scholarly journals Three years of high precision gravity measurements at the gravimetric station of Brasimone - Italy

1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Casula

From August 1995 up to now, at the Enea Research Center of Brasimone, in the Italian Apennines between Bologna and Florence (Italy: 44º07'N, 11º.07'E, 890 m height), the superconducting gravimeter GWR model TT70 number T015 has been continuously recording the variation of the local gravity field, in the frame of the Global Geodynamics Project. The gravimetric laboratory, being a room of the disused nuclear power plant of Brasimone, is a very stable site, free from noise due to human activities. Data blocks of several months of continuous gravity records have been collected over a time span of three years, together with the meteorological data. The gravimeter has been calibrated at relative accuracy better than 0.3% with the aid of a mobile mass system, by imposed perturbations of the local gravity field and recording the gravimeter response. The results of this calibration technique were checked by two comparison experiments with absolute gravimeters performed during this period: the first, in May 1994 with the aid of the symmetrical rise and fall gravimeter of the Institute of Metrology Colonnetti of Turin, and the second in October 1997 involving an FG5 absolute gravimeter of the Institute de Physique du Globe of Strasbourg. The gravimeter signal was analysed to compute a high precision tidal model for Brasimone site. Starting from a set of gravimetric and atmospheric pressure data of high quality, relative to 46 months of observation, we performed the tidal analysis using Eterna 3.2 software to compute amplitudes, gravimetric factors and phases of the main waves of the Tamura catalogue. Finally a comparison experiment between two of the STS-1/VBB broadband seismometers of the MedNet project network and the gravity records relative to the Balleny Islands earthquake (March 25, 1998) were analysed to look for evidence of normal modes due to the free oscillations of the Earth.

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Crossley ◽  
J. Hinderer ◽  
M. Llubes ◽  
N. Florsch

Abstract. New satellite missions are returning high precision, time-varying, satellite measurements of the Earth’s gravity field. The GRACE mission is now in its calibration/- validation phase and first results of the gravity field solutions are imminent. We consider here the possibility of external validation using data from the superconducting gravimeters in the European sub-array of the Global Geodynamics Project (GGP) as ‘ground truth’ for comparison with GRACE. This is a pilot study in which we use 14 months of 1-hour data from the beginning of GGP (1 July 1997) to 30 August 1998, when the Potsdam instrument was relocated to South Africa. There are 7 stations clustered in west central Europe, and one station, Metsahovi in Finland. We remove local tides, polar motion, local and global air pressure, and instrument drift and then decimate to 6-hour samples. We see large variations in the time series of 5–10µgal between even some neighboring stations, but there are also common features that correlate well over the 427-day period. The 8 stations are used to interpolate a minimum curvature (gridded) surface that extends over the geographical region. This surface shows time and spatial coherency at the level of 2– 4µgal over the first half of the data and 1–2µgal over the latter half. The mean value of the surface clearly shows a rise in European gravity of about 3µgal over the first 150 days and a fairly constant value for the rest of the data. The accuracy of this mean is estimated at 1µgal, which compares favorably with GRACE predictions for wavelengths of 500 km or less. Preliminary studies of hydrology loading over Western Europe shows the difficulty of correlating the local hydrology, which can be highly variable, with large-scale gravity variations.Key words. GRACE, satellite gravity, superconducting gravimeter, GGP, ground truth


2019 ◽  
Vol 88 ◽  
pp. 03001
Author(s):  
Maxime Mouyen ◽  
Laurent Longuevergne ◽  
Konstantinos Chalikakis ◽  
Naomi Mazzilli ◽  
Chloé Ollivier ◽  
...  

Geodetic tools monitor the earth’s deformation and gravity field. They are presently sensitive enough to record subtle changes triggered by hydrological processes, thus providing complementary data to standard hydrological measurements. Among these tools, superconducting gravimeter (SG) have proven useful to unravel groundwater redistribution, which significantly alter the gravity field. In the frame of the EquipEx MIGA (Matter wave-laser based Interferometer Gravitation Antenna) project, one SG (iOSG-24) was set up in July 2015 in the Low-noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) at Rustrel, France, in a gallery located 500 m beneath the surface. In this work, we analyse the underground iOSG-24 gravity time series together with hydro-meteorological data and basic gravity modelling. We find that the gravimeter recorded the redistribution of water in the ground and that most of this redistribution occurs in the unsaturated zone located above the gravimeter. Nevertheless, residuals between our model and the gravity data suggest the occurrence of large lateral fluxes and rapid runoff not considered in our model. We discuss how the setting of a second SG, planned in July 2018, at the surface of the LSBB could help unravelling such hydrological processes.


1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Casula ◽  
P. Baldi

Since 1991 a GWR superconducting gravimeter has been working in a laboratory at the Brasimone ENEA Research Centre, near Bologna (Italy), in the frame of an experimental program to verify Newton's law over distances of the order of 10-100 m. Owing to the aim of the experiment, the gravimeter was moved to different laboratories in the same area, but from August 1995 to date it has been working continuously in the same laboratory in the frame of the preliminary program of the Global Geodynamics Project. The site, belonging to a building of a dismissed nuclear power plant, is free from noise due to human activities, and is thus highly suitable for recording Earth tides. Starting from a set of gravimetric and atmospheric pressure data of high quality relative to 22 months of observation, we performed the tidal analysis using Eterna 3.2 software in order to compute amplitudes, gravimetric factors and phases of the main waves of the Tamura 1987 catalogue. The accuracy of the method adopted for the calibration of the gravimeter, the values of the principal waves and the result of the computation of atmospheric pressure admittance are described.


