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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Remote Sensing of Ground Deformation for Monitoring Groundwater Management Practices: Application to the Santa Clara Valley During the 2012-2015 California Drought

Groundwater management typically relies on water-level data and spatially limited deformation measurements. While interferometric synthetic aperture radar has been used to study hydrological deformation, its limited temporal sampling can lead to biases in rapidly changing systems. Here we use 2011–2017 COSMO-SkyMed data with revisit intervals as short as 1 day to study the response of the Santa Clara Valley (SCV) aquifer in California to the unprecedented 2012–2015 drought. Cross-correlation and independent component analyses of deformation time series enable tracking water through the aquifer system. The aquifer properties are derived prior to and during the drought to assess the success of water-resource management practices. Subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal dominates during 2011–2017, limited to the confined aquifer and west of the Silver Creek Fault, similar to predrought summer periods. Minimum water levels and elevations were reached in mid-2014, but thanks to intensive groundwater management efforts the basin started to rebound in late 2014, during the deepening drought. By 2017, water levels were back to their predrought levels, while elevations had not yet fully rebounded due to the delayed poroelastic response of aquitards and their large elastic compressibility. As water levels did not reach a new lowstand, the drought led to only elastic and recoverable changes in the SCV. The SCV lost 0.09 km 3 during the drought while seasonal variations amount to 0.02 km 3 . As a result, analysis of surface loads due to water mass changes in the aquifer system suggests that groundwater drawdowns could influence the stress on nearby faults.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Utah FORGE: InSAR Data 2019

This dataset contains Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data used for ground deformation monitoring during Phase 2C of the Utah FORGE project. The dataset includes measurements of the mean rate of range change and associated standard errors, provided in both CSV and NetCDF formats. Supporting materials include histograms, maps, and MATLAB scripts used for data processing, as well as unit vector information describing the satellite's sensor orientation. Compressed archives contain additional metadata and masked range change data for individual interferometric pairs. A README file is included to provide further details on the dataset's structure and contents.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Inverse modeling of ground surface uplift and pressure with iTOUGH-PEST and TOUGH-FLAC: The case of CO2 injection at In Salah, Algeria

Ground deformation, commonly seen in storage projects, carries useful information about processes occurring in the injection formation. The Krechba gas field at In Salah (Algeria) is one of the best-known sites for studying ground surface deformation during geological carbon storage. At this first industrial-scale on-shore CO 2 demonstration project, satellite-based ground-deformation monitoring data of high quality are available and used to study the large-scale hydrological and geomechanical response of the system to injection. In this work, we carry out coupled fluid flow and geomechanical simulations to understand the uplift at three different CO 2 injection wells (KB-501, KB-502, KB-503). Previous numerical studies focused on the KB-502 injection well, where a double-lobe uplift pattern has been observed in the ground-deformation data. The observed uplift patterns at KB-501 and KB-503 have single-lobe patterns, but they can also indicate a deep fracture zone mechanical response to the injection.The current study improves the previous modeling approach by introducing an injection reservoir and a fracture zone, both responding to a Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. In addition, we model a stress-dependent permeability and bulk modulus, according to a dual continuum model. Mechanical and hydraulic properties are determined through inverse modeling by matching the simulated spatial and temporal evolution of uplift to InSAR observations as well as by matching simulated and measured pressures. The numerical simulations are in agreement with both spatial and temporal observations. The estimated values for the parameterized mechanical and hydraulic properties are in good agreement with previous numerical results. In addition, the formal joint inversion of hydrogeological and geomechanical data provides measures of the estimation uncertainty.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

The direct-current response of electrically conducting fractures excited by a grounded current source

