A critical analysis and validation of the accuracy of wave overtopping prediction formulae for OWECs

The development of wave energy devices is growing in recent years. One type of device is the overtopping wave energy converter (OWEC), for which the knowledge of the wave overtopping rates is a basic and crucial aspect in their design. In particular, the most interesting range to study is for OWECs with steep slopes to vertical walls, and with very small freeboards and zero freeboards where the overtopping rate is maximized, and which can be generalized as steep low-crested structures. Recently, wave overtopping prediction formulae have been published for this type of structures, although their accuracy has not been fully assessed, as the overtopping data available in this range is scarce. We performed a critical analysis of the overtopping prediction formulae for steep low-crested structures and the validation of the accuracy of these formulae, based on new overtopping data for steep low-crested structures obtained at Ghent University. This paper summarizes the existing knowledge about average wave overtopping, describes the physical model tests performed, analyses the results and compares them to existing prediction formulae. The new dataset extends the wave overtopping data towards vertical walls and zero freeboard structures. In general, the new dataset validated the more recent overtopping formulae focused on steep slopes with small freeboards, although the formulae are underpredicting the average overtopping rates for very small and zero relative crest freeboards

Surface composition and taxonomic classification of a group of near-Earth and Mars-crossing asteroids

In the past, constraining the surface composition of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) has been difficult due to the lack of high quality near-IR spectral data (0.7-2.5 microns) that contain mineralogically diagnostic absorption bands. Here we present visible (0.43-0.95 microns) and near-infrared (0.7-2.5 microns) spectra of nine NEAs and five Mars-crossing asteroids (MCs). The studied NEAs are: 4055 Magellan, 19764 (2000 NF5), 89830 (2002 CE), 138404 (2000 HA24), 143381 (2003 BC21), 159609 (2002 AQ3), 164121 (2003 YT1), 241662 (2000 KO44) and 2007 ML13. The studied MCs are: 1656 Suomi, 2577 Litva, 5407 (1992 AX), 22449 Ottijeff and 47035 (1998 WS). The observations were conducted with the NTT at La Silla, Chile, the 2.2 m telescope at Calar Alto, Spain, and the IRTF on Mauna Kea, Hawai'i. The taxonomic classification (Bus system) of asteroids showed that all observed MC asteroids belong to the S-complex, including the S, Sr and Sl classes. Seven of the NEAs belong to the S-complex, including the S, Sa, Sk and Sl classes, and two NEAs were classified as V-types. The classification of the NEA 164121 (2003 YT1) as a V-type was made on the basis of its near-infrared spectrum since no visible spectrum is available for this asteroid. A mineralogical analysis was performed on six of the asteroids (those for which near-IR spectra were obtained or previously available). We found that three asteroids (241662 (2000 KO44), 19764 (2000 NF5), 138404 (2000 HA24)) have mafic silicate compositions consistent with ordinary chondrites, while three others (4055 Magellan, 164121 (2003 YT1), 5407 (1992 AX)) are pyroxene-dominated basaltic achondrite assemblages. In the case of 5407 (1992 AX) we found that its basaltic surface composition contrasts its taxonomic classification as a S-type.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, 3 tables, accepted for publication in Icaru

Composition of Near-Earth Asteroid (4179) Toutatis

Surface composition of near-Earth asteroid (4179) Toutatis is consistent with an undifferentiated L-chondrite composition. This is inconsistent with early observations that suggested high pyroxene iron content and a differentiated body.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures 1 table. Accepted for publication in Icaru

Phase Angle Effects on 3-micron Absorption Band on Ceres: Implications for Dawn Mission

Phase angle-induced spectral effects are important to characterize since they affect spectral band parameters such as band depth and band center, and therefore skew mineralogical interpretations of planetary bodies via reflectance spectroscopy. Dwarf planet (1) Ceres is the next target of NASA's Dawn mission, which is expected to arrive in March 2015. The visible and near-infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR) onboard Dawn has the spatial and spectral range to characterize the surface between 0.25-5.0 microns. Ceres has an absorption feature at 3.0 microns due to hydroxyl- and/or water-bearing minerals (e.g. Lebofsky et al. 1981, Rivkin et al. 2003). We analyzed phase angle-induced spectral effects on the 3-micron absorption band on Ceres using spectra measured with the long-wavelength cross-dispersed (LXD: 1.9-4.2 microns) mode of the SpeX spectrograph/imager at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). Ceres LXD spectra were measured at different phase angles ranging from 0.7o to 22o. We found that the band center slightly increases from 3.06 microns at lower phase angles (0.7o and 6o) to 3.07 microns at higher phase angles (11 o and 22o), the band depth decreases by ~20% from lower phase angles to higher phase angles, and the band area decreases by ~25% from lower phase angles to higher phase angles. Our results will have implications for constraining the abundance of OH on the surface of Ceres from VIR spectral data, which will be acquired by Dawn starting spring 2015.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, 2 table