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At least 343 records · Page 19

Benchmark Problems Used to Assess Computational Aeroacoustics Codes

The field of computational aeroacoustics (CAA) encompasses numerical techniques for calculating all aspects of sound generation and propagation in air directly from fundamental governing equations. Aeroacoustic problems typically involve flow-generated noise, with and without the presence of a solid surface, and the propagation of the sound to a receiver far away from the noise source. It is a challenge to obtain accurate numerical solutions to these problems. The NASA Glenn Research Center has been at the forefront in developing and promoting the development of CAA techniques and methodologies for computing the noise generated by aircraft propulsion systems. To assess the technological advancement of CAA, Glenn, in cooperation with the Ohio Aerospace Institute and the AeroAcoustics Research Consortium, organized and hosted the Fourth CAA Workshop on Benchmark Problems. Participants from industry and academia from both the United States and abroad joined to present and discuss solutions to benchmark problems. These demonstrated technical progress ranging from the basic challenges to accurate CAA calculations to the solution of CAA problems of increasing complexity and difficulty. The results are documented in the proceedings of the workshop. Problems were solved in five categories. In three of the five categories, exact solutions were available for comparison with CAA results. A fourth category of problems representing sound generation from either a single airfoil or a blade row interacting with a gust (i.e., problems relevant to fan noise) had approximate analytical or completely numerical solutions. The fifth category of problems involved sound generation in a viscous flow. In this case, the CAA results were compared with experimental data.

Dahl, Milo D.↗

User manual for semi-circular compact range reflector code: Version 2

A computer code has been developed at the Ohio State University ElectroScience Laboratory to analyze a semi-circular paraboloidal reflector with or without a rolled edge at the top and a skirt at the bottom. The code can be used to compute the total near field of the reflector or its individual components at a given distance from the center of the paraboloid. The code computes the fields along a radial, horizontal, vertical or axial cut at that distance. Thus, it is very effective in computing the size of the sweet spot for a semi-circular compact range reflector. This report describes the operation of the code. Various input and output statements are explained. Some results obtained using the computer code are presented to illustrate the code's capability as well as being samples of input/output sets.

Gupta, Inder J.↗

Applications of automatic differentiation in computational fluid dynamics

Automatic differentiation (AD) is a powerful computational method that provides for computing exact sensitivity derivatives (SD) from existing computer programs for multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) or in sensitivity analysis. A pre-compiler AD tool for FORTRAN programs called ADIFOR has been developed. The ADIFOR tool has been easily and quickly applied by NASA Langley researchers to assess the feasibility and computational impact of AD in MDO with several different FORTRAN programs. These include a state-of-the-art three dimensional multigrid Navier-Stokes flow solver for wings or aircraft configurations in transonic turbulent flow. With ADIFOR the user specifies sets of independent and dependent variables with an existing computer code. ADIFOR then traces the dependency path throughout the code, applies the chain rule to formulate derivative expressions, and generates new code to compute the required SD matrix. The resulting codes have been verified to compute exact non-geometric and geometric SD for a variety of cases. in less time than is required to compute the SD matrix using centered divided differences.

Green, Lawrence L.↗

Transonic wing design using potential-flow codes - Successes and failures

The state-of-the-art of transonic wing design by use of computer codes based on the potential flow-theory is presented. The capabilities and limitations of these codes are exemplified by several experiment-theory correlations, including an assessment of pressure distribution from isolated wing and wing-body codes. Computer codes using both conservative and nonconservative differencing schemes were used, and the effects of boundary-layer corrections were considered. Results showed that calculations from a full potential, isolated code correlate well with data from an isolated wing test, but may give poor predictions of the aerodynamic characteristics of some wing-body configurations. Boundary-layer correlations were found to have only moderate effects on experiment-theory correlation. Aeroelastic effects were considered important for high aspect ratio wings of low to moderate thickness, and viscous effects were minimal for typical cruise conditions, even for Reynold's numbers as low as two million. The effect of wind-tunnel walls on experiment-theory correlations remained inconclusive. A wing-body code was used to calculate the flow field about a wing-body configuration with body-mounted engines, typical of the transonic Biz-Jet aircraft.

