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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2012

LSPRAY-IV: A Lagrangian Spray Module

LSPRAY-IV is a Lagrangian spray solver developed for application with parallel computing and unstructured grids. It is designed to be massively parallel and could easily be coupled with any existing gas-phase flow and/or Monte Carlo Probability Density Function (PDF) solvers. The solver accommodates the use of an unstructured mesh with mixed elements of either triangular, quadrilateral, and/or tetrahedral type for the gas flow grid representation. It is mainly designed to predict the flow, thermal and transport properties of a rapidly vaporizing spray. Some important research areas covered as a part of the code development are: (1) the extension of combined CFD/scalar-Monte- Carlo-PDF method to spray modeling, (2) the multi-component liquid spray modeling, and (3) the assessment of various atomization models used in spray calculations. The current version contains the extension to the modeling of superheated sprays. The manual provides the user with an understanding of various models involved in the spray formulation, its code structure and solution algorithm, and various other issues related to parallelization and its coupling with other solvers.

Raju, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Improving NASA's Multiscale Modeling Framework for Tropical Cyclone Climate Study

One of the current challenges in tropical cyclone (TC) research is how to improve our understanding of TC interannual variability and the impact of climate change on TCs. Recent advances in global modeling, visualization, and supercomputing technologies at NASA show potential for such studies. In this article, the authors discuss recent scalability improvement to the multiscale modeling framework (MMF) that makes it feasible to perform long-term TC-resolving simulations. The MMF consists of the finite-volume general circulation model (fvGCM), supplemented by a copy of the Goddard cumulus ensemble model (GCE) at each of the fvGCM grid points, giving 13,104 GCE copies. The original fvGCM implementation has a 1D data decomposition; the revised MMF implementation retains the 1D decomposition for most of the code, but uses a 2D decomposition for the massive copies of GCEs. Because the vast majority of computation time in the MMF is spent computing the GCEs, this approach can achieve excellent speedup without incurring the cost of modifying the entire code. Intelligent process mapping allows differing numbers of processes to be assigned to each domain for load balancing. The revised parallel implementation shows highly promising scalability, obtaining a nearly 80-fold speedup by increasing the number of cores from 30 to 3,335.

tropical cyclone interannual variability↗
NASA NTRS1991

Parallel computations and control of adaptive structures

The equations of motion for structures with adaptive elements for vibration control are presented for parallel computations to be used as a software package for real-time control of flexible space structures. A brief introduction of the state-of-the-art parallel computational capability is also presented. Time marching strategies are developed for an effective use of massive parallel mapping, partitioning, and the necessary arithmetic operations. An example is offered for the simulation of control-structure interaction on a parallel computer and the impact of the approach presented for applications in other disciplines than aerospace industry is assessed.

Park, K. C.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Parallel computational fluid dynamics - Implementations and results

The present volume on parallel CFD discusses implementations on parallel machines, numerical algorithms for parallel CFD, and performance evaluation and computer science issues. Attention is given to a parallel algorithm for compressible flows through rotor-stator combinations, a massively parallel Euler solver for unstructured grids, a fast scheme to analyze 3D disk airflow on a parallel computer, and a block implicit multigrid solution of the Euler equations. Topics addressed include a 3D ADI algorithm on distributed memory multiprocessors, clustered element-by-element computations for fluid flow, hypercube FFT and the Fourier pseudospectral method, and an investigation of parallel iterative algorithms for CFD. Also discussed are fluid dynamics using interface methods on parallel processors, sorting for particle flow simulation on the connection machine, a large grain mapping method, and efforts toward a Teraflops capability for CFD.

Simon, Horst D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Real time animation of space plasma phenomena

In pursuit of real time animation of computer simulated space plasma phenomena, the code was rewritten for the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP). The program creates a dynamic representation of the global bowshock which is based on actual spacecraft data and designed for three dimensional graphic output. This output consists of time slice sequences which make up the frames of the animation. With the MPP, 16384, 512 or 4 frames can be calculated simultaneously depending upon which characteristic is being computed. The run time was greatly reduced which promotes the rapid sequence of images and makes real time animation a foreseeable goal. The addition of more complex phenomenology in the constructed computer images is now possible and work proceeds to generate these images.

