The Conversion of Aircraft Ice Crystal Measurements Into Terms of Liquid Water Using Simulated Data

Book excerpt: This investigation presents simulated environments of ice crystals to computer analysis as a means of imitating particle measurements made by electro-optical devices such as the Particle Measuring System's 1-D instrument. A mathematical model is developed so that single crystals of known geometric form can be processed by considering each crystal's spatial relationship to the assumed measuring instrument. Crystal orientation is defined using a random number technique. The results of the assumed measurements are converted into mass of equivalent liquid water by different methods and are compared with the known mass of the simulated environment. Relationships are derived for the conversion of several forms of single ice crystals into terms of equivalent melted diameters of liquid water and a comparison is made between the mass calculated from the derived equations with the conversion equations relating measured length to equivalent melted diameter currently in use.