Hurricane Thermodynamics

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Hurricane Thermodynamics

• Alex MacIntosh
• Cam Mateus
• Steve Lazar

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Costliest Hurricanes

• Katrina 2005 81 Billion
• Andrew 1992 26.5 Billion
• Wilma 2005 20.6 Billion
• Charley 2004 15 Billion
• Difficult to study immense power
• About 48 of 80 tropical cyclones qualify in terms
  of intensity

http//www.nhc.noaa.gov/Deadliest_Costliest.shtml
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Physical Structure

• Storms form in the tropics
• Three main parts
• The eye
• Eyewall
• Rainbands
• Axisymmetric Vortex
• Hydrostatic and Rotational Balance

http//www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropics/tc_struc
ture.htm
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Carnot Engines

• Thermodynamic disequilibrium
• Four Sequences
• Isothermal Expansion
• Adiabatic Expansion
• Isothermal Compression
• Adiabatic Compression

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_thermodyn
amics
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Equations

• Efficiency of Carnot Engine
• Carnots Theorem to predict maximum wind speed

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Climate Change

• Greenhouse gases and effects on hurricanes
• Carnots Theorem Temperature difference and
  intensity of hurricane
• Adiabatic expansion increased
• Greater wind velocity

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How Temperature Variation Effects Wind Velocity

• When T1 25C, the Vmax is 5.85 m/s
• When T1 30C, the Vmax is 8.34 m/s
• This is a stunning 50 increase in the wind
  velocity!

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How?

• Apply a cryogenic coolant
• Nitrogen gas
• Carbon Dioxide
• Air
• Water
• Transport and deliver coolant using
• Plane
• Ship
• Barge
• Remotely Controlled?

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Thermal Updrafts
Strongest Thermal Updraft At the down tilt right
region of Hurricane Apply Coolant There
From Nat. Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
http//celebrating200years.noaa.gov/historymakers
/Smagorinsky/hurricane_emily650.html
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What?

• Coolant does
• Decreases updraft temperature
• Increase wind shear w/ large solid coolant pieces
• Higher the wind shear---weaker the storm

From www.fema.gov
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Clausius-Clapeyron
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• Citations
• Emanuel, K.A., The Theory of Hurricanes. Annu.
  Rev. Fluid Mech., 23 (1991) 179-196
• Tropical Cyclone Structure. cited November 27,
  2008 Available from http//www.srh.noaa.gov/jet
  stream/tropics/tc_structure.htm
• Kondepudi, Dilip. Introduction to Modern
  Thermodynamics. John Wiley Sons, Ltd, 2008.
• Emanuel, K.A., Tropical Cyclones. Annu. Rev.
  Earth. Planet. Sci., 31 (2003) 75-104.
• Atmospheric thermodynamics. cited November 26,
  2008 Available from http//en.wikipedia.org/wik
  i/Atmospheric_thermodynamics.
• Mooney, C. The Truth About the 2007 Atlantic
  Hurricane Season. 2007 cited October 26, 2008
  Available from http//www.thedailygreen.com/envir
  onmental-news/blogs/hurricanes-storms/7889.
• OKeefe, D.R., Hurricane Abatement Method and
  System, U.P.T. Office, Editor. 2007 USA