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NASA NTRS2014

A Walsh Function Module Users' Manual

The solution of partial differential equations (PDEs) with Walsh functions offers new opportunities to simulate many challenging problems in mathematical physics. The approach was developed to better simulate hypersonic flows with shocks on unstructured grids. It is unique in that integrals and derivatives are computed using simple matrix multiplication of series representations of functions without the need for divided differences. The product of any two Walsh functions is another Walsh function - a feature that radically changes an algorithm for solving PDEs. A FORTRAN module for supporting Walsh function simulations is documented. A FORTRAN code is also documented with options for solving time-dependent problems: an advection equation, a Burgers equation, and a Riemann problem. The sample problems demonstrate the usage of the Walsh function module including such features as operator overloading, Fast Walsh Transforms in multi-dimensions, and a Fast Walsh reciprocal.

Gnoffo, Peter A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Overview of the NCC

A multi-disciplinary design/analysis tool for combustion systems is critical for optimizing the low-emission, high-performance combustor design process. Based on discussions between then NASA Lewis Research Center and the jet engine companies, an industry-government team was formed in early 1995 to develop the National Combustion Code (NCC), which is an integrated system of computer codes for the design and analysis of combustion systems. NCC has advanced features that address the need to meet designer's requirements such as "assured accuracy", "fast turnaround", and "acceptable cost". The NCC development team is comprised of Allison Engine Company (Allison), CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC), GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE), NASA Glenn Research Center (LeRC), and Pratt & Whitney (P&W). The "unstructured mesh" capability and "parallel computing" are fundamental features of NCC from its inception. The NCC system is composed of a set of "elements" which includes grid generator, main flow solver, turbulence module, turbulence and chemistry interaction module, chemistry module, spray module, radiation heat transfer module, data visualization module, and a post-processor for evaluating engine performance parameters. Each element may have contributions from several team members. Such a multi-source multi-element system needs to be integrated in a way that facilitates inter-module data communication, flexibility in module selection, and ease of integration. The development of the NCC beta version was essentially completed in June 1998. Technical details of the NCC elements are given in the Reference List. Elements such as the baseline flow solver, turbulence module, and the chemistry module, have been extensively validated; and their parallel performance on large-scale parallel systems has been evaluated and optimized. However the scalar PDF module and the Spray module, as well as their coupling with the baseline flow solver, were developed in a small-scale distributed computing environment. As a result, the validation of the NCC beta version as a whole was quite limited. Current effort has been focused on the validation of the integrated code and the evaluation/optimization of its overall performance on large-scale parallel systems.

Liu, Nan-Suey↗
NASA NTRS2011

An Overview of Ares-I CFD Ascent Aerodynamic Data Development And Analysis Based on USM3D

An overview of the computational results obtained from the NASA Langley developed unstructured grid, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver USM3D, in support of the Ares-I project within the NASA s Constellation program, are presented. The numerical data are obtained for representative flow conditions pertinent to the ascent phase of the trajectory at both wind tunnel and flight Reynolds number without including any propulsion effects. The USM3D flow solver has been designated to have the primary role within the Ares-I project in developing the computational aerodynamic data for the vehicle while other flow solvers, namely OVERFLOW and FUN3D, have supporting roles to provide complementary results for fewer cases as part of the verification process to ensure code-to-code solution consistency. Similarly, as part of the solution validation efforts, the predicted numerical results are correlated with the aerodynamic wind tunnel data that have been generated within the project in the past few years. Sample aerodynamic results and the processes established for the computational solution/data development for the evolving Ares-I design cycles are presented.

FUN3D↗
NASA NTRS1994

Calculation of clear-sky outgoing longwave radiation using ECMWF gridded fields and ISCCP C1 cloud data

Clear-Sky OLR (outgoing longwave radiation) has a variety of definitions. Clear-sky OLR can be measured from satellites by examining the data to detect clouds, eliminating those observations that are contaminated with clouds, and averaging the remaining data. The disadvantage of this method is that satellites do not provide time continuous coverage, requiring many observations and careful analysis to remove sampling biases. Alternatively, clear-sky OLR can be found continuously using a radiative flux code, combined with analyzed fields of temperature, humidity and clouds, either from assimilated observations or a GCM simulation. The disadvantage is that the cloud field is typically very low resolution, on the order of 200 km, so they lack important small scale cloud detail. Even if fractional clouds data is available, it is not obvious how GCM and ERBE results should be compared. The purpose of this study is to assess clear-sky OLR calculated from these methods using available data. Cloud data from ISCCP provides the fractional cloud coverage data necessary to test these methods against calculations based on observed data. Clear-sky OLR is calculated using the ECMWF/TOGA archive. Monthly averages are made in the manner of the several methods listed above and compared to each other and to ERBE.

