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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 325 records · Page 18

A Fast Parallel Simulation Code for Interaction between Proto-Planetary Disk and Embedded Proto-Planets: Implementation for 3D Code

We develop a 3D simulation code for interaction between the proto-planetary disk and embedded proto-planets. The protoplanetary disk is treated as a three-dimensional (3D), self-gravitating gas whose motion is described by the locally isothermal Navier-Stokes equations in a spherical coordinate centered on the star. The differential equations for the disk are similar to those given in Kley et al. (2009) with a different gravitational potential that is defined in Nelson et al. (2000). The equations are solved by directional split Godunov method for the inviscid Euler equations plus operator-split method for the viscous source terms. We use a sub-cycling technique for the azimuthal sweep to alleviate the time step restriction. We also extend the FARGO scheme of Masset (2000) and modified in Li et al. (2001) to our 3D code to accelerate the transport in the azimuthal direction. Furthermore, we have implemented a reduced 2D (r, {theta}) and a fully 3D self-gravity solver on our uniform disk grid, which extends our 2D method (Li, Buoni, & Li 2008) to 3D. This solver uses a mode cut-off strategy and combines FFT in the azimuthal direction and direct summation in the radial and meridional direction. An initial axis-symmetric equilibrium disk is generated via iteration between the disk density profile and the 2D disk-self-gravity. We do not need any softening in the disk self-gravity calculation as we have used a shifted grid method (Li et al. 2008) to calculate the potential. The motion of the planet is limited on the mid-plane and the equations are the same as given in D'Angelo et al. (2005), which we adapted to the polar coordinates with a fourth-order Runge-Kutta solver. The disk gravitational force on the planet is assumed to evolve linearly with time between two hydrodynamics time steps. The Planetary potential acting on the disk is calculated accurately with a small softening given by a cubic-spline form (Kley et al. 2009). Since the torque is extremely sensitive to the position of the planet, we adopt the corotating frame that allows the planet moving only in radial direction if only one planet is present. This code has been extensively tested on a number of problems. For the earthmass planet with constant aspect ratio h = 0.05, the torque calculated using our code matches quite well with the the 3D linear theory results by Tanaka et al. (2002). The code is fully parallelized via message-passing interface (MPI) and has very high parallel efficiency. Several numerical examples for both fixed planet and moving planet are provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the numerical method and code.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Machine learning a molecular Hamiltonian for predicting electron dynamics

We develop a computational method to learn a molecular Hamiltonian matrix from matrix-valued time series of the electron density. As we demonstrate for three small molecules, the resulting Hamiltonians can be used for electron density evolution, producing highly accurate results even when propagating 1,000 time steps beyond the training data. As a more rigorous test, we use the learned Hamiltonians to simulate electron dynamics in the presence of an applied electric field, extrapolating to a problem that is beyond the field-free training data. We find that the resulting electron dynamics predicted by our learned Hamiltonian are in close quantitative agreement with the ground truth. Our method relies on combining a reduced-dimensional, linear statistical model of the Hamiltonian with a time-discretization of the quantum Liouville equation within time-dependent Hartree Fock theory. In conclusion, we train the model using a least-squares solver, avoiding numerous, CPU-intensive optimization steps. For both field-free and field-on problems, we quantify training and propagation errors, highlighting areas for future development.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

An efficient high-order numerical solver for diffusion equations with strong anisotropy

In this paper, we present an interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin finite element scheme for solving diffusion problems with strong anisotropy arising in magnetized plasmas for fusion applications. Additionally, we demonstrate the accuracy produced by the high-order scheme and develop an efficient preconditioning technique to solve the corresponding linear system, which is robust to the mesh size and anisotropy of the problem. Several numerical tests are provided to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

