Experimental evidence of an observer effect in high-flux solar simulators
Not Available
Rowe, Scott C.↗
SEARCH · Search NASA
Results for “SOLAR SIMULATOR”
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.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Preparation of morphology-controlled TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals for the excellent photocatalytic activity under simulated solar irradiation
Graphical abstract: Morphology-controlled TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals with excellent photocatalytic activity under simulated solar irradiation were successfully synthesized. - Highlights: • TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals (NCs) with different morphologies were synthesized. • The growth mechanism of morphology-controlled TiO{sub 2} NCs was proposed. • The core-shell structured TiO{sub 2} NCs (co-TiO{sub 2}) had a narrow band gap (2.67 eV). • The co-TiO{sub 2} NCs possessed excellent photocatalytic activity and recyclability. - Abstract: A simple synthetic approach based on solvothermal technique and hydrogenation was developed for preparation of TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals with different morphologies such as elongated rhombic, dog-bone, oval and core-shell structured oval. The effect of oleic acid (OA) and oleylamine (OM) as two capping surfactants on the growth of TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals was investigated. The physicochemical properties of the obtained samples were characterized by various techniques including TEM, XRD, UV–vis absorption, Raman, XPS, BET, PL and photocurrent measurement. In photodegradation of RhB under simulated solar irradiation, the oval-shaped TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals with core-shell structure (co-TiO{sub 2}) was superior to other TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals in catalytic activity. Moreover, the co-TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals exhibited well recyclability during multiple photocatalytic tests. These excellent properties of co-TiO{sub 2} were attributed to its special structure, including lattice-disordered surface layer and well-crystallized lattice core, and narrow band gap (2.67 eV).
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Exposure of the Bone Marrow Microenvironment to Simulated Solar and Galactic Cosmic Radiation Induces Biological Bystander Effects on Human Hematopoiesis
The stem cell compartment of the hematopoietic system constitutes one of the most radiosensitive tissues of the body and leukemias represent one of the most frequent radiogenic cancers with short latency periods. As such, leukemias may pose a particular threat to astronauts during prolonged space missions. Control of hematopoiesis is tightly governed by a specialized bone marrow (BM) microenvironment/niche. As such, any environmental insult that damages cells of this niche would be expected to produce pronounced effects on the types and functionality of hematopoietic/immune cells generated. We recently reported that direct exposure of human HSC to simulated SEP and GCR radiation dramatically altered the differentiative potential of these cells, and that simulated GCR exposures can directly induce DNA damage and mutations within human HSC, which led to leukemic transformation when these cells repopulated murine recipients. In the present study, we performed the first in depth examination to define changes that occur in mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) present in the human BM niche following exposure to accelerated protons and iron ions, and assess the impact these changes have upon human hematopoiesis. Here, our data thus provides compelling evidence that simulated SEP/GCR exposures can also contribute to defective hematopoiesis/immunity through so-called “biological bystander effects” by damaging the stromal cells that comprise the human marrow microenvironment, thereby altering their ability to support normal hematopoiesis.
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
The design of metal halide-based high flux solar simulators: Optical model development and empirical validation
Not Available
Roba, Jeffrey P.↗
Creation and Value of Synthetic High-Frequency Solar Simulations for Distribution System QSTS Simulations.
Abstract not provided.
Lave, Matthew Samuel↗
Creation and Value of Synthetic High-Frequency Solar Simulations for Distribution System QSTS Simulations.
Abstract not provided.
