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This paper discusses the importance of enroute wind conditions and the need for a wind measurement system which provides accurate and timely observations of wind and temperature conditions aloft. Recent advances in remote measurement of winds, temperature, and humidity such as the Stratospheric-Tropospheric radars and profilers developed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Environmental Research Lab form the basis of such a system. A domestic system could and should be established using these devices together with a near real time winds aloft data dissemination network. Estimates of the saving in aircraft fuel consumption benefits range from 1 to 3 percent per year, or from $ 100 to $ 300 million for U.S. aviation system users at current prices and consumption.

Instrumentation that has been used for characterization of mixed-phase and glaciated conditions in the past, like the OAP probes, are subject to errors caused by variations in diffraction on the images away from the object plane and by the discrete nature of their particle detection and sizing. Correction methods are necessary to consider their measurements adequate for high ice water content (IWC) environments judged to represent a significant safety hazard to propellers and turbofan engine operability and performance. For this reason, within the frame of EU FP7 HAIC project, instrumentation characterization and validation is considered a major element need for successful execution of flight tests campaigns. Clearly, instrumentation must be sufficiently reliable to assess the reproducibility of artificial clouds with high ice water content generated in icing tunnels.

Through this work, Wind River and Airbiquity look to enable secure and intelligent software updates and data management for these vehicles through over-the-air (OTA) programming technology. The work may also lead to similar solutions for traditional aerospace and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) industries.

A study was made to determine the effectiveness of low power wind energy harvesting for mobile applications. Experimental and simulated data has shown that harvesting of alternative energy resources is viable for potential mobile applications. This conducted study incorporated a mobile configuration consisting of a wind-photovoltaic hybrid in concert with a vehicle generator. The study has demonstrated an improvement in overall efficiency of the power generation system.

The microstructure characterization of tubular wicks is discussed using an image analysis method, mercury intrusion porosimetry and Arquimedes method. The central objective of this work is to determine the wide convenience of the image analysis technique for wick characterization. It is demonstrate that the image analysis technique is an appropriate tool to determine correlation function, total porosity and pore size distribution in two-dimensional (2-D) binary images of microstructures. The correlation function is used to simulate the 3-D reconstruction of porous structure. The images were obtained from a set of wick samples made of sintered nickel, through scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). A computer program (Imago) was developed and used in the work. The mercury intrusion porosimetry is also used to provide information about the breakthrough diameter of porous material. Results show porosity of about 60% and effective pore size less than 4 μm.

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In unsuited locomotion, running is more energy efficient than walking, per unit distance and mass, when gravity is less than 0.5g. We analyzed past energetics studies to evaluate whether this finding also applies to locomotion in space suits. We found least-squares fits for cost of transport [J·kg−1 · m−1], C, as a function of gravity. Suited C was lower for running at all gravity levels (Earth, Lunar). High suited C during walking likely results from high space suit joint torques; space suit legs, acting as springs during running, achieve low C by improving recovery. Walk-back constraints for planetary extravehicular activity are probably overly conservative and can be reduced to reflect the relative efficiency of running in space suits.

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Commuter/regional airlines profits depend largely upon equipment which helps increase revenue a/o minimize operating costs, with former seen more critical. Airframe/component reliability is priority requirement. Maintenance schedules, a/c performance and pax appeal must mesh with demands of high weekday/daytime cycles between congested hubs and rural airports. Manufacturers help regionals most with a/c optimizing a blend of: payload, pressurized pax comfort, ops flexibility and fuel efficiency, progressive/simplified maintenance, airframe/component durability and reliability, low parts count, QC cabin for cargo/charter off-peak opportunities.

The application of a production-oriented high-power CO2 laser system for the welding of auto underbody components is reported. Sheet metal sections, varying in thickness from 0.060-0.135 in, are welded at speeds up to 500 in/min at 6 kW. An overview of recent developments in laser welding is presented along with a discussion of the laser deep-penetration weld phenomenon. A comparison is made between laser and electron-beam welding performance.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are being deployed in military, law enforcement, search & rescue, scientific research, environmental & climate studies, reconnaissance and other commercial and non-commercial applications on a large scale. A design and development of landing gear system has been taken up for a UAV. This paper presents the design optimization of structural components of Wheel-Brake & Fork assembly pertaining to the Main Landing Gear (MLG) for a UAV. The wheel, fork, axle and brake unit constitute the wheel assembly. The wheel-brake assembly is assembled with the strut assembly and forms the Landing gear system. The Fork is the connecting member between the shock strut and the axle containing the wheel-brake assembly. As the fork and axle are subjected to shock loads while landing, the strength of these components are very much essential to withstand the dynamic loads.

