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At least 487 records · Page 27

Instability and transition; Proceedings of the Workshop, Hampton, VA, May 15-June 9, 1989. Vols. 1 & 2

The proceedings of the workshop on instability and transition, sponsored by the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering and the Langley Research Center, during May-June 1989 are presented. The proceedings contain panel discussions and the research papers resulting from the collaborative projects started during the workshop and completed shortly thereafter. Six panels are represented: theory, low-speed experiment, high-speed experiment, computation, receptivity, and roughness panels. Focus is concentrated on receptivity, advanced asymptotics, boundary-layer stability, free shear flows, compressible stability and transition, transition simulation, and transition modeling. The panel summaries and the position papers by the panelists as well as research papers of the experiment group and the receptivity group are discussed.

Hussaini, M. Y.↗

System Analyses of Pneumatic Technology for High Speed Civil Transport Aircraft

The primary aspiration of this study was to objectively assess the feasibility of the application of a low speed pneumatic technology, in particular Circulation Control (CC) to an HSCT concept. Circulation Control has been chosen as an enabling technology to be applied on a generic High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). This technology has been proven for various subsonic vehicles including flight tests on a Navy A-6 and computational application on a Boeing 737. Yet, CC has not been widely accepted for general commercial fixed-wing use but its potential has been extensively investigated for decades in wind tunnels across the globe for application to rotorcraft. More recently, an experimental investigation was performed at Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) with application to an HSCT-type configuration. The data from those experiments was to be applied to a full-scale vehicle to assess the impact from a system level point of view. Hence, this study attempted to quantitatively assess the impact of this technology to an HSCT. The study objective was achieved in three primary steps: 1) Defining the need for CC technology; 2) Wind tunnel data reduction; 3) Detailed takeoff/landing performance assessment. Defining the need for the CC technology application to an HSCT encompassed a preliminary system level analysis. This was accomplished through the utilization of recent developments in modern aircraft design theory at Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL). These developments include the creation of techniques and methods needed for the identification of technical feasibility show stoppers. These techniques and methods allow the designer to rapidly assess a design space and disciplinary metric enhancements to enlarge or improve the design space. The takeoff and landing field lengths were identified as the concept "show-stoppers". Once the need for CC was established, the actual application of data and trends was assessed. This assessment entailed a reduction of the wind tunnel data from the experiments performed by Mr. Bob Englar at the GTRI. Relevant data was identified and manipulated based on the required format of the analysis tools utilized. Propulsive, aerodynamic, duct sizing, and vehicle sizing investigations were performed and information supplied to a detailed takeoff and landing tool, From the assessments, CC was shown to improve the low speed performance metrics, which were previously not satisfied. An HSCT with CC augmentation does show potential for full-scale application. Yet, an economic assessment of an HSCT with and without CC showed that a moderate penalty was incurred from the increased RDT&E costs associated with developing the CC technology and slight increases in empty weight.

Mavris, Dimitri N.↗

Tausch: A halo exchange library for large heterogeneous computing systems using MPI, OpenCL, and CUDA

Exchanging halo data is a common task in modern scientific computing applications and efficient handling of this operation is critical for the performance of the overall simulation. Tausch is a novel header-only library that provides a simple API for efficiently handling these types of data movements. Tausch supports both simple CPU-only systems, but also more complex heterogeneous systems with both CPUs and GPUs. It currently supports both OpenCL and CUDA for communicating with GPGPU devices, and allows for communication between GPGPUs and CPUs. The API allows for drop-in replacement in existing codes and can be used for the communication layer in new codes. This paper provides an overview of the approach taken in Tausch, and a performance analysis that demonstrates expected and achieved performance. Here, we highlight the ease of use and performance with three applications: First Tausch is compared to the halo exchange framework from two Mantevo applications, HPCCG and miniFE, and then it is used to replace a legacy halo exchange library in the flexible multigrid solver framework Cedar.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Stability Analysis of Inline ZFP Compression for Floating-Point Data in Iterative Methods

