SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “parallel methods”

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.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,621 records · Page 90

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2021

Performance Improvements for the Griffin Transport Solvers

Griffin is a Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment based reactor multiphysics analysis application jointly developed by Idaho National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. Griffin includes a variety of deterministic radiation transport solvers for fixed source, k-eigenvalue, adjoint, and subcritical multiplication, as well as transient solvers for point-kinetics, improved quasi-static, and spatial dynamics. A code assessment performed in FY-20 identified two significant issues with the transport solvers in Griffin: first, the primary heterogeneous SN (discrete ordinates) transport solver based on continuous finite element methods required significant mesh refinement and higher memory usage compared to solvers based on the method of characteristic for equivalent accuracy. Second, the homogeneous PN (spherical harmonics expansion) transport solver did not adequately support polynomial refinement, which is a feature usually required for problems with spatial homogenization and pronounced streaming, typical in fast or gas-cooled reactor systems. To address the first issue, the development effort focused on the more promising discontinuous finite element method (DFEM)-based SN transport solver in Griffin. The addition of an asynchronous parallel transport sweeper and coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) acceleration have rendered a superior heterogeneous SN transport capability for multiphysics problems that requires far less computing resources in terms of both CPU time and memory usage. This is demonstrated with typical thermal- and fast-spectrum reactor benchmark problems, including 2D Transient Reactor Test, 3D Advanced Burner Test Reactor (ABTR), and 2D and 3D Empire microreactor. For the second issue, the development effort focused on a new transport solver based on the hybrid finite element PN method (HFEM-PN), equivalent to the variational nodal method, as well as a new diffusion solver based on HFEM-Diffusion. This solver is intended for homogenized domains with multiphysics coupling (i.e., supports mesh displacement, seamless temperature feedback, etc.). Initial calculations with the HFEM-Diffusion implementation show very good parallel efficiency for the residual evaluations with the 2D ABTR benchmark. A future development effort will be centered on further improvements to the CMFD, HFEM-PN, and DFEM diffusion solvers to ensure Griffin meets performance and software quality assurance requirements for advanced reactor design and analysis.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

DOE OSTI2017

TGE: Machine Learning Based Task Graph Embedding for Large-Scale Topology Mapping

Task mapping is an important problem in parallel and distributed computing. The goal in task mapping is to find an optimal layout of the processes of an application (or a task) onto a given network topology. We target this problem in the context of staging applications. A staging application consists of two or more parallel applications (also referred to as staging tasks) which run concurrently and exchange data over the course of computation. Task mapping becomes a more challenging problem in staging applications, because not only data is exchanged between the staging tasks, but also the processes of a staging task may exchange data with each other. We propose a novel method, called Task Graph Embedding (TGE), that harnesses the observable graph structures of parallel applications and network topologies. TGE employs a machine learning based algorithm to find the best representation of a graph, called an embedding, onto a space in which the task-to-processor mapping problem can be solved. We evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of TGE experimentally with the communication patterns extracted from runs of XGC, a large-scale fusion simulation code, on Titan.

Choi, Jong Youl↗

NASA NTRS1987

A parallelized elliptic solver for reacting flows

A modified Newton algorithm for the solution of nonlinear elliptic boundary value problems via finite discretization methods is presented. A serial implementation of this algorithm which has recently been applied successfully to the computation of an axisymmetric over-ventilated subsonic laminar methane-air jet diffusion flame is described. Parallel implementation issues and a complexity theory are presented. Included as well are actual performance data for model systems obtained on the Intel Hypercube and a discussion of its implications for modeling realistic systems.

Keyes, David E.↗

DOE OSTI2023

HPLC-Parallel accelerator and molecular mass spectrometry analysis of 14 C-labeled amino acids

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is the method of choice for quantitation of low amounts of 14 C-labeled biomolecules. Despite exquisite sensitivity, an important limitation of AMS is its inability to provide structural information about the analyte. This limitation is not critical when the labeled compounds are well-characterized prior to AMS analysis. However, analyte identity is important in other experiments where, for example, a compound is metabolized and the structures of its metabolites are not known. We previously described a moving wire interface that enables direct AMS measurement of liquid sample in the form of discrete drops or HPLC eluent without the need for individual fraction collection, termed liquid sample-AMS (LS-AMS). Here, we now report the coupling of LS-AMS with a molecular mass spectrometer, providing parallel accelerator and molecular mass spectrometry (PAMMS) detection of analytes separated by liquid chromatography. The repeatability of the method was examined by performing repeated injections of 14 C-labeled tryptophan, and relative standard deviations of the 14 C peak areas were ≤10.57% after applying a normalization factor based on a standard. Five 14 C-labeled amino acids were separated and detected to provide simultaneous quantitative AMS and structural MS data, and AMS results were compared with solid sample-AMS (SS-AMS) data using Bland-Altman plots. To demonstrate the utility of the workflow, yeast cells were grown in a medium with 14 C-labeled tryptophan. The cell extracts were analyzed by PAMMS, and 14 C was detected in tryptophan and its metabolite kynurenine.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

