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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1990

Aerothermodynamics and transition in high-speed wind tunnels at NASA Langley

The evolutionary development of subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic wind tunnels for the study of aerodynamic, aerothermodynamic, and fluid-dynamic characteristics of the flow about models, including transition from laminar to turbulent boundary layers, is discussed. Currently, three supersonic and seven hypersonic wind tunnels are operational at Langley, and two additional tunnels are scheduled to become operational by 1990. In the present work, an effort is made to provide a 'tour'of selected supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels at NASA-Langley used for aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic testing of models, and to present the evolution of quiet-tunnel technology at this facility over the last decade. It is noted that upgrades to the hypersonic facilities complex are underway in order to provide the high flow quality and improved data accuracy required to calibrate advanced computational fluid-dynamic computer codes. Also to be provided are increased productivity required for configuration development and improved reliability to support major hypersonic programs in an efficient and timely manner.

Beckwith, I. E.↗
DOE OSTI2024

PV Reliability and Resilience in Challenging Climates

Challenging climates for Photovoltaics are usually based on climate classification. However, extreme weather events such as high wind, flooding, large hail, extreme snow etc. have become more ubiquitous globally. To study the impact of extraordinary weather events on PV reliability we used two of the largest databases in the USA. First, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database on extreme weather and secondly, the PV Fleet Data Initiative where we have collected high-resolution PV performance data of more than 8 gigawatts or about 6-7% of all commercial and utility systems in the USA. We analyzed almost 200 systems between 2008-20022 that were immediately impacted by these weather events. The immediate impact (outages) was determined to be about 1% of or a median of approximately 3 days of annual lost production. However, the risk these events pose is exemplified by a long tail where 0.4 % of all systems lost more than 2 weeks annual production. We also found a threshold for high wind (90 km/hr) and hail (25mm), above which we observed significantly higher degradation implying long-term damage to the systems. In addition, we are using satellite imagery to quantify visible damage to PV plants. Finally, we share module, design and installation lessons from some observed case studies to improve extreme weather resilience for PV power systems.

degradation↗
NASA NTRS1976

Transonic-supersonic high Reynolds number stability and control characteristics of a 0.015-scale (remotely controlled elevon) model 44-0 of the space shuttle orbiter tested in the VSD high speed wind tunnel (LA67)

A detailed aerodynamic data base which can be used to substantiate the aerodynamic design data book for the current shuttle orbiter configuration was generated. Special attention was directed to definition of non-linear aerodynamic characteristics by taking data at small increments in the angle of attack, angle of sideslip, Mach number, and elevon position. Six-component aerodynamic force and moment and elevon position data were recorded over an angle-of-attack range from -2 deg to as high as 32 deg at angles of sideslip of 0 deg, 1 deg, and +2 deg. The test Mach numbers were 0.60, 0.80, 0.90, 1.2, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.6. The effects of Reynolds number were investigated and covered a range from 5.0 to 16.0 million per foot.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1938

Tests of N-85, N-86 and N-87 airfoil sections in the 11-inch high speed wind tunnel

Three airfoils, the N-85, the N-86, and the N-87, were tested at the request of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department, to determine the suitability of these sections for use as propeller-blade sections. Further tests of the NACA 0009-64 airfoil were also made to measure the aerodynamic effect of thickening the trailing edge in accordance with current propeller practice. The N-86 and the N-87 airfoils appear to be nearly equivalent aerodynamically and both are superior to the N-85 airfoil. Comparison of those airfoils with the previously developed NACA 2409-34 airfoils indicate that the NACA 2409-34 is superior, particularly at high speeds. Thickening the trailing edge appears to have a detrimental effect, although the effect may be small if the trailing-edge radius is less than 0.5 percent of the cord. The N-86 and the N-87 airfoils appear to be nearly equivalent.

Stack, John↗
NASA NTRS2014

The Use of Red Green Blue Air Mass Imagery to Investigate the Role of Stratospheric Air in a Non-Convective Wind Event

The investigation of non-convective winds associated with passing extratropical cyclones and the formation of the sting jet in North Atlantic cyclones that impact Europe has been gaining interest. Sting jet research has been limited to North Atlantic cyclones that impact Europe because it is known to occur in Shapiro-Keyser cyclones and theory suggests it does not occur in Norwegian type cyclones. The global distribution of sting jet cyclones is unknown and questions remain as to whether cyclones with Shapiro-Keyser characteristics that impact the United States develop features similar to the sting jet. Therefore unique National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) products were used to analyze an event that impacted the Northeast United States on 09 February 2013. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Red Green Blue (RGB) Air Mass imagery and Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) ozone data were used in conjunction with NASA's global Modern Era-Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis and higher-resolution regional 13-km Rapid Refresh (RAP) data to analyze the role of stratospheric air in producing high winds. The RGB Air Mass imagery and a new AIRS ozone anomaly product were used to confirm the presence of stratospheric air. Plan view and cross sectional plots of wind, potential vorticity, relative humidity, omega, and frontogenesis were used to analyze the relationship between stratospheric air and high surface winds during the event. Additionally, the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was used to plot trajectories to determine the role of the conveyor belts in producing the high winds. Analyses of new satellite products, such as the RGB Air Mass imagery, show the utility of future GOES-R products in forecasting non-convective wind events.

