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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 361 records · Page 20

Parallelized Quadrupole Simulations of Thermographic Responses of Composites

Thermography has been shown to be a viable technique for inspection of composites. Model inversion of the thermography data requires a fast method for performing the forward problem. Viable numerical methods for the thermal response forward problem are finite element, finite difference and the quadrupole method. Normally both the finite element and finite difference methods solve for the thermal response in the time domain which limits one’s ability to increase the speed of the simulation by parallelization. In contrast, the quadrupole method solves for the Laplace transform of the thermal response. One of the features of the Laplace transform methodology is the solution at any discrete time is independent of the solution at all other times. Therefore, it is easy to separate into a set of independent calculations with each of the times of interest being performed in parallel. Additionally, the numeric inversion of the Laplace transform typically involves numerically solving for the Laplace transform at multiple Laplace frequencies. Each of those solutions are also independent of solutions at other frequencies and can be calculated in parallel. By parallelization of this method, it is possible to perform the simulations of three-dimensional configurations in seconds. When the input stimulus for thermal response is a delta function heat flux (a reasonable approximation for flash heating), the thermal response is smooth. For this case, it is possible to accurately estimate the thermal response at any time within a given time interval from a set of simulations separated by exponentially increasing time steps. From these simulations, it is possible to accurately interpolate to find the response at intermediate times by a spline interpolation of the logarithm of time versus logarithm of temperature. The thermal response with exponential time stepping is shown to produce values for the thermal response which are within 1% of values within the time interval. The simulations are compared to finite element simulations of the same inspection configurations. The simulations are also compared to the thermographic measurements on composites where shape and depth of the delaminations are obtained from other inspection methods.

Thermography↗

Parallelized Quadrupole Simulations of Thermographic Responses of Composites

Thermography has been shown to be a viable technique for inspection of composites. Model inversion of the thermography data requires a fast method for performing the forward problem. Viable numerical methods for the thermal response forward problem are finite element, finite difference and the quadrupole method. Normally both the finite element and finite difference methods solve for the thermal response in the time domain which limits one’s ability to increase the speed of the simulation by parallelization. In contrast, the quadrupole method solves for the Laplace transform of the thermal response. One of the features of the Laplace transform methodology is the solution at any discrete time is independent of the solution at all other times. Therefore, it is easy to separate into a set of independent calculations with each of the times of interest being performed in parallel. Additionally, the numeric inversion of the Laplace transform typically involves numerically solving for the Laplace transform at multiple Laplace frequencies. Each of those solutions are also independent of solutions at other frequencies and can be calculated in parallel. By parallelization of this method, it is possible to perform the simulations of three-dimensional configurations in seconds. When the input stimulus for thermal response is a delta function heat flux (a reasonable approximation for flash heating), the thermal response is smooth. For this case, it is possible to accurately estimate the thermal response at any time within a given time interval from a set of simulations separated by exponentially increasing time steps. From these simulations, it is possible to accurately interpolate to find the response at intermediate times by a spline interpolation of the logarithm of time versus logarithm of temperature. The thermal response with exponential time stepping is shown to produce values for the thermal response which are within 1% of values within the time interval. The simulations are compared to finite element simulations of the same inspection configurations. The simulations are also compared to the thermographic measurements on composites where shape and depth of the delaminations are obtained from other inspection methods.

Thermography↗

UCLA parallel PIC framework

The UCLA Parallel PIC Framework (UPIC) has been developed to provide trusted components for the rapid construction of new, parallel Particle-in-Cell (PIC) codes. The Framework uses object-based ideas in Fortran95, and is designed to provide support for various kinds of PIC codes on various kinds of hardware. The focus is on student programmers. The Framework supports multiple numerical methods, different physics approximations, different numerical optimizations and implementations for different hardware. It is designed with "defensive" programming in mind, meaning that it contains many error checks and debugging helps. Above all, it is designed to hide the complexity of parallel processing. It is currently being used in a number of new Parallel PIC codes.

Norton, Charles D.↗

Performance Analysis and Optimization on the UCLA Parallel Atmospheric General Circulation Model Code

An analysis is presented of several factors influencing the performance of a parallel implementation of the UCLA atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) on massively parallel computer systems. Several modificaitons to the original parallel AGCM code aimed at improving its numerical efficiency, interprocessor communication cost, load-balance and issues affecting single-node code performance are discussed.

atmospheric study optimization strategies parallel↗

Access and visualization using clusters and other parallel computers

JPL's Parallel Applications Technologies Group has been exploring the issues of data access and visualization of very large data sets over the past 10 years. this work has used a number of types of parallel computers, and today includes the use of commodity clusters. This talk will highlight some of the applications and tools we have developed, including how they use parallel computing resources, and specifically how we are using modern clusters.

