17,225 research outputs found
Heat transfer across surfaces in contact - Practical effects of transient temperature and pressure environments Semiannual report, 1 Apr. - 1 Oct. 1966
Heat transfer across surfaces in contact - effects of transient temperature and pressure environment
Real time plasma equilibrium reconstruction in a Tokamak
The problem of equilibrium of a plasma in a Tokamak is a free boundary
problemdescribed by the Grad-Shafranov equation in axisymmetric configurations.
The right hand side of this equation is a non linear source, which represents
the toroidal component of the plasma current density. This paper deals with the
real time identification of this non linear source from experimental
measurements. The proposed method is based on a fixed point algorithm, a finite
element resolution, a reduced basis method and a least-square optimization
formulation
Macroscopic Resonant Tunneling in the Presence of Low Frequency Noise
We develop a theory of macroscopic resonant tunneling of flux in a
double-well potential in the presence of realistic flux noise with significant
low-frequency component. The rate of incoherent flux tunneling between the
wells exhibits resonant peaks, the shape and position of which reflect
qualitative features of the noise, and can thus serve as a diagnostic tool for
studying the low-frequency flux noise in SQUID qubits. We show, in particular,
that the noise-induced renormalization of the first resonant peak provides
direct information on the temperature of the noise source and the strength of
its quantum component.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Heat transfer across surfaces in contact - Practical effects of transient temperature and pressure environments Semiannual report, 1 Oct. 1965 - 1 Apr. 1966
Heat transfer across metal surfaces under transient temperature and pressure environmen
Tunneling through magnetic molecules with arbitrary angle between easy axis and magnetic field
Inelastic tunneling through magnetically anisotropic molecules is studied
theoretically in the presence of a strong magnetic field. Since the molecular
orientation is not well controlled in tunneling experiments, we consider
arbitrary angles between easy axis and field. This destroys all conservation
laws except that of charge, leading to a rich fine structure in the
differential conductance. Besides single molecules we also study monolayers of
molecules with either aligned or random easy axes. We show that detailed
information on the molecular transitions and orientations can be obtained from
the differential conductance for varying magnetic field. For random easy axes,
averaging over orientations leads to van Hove singularities in the differential
conductance. Rate equations in the sequential-tunneling approximation are
employed. An efficient approximation for their solution for complex molecules
is presented. The results are applied to Mn12-based magnetic molecules.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures include
What drives the dust activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko?
We use the gravitational instability formation scenario of cometesimals to
derive the aggregate size that can be released by the gas pressure from the
nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for different heliocentric distances
and different volatile ices. To derive the ejected aggregate sizes, we
developed a model based on the assumption that the entire heat absorbed by the
surface is consumed by the sublimation process of one volatile species. The
calculations were performed for the three most prominent volatile materials in
comets, namely, H_20 ice, CO_2 ice, and CO ice. We find that the size range of
the dust aggregates able to escape from the nucleus into space widens when the
comet approaches the Sun and narrows with increasing heliocentric distance,
because the tensile strength of the aggregates decreases with increasing
aggregate size. The activity of CO ice in comparison to H_20 ice is capable to
detach aggregates smaller by approximately one order of magnitude from the
surface. As a result of the higher sublimation rate of CO ice, larger
aggregates are additionally able to escape from the gravity field of the
nucleus. Our model can explain the large grains (ranging from 2 cm to 1 m in
radius) in the inner coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that have been
observed by the OSIRIS camera at heliocentric distances between 3.4 AU and 3.7
AU. Furthermore, the model predicts the release of decimeter-sized aggregates
(trail particles) close to the heliocentric distance at which the gas-driven
dust activity vanishes. However, the gas-driven dust activity cannot explain
the presence of particles smaller than ~1 mm in the coma because the high
tensile strength required to detach these particles from the surface cannot be
provided by evaporation of volatile ices. These smaller particles can be
produced for instance by spin-up and centrifugal mass loss of ejected larger
aggregates
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Integrated Dynamic Facade Control with an Agent-based Architecture for Commercial Buildings
Dynamic façades have significant technical potential to minimize heating, cooling, and lighting energy use and peak electric demand in the perimeter zone of commercial buildings, but the performance of these systems is reliant on being able to balance complex trade-offs between solar control, daylight admission, comfort, and view over the life of the installation. As the context for controllable energy-efficiency technologies grows more complex with the increased use of intermittent renewable energy resources on the grid, it has become increasingly important to look ahead towards more advanced approaches to integrated systems control in order to achieve optimum life-cycle performance at a lower cost. This study examines the feasibility of a model predictive control system for low-cost autonomous dynamic façades. A system architecture designed around lightweight, simple agents is proposed. The architecture accommodates whole building and grid level demands through its modular, hierarchical approach. Automatically-generated models for computing window heat gains, daylight illuminance, and discomfort glare are described. The open source Modelica and JModelica software tools were used to determine the optimum state of control given inputs of window heat gains and lighting loads for a 24-hour optimization horizon. Penalty functions for glare and view/ daylight quality were implemented as constraints. The control system was tested on a low-power controller (1.4 GHz single core with 2 GB of RAM) to evaluate feasibility. The target platform is a low-cost ($35/unit) embedded controller with 1.2 GHz dual-core cpu and 1 GB of RAM. Configuration and commissioning of the curtainwall unit was designed to be largely plug and play with minimal inputs required by the manufacturer through a web-based user interface. An example application was used to demonstrate optimal control of a three-zone electrochromic window for a south-facing zone. The overall approach was deemed to be promising. Further engineering is required to enable scalable, turnkey solutions
Collisions of small ice particles under microgravity conditions (II): Does the chemical composition of the ice change the collisional properties?
Context: Understanding the collisional properties of ice is important for
understanding both the early stages of planet formation and the evolution of
planetary ring systems. Simple chemicals such as methanol and formic acid are
known to be present in cold protostellar regions alongside the dominant water
ice; they are also likely to be incorporated into planets which form in
protoplanetary disks, and planetary ring systems. However, the effect of the
chemical composition of the ice on its collisional properties has not yet been
studied. Aims: Collisions of 1.5 cm ice spheres composed of pure crystalline
water ice, water with 5% methanol, and water with 5% formic acid were
investigated to determine the effect of the ice composition on the collisional
outcomes. Methods: The collisions were conducted in a dedicated experimental
instrument, operated under microgravity conditions, at relative particle impact
velocities between 0.01 and 0.19 m s^-1, temperatures between 131 and 160 K and
a pressure of around 10^-5 mbar. Results: A range of coefficients of
restitution were found, with no correlation between this and the chemical
composition, relative impact velocity, or temperature. Conclusions: We conclude
that the chemical composition of the ice (at the level of 95% water ice and 5%
methanol or formic acid) does not affect the collisional properties at these
temperatures and pressures due to the inability of surface wetting to take
place. At a level of 5% methanol or formic acid, the structure is likely to be
dominated by crystalline water ice, leading to no change in collisional
properties. The surface roughness of the particles is the dominant factor in
explaining the range of coefficients of restitution
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