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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 37 records · Page 2

Scientific computing challenges arising from space-borne observations

Five supercomputing problems are described: (1) determining the motions of the earth's inner core boundary from outer-space measurements of the magnetic field, (2) simulating the global dynamics of the earth's ocean currents, sea-ice cycles, land surface biology, and interannual atmospheric climates, (3) upper atmospheric chemistry, (4) modeling solar flare eruptions, and (5) the role of jet processes in the birth of stars. In addition, two examples indicating the growing importance of the use of supercomputers for scientific visualization are presented. The first deals with remote mapping from space of the earth's topography or other planets. The second problem from astrophysics deals with mapping the cosmic background radiation in the presence of other astronomical signatures. A brief overview of interdisciplinary modeling plans under development for the next generation of supercomputers is given.

Halem, Milton↗

Computational challenge - Euler solution for ellipses

The present treatment of the inviscid flow past an ellipse via the numerical solution of the Euler equations yields a lifting solution for any combination of grid and/or angle of attack which is nonsymmetric, in order to illustrate the CFD challenge posed by this unusual flow behavior. The results obtained call into question the general capability and validity of numerical Euler results in the realm of conventional difference methods; specifically, the mechanism generating lifting results is not understood, and the problem's resolution is not yet in sight.

Pulliam, Thomas H.↗

Advances and challenges in computational fluid dynamics of atmospheric pressure plasmas

Atmospheric pressure plasmas (APPs) are at the core of diverse technological applications in materials processing, chemical synthesis, resource recovery, water treatment, and medicine, among others. APPs span a wide range of power density, from low-power non-thermal to high-power thermal discharges, and typically involve interactions with a stream of working gas, processing material, or gas environment. The article provides an overview of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approaches, from mathematical models to software strategies, for the analysis of APP flows. Its focus is flows with large variations in ionization degree and significant fluid dynamic-thermal-electromagnetic coupling, as particularly found in mid- to high-power discharges. The advances achieved and challenges faced by CFD of APP flows have been driven by established and emerging applications, and can be broadly characterized in terms of model fidelity and numerical accuracy. Fidelity refers to the degree of underlying phenomena captured by the model, whereas accuracy to the precision of the numerical solution of the model. Two distinct numerical accuracy challenges are addressed: the capture of instability and pattern formation phenomena, and of plasma-gas interaction and turbulence; as well as two representative fidelity challenges: radiative transport under nonequilibrium conditions, and nonequilibrium electron and particle kinetics. The purpose of this article is to offer guidance to researchers, from modelers and code developers to open-source and commercial software users, working on CFD analyses of APP flows within technological contexts.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Computational Aeroelastic Modeling of Airframes and TurboMachinery: Progress and Challenges

Computational analyses such as computational fluid dynamics and computational structural dynamics have made major advances toward maturity as engineering tools. Computational aeroelasticity is the integration of these disciplines. As computational aeroelasticity matures it too finds an increasing role in the design and analysis of aerospace vehicles. This paper presents a survey of the current state of computational aeroelasticity with a discussion of recent research, success and continuing challenges in its progressive integration into multidisciplinary aerospace design. This paper approaches computational aeroelasticity from the perspective of the two main areas of application: airframe and turbomachinery design. An overview will be presented of the different prediction methods used for each field of application. Differing levels of nonlinear modeling will be discussed with insight into accuracy versus complexity and computational requirements. Subjects will include current advanced methods (linear and nonlinear), nonlinear flow models, use of order reduction techniques and future trends in incorporating structural nonlinearity. Examples in which computational aeroelasticity is currently being integrated into the design of airframes and turbomachinery will be presented.

Bartels, R. E.↗

S&TR September 2025: Computing Grand Challenge Turns 20

Livermore’s Computing Grand Challenge Program enters its 20th year with more unclassified high-performance computing (HPC) power than ever before. This unique, peer-reviewed competition awards HPC allocations on top supercomputers to multidisciplinary teams with high-impact projects. The Grand Challenge encourages researchers to innovate, pushes scientific discovery to new heights, improves the Laboratory’s HPC capabilities, and extends HPC accessibility to collaborators. Awardees must adapt to successive generations of HPC hardware and learn to run simulations at scale. The feature article spotlights three Grand Challenge teams whose research broke new ground in key scientific pursuits—the essence of dark matter, explosion-generated seismic waves, and protein interactions linked to cancer—while underscoring the importance of academic partnerships and considering the program’s future.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

