Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Comparison of Crossbeam Wind Measurements using Spaced-Antenna and Monopulse Configurations with the National Weather Radar Testbed
Hall 5 (Phoenix Convention Center)
Crossbeam wind can be measured using Spaced-Antenna Interferometery (SAI) with two or more spaced receiving antennas, and a single transmitting antenna. The National Weather Research Test Bed (NWRT), however, does not have spaced receiving antennas. Rather, it is a monopulse system containing three channels: sum, azimuth difference, elevation difference, which can be used to form SA signals. Either the monopulse signals or the synthesized SA signals can be used to estimate the crossbeam wind. In the SAI method, wind is estimated from the auto- and cross-correlation functions of the signals from two virtual spaced receiving antennas. In the monopulse approach, the auto-correlation function of the sum and difference signals are linked directly to the wind and turbulence. The Fourier Transform of the correlation function yields the power spectrum which is then used to retrieve wind and turbulence. The respective performances are examined using Monte Carlo simulations. The interferometry measurements will also be compared with the Doppler Beam Swinging (DBS) measurements of angular shear/crossbeam wind.
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