The annual energy potential of a wind site cannot be estimated with the commonly available average wind speed data. It rather involves a detailed knowledge of the probability distribution and a complex computation of its cubic power integral over the year. A site with lower average wind speed can have higher energy potential if the speed distribution is flatter. The wind speed variation with time can be accurately represented by the Weibull probability distribution function, which can be approximated by the Raleigh distribution. Since wind power has the cubic relation with the speed, the concept of the root-mean-cube (RMC) speed is defined and developed in the paper. All sites having the same RMC speed would have the same annual energy potential. An analytical expression has been derived that relates the RMC speed with the average speed. It allows a quick and easy determination of the annual energy potential by using the commonly available average wind speed data.

The purpose of this SAE Aerospace Standard is to provide guidelines for the components and configurations that define the research and commercial versions of the Weather Support to Deicing Decision Making (WSDDM) winter weather nowcasting system.

This document shall be used in conjunction with: - AS6286, Training and Qualification Program for Deicing/Anti-icing of Aircraft on the Ground - AS6286/1, Processes including Methods - AS6286/2, Equipment - AS6286/3, Fluids - AS6286/5, Health, Safety and First Aid - AS6286/6, Aircraft Deicing/Anti-icing Diagrams, No-Spray-Zones

This SAE Aerospace Information Report (AIR) considers the issue of power regeneration into the EPS of an aircraft. A series of options for dealing with this regenerative power are considered and arranged in categories. Advantages and disadvantages of each solution, including the existing solution, are included. Validated simulation results from representative Electrical Power systems are presented in order to demonstrate how some of the solutions may operate in practice and how power quality can be maintained during regeneration. The impact on changes to the electrical generation system are also highlighted in this AIR, as these changes may have an impact on the solution deployed and the wider impact on the design of engines and auxiliaries. This AIR reviews concepts and excludes detailed discussions on power system design. These concepts relate to the More Electric Aircraft, cover both AC and DC systems and can be applied to both normal operating conditions or as fault mitigation.

When high-intensity discharge (HID) electric lamps are used for plant growth, system inefficiencies occur due to an inability to effectively target light to all photosynthetic tissues of a growing crop stand, especially when it is closed with respect to light penetration. To maintain acceptable crop productivity, light levels typically are increased thus increasing heat loads on the plants. Evapotranspiration (ET) or transparent thermal barrier systems are subsequently required to maintain thermal balance, and power-intensive condensers are used to recover the evaporated water for reuse in closed systems. By accurately targeting light to plant tissues, electric lamps can be operated at lower power settings and produce less heat. With lower power and heat loads, less energy is used for plant growth, and possibly less water is evapotranspired. By combining these effects, a considerable energy savings is possible.

NASA is investigating the use of plant growth chambers (PGCs) for space missions and for bases on the moon and Mars. Key to successful development of PGCs is a system to recover and reuse the water vapor that is transpired from the leaves of the plants. In this paper a design is presented for a simple, reliable, membrane-based system that allows the recovery, purification, and reuse of the transpired water vapor through control of temperature and humidity levels in PGCs. The system is based on two membrane technologies: 1) dehumidification membrane modules to remove water vapor from the air, and 2) membrane contactors to return water vapor to the PGC (and, in doing so, to control the humidity and temperature within the PGC). The membrane-based system promises to provide an ideal, stable growth environment for a variety of plants, through a design that minimizes energy usage, volume, and mass, while maximizing simplicity and reliability.

The paper presents an extensive assessment of the hygroscopic characteristics of a number of alternative jet fuel blends. These are blended with conventional Jet A-1 to conform with current aviation standards at a 50:50 ratio by volume, except for DSHC (Direct Sugar to Hydrocarbon), which is blended at 10% DSHC and 90% Jet A-1. Given the lack of information available on the water solubility of alternative jet fuels, an effective analysis of experimental data about this characteristic in six different alternatives was performed. These included four ASTM approved alternatives (two Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthetics from coal and natural gas, one HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids) derived from camelina and DSHC. An extra two alternatives currently under consideration for ASTM approval were also tested; ReadiJet and an ATJ (Alcohol to Jet).

This specification covers the requirements for one type of water repellent compound.

The results of the preliminary studies of water recycling for ESA are presented. The main conclusion is that the treatments for all waste waters, except urine, should consist of 1) Pretreatment (acidification, H202-addition, and filtration) 2) Reverse osmosis 3) Oxidation (H2O2 + UV light) 4) Reverse osmosis (neutral pH) Together with reject from reverse osmosis (RO), urine is treated by Vapour Compression Distillation (VCD). Microbiological studies have been made, and practical experiments with RO on shower water are mentioned. It is shown that up to 98% recovery can be obtained with a power consumption of 45-60 Wh/liter.