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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 577 records · Page 32
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1993

Structured adaptive grid generation using algebraic methods

The accuracy of the numerical algorithm depends not only on the formal order of approximation but also on the distribution of grid points in the computational domain. Grid adaptation is a procedure which allows optimal grid redistribution as the solution progresses. It offers the prospect of accurate flow field simulations without the use of an excessively timely, computationally expensive, grid. Grid adaptive schemes are divided into two basic categories: differential and algebraic. The differential method is based on a variational approach where a function which contains a measure of grid smoothness, orthogonality and volume variation is minimized by using a variational principle. This approach provided a solid mathematical basis for the adaptive method, but the Euler-Lagrange equations must be solved in addition to the original governing equations. On the other hand, the algebraic method requires much less computational effort, but the grid may not be smooth. The algebraic techniques are based on devising an algorithm where the grid movement is governed by estimates of the local error in the numerical solution. This is achieved by requiring the points in the large error regions to attract other points and points in the low error region to repel other points. The development of a fast, efficient, and robust algebraic adaptive algorithm for structured flow simulation applications is presented. This development is accomplished in a three step process. The first step is to define an adaptive weighting mesh (distribution mesh) on the basis of the equidistribution law applied to the flow field solution. The second, and probably the most crucial step, is to redistribute grid points in the computational domain according to the aforementioned weighting mesh. The third and the last step is to reevaluate the flow property by an appropriate search/interpolate scheme at the new grid locations. The adaptive weighting mesh provides the information on the desired concentration of points to the grid redistribution scheme. The evaluation of the weighting mesh is accomplished by utilizing the weight function representing the solution variation and the equidistribution law. The selection of the weight function plays a key role in grid adaptation. A new weight function utilizing a properly weighted boolean sum of various flowfield characteristics is defined. The redistribution scheme is developed utilizing Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (NURBS) representation. The application of NURBS representation results in a well distributed smooth grid by maintaining the fidelity of the geometry associated with boundary curves. Several algebraic methods are applied to smooth and/or nearly orthogonalize the grid lines. An elliptic solver is utilized to smooth the grid lines if there are grid crossings. Various computational examples of practical interest are presented to demonstrate the success of these methods.

Yang, Jiann-Cherng↗
NASA NTRS1989

A CFD study of tilt rotor flowfields

The download on the wing produced by the rotor wake of a tilt rotor vehicle in hover is of major concern because of its severe impact on payload-carrying capability. In a concerted effort to understand the fundamental fluid dynamics that cause this download, and to help find ways to reduce it, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is employed to study this problem. The thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations are used to describe the flow, and an implicit, finite difference numerical algorithm is the method of solution. The methodology is developed to analyze the tilt rotor flowfield. Included are discussions of computations of an airfoil and wing in freestream flows at -90 degrees, a rotor alone, and wing/rotor interaction in two and three dimensions. Preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility and great potential of the present approach. Recommendations are made for both near-term and far-term improvements to the method.

Fejtek, Ian↗
DOE OSTI2016

A fully non-linear multi-species Fokker–Planck–Landau collision operator for simulation of fusion plasma

Fusion edge plasmas can be far from thermal equilibrium and require the use of a non-linear collision operator for accurate numerical simulations. In this article, the non-linear single-species Fokker–Planck–Landau collision operator developed by Yoon and Chang (2014) [9] is generalized to include multiple particle species. The finite volume discretization used in this work naturally yields exact conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. The implementation of this new non-linear Fokker–Planck–Landau operator in the gyrokinetic particle-in-cell codes XGC1 and XGCa is described and results of a verification study are discussed. Finally, the numerical techniques that make our non-linear collision operator viable on high-performance computing systems are described, including specialized load balancing algorithms and nested OpenMP parallelization. The collision operator's good weak and strong scaling behavior are shown.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Liquid and liquid–gas flows at all speeds

All speed flows and in particular low Mach number flow algorithms are addressed for the numerical approximation of the Kapila et al. [1] multiphase flow model. This model is valid for fluid mixtures evolving in mechanical equilibrium but out of temperature equilibrium and is efficient for material interfaces computation separating miscible and non-miscible fluids. In this context, the interface is considered as a numerically diffused zone, captured as well as all present waves (shocks, expansion waves). The same flow model can be used to solve cavitating and boiling flows [2]. Many applications occurring with liquid–gas interfaces and cavitating flows involve a very wide range of Mach number, from 10{sup −3} to supersonic (and even hypersonic) conditions with respect to the mixture sound speed. It is thus important to address numerical methods free of restrictions regarding the Mach number. To do this, a preconditioned Riemann solver is built and embedded into the Godunov explicit scheme. It is shown that this method converges to exact solutions but needs too small time steps to be efficient. An implicit version is then derived, first in one dimension and second in the frame of 2D unstructured meshes. Two-phase flow preconditioning is then addressed in the frame of the Saurel et al. [3] algorithm. Modifications of the preconditioned Riemann solver are needed and detailed. Convergence of both single phase and two-phase numerical solutions are demonstrated with the help of single phase and two-phase steady nozzle flow solutions. Last, the method is illustrated by the computation of real cavitating flows in Venturi nozzles. Vapour pocket size and instability frequencies are reproduced by the model and method without using any adjustable parameter.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Online Voltage Event Detection Using Synchrophasor Data with Structured Sparsity-Inducing Norms