Ramsey, Perry G.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The pros and cons of code validation

Computational and wind tunnel error sources are examined and quantified using specific calculations or experimental data, and a substantial comparison of theoretical and experimental results, or a code validation, is discussed. Wind tunnel error sources considered include wall interference, sting effects, Reynolds number effects, flow quality and transition, and instrumentation such as strain gage balances, electronically scanned pressure systems, hot film gages, hot wire anemometers, and laser velocimeters. Computational error sources include math model equation sets, the solution algorithm, artificial viscosity/dissipation, boundary conditions, the uniqueness of solutions, grid resolution, turbulence modeling, and Reynolds number effects. It is concluded that although improvements in theory are being made more quickly than in experiments, wind tunnel research has the advantage of the more realistic transition process of a right turbulence model in a free-transition test.

Bobbitt, Percy J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The pros and cons of code validation

Computational and wind tunnel error sources are examined and quantified using specific calculations of experimental data, and a substantial comparison of theoretical and experimental results, or a code validation, is discussed. Wind tunnel error sources considered include wall interference, sting effects, Reynolds number effects, flow quality and transition, and instrumentation such as strain gage balances, electronically scanned pressure systems, hot film gages, hot wire anemometers, and laser velocimeters. Computational error sources include math model equation sets, the solution algorithm, artificial viscosity/dissipation, boundary conditions, the uniqueness of solutions, grid resolution, turbulence modeling, and Reynolds number effects. It is concluded that, although improvements in theory are being made more quickly than in experiments, wind tunnel research has the advantage of the more realistic transition process of a right turbulence model in a free-transition test.

Bobbitt, Percy J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

ENSAERO - A multidisciplinary program for fluid/structural interaction studies of aerospace vehicles

A computational procedure is developed that uses a moving zonal grid concept to model complex flexible aerospace vehicles. The Euler/Navier-Stokes equations are used to model the flow, and computations are made using efficient methods based on both central and upwind schemes. The structure is represented by a finite element method which can model general aerospace vehicles. Provisions are made to accommodate other disciplines such as controls and thermal loads. The code is capable of computing unsteady flows on flexible wings with vortical flows. Adaptation of this procedure for parallel processing and validation for complete aerospace configurations is in progress.

Guruswamy, G. P.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Supersonic propulsion simulation by incorporating component models in the large perturbation inlet (LAPIN) computer code

An approach to simulating the internal flows of supersonic propulsion systems is presented. The approach is based on a fairly simple modification of the Large Perturbation Inlet (LAPIN) computer code. LAPIN uses a quasi-one dimensional, inviscid, unsteady formulation of the continuity, momentum, and energy equations. The equations are solved using a shock capturing, finite difference algorithm. The original code, developed for simulating supersonic inlets, includes engineering models of unstart/restart, bleed, bypass, and variable duct geometry, by means of source terms in the equations. The source terms also provide a mechanism for incorporating, with the inlet, propulsion system components such as compressor stages, combustors, and turbine stages. This requires each component to be distributed axially over a number of grid points. Because of the distributed nature of such components, this representation should be more accurate than a lumped parameter model. Components can be modeled by performance map(s), which in turn are used to compute the source terms. The general approach is described. Then, simulation of a compressor/fan stage is discussed to show the approach in detail.