Berndt, E. B.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Long-Term Photovoltaic System Performance in Cold, Snowy Climates

As countries around the world transition towards renewable energy, there is increasing interest in using photovoltaic (PV) technologies to help decarbonize northern and alpine communities due to their scalability and affordability. However, a barrier to large-scale adoption of PV in cold climates is long-term performance uncertainty under snowfall, freeze-thaw cycles, low temperatures, and high winds. In this work, we provide a comprehensive review of published silicon degradation rates in cold Koppen-Geiger climate classifications of Dfb (humid continental), Dfc (subarctic), and ET (tundra). We first analyze the system degradation rates of three subarctic ground-mounted photovoltaic sites in North America using the RdTools year-on-year method: an Al-BSF double-axis tracking site in Fairbanks, Alaska (65degrees N); a PERC and silicon heterojunction bifacial vertical and south-tilted site in Fairbanks, Alaska; and a PERC south-facing fixed-tilt site in Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories (62degrees N). Degradation rates of these newly analyzed sites vary between -0.4%/year and -1.5%/year. Combining these data with previously reported cold climate degradation rates, we show that the distribution of cold climate degradation peaks at -0.1%/year to -0.2%/year but has a large tail with rates above -0.5%/year. The average reported cold climate degradation rate is -0.45%/year, whereas the median value is -0.33%/year. These results suggest that despite frequent freeze-thaw cycles and potential exposure to high wind and snow loads, PV systems in cold climates tend to degrade slower than PV systems in warmer climates. The limited sample size of reported degradation rates in cold climates (27) motivates the need for further data acquisition and monitoring efforts as new technologies are deployed.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Healable Coatings as a Mechanism to Repair Leading Edge Erosion in Wind Energy

Wind turbine blades are highly engineered structures designed to face temperature extremes and high winds. However, erosion of the blade's leading edge and subsequent repair remains a significant and costly challenge for the wind energy industry. Repair of these leading edges can lead to large amounts of downtime for the turbine and significant operational inefficiencies. In this work, the strength of adhesion and healing ability of a commercially available vitrimer (Mallinda's VITRIMAX) was compared to that of a thermoplastic resin, which has previously been demonstrated in wind energy applications (Arkema's Elium) to evaluate their efficacy as surface coatings for wind turbine blades, particularly their leading edges. Vitrimers are a class of inherently reprocessable thermosets, and it was theorized that vitrimer-based leading edge coatings could enable more robust and efficient wind turbine blades with decreased operational downtime and safer maintenance practices. It was found that the VITRIMAX adhered better to the wind blades' surfaces than both the manufacturer's paint and Elium, with increases in pull-off strength of adhesion ranging from 24% to 83% above that of the original paint. Furthermore, the VITRIMAX adhered strongly to the underlying composite of each blade with strength of adhesion values increasing in ranges from 42% to 97% above that of the original paint. Finally, the vitrimer coating showed an 88% decrease in surface roughness compared to end-of-life blade materials, and initial healing demonstrations in which coatings were manually scratched and subsequently healed exhibited an ~84.5% decrease in scratch depths.

Hubbard, Amber [ORNL]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Tree Tops Site - Halo Streamline Scanning Lidar High-Frequency Wind Profile / Derived data

This dataset contains wind profiles retrieved from 6-beam Velocity Azimuth Display (VAD) scans done by a Streamline XR Doppler Lidar operated by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and deployed at the Tree Tops site (1.5 km South-West of MLBS site). The wind components (expressed as zonal, meridional and vertical) are retrieved through the algorithm of Paschke et al. (2015). The quality control of the radial wind speed is performed following the algorithm of Foken et al. (2004).

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

MLBS Site - Halo Scanning Lidar High-frequency Wind Profile / Derived data

This dataset contains wind profiles retrieved from 6-beam Velocity Azimuth Display (VAD) scans done by a Streamline XR Doppler Lidar operated by the University of Virginia and deployed at the MLBS site. The wind components (expressed as zonal, meridional and vertical) are retrieved through the algorithm of Paschke et al. (2015). The quality control of the radial wind speed is performed following the algorithm of Foken et al. (2004).

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

WREF Halo Streamline scanning lidar / Derived data / High-frequency wind profiles

This dataset contains wind profiles retrieved from 6-beam Velocity Azimuth Display (VAD) scans done by the UC Davis scanning Lidar. The wind components (expressed as zonal, meridional and vertical) are retrieved through the algorithm of Paschke et al. (2015). The quality control of the radial wind speed is performed following the algorithm of Goring & Nikora (2002).

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Site E - Virtual Tower High-Frequency Wind Velocity / Derived Data

This dataset contains Dual-Doppler wind reconstruction from stare lidar scans two rotor diameters south of the King Plains G02 turbine. The line-of-sight velocity data can be found in sa5.lidar.z03.b0 and sa1.lidar.z03.b0. The reconstruction is done neglecting the contribution from vertical velocity.

17 WIND ENERGY↗