A mechanism for energy transfer from the solar wind to the Martian ionosphere through open magnetic flux rope is proposed based on the observations by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN).The satellite was lo...A mechanism for energy transfer from the solar wind to the Martian ionosphere through open magnetic flux rope is proposed based on the observations by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN).The satellite was located in the dayside magnetosheath at an altitude of about 70o km above the northern hemisphere.Collisions between the hot solar wind protons and the cold heavy ions/neutrals in the subsolar region can cool the protons and heat the heavy ions.As a result,the magnetosheath protons are siphoned into the ionosphere due to the thermal pressure gradient of protons and the heated heavy ions escape along the open magnetic field lines.Although direct collisions in the lower-altitude region were not detected,this physical process is demonstrated by MAVEN measurements of enhanced proton density,decreased proton temperature and oppositely directed motions of hot and cool protons within the flux rope,which are very different from the observational features of the flux transfer events near the Earth's magnetopause.This mechanism could universally exist in many contexts where a collisionless plasma region is connected to a collisional plasma region.By reconstructing the magnetic geometry and the cross-section of the flux rope using the Grad-Shafranov technique,the ion loss rates are quantitatively estimated to be on the order of 1023 s-l,which is much higher than previously estimated.展开更多
An assessment of the potential and economic viability of standalone hybrid systems for an off-grid rural community of Sokoto, North-west Nigeria was conducted. A specific electric load profile was developed to suite t...An assessment of the potential and economic viability of standalone hybrid systems for an off-grid rural community of Sokoto, North-west Nigeria was conducted. A specific electric load profile was developed to suite the community consisting 200 homes, a school and a community health center. The data obtained from the Nigeria Meteorological Department, Oshodi, Lagos (daily mean wind speeds, and daily global solar radiation for 24 years from 1987 to 2010) were used. An assessment of the design that will optimally meet the daily load demand with a loss of load probability (LOLP) of 0.01 was performed, considering 3 stand-alone applications of photovoltaic (PV), wind and diesel, and 3 hybrid designs of wind-PV, wind-diesel, and solar-diesel. The diesel standalone system (DSS) was taken as the basis of comparison as the experimental location has no connection to a distribution network. The HOMER software optimizing tool was engaged following the feasibility analysis with the RETScreen software. The wind standalone system (WSS) was found to be the optimal means of producing renewable electricity in terms of life cycle cost as well as levelised cost of producing energy at $0.15/(kW. h). This is competitive with grid electricity, which is presently at a cost of approximately $0.09/(kW.h) and 410% better than the conventional DSS at a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $0.62/kWh. The WSS is proposed for communities around the study site.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(42122061)the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macao SAR(0002/2019/A1)Macao Foundation,and the pre-research project on Civil Aerospace Technologies No.D020308 and D020104 funded by China National Space Administration.C.M.thanks the Austrian Science Fund(FWF):P31521-N27.C.J.F.thanks NASA grant:80NSSC19K1293.A basic version of the Grad-Shafranov reconstruction method in Matlab is available at https://github.com/cmoestl/interplanetarygrad-shafranov.We acknowledge the MAVEN contract for support.All MAVEN data are available on the Planetary Data System(https://pds.nasa.gov).
文摘A mechanism for energy transfer from the solar wind to the Martian ionosphere through open magnetic flux rope is proposed based on the observations by Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN(MAVEN).The satellite was located in the dayside magnetosheath at an altitude of about 70o km above the northern hemisphere.Collisions between the hot solar wind protons and the cold heavy ions/neutrals in the subsolar region can cool the protons and heat the heavy ions.As a result,the magnetosheath protons are siphoned into the ionosphere due to the thermal pressure gradient of protons and the heated heavy ions escape along the open magnetic field lines.Although direct collisions in the lower-altitude region were not detected,this physical process is demonstrated by MAVEN measurements of enhanced proton density,decreased proton temperature and oppositely directed motions of hot and cool protons within the flux rope,which are very different from the observational features of the flux transfer events near the Earth's magnetopause.This mechanism could universally exist in many contexts where a collisionless plasma region is connected to a collisional plasma region.By reconstructing the magnetic geometry and the cross-section of the flux rope using the Grad-Shafranov technique,the ion loss rates are quantitatively estimated to be on the order of 1023 s-l,which is much higher than previously estimated.
文摘An assessment of the potential and economic viability of standalone hybrid systems for an off-grid rural community of Sokoto, North-west Nigeria was conducted. A specific electric load profile was developed to suite the community consisting 200 homes, a school and a community health center. The data obtained from the Nigeria Meteorological Department, Oshodi, Lagos (daily mean wind speeds, and daily global solar radiation for 24 years from 1987 to 2010) were used. An assessment of the design that will optimally meet the daily load demand with a loss of load probability (LOLP) of 0.01 was performed, considering 3 stand-alone applications of photovoltaic (PV), wind and diesel, and 3 hybrid designs of wind-PV, wind-diesel, and solar-diesel. The diesel standalone system (DSS) was taken as the basis of comparison as the experimental location has no connection to a distribution network. The HOMER software optimizing tool was engaged following the feasibility analysis with the RETScreen software. The wind standalone system (WSS) was found to be the optimal means of producing renewable electricity in terms of life cycle cost as well as levelised cost of producing energy at $0.15/(kW. h). This is competitive with grid electricity, which is presently at a cost of approximately $0.09/(kW.h) and 410% better than the conventional DSS at a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $0.62/kWh. The WSS is proposed for communities around the study site.