Cole, Gary L.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Transport Equation Based Wall Distance Computations Aimed at Flows With Time-Dependent Geometry

Eikonal, Hamilton-Jacobi and Poisson equations can be used for economical nearest wall distance computation and modification. Economical computations may be especially useful for aeroelastic and adaptive grid problems for which the grid deforms, and the nearest wall distance needs to be repeatedly computed. Modifications are directed at remedying turbulence model defects. For complex grid structures, implementation of the Eikonal and Hamilton-Jacobi approaches is not straightforward. This prohibits their use in industrial CFD solvers. However, both the Eikonal and Hamilton-Jacobi equations can be written in advection and advection-diffusion forms, respectively. These, like the Poisson s Laplacian, are commonly occurring industrial CFD solver elements. Use of the NASA CFL3D code to solve the Eikonal and Hamilton-Jacobi equations in advective-based forms is explored. The advection-based distance equations are found to have robust convergence. Geometries studied include single and two element airfoils, wing body and double delta configurations along with a complex electronics system. It is shown that for Eikonal accuracy, upwind metric differences are required. The Poisson approach is found effective and, since it does not require offset metric evaluations, easiest to implement. The sensitivity of flow solutions to wall distance assumptions is explored. Generally, results are not greatly affected by wall distance traits.

Tucker, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Transport Equation Based Wall Distance Computations Aimed at Flows With Time-Dependent Geometry

Eikonal, Hamilton-Jacobi and Poisson equations can be used for economical nearest wall distance computation and modification. Economical computations may be especially useful for aeroelastic and adaptive grid problems for which the grid deforms, and the nearest wall distance needs to be repeatedly computed. Modifications are directed at remedying turbulence model defects. For complex grid structures, implementation of the Eikonal and Hamilton-Jacobi approaches is not straightforward. This prohibits their use in industrial CFD solvers. However, both the Eikonal and Hamilton-Jacobi equations can be written in advection and advection-diffusion forms, respectively. These, like the Poisson's Laplacian, are commonly occurring industrial CFD solver elements. Use of the NASA CFL3D code to solve the Eikonal and Hamilton-Jacobi equations in advective-based forms is explored. The advection-based distance equations are found to have robust convergence. Geometries studied include single and two element airfoils, wing body and double delta configurations along with a complex electronics system. It is shown that for Eikonal accuracy, upwind metric differences are required. The Poisson approach is found effective and, since it does not require offset metric evaluations, easiest to implement. The sensitivity of flow solutions to wall distance assumptions is explored. Generally, results are not greatly affected by wall distance traits.

Tucker, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS2004

EUPDF-II: An Eulerian Joint Scalar Monte Carlo PDF Module : User's Manual

EUPDF-II provides the solution for the species and temperature fields based on an evolution equation for PDF (Probability Density Function) and it is developed mainly for application with sprays, combustion, parallel computing, and unstructured grids. It is designed to be massively parallel and could easily be coupled with any existing gas-phase CFD and spray solvers. The solver accommodates the use of an unstructured mesh with mixed elements of either triangular, quadrilateral, and/or tetrahedral type. The manual provides the user with an understanding of the various models involved in the PDF formulation, its code structure and solution algorithm, and various other issues related to parallelization and its coupling with other solvers. The source code of EUPDF-II will be available with National Combustion Code (NCC) as a complete package.

Raju, M. S.↗
NASA NTRS2006

Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU)

Develop climatologies of gridded CG lightning densities and frequencies of occurrence for the Melbourne, FL National Weather Service (NWS MLB) county warning area. These grids are used to create a first-guess field for the lightning threat index map that is available on the NWS MLB NASA KSCIKT website. Forecasters previously created this map from scratch. Having the climatologies as a background field will increase consistency between forecasters and decrease their workload. Delivered all files containing the lightning climatologies, the data, and the code used to create the climatologies to NWS MLB. Completed and distributed a final memorandum describing how the climatologies were created. All the files were installed on the NWS MLB computer system, and then the code was compiled and tested to ensure that it worked properly on their operating system. The climatologies and their descriptions are posted on the NWS MLB website. Forecasting Low-Level Convergent Bands Under Southeast Flow Provide guidance to operational personnel that will help improve their forecasts of cloud bands under large-scale southeast flow. When these bands occur, they can lead to cloud, rain, and thunderstorm occurrences that adversely affect launch, landing, and ground operations at Kennedy Space Center/Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (KSC/CCAFS). Completed the first draft of the final report. The conclusions from this task indicated low-level wind speed and direction, low-level high pressure ridge position, east coast sea breeze front activity and upper-level jet streak position have the greatest influence on convergent band formation and movement during southeasterly flow.