Hicks, R. M.↗

Reliability model of a monopropellant auxiliary propulsion system

A mathematical model and associated computer code has been developed which computes the reliability of a monopropellant blowdown hydrazine spacecraft auxiliary propulsion system as a function of time. The propulsion system is used to adjust or modify the spacecraft orbit over an extended period of time. The multiple orbit corrections are the multiple objectives which the auxiliary propulsion system is designed to achieve. Thus the reliability model computes the probability of successfully accomplishing each of the desired orbit corrections. To accomplish this, the reliability model interfaces with a computer code that models the performance of a blowdown (unregulated) monopropellant auxiliary propulsion system. The computer code acts as a performance model and as such gives an accurate time history of the system operating parameters. The basic timing and status information is passed on to and utilized by the reliability model which establishes the probability of successfully accomplishing the orbit corrections.

Greenberg, J. S.↗

phq: A Fortran code to compute phonon quasiparticle properties and dispersions

We here introduce a Fortran code that computes anharmonic free energy of solids from first-principles based on our phonon quasiparticle approach. In this code, phonon quasiparticle properties, i.e., renormalized phonon frequencies and lifetimes, are extracted from mode-projected velocity auto-correlation functions (VAF) of modes sampled by molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories. Using renormalized frequencies as input, the code next constructs an effective harmonic force constant matrix to calculate anharmonic phonon dispersions over the whole Brillouin zone and thus the anharmonic free energy in the thermodynamic limit ( N → ∞ ). A detailed description of all the input parameters and the subroutines is provided as well. We illustrate the use of this code to compute ab initio temperature-dependent anharmonic phonons of Si in the diamond structure.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Determination of solid/porous wall boundary conditions from wind tunnel data for computational fluid dynamics codes

A computational and experimental study has been undertaken to investigate methods of modeling solid and porous wall boundary conditions in CFD codes. The procedure utilizes experimental measurements at the walls to develop a flow field solution based on the method of singularities. This flow field solution is then imposed as a boundary condition in a CFD simulation of the internal flow field. The effectiveness of this method in describing the boundary conditions at the wind tunnel walls using only sparse experimental measurements has been investigated. Verification of the approach using computational studies has been carried out using an incompressible flow solver. The current work demonstrates this technique for low speed flows and compares the result with experimental data obtained from a heavily instrumented variable porosity test section. Position and refinement of experimental measurements required to describe porous wall boundary conditions has also been considered for application to other porous wall wind tunnels.

Beutner, Thomas J.↗

Code Verification and Solution Verification framework in pin-resolved neutron transport code MPACT

Program verification in scientific computing encompasses the application of formal and mathematical techniques to a scientific computing code for its credibility, accuracy, and validity. Code Verification identifies bugs and performance issues in the software development stage. Solution Verification assesses the applicability of the code and the accuracy of the solution to problems of interest. Both activities utilize application cases and quantify the error against prescribed acceptance criteria. However, simply executing more application cases does not guarantee stronger or more comprehensive credibility. Here, we establish a verification framework that involves Code Verification and Solution Verification, both of which work together such that the overarching goal of “converge to the correct answer for the intended application” can be reasonably inferred. The application of such a verification framework is demonstrated using the pin-resolved neutron transport code MPACT, where standard unit tests and regression tests are covered, and where the Method of Exact Solutions and the Method of Manufactured Solutions are successfully used. Additionally, the applicability of Method of Manufactured Solutions is extended to the OECD/NEA C5G7 benchmark problems of practical material and geometric configurations. Solution Verification activities are demonstrated on a practical hierarchy of application models of increasing complexity ranging from 2D pin cell problems to 3D assembly problems. The convergence behavior and rate of convergence with respect to each individual variable are studied and provided. This framework can be adapted broadly to other fields involving scientific computing codes.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

On the error statistics of Viterbi decoding and the performance of concatenated codes

Computer simulation results are presented on the performance of convolutional codes of constraint lengths 7 and 10 concatenated with the (255, 223) Reed-Solomon code (a proposed NASA standard). These results indicate that as much as 0.8 dB can be gained by concatenating this Reed-Solomon code with a (10, 1/3) convolutional code, instead of the (7, 1/2) code currently used by the DSN. A mathematical model of Viterbi decoder burst-error statistics is developed and is validated through additional computer simulations.