Currently, the dominating constraint in many high performance computing applications is data capacity and bandwidth, in both internode communications and even moreso in intranode data motion. A new approach to address this limitation is to make use of data compression in the form of a compressed data array. Storing data in a compressed data array and converting to standard IEEE-754 types as needed during a computation can reduce the pressure on bandwidth and storage. However, repeated conversions (lossy compression and decompression) introduce additional approximation errors, which need to be shown to not significantly affect the simulation results. Here, we extend recent work that analyzed the error of a single use of compression and decompression of the ZFP compressed data array representation to the case of time-stepping and iterative schemes, where an advancement operator is repeatedly applied in addition to the conversions. We show that the accumulated error for iterative methods involving fixed-point and time evolving iterations is bounded under standard constraints. An upper bound is established on the number of additional iterations required for the convergence of stationary fixed-point iterations. An additional analysis of traditional forward and backward error of stationary iterative methods using ZFP compressed arrays is also presented. The results of several 1D, 2D, and 3D test problems are provided to demonstrate the correctness of the theoretical bounds.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Asynchronous communication in spectral-element and discontinuous Galerkin methods for atmospheric dynamics – a case study using the High-Order Methods Modeling Environment (HOMME-homme_dg_branch)

The scalability of computational applications on current and next-generation supercomputers is increasingly limited by the cost of inter-process communication. We implement non-blocking asynchronous communication in the High-Order Methods Modeling Environment for the time integration of the hydrostatic fluid equations using both the spectral-element and discontinuous Galerkin methods. This allows the overlap of computation with communication, effectively hiding some of the costs of communication. A novel detail about our approach is that it provides some data movement to be performed during the asynchronous communication even in the absence of other computations. This method produces significant performance and scalability gains in large-scale simulations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Cumulative reports and publications

A complete list of Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE) reports are listed. Since ICASE reports are intended to be preprints of articles that will appear in journals or conference proceedings, the published reference is included when it is available. The major categories of the current ICASE research program are: applied and numerical mathematics, including numerical analysis and algorithm development; theoretical and computational research in fluid mechanics in selected areas of interest to LaRC, including acoustics and combustion; experimental research in transition and turbulence and aerodynamics involving LaRC facilities and scientists; and computer science.

Source record↗

A Scalable Quantum Cryptography Network for Protected Automation Communication (Final Report)

This is the final report for a CEDS-funded project aimed at developing a new quantum technology for securing utility communication networks used to control and monitor electrical grid equipment. Securing these control networks represents a unique challenge as the performance of the security solution has a direct impact on the stability and reliability of the electrical grid. Traditional, software-based solutions - developed for information networks - are not suitable for utility control networks because they introduce latency, require burdensome maintenance and upgrades, are often incompatible with legacy equipment, and introduce operational complexity that reduces grid reliability. Consequently, many U.S. utilities do not use existing solutions and, instead, protect their critical control networks through the careful isolation and obscuration of their networked equipment. With more utilities embracing grid automation, the attack surface that utilities must defend from hackers has grown to an unmanageable size. To address this situation, Qubitekk and its partners proposed and developed a hardware-based solution that can secure critical control networks without negatively impacting grid performance. This new solution is based on quantum key distribution (QKD) techniques that guarantee secure key generation and distribution across a utility control network. Through deployment and field testing of a prototype QKD system, we have shown that this solution delivers long-term network security, is technically feasible to implement and maintain on a utility’s distribution substation network and does not negatively impact grid operations. In addition, the project has identified and solved key challenges associated with generating, transmitting, and measuring coherent photonic quantum states on a real-world fiber optic network. These additional findings are playing a critical role in advancing quantum networks for quantum computing applications. An overview of the QKD prototype development effort, field testing activities and results, and additional findings relevant to emerging quantum networks are presented in this report.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Asymmetric supersonic flow around cones with noncircular sections

The unsteady, compressible, single and double thin-layer, Navier-Stokes equations are used to solve for steady and unsteady, asymmetric, supersonic flow around pointed bodies with noncircular sections at high incidence and zero side slip. The equations are solved by using an implicit, upwind, flux-difference splitting finite-volume scheme. Since the flow is locally conical, the solutions are presented on a cross-flow plane at the axial station of unit. The grid is generated by using a modified Joukowski transformation. The computational applications cover noncircular sections with elliptic and diamond shapes. Unsteady asymmetric vortex shedding has been captured at large angles of attack. It is shown that for the same flow conditions and same cross-section fineness ratio, the diamond-section cones develop less flow asymmetry than the elliptic-section cones. Passive control of flow asymmetry was also demonstrated computationally.

