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At least 163 records · Page 9

Investigation of onshore wind farm wake recovery with in situ aircraft measurements during AWAKEN

The share of wind power for electricity supply is increasing worldwide. This highly variable resource requires the improved prediction of power output for network stability. The interaction between wind farm wakes and the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) introduces uncertainties in power production that warrant detailed investigation. The flow downwind of wind farms is characterized by a reduction in wind speed and an increase in turbulence, which both vary with atmospheric conditions. During the American WAKE experimeNt (AWAKEN), the Technische Universität Braunschweig conducted measurement flights with a research aircraft upwind and downwind of onshore wind farms in the southern Great Plains in Oklahoma in the USA. This study utilizes data from 20 flights conducted at approximately hub height in September 2023 to investigate the wind field variability downwind of the wind farms and vertical profiles to observe atmospheric stratification. The flights were aligned perpendicular to the main wind direction downwind of the King Plains and Armadillo Flats wind farms. Additionally, lidar data from both upwind and downwind ground-based measurement sites and sonic anemometer data were used for comprehensive analysis. Results indicate that under stable ABL conditions, the wake persists at greater downwind distances with a higher velocity deficit in the wake relative to the undisturbed flow compared to unstable stratification. In homogeneous terrain under stable conditions, wake recovery to 95 % occurs between a distance of 4.5 and 9 km downwind of the wind farm. In the semi-complex terrain characterized by shallow hills, slopes, and valleys, the wake exhibits a higher velocity deficit compared to homogeneous terrain, while in some cases the wake was amplified by the terrain resulting in higher velocity deficit 10 km downwind of the wind farm compared to the measurements closer to the wind farm. The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and “TKE difference” was found to be a valuable measure in understanding wakes in a semi-complex terrain, showing a clear wake recovery and formation depending on the stratification of the ABL.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Langmuir turbulence and filament frontogenesis in the oceanic surface boundary layer

Submesoscale currents, small-scale turbulence and surface gravity waves co-exist in the upper ocean and interact in complex ways. To expose the couplings, the frontogenetic life cycle of an idealized cold dense submesoscale filament interacting with upper ocean Langmuir turbulence is investigated in large-eddy simulations (LESs) based on the incompressible wave-averaged equations. The simulations utilize large domains and fine meshes with $6.4\times 10^{9}$ grid points. Case studies are made with surface winds or surface cooling with waves oriented in across-filament (perpendicular) or down-filament (parallel) directions relative to the two-dimensional filament axis. The currents $u$ , $v$ and $w$ are aligned with the across-filament, down-filament and vertical directions, respectively. Frontogenesis is induced by across-filament Lagrangian secondary circulations in the boundary layer, and it is shown to be strongly impacted by surface waves, in particular the propagation direction relative to the filament axis. In a horizontally heterogeneous boundary layer, surface waves induce both mean and fluctuating Stokes-drift vortex forces that modify a linear, hydrostatic turbulent thermal wind (TTW) approximation for momentum. Down-filament winds and waves are found to be especially impactful, they significantly reduce the peak level of frontogenesis by fragmenting the filament into primary and secondary down-welling sites in a broad frontal zone over a width ${\sim}500~\text{m}$ . At peak frontogenesis, opposing down-filament jets $\langle v\rangle$ overlie each other resulting in a vigorous vertical shear layer $\unicode[STIX]{x2202}_{z}\langle v\rangle$ with large vertical momentum flux $\langle v^{\prime }w^{\prime }\rangle$ . Filament arrest is induced by a lateral shear instability that generates horizontal momentum flux $\langle u^{\prime }v^{\prime }\rangle$ at low wavenumbers. The turbulent vertical velocity patterns, indicative of coherent Langmuir cells, change markedly across the horizontal domain with both across-filament and down-filament winds under the action of submesoscale currents.