SAM Theory Manual

The System Analysis Module (SAM) is an advanced and modern system analysis tool under development at Argonne National Laboratory for advanced non-LWR reactor safety analysis. It aims to provide fast-running, modest-fidelity, whole-plant transient analyses capabilities, which are essential for fast turnaround design scoping and engineering analyses of advanced reactor concepts. While SAM is being developed as a system-level modeling and simulation tool, advanced modeling techniques being implemented include a reduced-order three-dimensional module, pseudo 3-D conjugate heat transfer modeling in reactor core, flexible and multi-scale modeling of heat transfer between fluid and structures, in addition to the advances in software environments and design, and numerical methods. SAM aims to be a generic system-level safety analysis tool for advanced non-LWRs, including Liquid-Metal-cooled fast Reactors (LMR), Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), Fluoride-salt-cooled High- temperature Reactors (FHR), and High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR). SAM takes ad- vantage of advances in physical modeling, numerical methods, and software engineering to enhance its user experience and usability. It utilizes an object-oriented computational framework (MOOSE), and its underlying meshing and finite-element library and linear and non-linear solvers, to leverage the modern advanced software environments and numerical methods. This document provides the theoretical and technical basis of the code to help users understand the underlying physical models (such as governing equations, closure models, and component models), system modeling approaches, numerical discretization and solution methods, and the overall capabilities in SAM. As new code capabilities and features are added, the SAM Theory Manual will be updated periodically to keep it consistent with the state of the development.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

SAM Theory Manual

The System Analysis Module (SAM) is an advanced and modern system analysis tool under development at Argonne National Laboratory for advanced non-LWR reactor safety analysis. It aims to provide fast-running, modest-fidelity, whole-plant transient analyses capabilities, which are essential for fast turnaround design scoping and engineering analyses of advanced reactor concepts. While SAM is being developed as a system-level modeling and simulation tool, advanced modeling techniques being implemented include a reduced-order three-dimensional module, pseudo 3-D conjugate heat transfer modeling in reactor core, flexible and multi-scale modeling of heat transfer between fluid and structures, in addition to the advances in software environments and design, and numerical methods. SAM aims to be a generic system-level safety analysis tool for advanced non-LWRs, including Liquid-Metal-cooled fast Reactors (LMR), Molten Salt Reactors (MSR), Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactors (FHR), and High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR). SAM takes advantage of advances in physical modeling, numerical methods, and software engineering to enhance its user experience and usability. It utilizes an object-oriented computational framework (MOOSE), and its underlying meshing and finite-element library and linear and non-linear solvers, to leverage the modern advanced software environments and numerical methods. This document provides the theoretical and technical basis of the code to help users understand the underlying physical models (such as governing equations, closure models, and component models), system modeling approaches, numerical discretization and solution methods, and the overall capabilities in SAM. As new code capabilities and features are added, the SAM Theory Manual will be updated periodically to keep it consistent with the state of the development.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Evaluation of automated decisionmaking methodologies and development of an integrated robotic system simulation. Volume 1: Study results

A variety of artificial intelligence techniques which could be used with regard to NASA space applications and robotics were evaluated. The techniques studied were decision tree manipulators, problem solvers, rule based systems, logic programming languages, representation language languages, and expert systems. The overall structure of a robotic simulation tool was defined and a framework for that tool developed. Nonlinear and linearized dynamics equations were formulated for n link manipulator configurations. A framework for the robotic simulation was established which uses validated manipulator component models connected according to a user defined configuration.

Lowrie, J. W.↗

A sharp interface Lagrangian-Eulerian method for flexible-body fluid-structure interaction

This paper introduces a sharp-interface approach to simulating fluid-structure interaction (FSI) involving flexible bodies described by general nonlinear material models and across a broad range of mass density ratios. This new flexible-body immersed Lagrangian-Eulerian (ILE) scheme extends our prior work on integrating partitioned and immersed approaches to rigid-body FSI. Our numerical approach incorporates the geometrical and domain solution flexibility of the immersed boundary (IB) method with an accuracy comparable to body-fitted approaches that sharply resolve flows and stresses up to the fluid-structure interface. Unlike many IB methods, our ILE formulation uses distinct momentum equations for the fluid and solid subregions with a Dirichlet-Neumann coupling strategy that connects fluid and solid subproblems through simple interface conditions. As in earlier work, we use approximate Lagrange multiplier forces to treat the kinematic interface conditions along the fluid-structure interface. This penalty approach simplifies the linear solvers needed by our formulation by introducing two representations of the fluid-structure interface, one that moves with the fluid and another that moves with the structure, that are connected by stiff springs. This approach also enables the use of multi-rate time stepping, which allows us to use different time step sizes for the fluid and structure subproblems. Our fluid solver relies on an immersed interface method (IIM) for discrete surfaces to impose stress jump conditions along complex interfaces while enabling the use of fast structured-grid solvers for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The dynamics of the volumetric structural mesh are determined using a standard finite element approach to large-deformation nonlinear elasticity via a nearly incompressible solid mechanics formulation. This formulation also readily accommodates compressible structures with a constant total volume, and it can handle fully compressible solid structures for cases in which at least part of the solid boundary does not contact the incompressible fluid. Selected grid convergence studies demonstrate second-order convergence in volume conservation and in the pointwise discrepancies between corresponding positions of the two interface representations as well as between first and second-order convergence in the structural displacements. The time stepping scheme is also demonstrated to yield second-order convergence. To assess and validate the robustness and accuracy of the new algorithm, comparisons are made with computational and experimental FSI benchmarks. Test cases include both smooth and sharp geometries in various flow conditions. Furthermore, we also demonstrate the capabilities of this methodology by applying it to model the transport and capture of a geometrically realistic, deformable blood clot in an inferior vena cava filter.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A new efficient formulation of the HLLEM Riemann solver for general conservative and non-conservative hyperbolic systems