This paper develops an accurate and computationally efficient data-driven framework to detect voltage events from PMU data streams. It develops an innovative Proximal Bilateral Random Projection (PBRP) algorithm to quickly decompose the PMU data matrix into a low-rank matrix, a row-sparse event-pattern matrix and a noise matrix. Here, the row-sparse pattern matrix significantly distinguishes events from normal behavior. These matrices are then fed into a clustering algorithm to separate voltage events from normal operating conditions. Large-scale numerical study results on real-world PMU data show that the proposed algorithm is computationally more efficient and achieves higher F scores than state-of-the-art benchmarks.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
NASA NTRS1985

Advanced three-dimensional dynamic analysis by boundary element methods

Advanced formulations of boundary element method for periodic, transient transform domain and transient time domain solution of three-dimensional solids have been implemented using a family of isoparametric boundary elements. The necessary numerical integration techniques as well as the various solution algorithms are described. The developed analysis has been incorporated in a fully general purpose computer program BEST3D which can handle up to 10 subregions. A number of numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the dynamic analyses.

Banerjee, P. K.↗
NASA NTRS2003

A Generalized Fluid Formulation for Turbomachinery Computations

A generalized formulation of the equations of motion of an arbitrary fluid are developed for the purpose of defining a common iterative algorithm for computational procedures. The method makes use of the equations of motion in conservation form with separate pseudo-time derivatives used for defining the numerical flux for a Riemann solver and the convergence algorithm. The partial differential equations are complemented by an thermodynamic and caloric equations of state of a complexity necessary for describing the fluid. Representative solutions with a new code based on this general equation formulation are provided for three turbomachinery problems. The first uses air as a working fluid while the second uses gaseous oxygen in a regime in which real gas effects are of little importance. These nearly perfect gas computations provide a basis for comparing with existing perfect gas code computations. The third case is for the flow of liquid oxygen through a turbine where real gas effects are significant. Vortex shedding predictions with the LOX formulations reduce the discrepancy between perfect gas computations and experiment by approximately an order of magnitude, thereby verifying the real gas formulation as well as providing an effective case where its capabilities are necessary.

Merkle, Charles L.↗
DOE OSTI2020

An extended trajectory-mechanics approach for calculating two-phase flow paths

A technique originating in quantum dynamics is used to derive a trajectory-based, semi-analytical solution for two-phase flow. The partial differential equation governing the evolution of the aqueous phase is equivalent to a family of ordinary differential equations defined along a path through the porous medium. The trajectories may be found by solving the differential equations directly or by post-processing the output of a numerical solution to the full set of governing equations. The trajectories, which differ from conventional streamlines, are found to bend downward in response to gravitational forces. The curvature is more pronounced as the dip of the porous layer containing the flow increases. Subtle changes in the relative permeability curve can lead to significant variations in the trajectories. The ordinary differential equation for the trajectory provides an expression for the travel time along the path. The expression produces a semi-analytical approximation to the model parameter sensitivities, the partial derivatives of the travel times with respect to changes in the permeability model. The semi-analytical trajectory-based sensitivities generally agree with those computed using a numerical reservoir simulator and a perturbation approach. The sensitivities are useful in tomographic imaging algorithms designed to estimate the spatial variation in permeability within a porous medium using multiphase observations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantum advantage for differential equation analysis

Quantum algorithms for differential equation solving, data processing, and machine learning potentially offer an exponential speedup over all known classical algorithms. However, there also exist obstacles to obtaining this potential speedup in useful problem instances. The essential obstacle for quantum differential equation solving is that outputting useful information may require difficult postprocessing, and the essential obstacle for quantum data processing and machine learning is that inputting the data is a difficult task just by itself. In this study, we demonstrate that, when combined, these difficulties solve one another. We show how the output of quantum differential equation solving can serve as the input for quantum data processing and machine learning, allowing dynamical analysis in terms of principal components, power spectra, and wavelet decompositions. To illustrate this, we consider continuous-time Markov processes on epidemiological and social networks. These quantum algorithms provide an exponential advantage over existing classical Monte Carlo methods.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Robust Iterative Method for Symmetric Quantum Signal Processing in All Parameter Regimes

