EAGER: Collaborative Research: Laminar Flow Inlet and Inertia Navigation System Innovation for the NSF/NCAR G-V Aircraft

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This EAGER project supports the development of a new inlet for the NSF/NCAR G-V aircraft that will enhance the ability of scientists to measure ambient ions, condensable vapors, and short-lived reactive species in the atmosphere. These types of compounds typically exist in the atmosphere at very low levels, are highly reactive, and are typically lost upon first contact with a surface. Therefore, sampling becomes a critical factor in their measurement. The new inlet will become an important community resource for air sampling from the G-V aircraft. Society will benefit from the improved tools for predicting the sinks of greenhouse gases, the sources of aerosols, and the impact of these on air quality and climate. This effort includes the early stages of the design, construction, and assessment based on computational fluid dynamics simulations, and the Federal Aviation Authority certification of a laminar flow inlet that is pre-requisite for quantitative sampling of condensable vapors and ambient ions; and this effort also explores the feasibility for autonomous startup of an inertia navigation system using differential GPS for inlet-free remote sensing detection of radical species in the open atmosphere. Currently, certified inlets on the G-V aircraft use turbulent air flow regimes that are subject to wall losses, and suitable for the sampling of longer lived species. The autonomous remote-sensing and laminar inlet design will enable the sampling of a multitude of organic and inorganic radical and short lived species not possible with the currently available inlet designs. The new inlet will provide the potential to fill gaps in our understanding of oxidative capacity, and those condensable vapors that add to the early growth of nanoparticles. This research includes the participation of two graduate students and a postdoctoral scholar.Although this EAGER proposal is exploratory and is a high-risk, high-reward effort, the extensive experience of the participating scientists and their existing analytical capabilities reduce both the risk and the required investment.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.