoil at Zero Angle of Attack and Discussion of Use as Cloud Measuring Instrument in Dye-Tracer Technique

The trajectories of droplets i n the air flowing past a 36.5-percent-thick Joukowski airfoil at zero angle of attack were determined. The amount of water i n droplet form impinging on the airfoil, the area of droplet impingement, and the rate of droplet impingement per unit area on the airfoil surface were calculated from the trajectories and cover a large range of flight and atmospheric conditions. With the detailed impingement information available, the 36.5-percent-thick Joukowski airfoil can serve the dual purpose of use as the principal element in instruments for making measurements in clouds and of a basic shape for estimating impingement on a thick streamlined body. Methods and examples are presented for illustrating some limitations when the airfoil is used as the principal element in the dye-tracer technique.

Brun, R. J.↗

Extragalactic gamma radiation: Use of galaxy counts as a galactic tracer

A derivation of the extragalactic diffuse gamma radiation with energies above 35 MeV was carried out using galaxy counts as a tracer of galactic matter. The extragalactic radiation has a differential photon number spectrum which may be expressed as a power law with index 2.35 (+0.4, -0.3) and an intensity above 35 MeV of (5.5 + or - 1.3) 0.00001 photons sq cm/s/ster, consistent with previous derivations. Use of a 1/sin of the absolute value of b expression of the galactic component produces a poorer fit, suggesting that the high-latitude galactic gamma-ray production may be dominated by cosmic ray interactions with matter rather than by Compton interactions of cosmic rays with photon fields.

Thompson, D. J.↗

O-18 tracer studies of Al2O3 scale formation on NiCrAl alloys

Diffusion processes in Al2O3 scales formed on NiCrAl + Zr alloys were studied by the proton activation technique employing the O-18 isotope as a tracer. The O-18 profiles identified a zone of oxide penetration beneath the external scale. Both this subscale formation and the outer Al2O3 scale thickness were shown by this technique to increase with Zr content in the alloy. Estimated kp's from scale thicknesses were in agreement with gravimetric measurements for various Zr levels. Alternate exposures in O-16 and O-18 revealed that oxygen inward transport was the primary growth mechanism. A qualitative analysis of these O-18 profiles indicated that the oxygen transport was primarily via short-circuit paths, such as grain boundaries.

Reddy, K. P. R.↗

Cumulus cloud transport of transient tracers

A theoretical framework is developed for including cumulus cloud transport, rainout of water soluble gases, and aqueous phase chemistry into gas phase photochemical models. Cloud populations are represented as ensemble distributions of individual clouds of various heights. An individual cloud is represented as a one-dimensional, steady state plume with height-independent radius entraining air from the boundary of the cloud. The model is applied to several hypothetical atmospheric tracers to show how clouds may affect the tropospheric distributions of ozone, NO(y), SO2, peroxyacetylnitrate, hydrocarbons, and other gases. Although the numerical experiments were based on cloud mass fluxes from diagnostic studies in the tropics and thus are not representative of the entire globe, it was found that an increasing mixing ratio with height in the free troposphere can be produced for some gases with only a surface source when clouds are present. This suggests that some reactive tropospheric species with primarily surface sources may play a somewhat more important role in tropospheric chemistry than is presently believed depending on the global distribution of cloud mass fluxes. Deficiencies in existing photochemical models due to the way clouds are typically treated are discussed.

Gidel, L. T.↗

A diabatic circulation two-dimensional model with photochemistry - Simulations of ozone and long-lived tracers with surface sources

Numerous studies have been concerned with the possibility of a reduction of the stratospheric ozone layer. Such a reduction could lead to an enhanced penetration of ultraviolet (UV) radiation to the ground, and, as a result, to damage in the case of several biological processes. It is pointed out that the distributions of many trace gases, such as ozone, are governed in part by transport processes. The present investigation presents a two-dimensional photochemistry-transport model using the residual circulation. The global distribution of both ozone and components with ground sources computed in this model is in good agreement with the observations even though slow diffusion is adopted. The agreement is particularly good in the Northern Hemisphere. The results provide additional support for the idea that tracer transport in the stratosphere is mainly of advective nature.

Stordal, F.↗

AMPTE lithium tracer releases in the solar wind - Observations inside the magnetosphere

The transfer of mass from the solar wind to the magnetosphere and its transport and energization within the magnetosphere are investigated. Lithium atoms released on September 11 and 20, 1984 are utilized as the tracers in this study. The components and capabilities of the Charge Composition Explorer, which are to measure magnetospheric ion composition, are described. The data collected is analyzed and it is observed that Li ions did not enter the magnetosphere in sufficient quantities to be distinguished from the background particles. The modeling of solar wind and magnetosheath transport of Li ions is examined; more than 20 percent of the Li released on September 11, and 50 percent of the Li released on September 20 are mapped to the area around the stagnation point of the magnetopause.

Krimigis, S. M.↗

The determination of the global average OH concentration using a deuteroethane tracer

It is proposed to measure the decreasing global concentration of an OH reactive isotopic tracer, G sub 2 D sub 6, after its introduction into the troposphere in a manner to facilitate uniform global mixing. Analyses at the level of 2 x 10 to the -19th power fraction, corresponding to one kg uniformly distributed globally, should be possible by a combination of cryogenic absorption techniques to separate ethane from air and high sensitivity isotopic analysis of ethane by mass spectrometry. Aliquots of C sub 2 D sub 6 totaling one kg would be introduced to numerous southern and northern latitudes over a 10 day period in order to achieve a uniform global concentration within 3 to 6 months by the normal atmospheric circulation. Then samples of air of 1000 l (STP) would be collected periodically at a tropical and temperate zone location in each hemisphere and spiked with a known amount of another isotopic species of ethane, C-13 sub 2 H sub 6, at the level of 10 to the -11th power mole fraction. After separation of the ethanes from air, the absolute concentration of C sub 2 D sub 6 would be analyzed using the Argonne 100-inch radius mass spectrometer.

Stevens, Charles M.↗