DOE OSTI2018

Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) neurotoxicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal evidence

Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous in the environment, with well-documented and widespread human exposure. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of human studies found an association between prenatal serum PBDE concentrations and a decrease in the IQ of children. Objective: Our goal was to demonstrate the application of systematic review methods, including meta-analysis (if possible), to animal toxicology data to draw conclusions about hazard. We performed a systematic review of experimental animal studies on the neurotoxicity of PBDEs following developmental exposure. Outcomes assessed included measures related to learning, memory, and attention, which parallel the intelligence-related outcomes evaluated in the systematic review of human studies. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Toxline for experimental studies in non-human mammals published in English through August 15, 2016. Evaluation of risk of bias and the overall body of evidence followed guidance developed by the National Toxicology Program’s Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT). Results: The animal data on PBDEs and learning, memory, and attention were available for BDEs 47, 99, 153, 203, 206, and 209 and the technical mixture DE-71. These data were diverse and complex, with studies using varying designs and outcomes. There were concerns about risk of bias for many studies, and study reporting of methods and results was often incomplete. A meta-analysis of six studies showed consistent evidence of an increase in latency (effect size of 25.8 [CI, 20.3 to 31.2]) in the last trial of the Morris water maze in PBDE-exposed animals, with low heterogeneity. However, for most endpoints, there were unexplained inconsistencies across studies. There was also no consistent evidence of a dose-response relationship. Conclusions: Our analyses illustrates the application of systematic review methods to a chemical hazard assessment. There is a moderate level of evidence that exposure to BDEs 47, 99, and 209 affects learning. For other PBDEs and other endpoints, the level of evidence was low or very low. The meta-analysis led to stronger conclusions than would have been drawn based on a qualitative review of the evidence. The systematic review also identified factors that increased concerns about risk of bias in individual studies that might be remedied by better study reporting.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether↗

DOE OSTI2016

A patch-based pseudo-CT approach for MRI-only radiotherapy in the pelvis

Purpose: In radiotherapy based only on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), knowledge about tissue electron densities must be derived from the MRI. This can be achieved by converting the MRI scan to the so-called pseudo-computed tomography (pCT). An obstacle is that the voxel intensities in conventional MRI scans are not uniquely related to electron density. The authors previously demonstrated that a patch-based method could produce accurate pCTs of the brain using conventional T{sub 1}-weighted MRI scans. The method was driven mainly by local patch similarities and relied on simple affine registrations between an atlas database of the co-registered MRI/CT scan pairs and the MRI scan to be converted. In this study, the authors investigate the applicability of the patch-based approach in the pelvis. This region is challenging for a method based on local similarities due to the greater inter-patient variation. The authors benchmark the method against a baseline pCT strategy where all voxels inside the body contour are assigned a water-equivalent bulk density. Furthermore, the authors implement a parallelized approximate patch search strategy to speed up the pCT generation time to a more clinically relevant level. Methods: The data consisted of CT and T{sub 1}-weighted MRI scans of 10 prostate patients. pCTs were generated using an approximate patch search algorithm in a leave-one-out fashion and compared with the CT using frequently described metrics such as the voxel-wise mean absolute error (MAE{sub vox}) and the deviation in water-equivalent path lengths. Furthermore, the dosimetric accuracy was tested for a volumetric modulated arc therapy plan using dose–volume histogram (DVH) point deviations and γ-index analysis. Results: The patch-based approach had an average MAE{sub vox} of 54 HU; median deviations of less than 0.4% in relevant DVH points and a γ-index pass rate of 0.97 using a 1%/1 mm criterion. The patch-based approach showed a significantly better performance than the baseline water pCT in almost all metrics. The approximate patch search strategy was 70x faster than a brute-force search, with an average prediction time of 20.8 min. Conclusions: The authors showed that a patch-based method based on affine registrations and T{sub 1}-weighted MRI could generate accurate pCTs of the pelvis. The main source of differences between pCT and CT was positional changes of air pockets and body outline.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1991

Mach 4 and Mach 8 axisymmetric nozzles for a shock tunnel

The performance of two axisymmetric nozzles which were designed to produce uniform, parallel flow with nominal Mach numbers of 4 and 8 is examined. A free-piston-driven shock tube was used to supply the nozzle with high-temperature, high-pressure test gas. The inviscid design procedure treated the nozzle expansion in two stages. Close to the nozzle throat, the nozzle wall was specified as conical and the gas flow was treated as a quasi-one-dimensional chemically-reacting flow. At the end of the conical expansion, the gas was assumed to be calorically perfect, and a contoured wall was designed (using method of characteristics) to convert the source flow into a uniform and parallel flow at the end of the nozzle. Performance was assessed by measuring Pitot pressures across the exit plane of the nozzles and, over the range of operating conditions examined, the nozzles produced satisfactory test flows. However, there were flow disturbances in the Mach 8 nozzle flow that persisted for significant times after flow initiation.