Mechanics↗

Atomic-Scale Scanning of Domain Network in the Ferroelectric HfO 2 Thin Film

Ferroelectric HfO 2 -based thin films have attracted much interest in the utilization of ferroelectricity at the nanoscale for next-generation electronic devices. However, the structural origin and stabilization mechanism of the ferroelectric phase are not understood because the film is typically nanocrystalline with active yet stochastic ferroelectric domains. Here, in this study, electron microscopy is used to map the in-plane domain network structures of epitaxially grown ferroelectric Y:HfO 2 films in atomic resolution. The ferroelectricity is confirmed in free-standing Y:HfO 2 films, allowing for investigating the structural origin for their ferroelectricity by 4D-STEM, high-resolution STEM, and iDPC-STEM. At the grain boundaries of <111>-oriented Pca2 1 orthorhombic grains, a high-symmetry mixed-(R3m, Pnm2 1 ) phase is induced, exhibiting enhanced polarization due to in-plane compressive strain. Nanoscale Pca2 1 orthorhombic grains and their grain boundaries with mixed-(R3m, Pnm2 1 ) phases of higher symmetry cooperatively determine the ferroelectricity of the Y:HfO 2 film. It is also found that such ferroelectric domain networks emerge when the film thickness is beyond a finite value. Furthermore, in-plane mapping of oxygen positions overlaid on ferroelectric domains discloses that polarization is suppressed at vertical domain walls, while it is active when domains are aligned horizontally with subangstrom domain walls. In addition, randomly distributed 180° charged domain walls are confined by spacer layers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Modeling Arctic boundary layer cloud streets at grey-zone resolutions

To better understand how model resolution affects the formation of Arctic boundary layer clouds, we investigated the influence of grid spacing on simulating cloud streets that occurred near Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska on 2 May 2013 and were observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The Weather Research and Forecasting model was used to simulate the clouds using nested domains with increasingly fine resolution ranging from a horizontal grid spacing of 27 km in the boundary-layer-parameterized mesoscale domain to a grid spacing of 0.111 km in the large-eddy-permitting domain. We investigated the model-simulated mesoscale environment, horizontal and vertical cloud structures, boundary layer stability, and cloud properties, all of which were subsequently used to interpret the observed roll-cloud case. Increasing model resolution led to a transition from a more buoyant boundary layer to a more shear-driven turbulent boundary layer. The clouds were stratiform-like in the mesoscale domain, but as the model resolution increased, roll-like structures, aligned along the wind field, appeared with ever smaller wavelengths. A stronger vertical water vapor gradient occurred above the cloud layers with decreasing grid spacing. With fixed model grid spacing at 0.333 km, changing the model configuration from a boundary layer parameterization to a large-eddy-permitting scheme produced a more shear-driven and less unstable environment, a stronger vertical water vapor gradient below the cloud layers, and the wavelengths of the rolls decreased slightly. In this study, only the large-eddy-permitting simulation with gird spacing of 0.111 km was sufficient to model the observed roll clouds.

Lai, Hui-Wen↗

Impact of Dilute DIO Additive on Local Microstructure of Fluorinated, pNDI‐Based Polymer Solar Cells

The performance of all‐polymer solar cells is often enhanced by incorporating solvent additives during solution processing. Here, in particular, blends based on the model all‐polymer system PBDBT:N2200 have been shown to have increased short‐circuit current and fill factor when processed with dilute diiodooctane (DIO). However, the morphological mechanism that drives the increase in performance is often not well understood due to limitations in common characterization techniques. In this study, it is shown that a combination of X‐ray techniques with cryogenic high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis can provide a quantitative and spatially resolved picture of polymer chain orientation and alignment in all‐polymer blends. It is found that DIO induces vertical phase separation in PBDBT‐2F:F‐N2200 and increases donor crystallite thickness in the pi‐stacking direction leading to an acceptor‐rich film surface. However, it is also shown that DIO does not disrupt the formation of face‐on donor–acceptor interfaces. These findings suggest that dilute DIO primarily affects crystalline domain formation in single component regions as opposed to mixed regions; thus, dilute DIO can impact vertical charge transport pathways without sacrificing donor–acceptor interfacial connectivity.