In this paper a new, simple and universal formulation of the HLLEM Riemann solver (RS) is proposed that works for general conservative and non-conservative systems of hyperbolic equations. For non-conservative PDE, a path-conservative formulation of the HLLEM RS is presented for the first time in this paper. The HLLEM Riemann solver is built on top of a novel and very robust path-conservative HLL method. It thus naturally inherits the positivity properties and the entropy enforcement of the underlying HLL scheme. However, with just the slight additional cost of evaluating eigenvectors and eigenvalues of intermediate characteristic fields, we can represent linearly degenerate intermediate waves with a minimum of smearing. For conservative systems, our paper provides the easiest and most seamless path for taking a pre-existing HLL RS and quickly and effortlessly converting it to a RS that provides improved results, comparable with those of an HLLC, HLLD, Osher or Roe-type RS. This is done with minimal additional computational complexity, making our variant of the HLLEM RS also a very fast RS that can accurately represent linearly degenerate discontinuities. Our present HLLEM RS also transparently extends these advantages to non-conservative systems. For shallow water-type systems, the resulting method is proven to be well-balanced. Several test problems are presented for shallow water-type equations and two-phase flow models, as well as for gas dynamics with real equation of state, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD & RMHD), and nonlinear elasticity. Since our new formulation accommodates multiple intermediate waves and has a broader applicability than the original HLLEM method, it could alternatively be called the HLLI Riemann solver, where the “I” stands for the intermediate characteristic fields that can be accounted for. -- Highlights: •New simple and general path-conservative formulation of the HLLEM Riemann solver. •Application to general conservative and non-conservative hyperbolic systems. •Inclusion of sub-structure and resolution of intermediate characteristic fields. •Well-balanced for single- and two-layer shallow water equations and multi-phase flows. •Euler equations with real equation of state, MHD equations, nonlinear elasticity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Research in computer science

Various graduate research activities in the field of computer science are reported. Among the topics discussed are: (1) failure probabilities in multi-version software; (2) Gaussian Elimination on parallel computers; (3) three dimensional Poisson solvers on parallel/vector computers; (4) automated task decomposition for multiple robot arms; (5) multi-color incomplete cholesky conjugate gradient methods on the Cyber 205; and (6) parallel implementation of iterative methods for solving linear equations.

Ortega, J. M.↗

Static aeroelastic analysis of wings using Euler/Navier-Stokes equations coupled with improved wing-box finite element structures

Strong interactions between flow about an aircraft wing and the wing structure can result in aeroelastic phenomena which significantly impact aircraft performance. Time-accurate methods for solving the unsteady Navier-Stokes equations have matured to the point where reliable results can be obtained with reasonable computational costs for complex non-linear flows with shock waves, vortices and separations. The ability to combine such a flow solver with a general finite element structural model is key to an aeroelastic analysis in these flows. Earlier work involved time-accurate integration of modal structural models based on plate elements. A finite element model was developed to handle three-dimensional wing boxes, and incorporated into the flow solver without the need for modal analysis. Static condensation is performed on the structural model to reduce the structural degrees of freedom for the aeroelastic analysis. Direct incorporation of the finite element wing-box structural model with the flow solver requires finding adequate methods for transferring aerodynamic pressures to the structural grid and returning deflections to the aerodynamic grid. Several schemes were explored for handling the grid-to-grid transfer of information. The complex, built-up nature of the wing-box complicated this transfer. Aeroelastic calculations for a sample wing in transonic flow comparing various simple transfer schemes are presented and discussed.