Jacobs, P. A.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Mach 4 and Mach 8 axisymmetric nozzles for a high-enthalpy shock tunnel

Jacobs, P. A.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Concurrent implicit spectral deferred correction scheme for low-Mach number combustion with detailed chemistry

We present a parallel multi-implicit time integration scheme for the advection-diffusion-reaction systems arising from the equations governing low-Mach number combustion with complex chemistry. Here, our strategy employs parallelisation across the method to accelerate the serial Multi-Implicit Spectral Deferred Correction (MISDC) scheme used to couple the advection, diffusion, and reaction processes. In our approach, the diffusion solves and the reaction solves are performed concurrently by different processors. Our analysis shows that the proposed parallel scheme is stable for stiff problems and that the sweeps converge to the fixed-point solution at a faster rate than with serial MISDC. We present numerical examples to demonstrate that the new algorithm is high-order accurate in time, and achieves a parallel speedup compared to serial MISDC.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

NASA NTRS2018

A Conservative, Scalable, Space-Time Blade Element Rotor Model for Multi-Rotor Vehicles

The development of a parallel blade-element rotor model and its implementation into an adaptive Cartesian method is described. The unsteady version of the rotor model applies a body force to all cells contained in the swept space-time volume at each timestep and special care is taken to maintain axisymmetry on the Cartesian grid. Mesh convergence of rotor thrust and torque is obtained with around 10000 cells in the disk for the steady model. Parallelization is accomplished using OpenMP and the rotor force computation is distributed across all available nodes. Simulations of an isolated XV-15 rotor in hover show good correlation with experimental data and predictions of multi-rotor thrust variation closely match previous high fidelity simulations. The final paper will also include results from the unsteady rotor model and parallel scaling tests.

Conservative↗

DOE OSTI2020

A Generalized Stress Inversion Approach With Application to Residual Stress Estimation

In this work develop a generalized stress inversion technique (or the generalized inversion method) capable of recovering stresses in linear elastic bodies subjected to arbitrary cuts. Specifically, given a set of displacement measurements found experimentally from digital image correlation (DIC), we formulate a stress estimation inverse problem as a partial differential equation-constrained optimization problem. We use gradient-based optimization methods, and we accordingly derive the necessary gradient and Hessian information in a matrix-free form to allow for parallel, large-scale operations. By using a combination of finite elements, DIC, and a matrix-free optimization framework, the generalized inversion method can be used on any arbitrary geometry, provided that the DIC camera can view a sufficient part of the surface. We present numerical simulations and experiments, and we demonstrate that the generalized inversion method can be applied to estimate residual stress.

42 ENGINEERING↗

NASA NTRS1980

A modified T-value method for selection of strain gages for measuring loads on a low aspect ratio wing

A technique which may be useful for selecting strain gages for use in load equations is described. The technique is an adaptation of the previously used T-value method and is applied to a multispar structure. The technique, called the modified T-value method, is used to reduce the number of strain gages used in a load equation from twelve to two. A parallel reduction is made by calculating relative equation accuracies from three applied load distributions. The equations developed from the modified T-value method proved to be accurate more consistently than the T-value method.

Tang, M. H.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Net radiation method for enclosure systems involving partially transparent walls

The net radiation method is developed for analyzing radiation heat transfer in enclosure systems involving partially transparent walls. One such system is an enclosure with windows in it. The conventional net radiation method was developed for enclosures having opaque walls. If a partially transparent wall is present, it will permit radiation to enter and leave the enclosure. The net radiation equations are developed here for gray and semigray enclosures with one or more windows. Another system of interest, such as in a flat plate solar collector, consists of a series of parallel transparent layers. The transmission characteristics of such window systems are obtained by the net radiation method, and the technique appears to be more convenient than the ray tracing method which has been used in the past. Relations are developed for windows consisting of any number of parallel layers having differing absorption coefficients and differing surface reflectivities, and for systems composed of parallel transmitting layers and opaque plates.

Siegel, R.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Time-asymptotic solutions of the Navier-Stokes equation for free shear flows using an alternating-direction implicit method

An uncoupled time asymptotic alternating direction implicit method for solving the Navier-Stokes equations was tested on two laminar parallel mixing flows. A constant total temperature was assumed in order to eliminate the need to solve the full energy equation; consequently, static temperature was evaluated by using algebraic relationship. For the mixing of two supersonic streams at a Reynolds number of 1,000, convergent solutions were obtained for a time step 5 times the maximum allowable size for an explicit method. The solution diverged for a time step 10 times the explicit limit. Improved convergence was obtained when upwind differencing was used for convective terms. Larger time steps were not possible with either upwind differencing or the diagonally dominant scheme. Artificial viscosity was added to the continuity equation in order to eliminate divergence for the mixing of a subsonic stream with a supersonic stream at a Reynolds number of 1,000.