Here, this paper addresses the problem of solving nonlinear systems in the context of symmetric quantum signal processing (QSP), a powerful technique for implementing matrix functions on quantum computers. Symmetric QSP focuses on representing target polynomials as products of matrices in SU(2) that possess symmetry properties. We present a novel Newton’s method tailored for efficiently solving the nonlinear system involved in determining the phase factors within the symmetric QSP framework. Our method demonstrates rapid and robust convergence in all parameter regimes, including the challenging scenario with ill-conditioned Jacobian matrices, using standard double precision arithmetic operations. For instance, solving symmetric QSP for a highly oscillatory target function α cos(1000x) (polynomial degree ≈ 1433) takes 6 iterations to converge to machine precision when α = 0.9, and the number of iterations only increases to 18 iterations when α = 1 – 10 -9 with a highly ill-conditioned Jacobian matrix. Leveraging the matrix product state structure of symmetric QSP, the computation of the Jacobian matrix incurs a computational cost comparable to a single function evaluation. Moreover, we introduce a reformulation of symmetric QSP using real-number arithmetics, further enhancing the method’s efficiency. Extensive numerical tests validate the effectiveness and robustness of our approach, which has been implemented in the QSPPACK software package.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS1973

Numerical studies of unsteady two dimensional subsonic flows using the ICE method

A numerical program was developed to compute transient compressible and incompressible laminar flows in two dimensions with multicomponent mixing and chemical reaction. The algorithm used the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory ICE (Implicit Continuous-Fluid Eulerian) method as its base. The program can compute both high and low speed compressible flows. The numerical program incorporating the stabilization techniques was quite successful in treating both old and new problems. Detailed calculations of coaxial flow very close to the entry plane were possible. The program treated complex flows such as the formation and downstream growth of a recirculation cell. An implicit solution of the species equation predicted mixing and reaction rates which compared favorably with the literature.

Wieber, P. R.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Evaluating and minimizing noise impact due to aircraft flyover

Existing techniques were used to assess the noise impact on a community due to aircraft operation and to optimize the flight paths of an approaching aircraft with respect to the annoyance produced. Major achievements are: (1) the development of a population model suitable for determining the noise impact, (2) generation of a numerical computer code which uses this population model along with the steepest descent algorithm to optimize approach/landing trajectories, (3) implementation of this optimization code in several fictitious cases as well as for the community surrounding Patrick Henry International Airport, Virginia.

Jacobson, I. D.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Robust eigenstructure assignment by a projection method - Applications using multiple optimization criteria

A methodology for robust eigenstructure assignment for multivariable feedback systems is presented. The algorithm is based upon a pole placement technique using projections onto subspaces of admissible eigenvectors. New ideas are introduced to generate target (desired) sets of unitary eigenvectors and determine optimal feasible eigenvectors in a least-square sense. Useful connections are established between the pole-placement by independent modal space control and the method introduced in this paper. A multicriterion optimization algorithm is also presented, which takes efficient advantage of the present eigenstructure assignment method. These developments show significant improvement over an earlier version of this algorithm in both computational cost and accuracy. This optimization process appears to be numerically robust and suitable for high-dimensional multicriterion optimizations; it is especially attractive for computer-aided design of control systems.

Rew, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Instrumentation, performance visualization, and debugging tools for multiprocessors

The need for computing power has forced a migration from serial computation on a single processor to parallel processing on multiprocessor architectures. However, without effective means to monitor (and visualize) program execution, debugging, and tuning parallel programs becomes intractably difficult as program complexity increases with the number of processors. Research on performance evaluation tools for multiprocessors is being carried out at ARC. Besides investigating new techniques for instrumenting, monitoring, and presenting the state of parallel program execution in a coherent and user-friendly manner, prototypes of software tools are being incorporated into the run-time environments of various hardware testbeds to evaluate their impact on user productivity. Our current tool set, the Ames Instrumentation Systems (AIMS), incorporates features from various software systems developed in academia and industry. The execution of FORTRAN programs on the Intel iPSC/860 can be automatically instrumented and monitored. Performance data collected in this manner can be displayed graphically on workstations supporting X-Windows. We have successfully compared various parallel algorithms for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications in collaboration with scientists from the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Systems Division. By performing these comparisons, we show that performance monitors and debuggers such as AIMS are practical and can illuminate the complex dynamics that occur within parallel programs.