Kandil, Osama A.↗

Design of an experimental breeder reactor run 138B reactor physics benchmark evaluation management application

Reactor Monte Carlo simulations present numerous challenges including input file generation and processing output files for relevant results. Creating an input file for a heterogeneous core is further complicated when using depleted fuel. Performing perturbations to geometry and material characteristics exacerbates the challenge due to human errors if the input files are manually generated. The difficulty of generating input files is often encountered during the process of performing a reactor physics benchmark evaluation. These challenges were encountered in this study when performing a reactor physics benchmark evaluation for the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), a sodium cooled fast reactor. The EBR-II Monte Carlo input file uses more than 1,000 unique material specifications and ~8,000 regions. To address the input file generation challenge, a computer application was designed to automate the input file generation process. The application utilizes user input from a graphical user interface in conjunction with spreadsheets containing material and geometric data to generate Monte Carlo input files. The application, called MICKA, was used to generate input files to support the reactor physics benchmark evaluation for EBR-II. This paper describes the reactor configuration and provides information about the application design and capabilities for addressing challenges often encountered in reactor physics benchmark evaluations.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Data assimilation in operator algebras

We develop an algebraic framework for sequential data assimilation of partially observed dynamical systems. In this framework, Bayesian data assimilation is embedded in a nonabelian operator algebra, which provides a representation of observables by multiplication operators and probability densities by density operators (quantum states). In the algebraic approach, the forecast step of data assimilation is represented by a quantum operation induced by the Koopman operator of the dynamical system. Moreover, the analysis step is described by a quantum effect, which generalizes the Bayesian observational update rule. Projecting this formulation to finite-dimensional matrix algebras leads to computational schemes that are i) automatically positivity-preserving and ii) amenable to consistent data-driven approximation using kernel methods for machine learning. Moreover, these methods are natural candidates for implementation on quantum computers. Applications to the Lorenz 96 multiscale system and the El Niño Southern Oscillation in a climate model show promising results in terms of forecast skill and uncertainty quantification.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Implementation of a digital optical matrix-vector multiplier using a holographic look-up table and residue arithmetic

The design and implementation of a digital (numerical) optical matrix-vector multiplier are presented. The objective is to demonstrate the operation of an optical processor designed to minimize computation time in performing a practical computing application. This is done by using the large array of processing elements in a Hughes liquid crystal light valve, and relying on the residue arithmetic representation, a holographic optical memory, and position coded optical look-up tables. In the design, all operations are performed in effectively one light valve response time regardless of matrix size. The features of the design allowing fast computation include the residue arithmetic representation, the mapping approach to computation, and the holographic memory. In addition, other features of the work include a practical light valve configuration for efficient polarization control, a model for recording multiple exposures in silver halides with equal reconstruction efficiency, and using light from an optical fiber for a reference beam source in constructing the hologram. The design can be extended to implement larger matrix arrays without increasing computation time.