Hydraulic fracture stimulation of low permeability reservoir rocks is an established and cross–cutting technology for enhancing hydrocarbon production in sedimentary formations and increasing heat exchange in crystalline geothermal systems. Whereas the primary measure of success is the ability to keep the newly generated fractures sufficiently open, long–term reservoir management requires a knowledge of the spatial extent, morphology, and distribution of the fractures — knowledge primarily informed by microseismic and ground deformation monitoring. To minimize the uncertainty associated with interpreting such data, we investigate through numerical simulation the usefulness of direct-current (DC) resistivity data for characterizing subsurface fractures with elevated electrical conductivity by considering a geophysical experiment consisting of a grounded current source deployed in a steel cased borehole. In doing so, the casing efficiently energizes the fractures with steady current. Finite element simulations of this experiment for a horizontal well intersecting a small set of vertical fractures indicate that the fractures manifest electrically in (at least) two ways: (1) a local perturbation in electric potential proximal to the fracture set, with limited farfield expression and (2) an overall reduction in the electric potential along the borehole casing due to enhanced current flow through the fractures into the surrounding formation. The change in casing potential results in a measurable effect that can be observed far from fractures themselves. Under these conditions, our results suggest that farfield, timelapse measurements of DC potentials can be interpreted by simple, linear inversion for a Coulomb charge distribution along the borehole path, including a local charge perturbation due to the fractures. As a result, this approach offers an inexpensive method for detecting and monitoring the time-evolution of electrically conducting fractures while ultimately providing an estimate of their effective conductivity — the latter providing an important measure independent of seismic methods on fracture shape, size, and hydraulic connectivity.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2018

Role of agricultural activity on land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley, California

The center of the San Joaquin Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the US. Farmers rely heavily on surface-water diversions to meet irrigation water demand. However, the 2007–2010 and 2012–2017 droughts have caused strong increases in groundwater pumping causing land subsidence with strong variability in location, magnitude (total subsidence) and rate of subsidence. Here, in this study, we try to understand what caused these variations. We focus our analyses on three areas: (i) the Westland water district where subsidence was very small during the two drought periods, (ii) ‘El Nido’ area where the greatest subsidence rate was monitored from 2008 to 2010, and (iii) the’ Kings-Tulare counties’ area where the subsidence was small during the 2008–2010 and the largest during 2015–2017 droughts. Our main finding is that land subsidence is located in areas where the water demand for agriculture and the density of groundwater wells is the highest, whereas the rate of subsidence is strongly affected the amount of local and imported surface water and by groundwater resources. Based on these simple observations, we propose using continuous satellite-based ground deformation monitoring and geomechanical modeling to (i) localize areas most prone for future subsidence and (ii) to estimate and manage groundwater resources.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1986

The March 1985 demonstration of the fiducial network concept for GPS geodesy: A preliminary report

The first field tests in preparation for the NASA Global Positioning System (GPS) Caribbean Initiative were conducted in late March and Early April of 1985. The GPS receivers were located at the POLARIS Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI) stations at Westford, Massachusetts; Richmond, Florida; and Ft. Davis, Texas; and at the Mojave, Owens Valley, and Hat Creek VLBI stations in California. Other mobile receivers were placed near Mammoth Lakes, California; Pt. Mugu, California; Austin, Texas; and Dahlgren, Virginia. These sites were equipped with a combination of GPS receiver types, including SERIES-X, TI-4100 and AFGL dual frequency receivers. The principal objectives of these tests were the demonstration of the fiducial network concept for precise GPS geodesy, the performance assessment of the participating GPS receiver types, and to conduct the first in a series of experiments to monitor ground deformation in the Mammoth Lakes-Long Valley caldera region in California. Other objectives included the testing of the water vapor radiometers for the calibration of GPS data, the development of efficient procedures for planning and coordinating GPS field exercise, the establishment of institutional interfaces for future cooperating ventures, the testing of the GPS Data Analysis Software (GIPSY, for GPS Inferred Positioning SYstem), and the establishment of a set of calibration baselines in California. Preliminary reports of the success of the field tests, including receiver performance and data quality, and on the status of the data analysis software are given.

