Wind resource modelling in complex terrain using different mesoscale–microscale coupling techniques

Wind resource evaluation in two sites located in Portugal was performed using the mesoscale modelling system Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and the wind resource analysis tool commonly used within the wind power industry, the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program (WAsP) microscale model. Wind measurement campaigns were conducted in the selected sites, allowing for a comparison between in situ measurements and simulated wind, in terms of flow characteristics and energy yields estimates. Three different methodologies were tested, aiming to provide an overview of the benefits and limitations of these methodologies for wind resource estimation. In the first methodology the mesoscale model acts like “virtual” wind measuring stations, where wind data was computed by WRF for both sites and inserted directly as input in WAsP. In the second approach, the same procedure was followed but here the terrain influences induced by the mesoscale model low resolution terrain data were removed from the simulated wind data. In the third methodology, the simulated wind data is extracted at the top of the planetary boundary layer height for both sites, aiming to assess if the use of geostrophic winds (which, by definition, are not influenced by the local terrain) can bring any improvement in the models performance. The obtained results for the abovementioned methodologies were compared with those resulting from in situ measurements, in terms of mean wind speed, Weibull probability density function parameters and production estimates, considering the installation of one wind turbine in each site. Results showed that the second tested approach is the one that produces values closest to the measured ones, and fairly acceptable deviations were found using this coupling technique in terms of estimated annual production. However, mesoscale output should not be used directly in wind farm sitting projects, mainly due to the mesoscale model terrain data poor resolution. Instead, the use of mesoscale output in microscale models should be seen as a valid alternative to in situ data mainly for preliminary wind resource assessments, although the application of mesoscale and microscale coupling in areas with complex topography should be done with extreme caution.

Observational evidence of a coronal mass ejection distortion directly attributable to a structured solar wind

We present the first observational evidence of the near-Sun distortion of the leading edge of a coronal mass ejection (CME) by the ambient solar wind into a concave structure. On 2007 November 14, a CME was observed by coronagraphs onboard the STEREO-B spacecraft, possessing a circular cross section. Subsequently the CME passed through the field of view of the STEREO-B Heliospheric Imagers where the leading edge was observed to distort into an increasingly concave structure. The CME observations are compared to an analytical flux rope model constrained by a magnetohydrodynamic solar wind solution. The resultant bimodal speed profile is used to kinematically distort a circular structure that replicates the initial shape of the CME. The CME morphology is found to change rapidly over a relatively short distance. This indicates an approximate radial distance in the heliosphere where the solar wind forces begin to dominate over the magnetic forces of the CME influencing the shape of the CME.

On the evolution of the solar wind between 1 and 5 AU at the time of the Cassini Jupiter flyby: Multispacecraft observations of interplanetary coronal mass ejections including the formation of a merged interaction region

The Cassini flyby of Jupiter occurred at a time near solar maximum. Consequently, the pre-Jupiter data set reveals clear and numerous transient perturbations to the Parker Spiral solar wind structure. Limited plasma data are available at Cassini for this period due to pointing restrictions imposed on the instrument. This renders the identification of the nature of such structures ambiguous, as determinations based on the magnetic field data alone are unreliable. However, a fortuitous alignment of the planets during this encounter allowed us to trace these structures back to those observed previously by the Wind spacecraft near the Earth. Of the phenomena that we are satisfactorily able to trace back to their manifestation at 1 AU, two are identified as being due to interplanetary coronal mass ejections. One event at Cassini is shown to be a merged interaction region, which is formed from the compression of a magnetic cloud by two anomalously fast solar wind streams. The flux-rope structure associated with this magnetic cloud is not as apparent at Cassini and has most likely been compressed and deformed. Confirmation of the validity of the ballistic projections used here is provided by results obtained from a one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic projection of solar wind parameters measured upstream near the Earth. It is found that when the Earth and Cassini are within a few tens of degrees in heliospheric longitude, the results of this one-dimensional model predict the actual conditions measured at 5 AU to an impressive degree. Finally, the validity of the use of such one-dimensional projections in obtaining quasi-solar wind parameters at the outer planets is discussed.