Cheng, Christina↗

Modelling an electro-optical modulator based on a vertical p – n junction in a silicon-on-insulator structure

We report the results of numerical simulation of a Mach – Zehnder electro-optical modulator using beam splitters based on multimode interference in a silicon-on-insulator structure. The control is provided due to the depletion effect in the vertical p – n junction, which can be fabricated using the self-alignment technology. An optimal modulator design is proposed, which impedance is matched with an external 50-Ω load, for which, with a reverse bias of – 5 V and an active length of 1.7 mm, the optical frequency bandwidth of ∼ 50 GHz can be achieved. A special doping profile of the p – n junction of the modulator is presented, which provides an optical frequency bandwidth of 30 GHz with a reverse bias of –3 V and a modulator length of 2.5 mm. Such modulators can be used in integrated optics, optical communications and radio photonics devices. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Comparison of Magnetic Field Emission from Unipolar and Bipolar Coil-Based Wireless Charging Systems

In this study, the leakage magnetic field (LMF) from the unipolar (circular, rectangular, etc.) and bipolar (double-D) coil-based wireless charging systems (WCSs) are investigated and compared. The unipolar and bipolar pads, which are the two most widely adopted charging-pads, have significantly different magnetic field emission characteristics. In this paper, the spatial-distribution and vector-pattern of the leakage magnetic field are studied and compared for similar 11 kW unipolar and bipolar coil-based WCSs. The field emissions are simulated using finite element analysis (FEA) and tested experimentally with an 11 kW bipolar coil-based WCS prototype. The results show that the leakage magnetic field of the unipolar and bipolar pads have widely different vector-orientation and spatial distributions of the leakage magnetic field. The results show that the unipolar coil based WCS has a dominant vertical and the bipolar pads coil-based WCS has dominant horizontally aligned leakage magnetic field. Considering the shielding, the aluminum plate is found highly effective for the unipolar pad and almost ineffective for bipolar pads.

Mohammad, Mostak↗

Physicochemical and Molecular Insights into the Boundary Layer and Free Troposphere Aerosol Interactions over the Southern Great Plains

Ambient aerosols’ vertical profiles are critical for evaluating the role of aerosols in atmospheric chemistry and radiative transfer, but limited data on these profiles hinders our ability to fully assess their impact on the Earth's radiative balance. Here, in this study, we investigated the size-, time-, and altitude resolved composition of individual particles and bulk molecular composition of particle samples collected by an uncrewed aerial system–ArcticShark over the Southern Great Plains. Single particle microanalysis shows that, the free tropospheric (FT) samples are dominated (56-66%) by carbonaceous sulfate particles, while boundary layer (BL) samples are dominated (57-74%) by carbonaceous particles. Back trajectory simulations suggest that FT particles are likely influenced by long-range transport and have undergone aqueous-phase processing. Conversely, in-situ size distribution data shows evidence of particle growth in the upper BL and just below the FT. This observation may indicate vertical transport of particles from an elevated aerosol layer in the FT, possibly linked to a new particle formation event. This observation is further supported by high resolution molecular composition data, which reveals particle volatility increasing with increasing size, which aligns with the growth event. This study aids in fundamental understanding of the compositional and molecular specificity of vertically resolved organic aerosols to provide insights into particle size evolution for future atmospheric models.

ArcticShark↗

Seismic Anisotropy of Temperate Ice in Polar Ice Sheets

Here we present a series of simple shear numerical simulations of dynamic recrystallization of two-phase nonlinear viscous materials that represent temperate ice. First, we investigate the effect of the presence of water on the resulting microstructures and, second, how water influences on P wave (V p ) and fast S wave (V s ) velocities. Regardless the water percentage, all simulations evolve from a random fabric to a vertical single maximum. For a purely solid aggregate, the highest V p quickly aligns with the maximum c-axis orientation. At the same time, the maximum c-axis development reduces V s in this orientation. When water is present, the developed maximum c-axis orientation is less intense, which results in lower V p and V s . At high percentage of water, V p does not align with the maximum c-axis orientation. If the bulk modulus of ice is assumed for the water phase (i.e., implying that water is at high pressure), we find a remarkable decrease of V s while V p remains close to the value for purely solid ice. These results suggest that the decrease in V s observed at the base of the ice sheets could be explained by the presence of water at elevated pressure, which would reside in isolated pockets at grain triple junctions. Under these conditions water would not favor sliding between ice grains. However, if we consider that deformation dominates over recrystallization, water pockets get continuously stretched, allowing water films to be located at grain boundaries. This configuration would modify and even overprint the maximum c-axis-dependent orientation and the magnitude of seismic anisotropy.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Dissolved Organic Carbon in Coastal Waters: Global Patterns, Stocks and Environmental Physical Controls