parallel computers clusters↗

NavP: Structured and Multithreaded Distributed Parallel Programming

We present Navigational Programming (NavP) -- a distributed parallel programming methodology based on the principles of migrating computations and multithreading. The four major steps of NavP are: (1) Distribute the data using the data communication pattern in a given algorithm; (2) Insert navigational commands for the computation to migrate and follow large-sized distributed data; (3) Cut the sequential migrating thread and construct a mobile pipeline; and (4) Loop back for refinement. NavP is significantly different from the current prevailing Message Passing (MP) approach. The advantages of NavP include: (1) NavP is structured distributed programming and it does not change the code structure of an original algorithm. This is in sharp contrast to MP as MP implementations in general do not resemble the original sequential code; (2) NavP implementations are always competitive with the best MPI implementations in terms of performance. Approaches such as DSM or HPF have failed to deliver satisfying performance as of today in contrast, even if they are relatively easy to use compared to MP; (3) NavP provides incremental parallelization, which is beyond the reach of MP; and (4) NavP is a unifying approach that allows us to exploit both fine- (multithreading on shared memory) and coarse- (pipelined tasks on distributed memory) grained parallelism. This is in contrast to the currently popular hybrid use of MP+OpenMP, which is known to be complex to use. We present experimental results that demonstrate the effectiveness of NavP.

navigational programming (NavP)↗

The Parallel System for Integrating Impact Models and Sectors (pSIMS)

We present a framework for massively parallel climate impact simulations: the parallel System for Integrating Impact Models and Sectors (pSIMS). This framework comprises a) tools for ingesting and converting large amounts of data to a versatile datatype based on a common geospatial grid; b) tools for translating this datatype into custom formats for site-based models; c) a scalable parallel framework for performing large ensemble simulations, using any one of a number of different impacts models, on clusters, supercomputers, distributed grids, or clouds; d) tools and data standards for reformatting outputs to common datatypes for analysis and visualization; and e) methodologies for aggregating these datatypes to arbitrary spatial scales such as administrative and environmental demarcations. By automating many time-consuming and error-prone aspects of large-scale climate impacts studies, pSIMS accelerates computational research, encourages model intercomparison, and enhances reproducibility of simulation results. We present the pSIMS design and use example assessments to demonstrate its multi-model, multi-scale, and multi-sector versatility.

crop modeling↗

Spontaneous Hot Flow Anomalies at Quasi-Parallel Shocks: 2. Hybrid Simulations

Motivated by recent THEMIS observations, this paper uses 2.5-D electromagnetic hybrid simulations to investigate the formation of Spontaneous Hot Flow Anomalies (SHFA) upstream of quasi-parallel bow shocks during steady solar wind conditions and in the absence of discontinuities. The results show the formation of a large number of structures along and upstream of the quasi-parallel bow shock. Their outer edges exhibit density and magnetic field enhancements, while their cores exhibit drops in density, magnetic field, solar wind velocity and enhancements in ion temperature. Using virtual spacecraft in the simulation, we show that the signatures of these structures in the time series data are very similar to those of SHFAs seen in THEMIS data and conclude that they correspond to SHFAs. Examination of the simulation data shows that SHFAs form as the result of foreshock cavitons interacting with the bow shock. Foreshock cavitons in turn form due to the nonlinear evolution of ULF waves generated by the interaction of the solar wind with the backstreaming ions. Because foreshock cavitons are an inherent part of the shock dissipation process, the formation of SHFAs is also an inherent part of the dissipation process leading to a highly non-uniform plasma in the quasi-parallel magnetosheath including large scale density and magnetic field cavities.

Quasi-Parallel↗

Parallel Aircraft Trajectory Optimization with Analytic Derivatives

Trajectory optimization is an integral component for the design of aerospace vehicles, but emerging aircraft technologies have introduced new demands on trajectory analysis that current tools are not well suited to address. Designing aircraft with technologies such as hybrid electric propulsion and morphing wings requires consideration of the operational behavior as well as the physical design characteristics of the aircraft. The addition of operational variables can dramatically increase the number of design variables which motivates the use of gradient based optimization with analytic derivatives to solve the larger optimization problems. In this work we develop an aircraft trajectory analysis tool using a Legendre-Gauss-Lobatto based collocation scheme, providing analytic derivatives via the OpenMDAO multidisciplinary optimization framework. This collocation method uses an implicit time integration scheme that provides a high degree of sparsity and thus several potential options for parallelization. The performance of the new implementation was investigated via a series of single and multi-trajectory optimizations using a combination of parallel computing and constraint aggregation. The computational performance results show that in order to take full advantage of the sparsity in the problem it is vital to parallelize both the non-linear analysis evaluations and the derivative computations themselves. The constraint aggregation results showed a significant numerical challenge due to difficulty in achieving tight convergence tolerances. Overall, the results demonstrate the value of applying analytic derivatives to trajectory optimization problems and lay the foundation for future application of this collocation based method to the design of aircraft with where operational scheduling of technologies is key to achieving good performance.