Jordan, K. F.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Climate Data Assimilation on a Massively Parallel Supercomputer

We have designed and implemented a set of highly efficient and highly scalable algorithms for an unstructured computational package, the PSAS data assimilation package, as demonstrated by detailed performance analysis of systematic runs on up to 512-nodes of an Intel Paragon. The preconditioned Conjugate Gradient solver achieves a sustained 18 Gflops performance. Consequently, we achieve an unprecedented 100-fold reduction in time to solution on the Intel Paragon over a single head of a Cray C90. This not only exceeds the daily performance requirement of the Data Assimilation Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, but also makes it possible to explore much larger and challenging data assimilation problems which are unthinkable on a traditional computer platform such as the Cray C90.

supercomputer↗
NASA NTRS2011

Theoretical Near-IR Spectra for Surface Abundance Studies of Massive Stars

We present initial results of a study of abundance and mass loss properties of O-type stars based on theoretical near-IR spectra computed with state-of-the-art stellar atmosphere models. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will be a powerful tool to obtain high signal-to-noise ratio near-IR (1-5 micron) spectra of massive stars in different environments of local galaxies. Our goal is to analyze model near-IR spectra corresponding to those expected from NIRspec on JWST in order to map the wind properties and surface composition across the parameter range of 0 stars and to determine projected rotational velocities. As a massive star evolves, internal coupling, related mixing, and mass loss impact its intrinsic rotation rate. These three parameters form an intricate loop, where enhanced rotation leads to more mixing which in turn changes the mass loss rate, the latter thus affecting the rotation rate. Since the effects of rotation are expected to be much more pronounced at low metallicity, we pay special attention to models for massive stars in the the Small Magellanic Cloud. This galaxy provides a unique opportunity to probe stellar evolution, and the feedback of massive stars on galactic evol.ution in conditions similar to the epoch of maximal star formation. Plain-Language Abstract: We present initial results of a study of abundance and mass loss properties of massive stars based on theoretical near-infrared (1-5 micron) spectra computed with state-of-the-art stellar atmosphere models. This study is to prepare for observations by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Sonneborn, George↗
NASA NTRS1987

Plasma simulation using the massively parallel processor

Two dimensional electrostatic simulation codes using the particle-in-cell model are developed on the Massively Parallel Processor (MPP). The conventional plasma simulation procedure that computes electric fields at particle positions by means of a gridded system is found inefficient on the MPP. The MPP simulation code is thus based on the gridless system in which particles are assigned to processing elements and electric fields are computed directly via Discrete Fourier Transform. Currently, the gridless model on the MPP in two dimensions is about nine times slower that the gridded system on the CRAY X-MP without considering I/O time. However, the gridless system on the MPP can be improved by incorporating a faster I/O between the staging memory and Array Unit and a more efficient procedure for taking floating point sums over processing elements. The initial results suggest that the parallel processors have the potential for performing large scale plasma simulations.

Lin, C. S.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Search for important weak interaction nuclei in presupernova evolution

A search is made for the most important electron captures and beta-decays after core silicon burning in massive stars. A nuclear statistical equilibrium code is used to compute isotopic abundances. Electron capture and beta-decay rates are estimated for the 150 most abundant isotopes in a simplified fashion which generally includes the strongest transitions. These estimates are made for nuclei in the fp-shell and use techniques similar to Fuller, Fowler, & Newman (1982a), and are compared to them. The general behavior of the rate of change of Y(sub e) is examined. These methods are then used to follow a typical stellar trajectory, seeking the most important weak interactions during the formation of the iron core. Ranked lists of nuclei are given, to prioritize more detailed studies on individual nuclei. Beta-decays are found to ben an important modification to the evolution below the rate of change of Y(sub e) approx. = 0.46 as the core approaches a state of dynamic equilibrium between electron captures and beta-decays.

Aufderheide, Maurice B.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Visions of our Planet's Atmosphere, Land and Oceans: NASA/NOAA Electronic Theater 2002

