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Quealy, Angela

Publications and source records attributed to Quealy, Angela.

National Combustion Code Parallel Performance Enhancements

The National Combustion Code (NCC) is being developed by an industry-government team for the design and analysis of combustion systems. The unstructured grid, reacting flow code uses a distributed memory, message passing model for its parallel implementation. The focus of the present effort has been to improve the performance of the NCC code to meet combustor designer requirements for model accuracy and analysis turnaround time. Improving the performance of this code contributes significantly to the overall reduction in time and cost of the combustor design cycle. This report describes recent parallel processing modifications to NCC that have improved the parallel scalability of the code, enabling a two hour turnaround for a 1.3 million element fully reacting combustion simulation on an SGI Origin 2000.

Quealy, Angela

NCC: A Physics-Based Design and Analysis Tool for Combustion Systems

The National Combustion Code (NCC) is an integrated system of computer codes for physics-based design and analysis of combustion systems. It uses unstructured meshes and runs on parallel computing platforms. The NCC is composed of a set of distinct yet closely related modules. They are: (1) a gaseous flow module solving 3-D Navier-Stokes equations; (2) a turbulence module containing the non-linear k-epsilon models; (3) a chemistry module using either the conventional reduced kinetics approach of solving species equations or the Intrinsic Low Dimensional Manifold (ILDM) kinetics approach of table looking up in conjunction with solving the equations of the progressive variables; (4) a turbulence-chemistry interaction module including the option of solving the joint probability density function (PDF) for species and enthalpy; and (5) a spray module for solving the liquid phase equations. In early 1995, an industry-government team was formed to develop the NCC. In July 1998, the baseline beta version was completed and presented in two NCC sessions at the 34th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit, July 1998. An overview of this baseline beta version was presented at the NASA HPCCP/CAS Workshop 98, August 1998. Since then, the effort has been focused on the streamlining, validation, and enhancement of the th baseline beta version. The progress is presented in two NCC sessions at the AIAA 38 Aerospace Sciences Meeting & Exhibit, January 2000. At this NASA HPCCP/CAS Workshop 2000, an overview of the NCC papers presented at the AIAA 38 th Aerospace Sciences Meeting & Exhibit is presented, with emphasis on the reduction of analysis time of simulating the (gaseous) reacting flows in full combustors. In addition, results of NCC simulation of a modern turbofan combustor will also be reported.

Liu, Nan-Suey

NCC: A Multidisciplinary Design/Analysis Tool for Combustion Systems

A multi-disciplinary design/analysis tool for combustion systems is critical for optimizing the low-emission, high-performance combustor design process. Based on discussions between NASA Lewis Research Center and the jet engine companies, an industry-government team was formed in early 1995 to develop the National Combustion Code (NCC), which is an integrated system of computer codes for the design and analysis of combustion systems. NCC has advanced features that address the need to meet designer's requirements such as "assured accuracy", "fast turnaround", and "acceptable cost". The NCC development team is comprised of Allison Engine Company (Allison), CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC), GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE), NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC), and Pratt & Whitney (P&W). This development team operates under the guidance of the NCC steering committee. The "unstructured mesh" capability and "parallel computing" are fundamental features of NCC from its inception. The NCC system is composed of a set of "elements" which includes grid generator, main flow solver, turbulence module, turbulence and chemistry interaction module, chemistry module, spray module, radiation heat transfer module, data visualization module, and a post-processor for evaluating engine performance parameters. Each element may have contributions from several team members. Such a multi-source multi-element system needs to be integrated in a way that facilitates inter-module data communication, flexibility in module selection, and ease of integration.

Liu, Nan-Suey

Application Portable Parallel Library

Application Portable Parallel Library (APPL) computer program is subroutine-based message-passing software library intended to provide consistent interface to variety of multiprocessor computers on market today. Minimizes effort needed to move application program from one computer to another. User develops application program once and then easily moves application program from parallel computer on which created to another parallel computer. ("Parallel computer" also include heterogeneous collection of networked computers). Written in C language with one FORTRAN 77 subroutine for UNIX-based computers and callable from application programs written in C language or FORTRAN 77.

Cole, Gary L.