aircraft↗

Massively Parallel Algorithms for Real-Time Wavefront Control of a Dense Adaptive Optics System

In this paper massively parallel algorithms and architectures for real-time wavefront control of a dense adaptive optic system (SELENE) are presented. We have already shown that the computation of a near optimal control algorithm for SELENE can be reduced to the solution of a discrete Poisson equation on a regular domain. Although this represents an optimal computation, due the large size of the system and the high sampling rate requirement, the implementation of this control algorithm poses a computationally challenging problem since it demands a sustained computational throughput of the order of 10 GFlops. We develop a novel algorithm, designated as Fast Invariant Imbedding algorithm, which offers a massive degree of parallelism with simple communication and synchronization requirements. Due to these features, our algorithm is significantly more efficient than other Fast Poisson Solvers for implementation on massively parallel architectures.

massively↗

Improved CDMA Performance Using Parallel Interference Cancellation

This paper considers a general parallel interference cancellation scheme that significantly reduces the degradation effect of user interference but with a lesser implementation complexity than the maximum-likelihood technique. The scheme operates on the fact that parallel processing simultaneously removes from each user the total interference produced by the remaining most reliably received users accessing the channel. The parallel processing can be done in multiple stages. The proposed scheme uses tentative decision devices with different optimum thresholds at the multiple stages to produce the most reliably received data for generation and cancellation of user interference.

CDMA↗

Massively Parallel Neurocomputing for Aerospace Applications

An innovative hybrid, analog-digital charge-domain technology, for the massively parallel VLSI implementation of certain large scale matrix-vector operations, has recently been introduced. It employs arrays of Charge Coupled/Charge Injection Device cells holding an analog matrix of charge, which process digital vectors in parallel by means of binary, non-destructive charge transfer operations. The impact of this technology on massively parallel processing is discussed.

massively↗

Massively Parallel Algorithms for Solution of Schrodinger Equation

In this paper massively parallel algorithms for solution of Schrodinger equation are developed. Our results clearly indicate that the Crank-Nicolson method, in addition to its excellent numerical properties, is also highly suitable for massively parallel computation.

parallel algorithms MIMD parallel architectures ti↗

Parallel operation of two Brayton-cycle alternators with parasitic speed controllers

The experimental paralleling characteristics of two 1200 Hz Brayton-cycle alternators are presented. Since the Brayton power conversion system uses electric speed controllers, the paralleling requirements are somewhat different from those for conventional ground-based systems. Results include the transient effects of synchronizing the two alternators with various phase-angle, voltage, and frequency differences. Based on these results, the effects of synchronizing differences can be defined, and adjustment requirements of the parasitic speed controllers during synchronizing can be established. Data indicate that parasitically loaded alternators are able to parallel over a wide range of synchronizing differences. However, equilibrium could not be reached in extreme cases where alternator load differences were great and, at the same time, the phase-angle error was large (150 deg or more).

Perz, D. A.↗

Control and protection system for paralleled modular static inverter-converter systems

A control and protection system was developed for use with a paralleled 2.5-kWe-per-module static inverter-converter system. The control and protection system senses internal and external fault parameters such as voltage, frequency, current, and paralleling current unbalance. A logic system controls contactors to isolate defective power conditioners or loads. The system sequences contactor operation to automatically control parallel operation, startup, and fault isolation. Transient overload protection and fault checking sequences are included. The operation and performance of a control and protection system, with detailed circuit descriptions, are presented.

Birchenough, A. G.↗

Parallel operation of two Brayton-cycle alternators with parasitic speed controllers.

The experimental paralleling characteristics of two 1200-Hz Brayton-cycle alternators are presented. Since the Brayton power conversion system uses electric speed controllers, the paralleling requirements are somewhat different from those for conventional ground-based power systems. Results include the transient effects of synchronizing the two alternators with various phase-angle, voltage, and frequency differences. Based on these results, the effects of synchronizing differences can be defined, and adjustment requirements of the parasitic speed controllers during synchronizing can be established. Data indicate that parasitically loaded alternators are able to parallel over a wide range of synchronizing differences.

Perz, D. A.↗

Massively parallel information processing systems for space applications

NASA is developing massively parallel systems for ultra high speed processing of digital image data collected by satellite borne instrumentation. Such systems contain thousands of processing elements. Work is underway on the design and fabrication of the 'Massively Parallel Processor', a ground computer containing 16,384 processing elements arranged in a 128 x 128 array. This computer uses existing technology. Advanced work includes the development of semiconductor chips containing thousands of feedthrough paths. Massively parallel image analog to digital conversion technology is also being developed. The goal is to provide compact computers suitable for real-time onboard processing of images.

Schaefer, D. H.↗