Miller, R. L.↗

Numerical calculation of shock-induced initiation of detonations

Results of numerical calculations of the impact of steel cylinders and spheres on the plastic bonded high explosive PBX 9501 are described. The calculations were carried out by a reactive, multicomponent, two dimensional, Eulerian hydrodynamic computer code, 2DE. The 2DE computer code is a finite difference code that uses the donor acceptor cell method to compute mixed cell fluxes. The parameters in the Forest Fire burn model are developed from experiments where the induced shock approximates a plane wave and are applied, in this case, to a situation where the induced shock is a divergent wave with curvature that depends on the size and shape of the projectile. The calculated results are compared with results from experiments involving instrumented mock and live high explosives, with projectiles of varying size, shapes, and velocities.

Cort, G. E.↗

Securely Aggregated Coded Matrix Inversion

Coded computing is a method for mitigating straggling workers in a centralized computing network, by using erasure-coding techniques. Federated learning is a decentralized model for training data distributed across client devices. In this work we propose approximating the inverse of an aggregated data matrix, where the data is generated by clients; similar to the federated learning paradigm, while also being resilient to stragglers. To do so, we propose a coded computing method based on gradient coding. We modify this method so that the coordinator does not access the local data at any point; while the clients access the aggregated matrix in order to complete their tasks. Here, the network we consider is not centrally administrated, and the communications which take place are secure against potential eavesdroppers.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Blast-Wave Characteristics Near Site 300

We have developed a procedure for calculating the maximum high-explosive weight limit for use at Site 300 based on the analysis of the blast-wave propagation behavior in the atmosphere. Both analytical and experimental efforts have been involved in the present work, including a literature search, evaluation of other data, measurements of local weather conditions, and implementation of relevant computational programs. Major results of the present effort are • Comparison of the LLNL data with other data reveals discrepancies, suggesting that local effects, such as weather conditions in the downrange regions, may play a role in affecting the wave-propagation behavior. Our measurements of the local weather conditions indeed show that they differ from those at Site 300. • Analyses of other, newer models and data have resulted in the implementation of relevant computer codes, such as the BLASTO code, to be used at Site 300. • A new procedure for predicting the weight limit at Site 300 has been recommended. This new procedure consists of - Site 300 and local valley weather measurements. - The LAP code. - The BLASTO code. The LAP code is a modified SIPS code and computes the acoustic ray trajectories, including the focus ("caustic") locations, under varying local weather conditions. The BLASTO code calculates the peak overpressure vs distance relationship for a given charge weight and weather condition. Both the LAP code and the BLASTO code have been implemented and are operational at Site 300. Future plans include conducting selective tests to verify the validity of the predictive procedure recommended for Site 300.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

Supersonic nonlinear potential analysis

The NCOREL computer code was established to compute supersonic flow fields of wings and bodies. The method encompasses an implicit finite difference transonic relaxation method to solve the full potential equation in a spherical coordinate system. Two basic topic to broaden the applicability and usefulness of the present method which is encompassed within the computer code NCOREL for the treatment of supersonic flow problems were studied. The first topic is that of computing efficiency. Accelerated schemes are in use for transonic flow problems. One such scheme is the approximate factorization (AF) method and an AF scheme to the supersonic flow problem is developed. The second topic is the computation of wake flows. The proper modeling of wake flows is important for multicomponent configurations such as wing-body and multiple lifting surfaces where the wake of one lifting surface has a pronounced effect on a downstream body or other lifting surfaces.

Siclari, M. J.↗

Advanced Subsonic Technology (AST) Area of Interest (AOI) 6: Develop and Validate Aeroelastic Codes for Turbomachinery

