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

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