Naval Surface Warfare Center

About: Naval Surface Warfare Center is a facility organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Sonar & Radar. The organization has 2855 authors who have published 3697 publications receiving 83518 citations. The organization is also known as: NSWC.

Barnacles and Biofouling

Abstract: Biofouling, the attachment and growth of organisms on submerged, man-made surfaces, has plagued ship operators for at least 2500 years. Accumulation of biofouling, including barnacles and other sessile marine invertebrates, increases the frictional resistance of ships' hulls, resulting in an increase in power and in fuel consumption required to make speed. Scientists and engineers recognized over 100 years ago that in order to solve the biofouling problem, a deeper understanding of the biology of the organisms involved, particularly with regard to larval settlement and metamorphosis and adhesives and adhesion, would be required. Barnacles have served as an important tool in pursuing this research. Over the past 20 years, the pace of these studies has accelerated, likely driven by the introduction of environmental regulations banning the most effective biofouling control products from the market. Research has largely focused on larval settlement and metamorphosis, the development of new biocides, and materials/surface science. Increased research has so far, however, failed to result in commercial applications. Two recent successes (medetomidine/Selektope(®), surface-bound noradrenaline) build on our improving understanding of the role of the larval nervous system in mediating settlement and metamorphosis. New findings with regard to the curing of barnacle adhesives may pave the way to additional successes. Although the development of most current biofouling control technologies remains largely uninfluenced by basic research on, for example, the ability of settling larvae to perceive surface cues, or the nature of the interaction between organismal adhesives and the substrate, newly-developed materials can serve as useful probes to further our understanding of these processes.

Tracking maneuvering targets with multiple sensors: does more data always mean better estimates?

Abstract: In many multisensor systems the number and type of sensors supporting a particular target track can vary with time due to the mobility, type, and resource limitations of the individual sensors. This variability in the configuration of the sensor system poses a significant problem when tracking maneuvering targets because of the uncertainty in the target motion model. A Kalman filter is often employed to filter the position measurements for estimating the position, velocity, and acceleration of a target. When designing the Kalman filter, the process noise (acceleration) variance Q/sub k/ is selected such that the 65 to 95% probability region contains the maximum acceleration level of the target. However, when targets maneuver, the acceleration changes in a deterministic manner. Thus, the white noise assumption associated with the process noise is violated and the filter develops a bias in the state estimates during maneuvers. The problem of tracking maneuvering targets with multiple sensors is illustrated through an example involving target motion in a single coordinate in which it is shown that with two sensors one can have (under certain conditions that include perfect alignment of the sensors) worse track performance than a single sensor. The Interacting Multiple Model (IMM) algorithm is applied to the illustrative example to demonstrate a potential solution to this problem of track filter performance.

Investigation of the Lithiation and Delithiation Conversion Mechanisms of Bismuth Fluoride Nanocomposites

Abstract: and LiF during lithiation and the reformation of BiF3 during delithiation. It has been shown that only the high-pressure tysonite phase of BiF3 reforms during the oxidation sweep and that no bismuth fluoride compound with an oxidation state of the bismuth lower than 3 is formed as intermediate during the lithiation or delithiation reactions. Finally, it has been demonstrated that the different plateaus or pseudo plateaus observed on the lithiation and delithiation voltage profiles stem from polarization changes brought about by the dramatic structural changes occurring in the nanocomposite upon cycling. A model, based on the variation of the electronic and ionic transport mechanisms as a function of the state of completion of the conversion and reconversion reactions, is proposed to explain those polarization changes.

Distributed Multiple Agent System Based Online Optimal Reactive Power Control for Smart Grids

Abstract: Under high penetration of renewable energy resources, more and more reactive power control devices are integrated into power grids. The large-scale deployment of these devices requires upgrading existing reactive power control solutions. To improve energy efficiency and voltage profiles of the power grids under different operating conditions, this paper proposes a fully distributed multiple agent system based optimal reactive control solution. To update its control setting, a reactive controller only needs information measured locally or obtained from its neighboring buses. The updating rules of the subgradient based algorithm are derived under mild assumptions. The solution is able to provide comparable steady state performance as that of centralized optimization solutions. Due to the simplicity of communication topology and the reduced amount of data to process, the solution can provide timely response to changes of operating conditions. Simulation studies with power systems of different sizes demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed control solution.

Approximate Analytical Turning Conditions for Underwater Gliders: Implications for Motion Control and Path Planning

Abstract: This paper describes analysis of steady motions for underwater gliders, a type of highly efficient underwater vehicle which uses gravity for propulsion. Underwater gliders are winged underwater vehicles which locomote by modulating their buoyancy and their attitude. Several underwater gliders have been developed and have proven their worth as efficient long-distance, long-duration ocean sampling platforms. Underwater gliders are so efficient because they spend much of their flight time in stable, steady motion. Wings-level gliding flight for underwater gliders has been well studied, but analysis of steady turning flight is more subtle. This paper presents an approximate analytical expression for steady turning motion for a realistic underwater glider model. The problem is formulated in terms of regular perturbation theory, with the vehicle turn rate as the perturbation parameter. The resulting solution exhibits a special structure that suggests an efficient approach to motion control as well as a planning strategy for energy efficient paths.