The NASA/NOAA Electronic Theater presents Earth science observations and visualizations in a historical perspective. Fly in from outer space to the 2002 Winter Olympic Stadium Site of the Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Salt Lake City. Fly in and through Olympic Alpine Venues using 1 m IKONOS "Spy Satellite" data. Go back to the early weather satellite images from the 1960s and see them contrasted with the latest US and international global satellite weather movies including hurricanes and "tornadoes". See the latest visualizations of spectacular images from NASA/NOAA remote sensing missions like Terra, GOES, TRMM, SeaWiFS, Landsat 7 including new 1 - min GOES rapid scan image sequences of Nov 9th 2001 Midwest tornadic thunderstorms and have them explained. See how High-Definition Television (HDTV) is revolutionizing the way we communicate science. (In cooperation with the American Museum of Natural History in NYC) See dust storms in Africa and smoke plumes from fires in Mexico. See visualizations featured on the covers of Newsweek, TIME, National Geographic, Popular Science and on National and International Network TV. New computer software tools allow us to roam and zoom through massive global images e.g. Landsat tours of the US, and Africa, showing desert and mountain geology as well as seasonal changes in vegetation. See animations of the polar ice packs and the motion of gigantic Antarctic Icebergs from SeaWinds. data. Spectacular new visualizations of the global atmosphere and oceans are shown. See vortexes and currents in the global oceans that bring up the nutrients to feed tiny algae and draw the fish, whales and fisherman. See the how the ocean blooms in response to these currents and El Nino/La Nina climate changes. See the city lights, fishing fleets, gas flares and bio-mass burning of the Earth at night observed by the "night-vision" DMSP military satellite.

Haser, Fritz↗
NASA NTRS2006

A Correlation-Based Transition Model using Local Variables: Model Formation - Part 1

A new correlation-based transition model has been developed, which is based strictly on local variables. As a result, the transition model is compatible with modern computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approaches, such as unstructured grids and massive parallel execution. The model is based on two transport equations, one for intermittency and one for the transition onset criteria in terms of momentum thickness Reynolds number. The proposed transport equations do not attempt to model the physics of the transition process (unlike, e.g., turbulence models) but from a framework for the implementation of correlation-based models into general-purpose CFD methods.

Menter, F. R.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Scatter-Reducing Sounding Filtration Using a Genetic Algorithm and Mean Monthly Standard Deviation

Retrieval algorithms like that used by the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO)-2 mission generate massive quantities of data of varying quality and reliability. A computationally efficient, simple method of labeling problematic datapoints or predicting soundings that will fail is required for basic operation, given that only 6% of the retrieved data may be operationally processed. This method automatically obtains a filter designed to reduce scatter based on a small number of input features. Most machine-learning filter construction algorithms attempt to predict error in the CO2 value. By using a surrogate goal of Mean Monthly STDEV, the goal is to reduce the retrieved CO2 scatter rather than solving the harder problem of reducing CO2 error. This lends itself to improved interpretability and performance. This software reduces the scatter of retrieved CO2 values globally based on a minimum number of input features. It can be used as a prefilter to reduce the number of soundings requested, or as a post-filter to label data quality. The use of the MMS (Mean Monthly Standard deviation) provides a much cleaner, clearer filter than the standard ABS(CO2-truth) metrics previously employed by competitor methods. The software's main strength lies in a clearer (i.e., fewer features required) filter that more efficiently reduces scatter in retrieved CO2 rather than focusing on the more complex (and easily removed) bias issues.

Mandrake, Lukas↗
NASA NTRS1998

Navier-Stokes Computations on Commodity Computers

In this paper we discuss and demonstrate the feasibility of solving high-fidelity, nonlinear computational fluid dynamics (CFD) problems of practical interest on commodity machines, namely Pentium Pro PC's. Such calculations have now become possible due to the progress in computational power and memory of the off-the-shelf commodity computers, along with the growth in bandwidth and communication speeds of networks. A widely used CFD code known as TLNS3D, which was developed originally on large shared memory computers was selected for this effort. This code has recently been ported to massively parallel processor (MPP) type machines, where natural partitioning along grid blocks is adopted in which one or more blocks are distributed to each of the available processors. In this paper, a similar approach is adapted to port this code to a cluster of Pentium Pro computers. The message passing among the processors is accomplished through the use of standard message passing interface (MPI) libraries. Scaling studies indicate fairly high level of parallelism on such clusters of commodity machines, thus making solutions to Navier-Stokes equations for practical problems more affordable.