Habiby, Sarry F.↗

Description of reaction and vibrational energetics of CO 2 –NH 3 interaction using quantum computing algorithms

CO 2 capture is critical to solving global warming. Amine-based solvents are extensively used to chemically absorb CO 2 . Thus, it is crucial to study the chemical absorption of CO 2 by amine-based solvents to better understand and optimize CO 2 capture processes. Here, we use quantum computing algorithms to quantify molecular vibrational energies and reaction pathways between CO 2 and a simplified amine-based solvent model—NH 3 . Molecular vibrational properties are important to understanding kinetics of reactions. However, the molecule size correlates with the strength of anharmonicity effect on vibrational properties, which can be challenging to address using classical computing. Quantum computing can help enhance molecular vibrational calculations by including anharmonicity. We implement a variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) algorithm in a quantum simulator to calculate ground state vibrational energies of reactants and products of the CO 2 and NH 3 reaction. The VQE calculations yield ground vibrational energies of CO 2 and NH 3 with similar accuracy to classical computing. In the presence of hardware noise, Compact Heuristic for Chemistry (CHC) ansatz with shallower circuit depth performs better than Unitary Vibrational Coupled Cluster. The “Zero Noise Extrapolation” error-mitigation approach in combination with CHC ansatz improves the vibrational calculation accuracy. Excited vibrational states are accessed with quantum equation of motion method for CO 2 and NH 3 . Using quantum Hartree–Fock (HF) embedding algorithm to calculate electronic energies, the corresponding reaction profile compares favorably with Coupled Cluster Singles and Doubles while being more accurate than HF. Our research showcases quantum computing applications in the study of CO 2 capture reactions.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

The Vertebrate Breed Ontology: Toward Effective Breed Data Standardization

Abstract Background Limited universally-adopted data standards in veterinary medicine hinder data interoperability and therefore integration and comparison; this ultimately impedes the application of existing information-based tools to support advancement in diagnostics, treatments, and precision medicine. Hypothesis/Objectives A single, coherent, logic-based standard for documenting breed names in health, production, and research-related records will improve data use capabilities in veterinary and comparative medicine. Animals No live animals were used. Methods The Vertebrate Breed Ontology (VBO) was created from breed names and related information compiled from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, breed registries, communities, and experts, using manual and computational approaches. Each breed is represented by a VBO term that includes breed information and provenance as metadata. VBO terms are classified using description logic to allow computational applications and Artificial Intelligence–readiness. Results VBO is an open, community-driven ontology representing over 19 500 livestock and companion animal breed concepts covering 49 species. Breeds are classified based on community and expert conventions (e.g., cattle breed) and supported by relations to the breed's genus and species indicated by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Taxonomy terms. Relationships between VBO terms (e.g., relating breeds to their foundation stock) provide additional context to support advanced data analytics. VBO term metadata includes synonyms, breed identifiers/codes, and attributed cross-references to other databases. Conclusion and Clinical Importance The adoption of VBO as a standard for breed names in databases and veterinary electronic health records enhances veterinary data interoperability and computability, supporting precision medicine.

Veterinary Sciences↗

Computational Modeling of Fluctuations in Energy and Metabolic Pathways of Methanogenic Archaea

The methanogenic archaea, anaerobic microbes that convert CO2 and H2 and/or other small organic fermentation products into methane, play an unusually large role in the global carbon cycle. As they perform the final step in the anaerobic breakdown of biomass, methanogens are a biogenic source of an estimated one billion tons methane each year. Depending on the location, produced methane can be considered as either a greenhouse gas (agricultural byproduct), sequestered carbon storage (methane hydrate deposits), or a potential energy source (organic wastewater treatment). These microbes therefore represent an important target for biotechnology applications. Computational models of methanogens with predictive power are useful aids in the adaptation of methanogenic systems, but need to connect processes of wide-ranging time and length scales. In this project, we developed several computational methodologies for modeling the dynamic behavior of entire cells that connects stochastic reaction-diffusion dynamics of individual biochemical pathways with genome-scale modeling of metabolic networks. While each of these techniques were in the realm of well-defined computational methods, here we integrated them to develop several entirely new approaches to systems biology. The first scientific aim of the project was to model how noise in a biochemical pathway propagates into cellular phenotypes. Genetic circuits have been optimized by evolution to regulate molecular processes despite stochastic noise, but the effect of such noise on a cellular biochemical networks is currently unknown. An integrated stochastic/systems model of Escherichia coli species was created to analyze how noise in protein expression gives—and therefore noise in metabolic fluxes—gives rise to multiple cellular phenotype in isogenic population. After the initial work developing and validating methods that allow characterization of the heterogeneity in the model organism E. coli, the project shifted toward investigations of the methanogen Methanosarcina acetivorans. By integrating an unprecedented transcriptomics dataset for growth of the methanogen on many substrates with an in silico model, heterogeneity in metabolic pathway usage and methane production were examined. This lent insight into the physiological requirements of the organism under different environmental conditions and uncovered the unique regulatory role that mRNA half-life has in shaping metabolic flux distributions in this organism.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