AlliedSignal Engines, in cooperation with NASA GRC (National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center), completed an evaluation of recently-developed aeroelastic computer codes using test cases from the AlliedSignal Engines fan blisk and turbine databases. Test data included strain gage, performance, and steady-state pressure information obtained for conditions where synchronous or flutter vibratory conditions were found to occur. Aeroelastic codes evaluated included quasi 3-D UNSFLO (MIT Developed/AE Modified, Quasi 3-D Aeroelastic Computer Code), 2-D FREPS (NASA-Developed Forced Response Prediction System Aeroelastic Computer Code), and 3-D TURBO-AE (NASA/Mississippi State University Developed 3-D Aeroelastic Computer Code). Unsteady pressure predictions for the turbine test case were used to evaluate the forced response prediction capabilities of each of the three aeroelastic codes. Additionally, one of the fan flutter cases was evaluated using TURBO-AE. The UNSFLO and FREPS evaluation predictions showed good agreement with the experimental test data trends, but quantitative improvements are needed. UNSFLO over-predicted turbine blade response reductions, while FREPS under-predicted them. The inviscid TURBO-AE turbine analysis predicted no discernible blade response reduction, indicating the necessity of including viscous effects for this test case. For the TURBO-AE fan blisk test case, significant effort was expended getting the viscous version of the code to give converged steady flow solutions for the transonic flow conditions. Once converged, the steady solutions provided an excellent match with test data and the calibrated DAWES (AlliedSignal 3-D Viscous Steady Flow CFD Solver). However, efforts expended establishing quality steady-state solutions prevented exercising the unsteady portion of the TURBO-AE code during the present program. AlliedSignal recommends that unsteady pressure measurement data be obtained for both test cases examined for use in aeroelastic code validation.

Gardner, Kevin D.↗

3D Coded SUMMA: Communication-Efficient and Robust Parallel Matrix Multiplication

In this paper, we propose a novel fault-tolerant parallel matrix multiplication algorithm called 3D Coded SUMMA that achieves higher failure-tolerance than replication-based schemes for the same amount of redundancy. This work bridges the gap between recent developments in coded computing and fault-tolerance in high-performance computing (HPC). The core idea of coded computing is the same as algorithm-based fault-tolerance (ABFT), which is weaving redundancy in the computation using error-correcting codes. In particular, we show that MatDot codes, an innovative code construction for parallel matrix multiplications, can be integrated into three-dimensional SUMMA (Scalable Universal Matrix Multiplication Algorithm [30]) in a communication-avoiding manner. To tolerate any two node failures, the proposed 3D Coded SUMMA requires ~50% less redundancy than replication, while the overhead in execution time is only about 5–10%.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

SCALE 6.3 Validation: Radiation Shielding

Safe and reliable use of scientific and engineering computer codes requires validation for the types of applications in which they will be used. An example in the nuclear reactor engineering and licensing field is radiation transport employed in shielding analyses. The validity of computer codes for shielding applications is demonstrated in this report for SCALE version 6.3.0. Representative benchmarks corresponding to shielding analyses are selected for the validation study. Typical measurement results analyzed from these benchmarks include neutron fluxes, detector count rates, detector energy response functions, neutron and gamma dose rates, neutron activation rates and activities, neutron leakage fluxes, and skyshine dose rates. Thousands of points of comparison between measurement and calculation are presented in this work. Other than rare outliers typically explained by either a lack of information or large uncertainties in the experiment conditions, material, or dimensions, the Monaco with Automated Variance Reduction using Importance Calculations (MAVRIC) radiation transport computer code with built-in variance reduction methods distributed with the SCALE computer code system agrees well with the measurement results. In selected benchmarks, MAVRIC is also compared to Monte Carlo N- Particle® (MCNP® ) 1 calculations. Both computer codes generally agree well within the estimated uncertainties. With the release of SCALE 6.3.0, Shift was integrated as an alternative transport solver in MAVRIC, denoted MAVRIC-Shift. Although the traditional MAVRIC using Monaco was used primarily in this validation study, many results have also been generated using MAVRIC-Shift. Agreement between MAVRIC-Monaco and MAVRIC-Shift is generally very good. The benchmarks presented in this report were obtained from reliable sources such as the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project Handbook, the Shielding Integral Benchmark Archive & Database, and other shielding validation work found in the literature. Additional datapoints and benchmarks will be added to future versions of this report to expand the shielding validation suite.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Efficient convolutional sparse coding

Computationally efficient algorithms may be applied for fast dictionary learning solving the convolutional sparse coding problem in the Fourier domain. More specifically, efficient convolutional sparse coding may be derived within an alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) framework that utilizes fast Fourier transforms (FFT) to solve the main linear system in the frequency domain. Such algorithms may enable a significant reduction in computational cost over conventional approaches by implementing a linear solver for the most critical and computationally expensive component of the conventional iterative algorithm. The theoretical computational cost of the algorithm may be reduced from O(M.sup.3N) to O(MN log N), where N is the dimensionality of the data and M is the number of elements in the dictionary. This significant improvement in efficiency may greatly increase the range of problems that can practically be addressed via convolutional sparse representations.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