Vatsa, Veer N.↗
NASA NTRS2005

The Vision of Human Spaceflight

First, we live in a world where change is the norm, not the exception. The scientific revolution springing from quantum mechanics yielded new understanding of solid state physics leading to stunning advances in computation, communication, and transportation. Two World Wars and one Cold War introduced massive governmental investment in research and development. The unusual pragmatic and classless entrepreneurship of U.S. society promoted commercialization and innovative marketing of new technology. As a result, the 20th Century experienced a constantly accelerating culture of change. Those societies that accepted and embraced the new capabilities dominated commercially and militarily; those that did not fell behind. I remember when there was no color television, when there were no personal computers, when there was no email, when there was no World Wide Web, when there were no cell phones. Now many of us cannot live without these things. Change has become the measure of success. Our children anticipate the future and do not expect it to look like the past. Secondly, our elementary school students are fascinated by dinosaurs, ghosts, and space. Astronauts create excitement. None question that humans will be in space in their future. They see it every week, even every day, in stories on television. To be an astronaut is considered a legitimate ambition. They see space travel to be an adventure just as our grandparents saw exploring Africa or the polar regions to be an adventure into the unknown. Third, we live in a time when our understanding of the space environment makes us realize that the existence of our species is one large impact away from extinction. We understand that our population explosion is changing our home planet in fundamental ways and that wars over terrestrial resources may be less than two generations away. We feel more connected to our space neighborhood than ever before. Many nations of the world are looking outward toward our Moon in an unprecedented way. A lunar space mission will be launched from somewhere every year for the next decade, at least.

Mendell, Wendell↗
NASA NTRS1994

Boundary element analysis on vector and parallel computers

Boundary element analysis (BEA) can be characterized as a numerical technique that generally shifts the computational burden in the analysis toward numerical integration and the solution of nonsymmetric and either dense or blocked sparse systems of algebraic equations. Researchers have explored the concept that the fundamental characteristics of BEA can be exploited to generate effective implementations on vector and parallel computers. In this paper, the results of some of these investigations are discussed. The performance of overall algorithms for BEA on vector supercomputers, massively data parallel single instruction multiple data (SIMD), and relatively fine grained distributed memory multiple instruction multiple data (MIMD) computer systems is described. Some general trends and conclusions are discussed, along with indications of future developments that may prove fruitful in this regard.

Kane, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Transonic Navier-Stokes wing solutions using a zonal approach. Part 2: High angle-of-attack simulation

A computer code is under development whereby the thin-layer Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are to be applied to realistic fighter aircraft configurations. This transonic Navier-Stokes code (TNS) utilizes a zonal approach in order to treat complex geometries and satisfy in-core computer memory constraints. The zonal approach was applied to isolated wing geometries in order to facilitate code development. The TNS finite difference algorithm, zonal methodology, and code validation with experimental data is addressed. Also addressed are some numerical issues such as code robustness, efficiency, and accuracy at high angles of attack. Special free-stream-preserving metrics proved an effective way to treat H-mesh singularities over a large range of severe flow conditions, including strong leading edge flow gradients, massive shock induced separation, and stall. Furthermore, lift and drag coefficients were computed for a wing up through CLmax. Numerical oil flow patterns and particle trajectories are presented both for subcritical and transonic flow. These flow simulations are rich with complex separated flow physics and demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the zonal approach.

Chaderjian, Neal M.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Effect of Turbulence Models on Two Massively-Separated Benchmark Flow Cases

Two massively-separated flow cases (the 2-D hill and the 3-D Ahmed body) were computed with several different turbulence models in the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes code CFL3D as part of participation in a turbulence modeling workshop held in Poitiers, France in October, 2002. Overall, results were disappointing, but were consistent with results from other RANS codes and other turbulence models at the workshop. For the 2-D hill case, those turbulence models that predicted separation location accurately ended up yielding a too-long separation extent downstream. The one model that predicted a shorter separation extent in better agreement with LES data did so only by coincidence: its prediction of earlier reattachment was due to a too-late prediction of the separation location. For the Ahmed body, two slant angles were computed, and CFD performed fairly well for one of the cases (the larger slant angle). Both turbulence models tested in this case were very similar to each other. For the smaller slant angle, CFD predicted massive separation, whereas the experiment showed reattachment about half-way down the center of the face. These test cases serve as reminders that state- of-the-art CFD is currently not a reliable predictor of massively-separated flow physics, and that further validation studies in this area would be beneficial.

Rumsey, Christopher L.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Calculating Trajectories And Orbits

Double-Precision Trajectory Analysis Program, DPTRAJ, and Orbit Determination Program, ODP, developed and improved over years to provide highly reliable and accurate navigation capability for deep-space missions like Voyager. Each collection of programs working together to provide desired computational results. DPTRAJ, ODP, and supporting utility programs capable of handling massive amounts of data and performing various numerical calculations required for solving navigation problems associated with planetary fly-by and lander missions. Used extensively in support of NASA's Voyager project. DPTRAJ-ODP available in two machine versions. UNIVAC version, NPO-15586, written in FORTRAN V, SFTRAN, and ASSEMBLER. VAX/VMS version, NPO-17201, written in FORTRAN V, SFTRAN, PL/1 and ASSEMBLER.

Alderson, Daniel J.↗