Abstract Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in coastal waters is integral to biogeochemical cycling, but global and regional drivers of DOC are still uncertain. In this study we explored spatial and temporal differences in DOC concentrations and stocks across the global coastal ocean, and how these relate to temperature and salinity. We estimated a global median coastal DOC stock of 3.15 Pg C (interquartile range (IQR) = 0.85 Pg C), with median DOC concentrations being 2.2 times higher than in open ocean surface waters. Globally and seasonally, salinity was the main driver of DOC with concentrations correlated negatively with salinity, without a clear relationship to temperature. DOC concentrations and stocks varied with region and season and this pattern is likely driven by riverine inputs of DOC and nutrients that stimulate coastal phytoplankton production. Temporally, high DOC concentrations occurred mainly in months with high freshwater input, with some exceptions such as in Eastern Boundary Current margins where peaks are related to primary production stimulated by nutrients upwelled from the adjacent ocean. No spatial trend between DOC and temperature was apparent, but many regions (19 out of 25) had aligned peaks of seasonal temperature and DOC, related to increased phytoplankton production and vertical stratification at high temperatures. Links of coastal DOC with salinity and temperature highlight the potential for anthropogenic impacts to alter coastal DOC concentration and composition, and thereby ecosystem status.

Lønborg, Christian [Section for Marine Diversity a↗

Study of Quadrupole Fringe Fields in the Interaction Region of the Hadron Storage Ring of the Electron Ion Collider

Fringe fields in quadrupole magnets are usually neglected in studies of beam dynamics at accelerators. However, the extreme optical parameters present in the final focus of a collider such as the Electron–Ion Collider (EIC) may give rise to effects that should not be overlooked. The calculation of quadrupole fringe fields presented in this study follows the procedure outlined in Ref. [1], specialized to the case of a straight reference orbit (i.e., with no dipole field component). A right-handed Cartesian coordinate system is employed, with the $z$-axis aligned with the quadrupole axis and $x$ and $y$ denoting the horizontal and vertical transverse coordinates, respectively. The magnetic quadrupole field gradient, $G = \partial B_y / \partial x$, transitions from its peak value inside the quadrupole—where it is nearly independent of the longitudinal coordinate $z$—to zero at some distance beyond the magnet edge. Consequently, $G$ is treated as a function of $z$. The region over which this variation occurs is defined as the quadrupole fringe field region. The study begins with the development of a description of the magnetic field in the fringe region using a power-series expansion in the transverse coordinates $x$and $y$, consistent with the longitudinally varying gradient. A model for the $z$-dependence of the gradient is then proposed and adjusted to reproduce magnetic field data obtained from three-dimensional field calculations. To evaluate the impact of the fringe fields on beam dynamics, the corresponding vector potential is derived and incorporated into a Hamiltonian formulation of particle motion. The significance of the fringe fields is quantified by calculating the amplitude-dependent tune shift from the Hamiltonian. Using linear beam optics parameters of the Hadron Storage Ring (HSR) of the EIC, the tune shift due to the fringe fields of all quadrupole magnets in the IR-6 interaction region is evaluated. Finally, the resulting tune shifts are compared with those arising from other nonlinear field components present in the HSR.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Determining tolerance requirements for spray-duct alignment in ducted fuel injection