Davidson, J. M.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Geophysical Monitoring of Ground Surface Deformation Associated with a Confined Aquifer Storage and Recovery Operation

A main issue in the storage of large volumes of fluids, mainly water and CO 2 , in the deep subsurface is to determine their field-scale-induced displacements and consequences on the mechanical behavior of the storage reservoir and surroundings. A quantifiable estimation of displacement can be made by combining the robust, cost-effective, and repeatable geophysical techniques of micro-gravimetry, differential global positioning system (DGPS), and differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry (DInSAR). These techniques were field tested and evaluated in an active large-volume aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) project in Pendleton, Oregon, USA, where three ASR wells are injecting up to 1.9 million m 3 /yr -1 into basalt aquifers to a depth of about 150 m. Injection and recovery of water at the wells was accompanied by significant gravity anomalies and vertical deformation of the ground surface localized to the immediate surroundings of the injection wells as evidenced by DGPS and gravity measurements collected in 2011. At a larger scale, and between 2011 and 2013, DInSAR monitoring of the Pendleton area suggests the occurrence of sub-centimetric deformation in the western part of the city and close to the injection locations associated with the ASR cycle. A numerical simulation of the effect of the water injection gives results in good agreement with the observations and confirms the validity of the approach, which could be deployed in similar geological contexts to look at the mechanical effects of water and gas injections. The gravity signal reflects deep phenomena and gives additional insight into the repartition of fluids in the subsurface.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1982

Earth strain measurements with the transportable laser ranging system: Field techniques and planning

The potential of the transportable laser ranging system for monitoring the ground deformation around satellite ranging stations and other geodetic control points was examined with emphasis on testing the usefulness of the relative alteration technique. The temporal variation of the ratio of the length of each survey line to the mean length of all survey lines in a given area is directly related to the mean shear strain rate for the area. The data from a series of experimental measurements taken over the Los Angeles basin from a TLRS station at Mt. Wilson show that such ratios can be determined to an accuracy of one part in 10 million with a measurement program lasting for three days and without using any corrections for variations in atmospheric conditions. A numerical experiment using a set of hypothetical data indicates that reasonable estimates of the present shear strain rate and the direction of the principal axes in southern California can be deduced from such measurements over an interval of one to two years.

Nakamura, Y.↗
DOE OSTI2023

Assessment of InSAR Seasonal Movements at Bayou Choctaw SPR Site

Ground deformation is important to monitor for the ongoing safety and stability of underground caverns. Implementing InSAR technology to monitor site-wide surface deformation at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has revealed seasonal ground movements at Bayou Choctaw in Louisiana. The cyclic, seasonal pattern shows soil shrinkage during the spring and summer months and soil expansion during the fall and winter months. Prior to this report, no in-depth investigation was conducted to explain this seasonal phenomenon. However, the ground movement is believed to be near-surface and not geological due to the relatively insignificant movement between years. To better understand seasonality movements, soil properties, land cover, and climatic conditions are assessed to relate near-surface water and soil interactions. The soil, land, and climatic properties all contribute to seasonal ground movement, and vegetation cover and the soil's water capacity contribute to the spatial variability of InSAR seasonal measurements at Bayou Choctaw.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2014

Determination of deformations as a result of seismic loadings on two-dimensional reinforced concrete frame via terrestrial laser scanners

Parallel to the technological developments, methods of defining locational data are changing. Laser scanners bring new advantages to engineering measurements and geodesy. Terrestrial laser scanners, which have previously been used in map engineering, have become an alternative method of measurement, especially for terrestrial applications. A common characteristic of deformation measurements is the requirement to measure the location of sufficient reference and object points established on the monitored structure. The number of reference and object points is limited when using classical methods, but not when using a laser scanner. Due to the limitations of classical geodetic survey methods, such as difficulty of application, high costs and low production speed, the present study applied ground laser scanners to deformation monitoring. A two-dimensional (2D) deformation survey was made of a concrete frame placed on a loading wall. Cartesian coordinates, derived from survey and evaluations, were converted into a standard coordinate system using the Molodensky–Badekas 3D similarity transformation. Student’s t test has been used to determine whether it was significant with the difference of coordinates or not. The deformation amounts and directions obtained from the electronic tachymeter and ground laser scanners were found to be very similar.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2020

InSAR-based detection method for mapping and monitoring slow-moving landslides in remote regions with steep and mountainous terrain: An application to Nepal