Non-radial solar wind flows induced by the motion of interplanetary coronal mass ejections

A survey of the non-radial flows (NRFs) during nearly five years of interplanetary observations revealed the average non-radial speed of the solar wind flows to be �30 km/s, with approximately one-half of the large (>100 km/s) NRFs associated with ICMEs. Conversely, the average non-radial flow speed upstream of all ICMEs is �100 km/s, with just over one-third preceded by large NRFs. These upstream flow deflections are analysed in the context of the large-scale structure of the driving ICME. We chose 5 magnetic clouds with relatively uncomplicated upstream flow deflections. Using variance analysis it was possible to infer the local axis orientation, and to qualitatively estimate the point of interception of the spacecraft with the ICME. For all 5 events the observed upstream flows were in agreement with the point of interception predicted by variance analysis. Thus we conclude that the upstream flow deflections in these events are in accord with the current concept of the large scale structure of an ICME: a curved axial loop connected to the Sun, bounded by a curved (though not necessarily circular)cross section.

Effects of solar wind magnetosphere coupling recorded at different geomagnetic latitudes: Separation of directly-driven and storage/release systems

The effect on geomagnetic activity of solar wind speed, compared with that of the strength of the interplanetary magnetic field, differs with geomagnetic latitude. In this study we construct a new index based on monthly standard deviations in the H-component of the geomagnetic field for all geomagnetic latitudes. We demonstrate that for this index the response at auroral regions correlates best with interplanetary coupling functions which include the solar wind speed while mid- and low-latitude regions respond to variations in the interplanetary magnetic field strength. These results are used to isolate the responsible geomagnetic current systems.

Solar wind-magnetosphere coupling functions on timescales of 1 day to 1 year

There are no direct observational methods for determining the total rate at which energy is extracted from the solar wind by the magnetosphere. In the absence of such a direct measurement, alternative means of estimating the energy available to drive the magnetospheric system have been developed using different ionospheric and magnetospheric indices as proxies for energy consumption and dissipation and thus the input. The so-called coupling functions are constructed from the parameters of the interplanetary medium, as either theoretical or empirical estimates of energy transfer, and the effectiveness of these coupling functions has been evaluated in terms of their correlation with the chosen index. A number of coupling functions have been studied in the past with various criteria governing event selection and timescale. The present paper contains an exhaustive survey of the correlation between geomagnetic activity and the near-Earth solar wind and two of the planetary indices at a wide variety of timescales. Various combinations of interplanetary parameters are evaluated with careful allowance for the effects of data gaps in the interplanetary data. We show that the theoretical coupling, P�, function first proposed by Vasyliunas et al. is superior at all timescales from 1-day to 1-year.

Temporal and spatial variability of auroral forms in the 10–14 MLT sector: Relationship to plasma convection and solar wind-magnetosphere coupling

Ground-based observations of dayside auroral forms and magnetic perturbations in the arctic sectors of Svalbard and Greenland, in combination with the high-resolution measurements of ionospheric ion drift and temperature by the EISCAT radar, are used to study temporal/spatial structures of cusp-type auroral forms in relation to convection. Large-scale patterns of equivalent convection in the dayside polar ionosphere are derived from the magnetic observations in Greenland and Svalbard. This information is used to estimate the ionospheric convection pattern in the vicinity of the cusp/cleft aurora. The reported observations, covering the period 0700-1130 UT, on January 11, 1993, are separated into four intervals according to the observed characteristics of the aurora and ionospheric convection. The morphology and intensity of the aurora are very different in quiet and disturbed intervals. A latitudinally narrow zone of intense and dynamical 630.0 nm emission equatorward of 75 degrees MLAT, was observed during periods of enhanced antisunward convection in the cusp region. This (type 1 cusp aurora) is considered to be the signature of plasma entry via magnetopause reconnection at low magnetopause latitudes, i.e. the low-latitude boundary layer (LLB I,). Another zone of weak 630.0 nm emission (type 2 cusp aurora) was observed to extend up to high latitudes (similar to 79 degrees MLAT) during relatively quiet magnetic conditions, when indications of reverse (sunward) convection was observed in the dayside polar cap. This is postulated to be a signature of merging between a northward directed IMF (B-z > 0) and the geomagnetic field poleward of the cusp. The coexistence of type 1 and 2 auroras was observed under intermediate circumstances. The optical observations from Svalbard and Greenland were also used to determine the temporal and spatial evolution of type 1 auroral forms, i.e. poleward-moving auroral events occurring in the vicinity of a rotational convection reversal in the early post-noon sector. Each event appeared as a local brightening at the equatorward boundary of the pre-existing type 1 cusp aurora, followed by poleward and eastward expansions of luminosity. The auroral events were associated with poleward-moving surges of enhanced ionospheric convection and F-layer ion temperature as observed by the EISCAT radar in Tromso. The EISCAT ion flow data in combination with the auroral observations show strong evidence for plasma flow across the open/closed field line boundary.