Several ducted fuel injection (DFI) studies have highlighted the importance of accuracy in aligning the duct axis with that of its corresponding spray for optimal effectiveness, as misalignment adversely impacts the method’s performance. The need for accurate alignment could lead to added manufacturing complexity via tighter tolerances. This study systematically explores cases of horizontal, vertical, and rotational misalignment, analyzing their respective effects on DFI performance. Vertical and horizontal misalignments at the duct inlet plane were varied at magnitudes of 6.25%, 12.5%, and 25.0% of the duct diameter, corresponding to 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mm, respectively. Rotational misalignments were set at 1°, 2°, and 4°, corresponding to 3.65%, 7.30%, and 14.6%, respectively, of the duct diameter at its inlet plane. The investigation yields spray-duct alignment tolerance limits and highlights the influence of misalignment direction on emissions due to the interactions with swirl and squish inside the combustion chamber. The results indicate that the tolerance limits for the alignment are within 4° and 0.5 mm relative to the geometrically aligned position. If the misalignment exceeds 4°of rotation or 0.5 mm in the horizontal direction, the beneficial effects on soot reduction using this method are no longer observed. The findings contribute to an understanding that can be used to optimize DFI for cleaner and more efficient combustion in compression-ignition engines.

Şener, Ramazan↗

Metal additively manufactured wavy fin cold-plate architecture for improved thermal-hydraulic performance

Rapid growth in artificial intelligence and data center workloads demands high-performance liquid cooling to manage increasing chip power. This study presents two metal-additive-manufactured cold plates with sinusoidal fins, constant-amplitude wavy fins and linearly variable-amplitude wavy fins and compares them against metal-additive-manufactured straight fins using experiments conducted at 1 kW heat dissipation as well as high-fidelity 3D conjugate computational fluid dynamic simulations. The cold plates were printed in AlSi10Mg material and underwent design using a Python-automated workflow prior to manufacture and testing. The experiments show that wavy fins reduce the normalized thermal resistance by 35 to 45 % at water flow rates from 1 to 4 LPM. At a fixed 20 kPa pressure drop, the variable-waviness design lowered peak surface temperature by 9 °C and thermal resistance by 51 %, while edge-channel maldistribution in the constant wavy fin design limited gains. A thermal resistance breakdown revealed that 55–63 % of the total thermal resistance in wavy designs comes from base heat conduction, 27–33 % from fin heat conduction, and 9–13 % from fin heat convection, indicating the need to address conduction bottlenecks. Parametric sweeps identify a 3 mm fin pitch as optimal, and that horizontal inlet/outlet manifolds further reduce pressure drop by 30–60 % and thermal resistance by 9–16 % relative to vertical inlet-outlet manifolds. The results yield comprehensive guidelines for fin geometry, manifold alignment, material selection and additive-manufacturing constraints to realize high-performance liquid-cooled cold plates for power-dense electronics.

3d printing↗

Energy Transport and Conversion Above a Bright Discrete Auroral Arc

Magnetically connected observations of particle distributions and luminosity from the Reimei spacecraft are used to examine energy transport and conversion occurring above a discrete auroral arc. By combining imaging and in situ measurements it is shown how transverse electromagnetic and kinetic energy fluxes measured along the spacecraft trajectory converge across geomagnetic field-lines into the acceleration region. It is shown how cross-field energy transport is facilitated by the formation of vortices along the length of the arc. From an integration over the vertical extent of the acceleration region it is shown that the transverse and field-aligned flow of energy into the arc locally supports the dissipation needed to power the electron acceleration observed. Estimates of gradients in electromagnetic and kinetic energy flows show how field-aligned electron energization in the acceleration region is supported by the divergence of Poynting flux along and across the background magnetic field.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Boundary-directed epitaxy of block copolymers

Directed self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) enables nanofabrication at sub-10 nm dimensions, beyond the resolution of conventional lithography. However, directing the position, orientation, and long-range lateral order of BCP domains to produce technologicallyuseful patterns is a challenge. Here, we present a promising approach to direct assembly using spatial boundaries between planar, low-resolution regions on a surface with different composition. Pairs of boundaries are formed at the edges of isolated stripes on a background substrate. Vertical lamellae nucleate at and are pinned by chemical contrast at each stripe/ substrate boundary, align parallel to boundaries, selectively propagate from boundaries into stripe interiors (whereas horizontal lamellae form on the background), and register to wide stripes to multiply the feature density. Ordered BCP line arrays with half-pitch of 6.4 nm are demonstrated on stripes >80 nm wide. Boundary-directed epitaxy provides an attractive path towards assembling, creating, and lithographically defining materials on sub-10 nm scales.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Spot size measurement of a deuterium–tritium dense plasma focus using neutron radiography