Mapping and monitoring landslides in remote areas with steep and mountainous terrain is logistically challenging, expensive, and time consuming. Yet, in order to mitigate hazards and prevent loss of life in these areas, and to better understand landslide processes, high-resolution measurements of landslide activity are necessary. Satellite-based synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) provides millimeter-scale measurements of ground surface deformation that can be used to identify and monitor landslides in remote areas where ground-based monitoring techniques are not feasible. Here we present a novel InSAR deformation detection approach, which uses double difference time-series with local and regional spatial filters and pixel clustering methods to identify and monitor slow-moving landslides without making a priori assumptions of the location of landslides. We apply our analysis to freely available Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data acquired between 2014 and 2017 centered on the Trishuli River drainage basin in Nepal. We found a minimum of 6 slow-moving landslides that all occur within the Ranimatta lithologic formation (phyllites, metasandstones, meta basics). These landslides have areas ranging from 0.39 to 1.66 sq.km and long-term dry-season displacement rates ranging from 2.1 to 8.8 cm/yr. Due to periods of low coherence during the monsoon season (June – September) each year, and following the 25 April 2015 Mw7.8 Gorkha earthquake, our time series analysis is limited to the 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 dry seasons (September - May). We found that each of the landslides displayed slightly higher rates during the 2014 period, likely as a result of higher cumulative rainfall that fell during the 2014 monsoon season. Although we do not have high quality InSAR data to show the landslide evolution directly following the Gorkha earthquake, the similar rates of movement before (2014-2015) and after (2016-2017) Gorkha suggest the earthquake had negligible long-term impact on these landslides. Our findings highlight the potential for region-wide mapping of slow-moving l and slides using freely available remote sensing data in remote areas such as Nepal and future work will benefit from expanding our methodology to other regions around the world.

Synthetic Aperture Radar↗
NASA NTRS1991

Geoscience Laser Ranging System design and performance predictions

The Geoscience Laser System (GLRS) will be a high-precision distance-measuring instrument planned for deployment on the EOS-B platform. Its primary objectives are to perform ranging measurements to ground targets to monitor crustal deformation and tectonic plate motions, and nadir-looking altimetry to determine ice sheet thicknesses, surface topography, and vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols. The system uses a mode-locked, 3-color Nd:YAG laser source, a Microchannel Plate-PMT for absolute time-of-flight (TOF) measurement (at 532 nm), a streak camera for TOF 2-color dispersion measurement (532 nm and 355 nm), and a Si avalanche photodiode for altimeter waveform detection (1064 nm). The performance goals are to make ranging measurements to ground targets with about 1 cm accuracy, and altimetry height measurements over ice with 10 cm accuracy. This paper presents an overview of the design concept developed during a phase B study. System engineering issues and trade studies are discussed, with particular attention to error budgets and performance predictions.

Anderson, Kent L.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Methods for In-Flight Wing Shape Predictions of Highly Flexible Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Formulation of Ko Displacement Theory

The Ko displacement theory is formulated for a cantilever tubular wing spar under bending, torsion, and combined bending and torsion loading. The Ko displacement equations are expressed in terms of strains measured at multiple sensing stations equally spaced on the surface of the wing spar. The bending and distortion strain data can then be input to the displacement equations to calculate slopes, deflections, and cross-sectional twist angles of the wing spar at the strain-sensing stations for generating the deformed shapes of flexible aircraft wing spars. The displacement equations have been successfully validated for accuracy by finite-element analysis. The Ko displacement theory that has been formulated could also be applied to calculate the deformed shape of simple and tapered beams, plates, and tapered cantilever wing boxes. The Ko displacement theory and associated strain-sensing system (such as fiber optic sensors) form a powerful tool for in-flight deformation monitoring of flexible wings and tails, such as those often employed on unmanned aerial vehicles. Ultimately, the calculated displacement data can be visually displayed in real time to the ground-based pilot for monitoring the deformed shape of unmanned aerial vehicles during flight.