Yan, Jerry C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Research in computational fluid dynamics and analysis of algorithms

Recently, higher-order compact schemes have seen increasing use in the DNS (Direct Numerical Simulations) of the Navier-Stokes equations. Although they do not have the spatial resolution of spectral methods, they offer significant increases in accuracy over conventional second order methods. They can be used on any smooth grid, and do not have an overly restrictive CFL dependence as compared with the O(N(exp -2)) CFL dependence observed in Chebyshev spectral methods on finite domains. In addition, they are generally more robust and less costly than spectral methods. The issue of the relative cost of higher-order schemes (accuracy weighted against physical and numerical cost) is a far more complex issue, depending ultimately on what features of the solution are sought and how accurately they must be resolved. In any event, the further development of the underlying stability theory of these schemes is important. The approach of devising suitable boundary clusters and then testing them with various stability techniques (such as finding the norm) is entirely the wrong approach when dealing with high-order methods. Very seldom are high-order boundary closures stable, making them difficult to isolate. An alternative approach is to begin with a norm which satisfies all the stability criteria for the hyperbolic system, and look for the boundary closure forms which will match the norm exactly. This method was used recently by Strand to isolate stable boundary closure schemes for the explicit central fourth- and sixth-order schemes. The norm used was an energy norm mimicking the norm for the differential equations. Further research should be devoted to BC for high order schemes in order to make sure that the results obtained are reliable. The compact fourth order and sixth order finite difference scheme had been incorporated into a code to simulate flow past circular cylinders. This code will serve as a verification of the full spectral codes. A detailed stability analysis by Carpenter (from the fluid Mechanics Division) and Gottlieb gave analytic conditions for stability as well as asymptotic stability. This had been incorporated in the code in form of stable boundary conditions. Effects of the cylinder rotations had been studied. The results differ from the known theoretical results. We are in the middle of analyzing the results. A detailed analysis of the effects of the heating of the cylinder on the shedding frequency had been studied using the above schemes. It has been found that the shedding frequency decreases when the wire was heated. Experimental work is being carried out to affirm this result.

Gottlieb, David↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spatial simulation of secondary instability in plane channel flow - Comparison of K- and H-type disturbances

This study involves a numerical simulation of spatially evolving secondary instability in plane channel flow. The computational algorithm integrates the time-dependent, 3D, incompressible Navier-Stokes equations by a mixed finite-difference/spectral technique. In particular, we are interested in the differences between instabilities instigated by Klebanoff (K-) type and Herbert (H-) type inflow conditions, and in comparing the present spatial results with previous temporal models. It is found that for the present inflow conditions, H-type instability is biased towards one of the channel walls, while K-type instability evolves on both walls. For low initial perturbation amplitudes, H-type instability exhibits higher growth rates than K-type instability, while higher initial amplitudes lead to comparable growth rates of both H- and K-type instability. In H-type instability, spectral analysis reveals the presence of the subharmonic 2D mode which promotes the growth of the 3D spanwise and fundamental modes through nonlinear interactions. An intermodal energy transfer study demonstrates that there is a net energy transfer from the 3D modes to the 2D mode. This analysis also indicates that the mean mode transfers net energy to the 2D subharmonic mode and to the 3D modes.

Saiki, E. M.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Numerical Conformal Mapping Using Cross-Ratios and Delaunay Triangulation

We propose a new algorithm for computing the Riemann mapping of the unit disk to a polygon, also known as the Schwarz-Christoffel transformation. The new algorithm, CRDT, is based on cross-ratios of the prevertices, and also on cross-ratios of quadrilaterals in a Delaunay triangulation of the polygon. The CRDT algorithm produces an accurate representation of the Riemann mapping even in the presence of arbitrary long, thin regions in the polygon, unlike any previous conformal mapping algorithm. We believe that CRDT can never fail to converge to the correct Riemann mapping, but the correctness and convergence proof depend on conjectures that we have so far not been able to prove. We demonstrate convergence with computational experiments. The Riemann mapping has applications to problems in two-dimensional potential theory and to finite-difference mesh generation. We use CRDT to produce a mapping and solve a boundary value problem on long, thin regions for which no other algorithm can solve these problems.

Driscoll, Tobin A.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Reflection Coefficients on Surfaces of Different Periodic Structure

Diffraction properties of lossy periodic gratings with the metal base were investigated by solving Maxwell's equations numerically using the differential method. Two periodic surfaces were employed in the simulation: triangle structure and tilting triangle structure. Based on the numerical solution and in conjunction with the algorithm of Adams-Moulton, we computed reflection coefficients of plane waves with different wavelengths and different incident angles. The dielectric properties were also explored using various dielectric constants. The results show that the reflection coefficients of both TE and TM waves are quite sensitive to the incident angles of the plane waves when the metal sheet exists, which is in good agreement with the experimental data.

Niu, Pengfei↗