Lave, Matthew Samuel↗
An improved method for direct incident solar radiation calculation from hourly solar insolation data in building energy simulation
Solar radiation considerably influences the energy consumption of buildings and the power production of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems. Hourly solar insolation (Wh/m 2 ), represented as the amount of solar irradiance collected on the ground during a 1-h period, is the most common solar radiation data available and widely used in weather files applied in building energy modeling programs (BEMPs). Because the solar beam and position vary over time, the use of hourly insolation data as the input might result in errors in the estimation of the direct incident solar radiation on a particular surface. In this study, methods used in BEMPs for direct incident solar radiation calculations are first analyzed, and an improved method adopting a new algorithm for estimating the solar irradiance is proposed. Furthermore, the algorithm assumes that the solar irradiance changes linearly within a 1-h period and can be estimated based on the solar irradiance at the half clock and slope. The collected direct normal solar irradiance data of 2016 from eight solar radiation stations in China were used to demonstrate the proposed method and evaluate its performance by comparing the results with those from three conventional methods used in BEMPs along with the ground truth measurements. In addition, in this study, factors affecting the accuracy of the calculation results are explored. The results of the estimated direct incident solar radiation show that the proposed method achieves the best accuracy, followed by the methods used in DOE-2, EnergyPlus, and DeST. The proposed method guarantees that the hourly direct solar insolation will remain the same and reflects the variation in the direct solar irradiance across a 1-h time frame. The proposed method can be adopted in BEMPs to improve the accuracy of the solar radiation calculation, thereby improving the accuracy of the simulated building performance and the BIPV production.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Cosmic-Ray Diffusion Coefficients throughout the Inner Heliosphere from a Global Solar Wind Simulation
We use a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the solar wind to calculate cosmic-ray diffusion coefficients throughout the inner heliosphere (2 R{sub ⊙}−3 au). The simulation resolves large-scale solar wind flow, which is coupled to small-scale fluctuations through a turbulence model. Simulation results specify background solar wind fields and turbulence parameters, which are used to compute diffusion coefficients and study their behavior in the inner heliosphere. The parallel mean free path (mfp) is evaluated using quasi-linear theory, while the perpendicular mfp is determined from nonlinear guiding center theory with the random ballistic interpretation. Several runs examine varying turbulent energy and different solar source dipole tilts. We find that for most of the inner heliosphere, the radial mfp is dominated by diffusion parallel to the mean magnetic field; the parallel mfp remains at least an order of magnitude larger than the perpendicular mfp, except in the heliospheric current sheet, where the perpendicular mfp may be a few times larger than the parallel mfp. In the ecliptic region, the perpendicular mfp may influence the radial mfp at heliocentric distances larger than 1.5 au; our estimations of the parallel mfp in the ecliptic region at 1 au agree well with the Palmer “consensus” range of 0.08–0.3 au. Solar activity increases perpendicular diffusion and reduces parallel diffusion. The parallel mfp mostly varies with rigidity (P) as P{sup .33}, and the perpendicular mfp is weakly dependent on P. The mfps are weakly influenced by the choice of long-wavelength power spectra.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Energy Conversion and Electron Acceleration and Transport in 3D Simulations of Solar Flares
Recent observations and simulations indicate that solar flares undergo extremely complex 3D evolution, making 3D particle transport models essential for understanding electron acceleration and interpreting flare emissions. In this study, we investigate this problem by solving Parker’s transport equation with 3D MHD simulations of solar flares. By examining energy conversion in the 3D system, we evaluate the roles of different acceleration mechanisms, including reconnection current sheet (CS), termination shock (TS), and supra-arcade downflows (SADs). We find that large-amplitude turbulent fluctuations are generated and sustained in the 3D system. The model results demonstrate that a significant number of electrons are accelerated to hundreds of keV and even a few MeV, forming power-law energy spectra. These energetic particles are widely distributed, with concentrations at the TS and in the flare looptop region, consistent with results derived from recent hard X-ray (HXR) and microwave (MW) observations. By selectively turning particle acceleration on or off in specific regions, we find that the CS and SADs effectively accelerate electrons to several hundred keV, while the TS enables further acceleration to MeV. However, no single mechanism can independently account for the significant number of energetic electrons observed. Instead, the mechanisms work synergistically to produce a large population of accelerated electrons. Our model provides spatially and temporally resolved electron distributions in the whole flare region and at the flare footpoints, enabling synthetic HXR and MW emission modeling for comparison with observations. These results offer important insights into electron acceleration and transport in 3D solar flare regions.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Magnetically Modulated Heat Transport in a Global Simulation of Solar Magneto-convection