Ko, William L.↗
DOE OSTI2013

The Northwest Geysers EGS Demonstration Project, California. Pre-stimulation Modeling and Interpretation of the Stimulation

The Northwest Geysers Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) demonstration project aims to create an EGS by directly and systematically injecting cool water at relatively low pressure into a known High Temperature (280–400 °C) Zone (HTZ) located under the conventional (240 °C) geothermal steam reservoir at The Geysers geothermal field in California. Here we report that , the results of coupled thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical (THM) analyses made using a model developed as part of the pre-stimulation phase of the EGS demonstration project is presented. The model simulations were conducted in order to investigate injection strategies and the resulting effects of cold-water injection upon the EGS system; in particular to predict the extent of the stimulation zone for a given injection schedule. The actual injection began on October 6, 2011, and in this paper a comparison of pre-stimulation model predictions with micro-earthquake (MEQ) monitoring data over the first few months of a one-year injection program is presented. The results show that, by using a calibrated THM model based on historic injection and MEQ data at a nearby well, the predicted extent of the stimulation zone (defined as a zone of high MEQ density around the injection well) compares well with observed seismicity. The modeling indicates that the MEQ events are related to shear reactivation of preexisting fractures, which is triggered by the combined effects of injection-induced cooling around the injection well and small changes in steam pressure as far as half a kilometer away from the injection well. Pressure-monitoring data at adjacent wells and satellite-based ground-surface deformation data were also used to validate and further calibrate reservoir-scale hydraulic and mechanical model properties. The pressure signature monitored from the start of the injection was particularly useful for a precise back-calculation of reservoir porosity. Ultimately, the first few months of reservoir pressure and surface deformation data were useful for estimating the reservoir-rock permeability and elastic modulus. Finally, although the extent of the calculated stimulation zone matches the field observations over the first few months of injection, the observed surface deformations and MEQ evolution showed more heterogeneous behavior as a result of more complex geology, including minor faults and fracture zones that are important for consideration in the analysis of energy production and the long-term evolution of the EGS system.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2009

Further Development of Ko Displacement Theory for Deformed Shape Predictions of Nonuniform Aerospace Structures

The Ko displacement theory previously formulated for deformed shape predictions of nonuniform beam structures is further developed mathematically. The further-developed displacement equations are expressed explicitly in terms of geometrical parameters of the beam and bending strains at equally spaced strain-sensing stations along the multiplexed fiber-optic sensor line installed on the bottom surface of the beam. The bending strain data can then be input into the displacement equations for calculations of local slopes, deflections, and cross-sectional twist angles for generating the overall deformed shapes of the nonuniform beam. The further-developed displacement theory can also be applied to the deformed shape predictions of nonuniform two-point supported beams, nonuniform panels, nonuniform aircraft wings and fuselages, and so forth. The high degree of accuracy of the further-developed displacement theory for nonuniform beams is validated by finite-element analysis of various nonuniform beam structures. Such structures include tapered tubular beams, depth-tapered unswept and swept wing boxes, width-tapered wing boxes, and double-tapered wing boxes, all under combined bending and torsional loads. The Ko displacement theory, combined with the fiber-optic strain-sensing system, provide a powerful tool for in-flight deformed shape monitoring of unmanned aerospace vehicles by ground-based pilots to maintain safe flights.

Ko, William L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Airborne laser ranging system for monitoring regional crustal deformation

Alternate approaches for making the atmospheric correction without benefit of a ground-based meteorological network are discussed. These include (1) a two-color channel that determines the atmospheric correction by measuring the time delay induced by dispersion between pulses at two optical frequencies; (2) single-color range measurements supported by an onboard temperature sounder, pressure altimeter readings, and surface measurements by a few existing meteorological facilities; and (3) inclusion of the quadratic polynomial coefficients as variables to be solved for along with target coordinates in the reduction of the single-color range data. It is anticipated that the initial Airborne Laser Ranging System (ALRS) experiments will be carried out in Southern California in a region bounded by Santa Barbara on the norht and the Mexican border on the south. The target area will be bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and will extend eastward for approximately 400 km. The unique ability of the ALRS to provide a geodetic 'snapshot' of such a large area will make it a valuable geophysical tool.

Degnan, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Site evaluation for laser satellite-tracking stations

Twenty-six locations for potential laser satellite-tracking stations, four of them actually already occupied in this role, are reviewed in terms of their known local and regional geology and geophysics. The sites are also considered briefly in terms of weather and operational factors. Fifteen of the sites qualify as suitable for a stable station whose motions are likely to reflect only gross plate motion. The others, including two of the present laser station sites (Arequipa and Athens), fail to qualify unless extra monitoring schemes can be included, such as precise geodetic surveying of ground deformation.

Mao, N. H.↗