A high-performance workflow system for subsurface simulation

Subsurface modeling applications typically neglect uncertainty in the conceptual models, past or future scenarios, and attribute most or all uncertainty to errors in model parameters. In this contribution, uncertainty in technetium-99 transport in a heterogeneous, deep vadose zone is explored with respect to the conceptual model using a next generation user environment called Akuna. Akuna provides a range of tools to manage environmental modeling projects, from managing simulation data to visualizing results from high-performance computational simulators. Core toolsets accessible through the user interface include model setup, grid generation, parameter estimation, and uncertainty quantification. The BC Cribs site at Hanford in southeastern Washington State is used to demonstrate Akuna capabilities. At the BC Cribs site, conceptualization of the system is highly uncertain because only sparse information is available for the geologic conceptual model, the physical and chemical properties of the sediments, and the history of waste disposal operations. Using the Akuna toolset to perform an analysis of conservative solute transport, significant prediction uncertainty in simulated concentrations is demonstrated by conceptual model variation. This demonstrates that conceptual model uncertainty is an important consideration in sparse data environments such as BC Cribs. It is also demonstrated that Akuna and the underlying toolset provides an integrated modeling environment that streamlines model setup, parameter optimization, and uncertainty analyses for high-performance computing applications.

Akuna↗

Three Dimensional Solution of Pneumatic Active Control of Forebody Vortex Asymmetry

Pneumatic active control of asymmetric vortical flows around a slender pointed forebody is investigated using the three dimensional solution for the compressible thin-layer Navier-Stokes equation. The computational applications cover the normal and tangential injection control of asymmetric flows around a 5 degree semi-apex angle cone at a 40 degree angle of attack, 1.4 freestream Mach number and 6 x 10(exp 6) freestream Reynolds number (based on the cone length). The effective tangential angle range of 67.5 approaches minus 67.5 degrees is used for both normal and tangential ports of injection. The effective axial length of injection is varied from 0.03 to 0.05. The computational solver uses the implicit, upwind, flux difference splitting finite volume scheme, and the grid consists of 161 x 55 x 65 points in the wrap around, normal and axial directions, respectively. The results show that tangential injection is more effective than normal injection.

Kandil, Osama A.↗

Limited‐memory adaptive snapshot selection for proper orthogonal decomposition

Summary Reduced order models are useful for accelerating simulations in many‐query contexts, such as optimization, uncertainty quantification, and sensitivity analysis. However, offline training of reduced order models (ROMs) can have prohibitively expensive memory and floating‐point operation costs in high‐performance computing applications, where memory per core is limited. To overcome this limitation for proper orthogonal decomposition, we propose a novel adaptive selection method for snapshots in time that limits offline training costs by selecting snapshots according an error control mechanism similar to that found in adaptive time‐stepping ordinary differential equation solvers. The error estimator used in this work is related to theory bounding the approximation error in time of proper orthogonal decomposition‐based ROMs, and memory usage is minimized by computing the singular value decomposition using a single‐pass incremental algorithm. Results for a viscous Burgers' test problem demonstrate convergence in the limit as the algorithm error tolerances go to zero; in this limit, the full‐order model is recovered to within discretization error. A parallel version of the resulting method can be used on supercomputers to generate proper orthogonal decomposition‐based ROMs, or as a subroutine within hyperreduction algorithms that require taking snapshots in time, or within greedy algorithms for sampling parameter space. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Oxberry, Geoffrey M.↗