Guruswamy, Guru P.↗

Wind-US Code Physical Modeling Improvements to Complement Hypersonic Testing and Evaluation

This report gives an overview of physical modeling enhancements to the Wind-US flow solver which were made to improve the capabilities for simulation of hypersonic flows and the reliability of computations to complement hypersonic testing. The improvements include advanced turbulence models, a bypass transition model, a conjugate (or closely coupled to vehicle structure) conduction-convection heat transfer capability, and an upgraded high-speed combustion solver. A Mach 5 shock-wave boundary layer interaction problem is used to investigate the benefits of k- s and k-w based explicit algebraic stress turbulence models relative to linear two-equation models. The bypass transition model is validated using data from experiments for incompressible boundary layers and a Mach 7.9 cone flow. The conjugate heat transfer method is validated for a test case involving reacting H2-O2 rocket exhaust over cooled calorimeter panels. A dual-mode scramjet configuration is investigated using both a simplified 1-step kinetics mechanism and an 8-step mechanism. Additionally, variations in the turbulent Prandtl and Schmidt numbers are considered for this scramjet configuration.

Georgiadis, Nicholas J.↗

Introduction to COFFE: The Next-Generation HPCMP CREATE-AV CFD Solver

HPCMP CREATE-AV Conservative Field Finite Element (COFFE) is a modular, extensible, robust numerical solver for the Navier-Stokes equations that invokes modularity and extensibility from its first principles. COFFE implores a flexible, class-based hierarchy that provides a modular approach consisting of discretization, physics, parallelization, and linear algebra components. These components are developed with modern software engineering principles to ensure ease of uptake from a user's or developer's perspective. The Streamwise Upwind/Petrov-Galerkin (SU/PG) method is utilized to discretize the compressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations tightly coupled with a variety of turbulence models. The mathematics and the philosophy of the methodology that makes up COFFE are presented.

Glasby, Ryan S.↗

Postprocessing Mixed Finite Element Methods For Solving Cahn–Hilliard Equation: Methods and Error Analysis

A postprocessing technique for mixed finite element methods for the Cahn-Hilliard equation is developed and analyzed. Once the mixed finite element approximations have been computed at a fixed time on the coarser mesh, the approximations are postprocessed by solving two decoupled Poisson equations in an enriched finite element space (either on a finer grid or a higher-order space) for which many fast Poisson solvers can be applied. The nonlinear iteration is only applied to a much smaller size problem and the computational cost using Newton and direct solvers is negligible compared with the cost of the linear problem. The analysis presented here shows that this technique remains the optimal rate of convergence for both the concentration and the chemical potential approximations. The corresponding error estimate obtained in our paper, especially the negative norm error estimates, are non-trivial and different with the existing results in the literatures.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Overcoming element quality dependence of finite elements with adaptive extended stencil FEM (AES‐FEM)

Summary The finite element methods (FEMs) are important techniques in engineering for solving partial differential equations, but they depend heavily on element shape quality for stability and good performance. In this paper, we introduce the Adaptive Extended Stencil Finite Element Method (AES‐FEM) as a means for overcoming this dependence on element shape quality. Our method replaces the traditional basis functions with a set of generalized Lagrange polynomial basis functions , which we construct using local weighted least‐squares approximations. The method preserves the theoretical framework of FEM and allows imposing essential boundary conditions and integrating the stiffness matrix in the same way as the classical FEM. In addition, AES‐FEM can use higher‐degree polynomial basis functions than the classical FEM, while virtually preserving the sparsity pattern of the stiffness matrix. We describe the formulation and implementation of AES‐FEM and analyze its consistency and stability. We present numerical experiments in both 2D and 3D for the Poisson equation and a time‐independent convection–diffusion equation. The numerical results demonstrate that AES‐FEM is more accurate than linear FEM, is also more efficient than linear FEM in terms of error versus runtime, and enables much better stability and faster convergence of iterative solvers than linear FEM over poor‐quality meshes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Conley, Rebecca↗

Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov method for the simulation of non-thermal plasma discharges with high-order time integration and physics-based preconditioning