Portable programming on parallel/networked computers using the Application Portable Parallel Library (APPL)

The Application Portable Parallel Library (APPL) is a subroutine-based library of communication primitives that is callable from applications written in FORTRAN or C. APPL provides a consistent programmer interface to a variety of distributed and shared-memory multiprocessor MIMD machines. The objective of APPL is to minimize the effort required to move parallel applications from one machine to another, or to a network of homogeneous machines. APPL encompasses many of the message-passing primitives that are currently available on commercial multiprocessor systems. This paper describes APPL (version 2.3.1) and its usage, reports the status of the APPL project, and indicates possible directions for the future. Several applications using APPL are discussed, as well as performance and overhead results.

Quealy, Angela

Hypercluster Parallel Processor

Hypercluster computer system includes multiple digital processors, operation of which coordinated through specialized software. Configurable according to various parallel-computing architectures of shared-memory or distributed-memory class, including scalar computer, vector computer, reduced-instruction-set computer, and complex-instruction-set computer. Designed as flexible, relatively inexpensive system that provides single programming and operating environment within which one can investigate effects of various parallel-computing architectures and combinations on performance in solution of complicated problems like those of three-dimensional flows in turbomachines. Hypercluster software and architectural concepts are in public domain.

Blech, Richard A.

Turbomachinery CFD on parallel computers

The role of multistage turbomachinery simulation in the development of propulsion system models is discussed. Particularly, the need for simulations with higher fidelity and faster turnaround time is highlighted. It is shown how such fast simulations can be used in engineering-oriented environments. The use of parallel processing to achieve the required turnaround times is discussed. Current work by several researchers in this area is summarized. Parallel turbomachinery CFD research at the NASA Lewis Research Center is then highlighted. These efforts are focused on implementing the average-passage turbomachinery model on MIMD, distributed memory parallel computers. Performance results are given for inviscid, single blade row and viscous, multistage applications on several parallel computers, including networked workstations.

Blech, Richard A.

Hypercluster parallel processing library user's manual

This User's Manual describes the Hypercluster Parallel Processing Library, composed of FORTRAN-callable subroutines which enable a FORTRAN programmer to manipulate and transfer information throughout the Hypercluster at NASA Lewis Research Center. Each subroutine and its parameters are described in detail. A simple heat flow application using Laplace's equation is included to demonstrate the use of some of the library's subroutines. The manual can be used initially as an introduction to the parallel features provided by the library. Thereafter it can be used as a reference when programming an application.

Quealy, Angela

Initial operating capability for the hypercluster parallel-processing test bed

The NASA Lewis Research Center is investigating the benefits of parallel processing to applications in computational fluid and structural mechanics. To aid this investigation, NASA Lewis is developing the Hypercluster, a multi-architecture, parallel-processing test bed. The initial operating capability (IOC) being developed for the Hypercluster is described. The IOC will provide a user with a programming/operating environment that is interactive, responsive, and easy to use. The IOC effort includes the development of the Hypercluster Operating System (HYCLOPS). HYCLOPS runs in conjunction with a vendor-supplied disk operating system on a Front-End Processor (FEP) to provide interactive, run-time operations such as program loading, execution, memory editing, and data retrieval. Run-time libraries, that augment the FEP FORTRAN libraries, are being developed to support parallel and vector processing on the Hypercluster. Special utilities are being provided to enable passage of information about application programs and their mapping to the operating system. Communications between the FEP and the Hypercluster are being handled by dedicated processors, each running a Message-Passing Kernel, (MPK). A shared-memory interface allows rapid data exchange between HYCLOPS and the communications processors. Input/output handlers are built into the HYCLOPS-MPK interface, eliminating the need for the user to supply separate I/O support programs on the FEP.

Cole, Gary L.

A message passing kernel for the hypercluster parallel processing test bed

A Message-Passing Kernel (MPK) for the Hypercluster parallel-processing test bed is described. The Hypercluster is being developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center to support investigations of parallel algorithms and architectures for computational fluid and structural mechanics applications. The Hypercluster resembles the hypercube architecture except that each node consists of multiple processors communicating through shared memory. The MPK efficiently routes information through the Hypercluster, using a message-passing protocol when necessary and faster shared-memory communication whenever possible. The MPK also interfaces all of the processors with the Hypercluster operating system (HYCLOPS), which runs on a Front-End Processor (FEP). This approach distributes many of the I/O tasks to the Hypercluster processors and eliminates the need for a separate I/O support program on the FEP.

Blech, Richard A.