We present results from a global MHD simulation of solar convection in which the heat transported by convective flows varies in-phase with the total magnetic energy. The purely random initial magnetic field specified in this experiment develops into a well-organized large-scale antisymmetric component undergoing hemispherically synchronized polarity reversals on a 40 year period. A key feature of the simulation is the use of a Newtonian cooling term in the entropy equation to maintain a convectively unstable stratification and drive convection, as opposed to the specification of heating and cooling terms at the bottom and top boundaries. When taken together, the solar-like magnetic cycle and the convective heat flux signature suggest that a cyclic modulation of the large-scale heat-carrying convective flows could be operating inside the real Sun. We carry out an analysis of the entropy and momentum equations to uncover the physical mechanism responsible for the enhanced heat transport. The analysis suggests that the modulation is caused by a magnetic tension imbalance inside upflows and downflows, which perturbs their respective contributions to heat transport in such a way as to enhance the total convective heat flux at cycle maximum. Potential consequences of the heat transport modulation for solar irradiance variability are briefly discussed.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Two-fluid Numerical Simulations of Solar Spicules
We aim to study the formation and evolution of solar spicules by means of numerical simulations of the solar atmosphere. With the use of newly developed JOANNA code, we numerically solve two-fluid (for ions + electrons and neutrals) equations in 2D Cartesian geometry. We follow the evolution of a spicule triggered by the time-dependent signal in ion and neutral components of gas pressure launched in the upper chromosphere. We use the potential magnetic field, which evolves self-consistently, but mainly plays a passive role in the dynamics. Our numerical results reveal that the signal is steepened into a shock that propagates upward into the corona. The chromospheric cold and dense plasma lags behind this shock and rises into the corona with a mean speed of 20–25 km s{sup −1}. The formed spicule exhibits the upflow/downfall of plasma during its total lifetime of around 3–4 minutes, and it follows the typical characteristics of a classical spicule, which is modeled by magnetohydrodynamics. The simulated spicule consists of a dense and cold core that is dominated by neutrals. The general dynamics of ion and neutral spicules are very similar to each other. Minor differences in those dynamics result in different widths of both spicules with increasing rarefaction of the ion spicule in time.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Comparing different generations of idealized solar geoengineering simulations in the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP)
Abstract. Solar geoengineering has been receiving increased attention in recent years as a potential temporary solution to offset global warming. One method of approximating global-scale solar geoengineering in climate models is via solar reduction experiments. Two generations of models in the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) have now simulated offsetting a quadrupling of the CO2 concentration with solar reduction. This simulation is idealized and designed to elicit large responses in the models. Here, we show that energetics, temperature, and hydrological cycle changes in this experiment are statistically indistinguishable between the two ensembles. Of the variables analyzed here, the only major differences involve highly parameterized and uncertain processes, such as cloud forcing or terrestrial net primary productivity. We conclude that despite numerous structural differences and uncertainties in models over the past two generations of models, including an increase in climate sensitivity in the latest generation of models, the models are consistent in their aggregate climate response to global solar dimming.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
Identifying the sources of uncertainty in climate model simulations of solar radiation modification with the G6sulfur and G6solar Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) simulations
We present here results from the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP) simulations for the experiments G6sulfur and G6solar for six Earth system models participating in the Climate Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) Phase 6. The aim of the experiments is to reduce the warming that results from a high-tier emission scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways SSP5-8.5) to that resulting from a medium-tier emission scenario (SSP2-4.5). These simulations aim to analyze the response of climate models to a reduction in incoming surface radiation as a means to reduce global surface temperatures, and they do so either by simulating a stratospheric sulfate aerosol layer or, in a more idealized way, through a uniform reduction in the solar constant in the model. We find that over the final two decades of this century there are considerable inter-model spreads in the needed injection amounts of sulfate (29 ± 9 Tg-SO 2 /yr between 2081 and 2100), in the latitudinal distribution of the aerosol cloud and in the stratospheric temperature changes resulting from the added aerosol layer. Even in the simpler G6solar experiment, there is a spread in the needed solar dimming to achieve the same global temperature target (1.91 ± 0.44 %). The analyzed models already show significant differences in the response to the increasing CO 2 concentrations for global mean temperatures and global mean precipitation (2.05 K ± 0.42 K and 2.28 ± 0.80 %, respectively, for SSP5-8.5 minus SSP2-4.5 averaged over 2081–2100). With aerosol injection, the differences in how the aerosols spread further change some of the underlying uncertainties, such as the global mean precipitation response (–3.79 ± 0.76 % for G6sulfur compared to –2.07 ± 0.40 % for G6solar against SSP2-4.5 between 2081 and 2100). These differences in the behavior of the aerosols also result in a larger uncertainty in the regional surface temperature response among models in the case of the G6sulfur simulations, suggesting the need to devise various, more specific experiments to single out and resolve particular sources of uncertainty. The spread in the modeled response suggests that a degree of caution is necessary when using these results for assessing specific impacts of geoengineering in various aspects of the Earth system. However, all models agree that compared to a scenario with unmitigated warming, stratospheric aerosol geoengineering has the potential to both globally and locally reduce the increase in surface temperatures.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