Rudy, D. H.↗

DOE OSTI2014

Advances in molecular quantum chemistry contained in the Q-Chem 4 program package

A summary of the technical advances that are incorporated in the fourth major release of the Q-Chem quantum chemistry program is provided, covering approximately the last seven years. These include developments in density functional theory methods and algorithms, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) property evaluation, coupled cluster and perturbation theories, methods for electronically excited and open-shell species, tools for treating extended environments, algorithms for walking on potential surfaces, analysis tools, energy and electron transfer modelling, parallel computing capabilities, and graphical user interfaces. In addition, a selection of example case studies that illustrate these capabilities is given. These include extensive benchmarks of the comparative accuracy of modern density functionals for bonded and non-bonded interactions, tests of attenuated second order Møller-Plesset (MP2) methods for intermolecular interactions, a variety of parallel performance benchmarks, and tests of the accuracy of implicit solvation models. Finally, some specific chemical examples include calculations on the strongly correlated Cr 2 dimer, exploring zeolite-catalysed ethane dehydrogenation, energy decomposition analysis of a charged ter-molecular complex arising from glycerol photoionisation, and natural transition orbitals for a Frenkel exciton state in a nine-unit model of a self-assembling nanotube.

computational modelling↗

DOE OSTI2020

COHORT: Coordination of Heterogeneous Thermostatically Controlled Loads for Demand Flexibility

Demand flexibility is increasingly important for power grids. Careful coordination of thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) can modulate energy demand, decrease operating costs, and increase grid resiliency. We propose a novel distributed control framework for the Coordination Of HeterOgeneous Residential Thermostatically controlled loads (COHORT). COHORT is a practical, scalable, and versatile solution that coordinates a population of TCLs to jointly optimize a grid-level objective, while satisfying each TCL’s end-use requirements and operational constraints. To achieve that, we decompose the grid-scale problem into subproblems and coordi- nate their solutions to find the global optimum using the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). The TCLs’ local problems are distributed to and computed in parallel at each TCL, making COHORT highly scalable and privacy-preserving. While each TCL poses combinatorial and non-convex constraints, we characterize these constraints as a convex set through relaxation, thereby making COHORT computationally viable over long planning horizons. After coordination, each TCL is responsible for its own control and tracks the agreed-upon power trajectory with its preferred strategy. In this work, we translate continuous power back to discrete on/off actuation, using pulse width modulation. COHORT is generalizable to a wide range of grid objectives, which we demonstrate through three distinct use cases: generation following, minimizing ramping, and peak load curtailment. In a notable experiment, we validated our approach through a hardware-in-the-loop simulation, including a real-world air conditioner (AC) controlled via a smart thermostat, and simulated instances of ACs modeled after real-world data traces. During the 15-day experimental period, COHORT reduced daily peak loads by an average of 12.5% and maintained comfortable temperatures.

demand response↗

NASA NTRS2015

2nd-Order CESE Results For C1.4: Vortex Transport by Uniform Flow

The Conservation Element and Solution Element (CESE) method was used as implemented in the NASA research code ez4d. The CESE method is a time accurate formulation with flux-conservation in both space and time. The method treats the discretized derivatives of space and time identically and while the 2nd-order accurate version was used, high-order versions exist, the 2nd-order accurate version was used. In regards to the ez4d code, it is an unstructured Navier-Stokes solver coded in C++ with serial and parallel versions available. As part of its architecture, ez4d has the capability to utilize multi-thread and Messaging Passage Interface (MPI) for parallel runs.

Space-time CE/SE method↗

NASA NTRS1993

Wing-Body Aeroelasticity Using Finite-Difference Fluid/Finite-Element Structural Equations on Parallel Computers

This paper presents a procedure for computing the aeroelasticity of wing-body configurations on multiple-instruction, multiple-data (MIMD) parallel computers. In this procedure, fluids are modeled using Euler equations discretized by a finite difference method, and structures are modeled using finite element equations. The procedure is designed in such a way that each discipline can be developed and maintained independently by using a domain decomposition approach. A parallel integration scheme is used to compute aeroelastic responses by solving the coupled fluid and structural equations concurrently while keeping modularity of each discipline. The present procedure is validated by computing the aeroelastic response of a wing and comparing with experiment. Aeroelastic computations are illustrated for a High Speed Civil Transport type wing-body configuration.

Byun, Chansup↗