A preconditioning framework for the numerical simulation of non-thermal streamer discharges is developed using the Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov (JFNK) method. A reduced plasma fluid model is considered, consisting of electrons, one positive ion, one negative ion, and the electrostatic potential. Here, the plasma kinetics model includes ionization, electron-ion recombination, electron attachment, electron detachment, and ion-ion recombination. The governing equations are made dimensionless, discretized in space with finite differences, and integrated in time with a fully implicit method based on high-order backward differentiation formulas. The preconditioning framework is based on a linearized form of the governing equations and physics-based operator splitting. The efficiency of the preconditioning strategy is assessed through two test cases: streamer propagation between parallel plates and an axisymmetric pin-to-pin discharge. The fully implicit approach overcomes traditional restrictions in the time step size due to processes such as electron drift, electron diffusion, and dielectric relaxation. Excellent performance is observed through relevant statistics of the JFNK solver, although the number of linear iterations increases for the pin-to-pin discharge when nonlinear numerical boundary conditions are imposed at the electrodes. Performance studies show scalability with O(100-1000) processors for O(10M) unknowns with ample room for optimization.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

AREPO-RT : radiation hydrodynamics on a moving mesh

We introduce AREPO-RT , a novel radiation hydrodynamic (RHD) solver for the unstructured moving-mesh code AREPO . Our method solves the moment-based radiative transfer equations using the M1 closure relation. We achieve second-order convergence by using a slope-limited linear spatial extrapolation and a first-order time prediction step to obtain the values of the primitive variables on both sides of the cell interface. A Harten–Lax–van Leer flux function, suitably modified for moving meshes, is then used to solve the Riemann problem at the interface. The implementation is fully conservative and compatible with the individual time-stepping scheme of AREPO . It incorporates atomic hydrogen (H) and helium (He) thermochemistry, which is used to couple the ultraviolet radiation field to the gas. Additionally, infrared (IR) radiation is coupled to the gas under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium between the gas and the dust. We successfully apply our code to a large number of test problems, including applications such as the expansion of HII regions, radiation pressure-driven outflows, and the levitation of optically thick layer of gas by trapped IR radiation. The new implementation is suitable for studying various important astrophysical phenomena, such as the effect of radiative feedback in driving galactic scale outflows, radiation-driven dusty winds in high-redshift quasars, or simulating the reionization history of the Universe in a self-consistent manner.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Numerical Behaviour of a Smooth Local Correlation-based Transition Model in a Newton-Krylov Flow Solver

The numerical behaviour of transport-equation-based transition models, including both iterative and grid convergence, is influenced by the source terms. Transition models contain source terms that are large and highly nonlinear, and can be destabilizing in a strong implicit solver. Linearization strategies with varying levels of coupling are evaluated in conjunction with a source-term time step restriction to determine best-practices for solving the SA-sLM2015smooth local correlation-based transition model in an implicit Newton-Krylov flow solver. Achieving deep iterative convergence facilitates a detailed investigation of the grid convergence of these free-transition simulations, which are evaluated relative to fully-turbulent simulations performed using the Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. Simulations of the NLF0416 general aviation airfoil, VA-2 supercritical airfoil, and NASA CRM-NLF wing-body geometry are performed over a range of grid levels. The results demonstrate that both a fully-coupled linearization strategy and a source-term time step restriction improve nonlinear convergence as the complexity of the free-transition simulations increases. In general, additional grid resolution is required for free-transition simulations relative to fully-turbulent simulations in order to achieve a similar level of accuracy, with the grid convergence of free-transition simulations sensitive to the streamwise grid spacings in the transition regions.

AATT↗

Scalable smoothing strategies for a geometric multigrid method for the immersed boundary equations

The immersed boundary (IB) method is a widely used approach to simulating fluid-structure interaction (FSI). Although explicit versions of the IB method can suffer from severe time step size restrictions, these methods remain popular because of their simplicity and generality. In prior work (Guy et al., Adv Comput Math, 2015), some of us developed a geometric multigrid preconditioner for a stable semi-implicit IB method under Stokes flow conditions; however, this solver methodology used a Vanka-type smoother that presented limited opportunities for parallelization. This work extends this Stokes-IB solver methodology by developing smoothing techniques that are suitable for parallel implementation. Specifically, we demonstrate that an additive version of the Vanka smoother can yield an effective multigrid preconditioner for the Stokes-IB equations, and we introduce an efficient Schur complement-based smoother that is also shown to be effective for the Stokes-IB equations. We investigate the performance of these solvers for a broad range of material stiffnesses, both for Stokes flows and flows at nonzero Reynolds numbers, and for thick and thin structural models. We show here that linear solver performance degrades with increasing Reynolds number and material stiffness, especially for thin interface cases. Nonetheless, the proposed approaches promise to yield effective solution algorithms, especially at lower Reynolds numbers and at modest-to-high elastic stiffnesses.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