Neutron radiography is a technique uniquely suited to applications in nuclear diagnostics, non-destructive testing, and subcritical experiments. The spatial resolution of neutron radiographs is degraded by optical blur in the imaging system and the neutron source size, where the ideal source is point-like to optimize the point-spread function. A potential neutron source for radiography is the dense plasma focus (DPF), a coaxial Z-pinch that produces thermonuclear and beam-target neutrons. To assess if the source size is suitable for radiography, a neutron imaging system was used to measure the source size of the 4 MA Sodium DPF at the Nevada National Security Site operating with deuterium–tritium gas-fill. The source size was measured using the edge-spread function of tungsten objects, each having a rolled (convex) edge. The spot size was found to be 7–12 mm full-width at half-max (FWHM) assuming a Gaussian source, though comparison is presented for Lorentzian and Bennett distributions. The average FWHM was found to be 8.6 ± 1.2 mm vertically and 10.8 ± 1.2 mm horizontally with respect to the image plane, averaging over varied edges and alignments. The results were sensitive to source alignment and edge metrology, which introduced notable uncertainties. These results are consistent with separate experimental measurements as well as magnetohydrodynamics simulations of this DPF, which suggest that neutron production can originate from pinches ∼5–7 mm off-axis. These results suggest that the DPF should be used for radiography at low magnification (M < 1) where spot size does not dominate spatial blur.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Long-range Doppler lidar measurements of wind turbine wakes and their interaction with turbulent atmospheric boundary-layer flow at Perdigao 2017

As part of the Perdigão 2017 campaign, vertical RHI (range-height indicator) scans with long-range pulsed Doppler wind lidars were performed aligned with the main wind direction and a wind turbine (WT) located on a mountain ridge. The measurements are used to not only retrieve flow velocities, but also their variance and - by using the turbulent broadening of the Doppler spectrum - also turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation rate. The study shows that turbulence in the WT wake is dependent on the turbulence of the inflow, but also on atmospheric stability. In stable atmospheric conditions, wakes could be analyzed up to five rotor diameters downstream (D) and showed the maximum turbulence in the wake at 2-3 D, whereas in unstable conditions, the maximum was found at 2 D and the wake could not be detected further than 3 D. A clear dependency of wake turbulence enhancement on inflow turbulence intensity is found, which levels out to no further enhancement at turbulence intensities of 30%.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Machine Learning Enabled Position Detection for 6.78 MHz UAV Wireless Power Transfer System

This paper presents a novel supervised machine learning (SML) approach for accurate position detection of the receiver coil in wireless power transfer (WPT) systems using only secondary-side electrical measurements, with applications in autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) charging. The proposed method trains a supervised learning model to map measured secondary-side voltage and current features to the receiver’s spatial position with high precision. This enables an autonomous UAV to determine its location relative to the primary coil center, the optimal position for maximizing wireless charging efficiency. The sensing method is fully integrated into a standard WPT system, utilizing the same primary and secondary coils for both power transfer and position detection, thereby eliminating additional sensing hardware. The use of a 6.78 MHz operating frequency enhances positional sensitivity, as high-frequency near-field electromagnetic fields respond strongly to small spatial variations. Experimental validation is performed on a 30 W scaled prototype featuring a 210 mm × 140 mm primary coil, a 50 mm × 80 mm receiver coil, and a 15 mm air gap. Results demonstrate reliable position estimation and a strong correlation between predicted position and optimal coil alignment. This integrated framework unifying position detection and wireless charging offers a promising foundation for future autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) systems, enabling compact, hardware-efficient, and high-accuracy charging solutions.

Colak, Kerim [New York University]↗