Recent Ionospheric Observations Relating to Solar-Wind--Magnetosphere Coupling [and Discussion]

Simultaneous observations in the high-latitude ionosphere and in the near-Earth interplanetary medium have revealed the control exerted by the interplanetary magnetic field and the solar wind flow on field-perpendicular convection of plasma in both the ionosphere and the magnetosphere. Previous studies, using statistical surveys of data from both low-altitude polar-orbiting satellites and ground-based radars and magnetometers, have established that magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause is the dominant driving mechanism for convection. More recently, ground-based data and global auroral images of higher temporal resolution have been obtained and used to study the response of the ionospheric flows to changes in the interplanetary medium. These observations show that ionospheric convection responds rapidly (within a few minutes) to both increases and decreases in the reconnection rate over a range of spatial scales, as well as revealing transient enhancements which are also thought to be related to magnetopause phenomena. Such results emphasize the potential of ground-based radars and other remote-sensing instruments for studies of the Earth's interaction with the interplanetary medium.

Determination of the top-quark pole mass and strong coupling constant from the t(t)over-bar production cross section in pp collisions at root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Wind ensamble forecasting using an adaptive mass-consistent model

[EN]Ensemble forecasting [1] is a methodology to deal with uncertainties in the numerical wind prediction. In this work we propose to apply ensemble methods to the adaptive wind forecasting model presented in [2]. The wind _eld forecasting is based on a mass-consistent model and a log-linear wind pro_le using as input data the resulting forecast wind from Harmonie [3], a Non-Hydrostatic Dynamic model. The mass-consistent model parameters are estimated by using genetic algorithms [4]. The mesh is generated using the meccano method [5] and adapted to the geometry. The main source of uncertainties in this model is the parameter estimation and the in- trinsic uncertainties of the Harmonie Model…

Development of a multi-species method by GC-coupling with inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of alkylated lead, mercury and tin compounds

An accurate and sensitive species-specific GC-ICP-IDMS (gas chromatography inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry) method for the determination of trimethyllead and a multi-species-specific GC-ICP-IDMS method for the simultaneous determination of trimethyllead, methylmercury, and butyltins in biological and environmental samples were developed. They allow the determination of corresponding elemental species down to the low ng g-1 range. The developed synthesis scheme for the formation of isotopically labeled Me3206Pb+ can be used for future production of this spike. The novel extraction technique, stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE), was applied for the first time in connection with species-specific isotope dilution GC-ICP-MS for the determination of trimethyllead, methylmercury and butyltins. The results were compared with liquid-liquid extraction. The developed methods were validated by the analysis of certified reference materials. The liquid-liquid extraction GC-ICP-IDMS method was applied to seafood samples purchased from a supermarket. The methylated lead fraction in these samples, correlated to total lead, varied in a broad range of 0.01-7.6 %. On the contrary, the fraction of methylmercury is much higher, normally in the range of 80-98 %. The highest methylmercury content of up to 12 µg g-1 has been determined in shark samples, an animal which is at the end of the marine food chain, whereas in other seafood samples a MeHg+ content of less than 0.2 µg g-1 was found. Butyltin species could only be determined in samples, where anthropogenic contaminations must be assumed. This explains the observed broad variation of the butylated tin fraction in the range of <0.3-49 % in different seafood samples. Because all isotope-labelled spike compounds, except trimethyllead, are commercially available, the developed multi-species-specific GC-ICP-IDMS method has a high potential in future for routine analysis.

Simulation by discrete mass modeling of offshore wind turbine system with DC link

This paper presents an integrated model for an offshore wind turbine taking into consideration a contribution for the marine wave and wind speed with perturbations influences on the power quality of current injected into the electric grid. The paper deals with the simulation of one floating offshore wind turbine equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous generator, and a two-level converter connected to an onshore electric grid. The use of discrete mass modeling is accessed in order to reveal by computing the total harmonic distortion on how the perturbations of the captured energy are attenuated at the electric grid injection point. Two torque actions are considered for the three-mass modeling, the aerodynamic on the flexible part and on the rigid part of the blades. Also, a torque due to the influence of marine waves in deep water is considered. Proportional integral fractional-order control supports the control strategy. A comparison between the drive train models is presented.