2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Ding ◽  
Wen-Bin Shen

<p>Based upon SG (superconducting gravimeter) records, the autoregressive method proposed by Chao and Gilbert [1980] is used to determine the frequencies of the singlets of seven spheroidal modes (<sub>0</sub>S<sub>2</sub>, <sub>2</sub>S<sub>1</sub>, <sub>0</sub>S<sub>3</sub>, <sub>0</sub>S<sub>4</sub>, <sub>1</sub>S<sub>2</sub>, <sub>0</sub>S<sub>0</sub>, and <sub>3</sub>S<sub>1</sub>) and the degenerate frequencies of three toroidal modes (<sub>0</sub>T<sub>2</sub>, <sub>0</sub>T<sub>3</sub>, and <sub>0</sub>T<sub>4</sub>) below 1 mHz after two recent huge earthquakes, the 2010 Mw8.8 Maule earthquake and the 2011 Mw9.1 Tohoku earthquake. The corresponding quality factor <em>Q</em>s are also determined for those modes, of which the <em>Q</em>s of the five singlets of <sub>1</sub>S<sub>2</sub> and the five singlets (<em>m</em>=0, <em>m</em>=±2, and <em>m</em>=±3) of <sub>0</sub>S<sub>4</sub> are estimated for the first time using the SG observations. The singlet <em>m</em>=0 of <sub>3</sub>S<sub>1</sub> is clearly observed from the power spectra of the SG time series without using other special spectral analysis methods or special time series from pole station records. In addition, the splitting width ratio <em>R</em> of <sub>3</sub>S<sub>1</sub> is 0.99, and consequently we conclude that <sub>3</sub>S<sub>1</sub> is normally split. The frequencies and <em>Q</em>s of the modes below 1mHz may contribute to refining the 3D density and attenuation models of the Earth.</p>


Author(s):  
Dong Zheng ◽  
Allen T. Vieira ◽  
Julie M. Jarvis ◽  
George P. Emsurak

The Ultimate Heat Sink (UHS) of a nuclear power plant is a complex cooling water system which serves the plant during normal and accident conditions. For some next generation nuclear plants, the UHS sizing is a major design and licensing analysis task. The analysis involves detailed modeling of the transient heat loads and the selection of worst-case meteorological data for the plant site. The UHS sizing requirements for a representative next generation nuclear power plant are evaluated on a month-to-month basis. This paper assesses the UHS water requirement for each month of year. The UHS analysis for a representative next generation nuclear plant with mechanical draft cooling towers and a water basin is used to determine the maximum evaporation of the basin for the worst-case meteorological data on a month-to-month basis. To size the cooling tower basin, automated methods have been developed which determine the highest evaporative losses from the basin and highest basin temperature over a 30-day design basis accident period. This paper also evaluates the month-to-month basin temperature changes. This assessment is done for a representative next generation nuclear power plant and considers the monthly historical meteorological data over 45 years. The result of this assessment of monthly UHS water requirement is of interest in assessing the margin in the UHS design. This monthly assessment is also useful in demonstrating that the automated methods used to establish the limiting 30-day meteorological condition are indeed accurate. In addition, these results may be useful in helping to plan plant maintenance activities.


Author(s):  
Xinpeng Li ◽  
Sheng Fang

The control room radiological habitability (CRRH) is important for staff safety in a nuclear power plant, which is also a licensing requirement of the High-temperature Reactor Pebble-bed Module (HTR-PM) in China. Meanwhile, the complexity of the dose assessment increases for the multi-reactor site, which put forward higher requirements for building layout. The CRRH is investigated comprehensively for the multi-reactor site at Shidao Bay in this study. For a large-break loss of coolant accident of HTR-PM and CAP1000 in Shidao Bay nuclear power site, this study estimates doses of body, thyroid and skin due to three exposure pathways using NRC-recommended ARCON96 and dose calculation method in RG 1.195. To perform a realistic evaluation, the latest design and site-specific information are utilized as the input parameters, including the unique accidental source term of HTR-PM and the RG1.183-recommended source term of CAP1000, the release and ventilation parameters, the final layout and the meteorological data in a whole year. The evaluation results demonstrate that the individual dose level of staff in the control room is far below the requirement of the regulatory guide, which guarantees the CRRH of HTR-PM. The contribution of primary radionuclides suggests that tellurium and iodine are primary contributors of the inhalation dose of body and thyroid, which is worthy of paying particular attention to the CRRH design in HTR-PM.


Author(s):  
David Wagg

In this paper we consider the dynamics of compliant mechanical systems subject to combined vibration and impact forcing. Two specific systems are considered; a two degree of freedom impact oscillator and a clamped-clamped beam. Both systems are subject to multiple motion limiting constraints. A mathematical formulation for modelling such systems is developed using a modal approach including a modal form of the coefficient of restitution rule. The possible impact configurations for an N degree of freedom lumped mass system are considered. We then consider sticking motions which occur when a single mass in the system becomes stuck to an impact stop, which is a form of periodic localization. Then using the example of a two degree of freedom system with two constraints we describe exact modal solutions for the free flight and sticking motions which occur in this system. A numerical example of a sticking orbit for this system is shown and we discuss identifying a nonlinear normal modal basis for the system. This is achieved by extending the normal modal basis to include localized modes. Finally preliminary experimental results from a clamped-clamped vibroimpacting beam are considered and a simplified model discussed which uses an extended modal basis including localized modes.


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