A NASA Perspective on Quantum Computing: Algorithmic Opportunities and Challenges

In the last couple of decades, the world has seen several stunning instances of quantum algorithms that provably outperform the best classical algorithms. For most problems, however, it is currently unknown whether quantum algorithms can provide an advantage, and if so how to design quantum algorithms that realize such advantages. Today, classical heuristics are used to solve many of the most challenging computational problems arising in the practical world, algorithms that have been shown to be effective empirically but have not been mathematically proven to outperform other approaches. With the advent of quantum advantage, the ability of current quantum hardware to do certain computations beyond the ability of even that largest supercomputers, we have an unprecedented opportunity to explore heuristic quantum algorithms. The next few years will be exciting as empirical testing of quantum heuristic algorithms becomes more and more feasible. The talk will begin overview of the NASA QuAIL team’s ongoing quantum computing investigations, and then focus on both near-term and longer term algorithms for optimization, including distributed algorithms.

quantum computing↗

Quantum materials for energy-efficient neuromorphic computing: Opportunities and challenges

Neuromorphic computing approaches become increasingly important as we address future needs for efficiently processing massive amounts of data. The unique attributes of quantum materials can help address these needs by enabling new energy-efficient device concepts that implement neuromorphic ideas at the hardware level. In particular, strong correlations give rise to highly non-linear responses, such as conductive phase transitions that can be harnessed for short- and long-term plasticity. Similarly, magnetization dynamics are strongly non-linear and can be utilized for data classification. This Perspective discusses select examples of these approaches and provides an outlook on the current opportunities and challenges for assembling quantum-material-based devices for neuromorphic functionalities into larger emergent complex network systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Challenges to Computational Aerothermodynamic Simulation and Validation for Planetary Entry Vehicle Analysis

Challenges to computational aerothermodynamic (CA) simulation and validation of hypersonic flow over planetary entry vehicles are discussed. Entry, descent, and landing (EDL) of high mass to Mars is a significant driver of new simulation requirements. These requirements include simulation of large deployable, flexible structures and interactions with reaction control system (RCS) and retro-thruster jets. Simulation of radiation and ablation coupled to the flow solver continues to be a high priority for planetary entry analyses, especially for return to Earth and outer planet missions. Three research areas addressing these challenges are emphasized. The first addresses the need to obtain accurate heating on unstructured tetrahedral grid systems to take advantage of flexibility in grid generation and grid adaptation. A multi-dimensional inviscid flux reconstruction algorithm is defined that is oriented with local flow topology as opposed to grid. The second addresses coupling of radiation and ablation to the hypersonic flow solver - flight- and ground-based data are used to provide limited validation of these multi-physics simulations. The third addresses the challenges of retro-propulsion simulation and the criticality of grid adaptation in this application. The evolution of CA to become a tool for innovation of EDL systems requires a successful resolution of these challenges.

Gnoffo, Peter A.↗

Challenges to Computational Aerothermodynamic Simulation and Validation for Planetary Entry Vehicle Analysis

Challenges to computational aerothermodynamic (CA) simulation and validation of hypersonic flow over planetary entry vehicles are discussed. Entry, descent, and landing (EDL) of high mass to Mars is a significant driver of new simulation requirements. These requirements include simulation of large deployable, flexible structures and interactions with reaction control system (RCS) and retro-thruster jets. Simulation of radiation and ablation coupled to the flow solver continues to be a high priority for planetary entry analyses, especially for return to Earth and outer planet missions. Three research areas addressing these challenges are emphasized. The first addresses the need to obtain accurate heating on unstructured tetrahedral grid systems to take advantage of flexibility in grid generation and grid adaptation. A multi-dimensional inviscid flux reconstruction algorithm is defined that is oriented with local flow topology as opposed to grid. The second addresses coupling of radiation and ablation to the hypersonic flow solver--flight- and ground-based data are used to provide limited validation of these multi-physics simulations. The third addresses the challenges of retro-propulsion simulation and the criticality of grid adaptation in this application. The evolution of CA to become a tool for innovation of EDL systems requires a successful resolution of these challenges.

Gnoffo, Peter A.↗