Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

About: Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre is a facility organization based out in Thiruvananthapuram, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Aerosol & Ultimate tensile strength. The organization has 2092 authors who have published 3058 publications receiving 47975 citations. The organization is also known as: VSSC.

On the convergence of the Baba and Dorea random optimization methods

Abstract: The Baba and Dorea global minimization methods have been applied to two physical problems. The first one is that of finding the global minimum of the transformer design function of six variables subject to constraints. The second one is the problem of fitting the orbit of a satellite using a set of observations. The latter problem is reduced to that of finding the global minimum of the sum of the squares of the differences between the observed values of the azimuth, elevation, and range at certain intervals of time from the epoch and the computed values of the azimuth, elevation, and range at the same intervals of time. Baba and Dorea established theoretically that the random optimization methods converge to the global minimum with probability one. The numerical experiments carried out for the above two problems show that convergence is very slow for the first problem and is even slower for the second problem. In both cases, it has not been possible to reach the global minimum if the search domains of the variables are wide, even after a very large number of function evaluations.

Comparison of NCEP turbulent heat fluxes with in situ observations over the south-eastern Arabian Sea

Abstract: Turbulent surface heat fluxes (latent and sensible heat) are the two most important parameters through which air–sea interaction takes place at the ocean–atmosphere interface. These fluxes over the global ocean are required to drive ocean models and to validate coupled ocean–atmosphere global models. But because of inadequate in situ observations these are the least understood parameters over the tropical Indian Ocean. Surface heat fluxes also contribute to the oceanic heat budget and control the sea surface temperature in conjunction with upper ocean stratification and ocean currents. The most widely used flux products in diagnostic studies and forcing of ocean general circulation models are the ones provided by the National Centres for Environment Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis. In this study we have compared NCEP reanalysed marine meteorological parameters, which are used for turbulent heat fluxes, with the moored buoy observation in the south-eastern Arabian Sea. The NCEP latent heat flux (LHF) and sensible heat flux (SHF) derived from bulk aerodynamic formula are also compared with that of ship and buoy derived LHF and SHF. The analysis is being carried out during the pre-monsoon and monsoon season of 2005. The analysis shows that NCEP latent as well as sensible heat fluxes are largely underestimated during the monsoon season, however, it is reasonably comparable during the pre-monsoon period. This is largely due to the underestimation of NCEP reanalysis air temperature (AT), wind speed (WS) and relative humidity (RH) compared to buoy observations. The mean differences between buoy and NCEP parameters during the monsoon (pre-monsoon) period are ~21% (~14%) for WS, ~6% (~3%) for RH, and ~0.75% (0.9%) for AT, respectively. The sudden drop in AT during rain events could not be captured by the NCEP data and, hence, large underestimations in SHF. During the pre-monsoon period, major contribution to LHF variations comes from WS, however, both surface winds and relative humidity controls the LHF variations during the monsoon. LHF is mainly determined by WS and RH during the monsoon and, WS is the main contributor during the pre-monsoon.

Mechanistic outlook on thermal degradation of 1,3-dialkyl imidazolium ionic liquids and organoclays

Abstract: The thermal degradation mechanisms of ionic liquids (ILs) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMImCl) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (BMImBF4) have been established using pyrolysis-GC-MS (Py-GC-MS) and B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of density functional theory (DFT). BMImCl decompose through a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (SN2) while BMImBF4 exhibit SN2 along with a competitive E2 elimination pathway. Activation energy parameters obtained using Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose method and Ozawa–Flynn–Wall method is compared with the computed activation barriers. The montmorillonite based organoclay prepared using these ionic liquids exchange only the cation part ([BMIm]+) into the clay gallery leading to an expansion of d-spacing from 12.08 to 13.64 A. The organoclay showed the maximum decomposition at 462 °C in the TGA experiment and the decomposition products were identified as methyl imidazole and 1-butene using Py-GC-MS. DFT studies employing a model compound Si(OH)3O− suggested a mechanism involving an imidazole-2-ylidine (carbene) intermediate for the decomposition of [BMIm]+ in the clay. Theoretical results were further supported by 13C NMR analysis of IL in presence of colloidal silica which showed a characteristic carbene NMR signal at 187.6 ppm.