An end of service life assessment of PMMA lenses from veteran concentrator photovoltaic systems
The optical performance of poly(methyl methacrylate) lenses from veteran concentrator photovoltaic modules was examined after the end of their service life. Lenses from the Martin-Marietta and Intersol module designs were examined from the 'Solar Village' site near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, followed by the Arizona Public Service Solar Test and Research (APS-STaR) center in Tempe, Arizona. The various lens specimens were deployed for 20, 27, and 22 years, respectively. Optical characterizations included lens efficiency (Solar Simulator instrument), material transmittance and haze (of coupons cut from veteran lenses, then measured again after their faceted back surface was polished, and then measured again after the incident front surface was polished), and direct transmittance (as a function of detector's acceptance angle, using the Very Low Angular Beam Spread ('VLABS') instrument). Lens efficiency measurements compared the central region to the entire lens, also using hot and cold mirror measurements to diagnose differences in performance. A series of subsequent characterizations was performed because a decrease in performance of greater than 10% was observed for some of the veteran lenses. The optimal focal distance of the lenses was quantified using the Solar Simulator, and then correlated to lens curvature using a recently developed measurement technique. Surface roughness was examined using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Facet geometry (tip and valley radius) was quantified on cross-sectioned specimens. As a result, molecular weight was compared between the incident and faceted surfaces of the lenses.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Large-scale Linear Magnetic Holes with Magnetic Mirror Properties in Hybrid Simulations of Solar Wind Turbulence
Magnetic holes (MHs) are coherent magnetic field dips whose size ranges from fluid to kinetic scale, ubiquitously observed in the heliosphere and in planetary environments. Despite the long-standing effort in interpreting the abundance of observations, the origin and properties of MHs are still debated. In this Letter, we investigate the interplay between plasma turbulence and MHs, using a 2D hybrid simulation initialized with solar wind parameters. We show that fully developed turbulence exhibits localized elongated magnetic depressions, whose properties are consistent with linear MHs frequently encountered in space. The observed MHs develop self-consistently from the initial magnetic field perturbations by trapping hot ions with large pitch angles. Ion trapping produces an enhanced perpendicular temperature anisotropy that makes MHs stable for hundreds of ion gyroperiods, despite the surrounding turbulence. We introduce a new quantity, based on local magnetic field and ion temperature values, to measure the efficiency of ion trapping, with potential applications to the detection of MHs in satellite measurements. We complement this method by analyzing the ion velocity distribution functions inside MHs. Our diagnostics reveal the presence of trapped gyrotropic ion populations, whose velocity distribution is consistent with a loss cone, as expected for the motion of particles inside a magnetic mirror. Our results have potential implications for the theoretical and numerical modeling of MHs.
79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
Simulating a solar parabolic trough collector plant used for industrial process heat using an optimized operating scheme that utilizes flexible heat integration
This study focuses on the modeling and simulation of a novel design and operation of a solar industrial process heat (SIPH) plant that uses a parabolic trough collector system for generating process heat. The SIPH plant incorporates flexible heat integration (FHI) by having two options for heat sinks as well as a flexible collection temperature for the heat transfer fluid. Leveraging the degrees of freedom created by FHI allows an optimized operating scheme to be created which maximizes the solar heat delivered to the industrial processes. Yearly results for a 27 MW-t plant located in Salt Lake City, UT are simulated for a base case and a case utilizing optimized FHI. For the main process temperature case presented, FHI increases the total solar share by 13.0% and reduces the levelized cost of heat of the SIPH plant by 10.4% relative to the base case. Furthermore, three case study days are presented which highlight how FHI maximizes solar share, specifically during mornings, afternoons, and days with intermittent solar conditions. An environmental analysis is also performed showing that the SIPH plant can reduce harmful emissions by 15.4% for the base case and 17.4% for the FHI case compared to a plant that only utilizes a natural gas furnace for process heat. Overall, the work thoroughly explores an effective operating scheme for a SIPH plant, helping to make it more economical and environmentally beneficial.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