Bauman, William↗
NASA NTRS1977

An evaluation of coding methodologies for potential use in the Alabama Resource Information System (ARIS)-transportation study for the state of Alabama

Procedures developed for digitizing the transportation arteries, airports, and dock facilities of Alabama and placing them in a computerized format compatible with the Alabama Resource Information System are described. The time required to digitize by the following methods: (a) manual, (b) Telereadex 29 with film reading and digitizing system, and (c) digitizing tablets was evaluated. A method for digitizing and storing information from the U. T. M. grid cell base which was compatible with the system was developed and tested. The highways, navigable waterways, railroads, airports, and docks in the study area were digitized and the data stored. The manual method of digitizing was shown to be best for small amounts of data, while the graphic input from the digitizing tablets would be the best approach for entering the large amounts of data required for an entire state.

Montgomery, O. L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Current and Future Plans of the NASA Data Assimilation Office (DAO)

The mission of the Data Assimilation Office (DAO) is to advance the state of the art of data assimilation and produce research-quality assimilated data sets which make optimal use of space-based observations. Development efforts over the last few years have focused on delivering a production data assimilation system in support of NASA's Terra platform. That system, called the Goddard Earth Observing System - version 2 or GEOS-2, represents a major upgrade to the baseline GEOS-1 system employed in NASA's first reanalysis effort. GEOS-2 includes a physical-space three dimensional variational analysis algorithm (the Physical-space Statistical Analysis System or PSAS) and numerous improvements to the general circulation model. The latter include a Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere Transfer (SVAT) land surface scheme, a level 2.5 moist turbulence scheme and new Short Wave (SW) and Long Wave (LW) radiation code. The system also includes an off-line ozone assimilation system, and the capability to assimilate scatterometer surface winds, and TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) moisture data. GEOS-2 is currently run at 1 degree horizontal resolution and 48 levels extending to O.Olmb. Experimental versions of GEOS-2 are run with a global stretched grid allowing enhanced (e.g. 1/4 deg) regional resolution. Other capabilities being developed include, the assimilation of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) precipitation and Global Positioning System (GPS) data, an off-line land surface assimilation system, and a retrospective analysis scheme. The DAO is also engaged in a number of collaborative efforts to help accelerate the development of the next generation data assimilation system. These include, a joint modeling effort between the DAO and NCAR/CGDD to develop a new Global Circulation Model (GCM), and a Department of Energy Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (DOE/LLNL) collaboration on model parallelization. Plans for the next reanalysis will be discussed in the context of current and near term system quality and computing capabilities, and the need for multiple reanalysis products.

Atlas, Robert↗
NASA NTRS2004

Computations of Wall Distances Based on Differential Equations

The use of differential equations such as Eikonal, Hamilton-Jacobi and Poisson for the economical calculation of the nearest wall distance d, which is needed by some turbulence models, is explored. Modifications that could palliate some turbulence-modeling anomalies are also discussed. Economy is of especial value for deforming/adaptive grid problems. For these, ideally, d is repeatedly computed. It is shown that the Eikonal and Hamilton-Jacobi equations can be easy to implement when written in implicit (or iterated) advection and advection-diffusion equation analogous forms, respectively. These, like the Poisson Laplacian term, are commonly occurring in CFD solvers, allowing the re-use of efficient algorithms and code components. The use of the NASA CFL3D CFD program to solve the implicit Eikonal and Hamilton-Jacobi equations is explored. The re-formulated d equations are easy to implement, and are found to have robust convergence. For accurate Eikonal solutions, upwind metric differences are required. The Poisson approach is also found effective, and easiest to implement. Modified distances are not found to affect global outputs such as lift and drag significantly, at least in common situations such as airfoil flows.

Tucker, Paul G.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Climate Models

Climate models is a very broad topic, so a single volume can only offer a small sampling of relevant research activities. This volume of 14 chapters includes descriptions of a variety of modeling studies for a variety of geographic regions by an international roster of authors. The climate research community generally uses the rubric climate models to refer to organized sets of computer instructions that produce simulations of climate evolution. The code is based on physical relationships that describe the shared variability of meteorological parameters such as temperature, humidity, precipitation rate, circulation, radiation fluxes, etc. Three-dimensional climate models are integrated over time in order to compute the temporal and spatial variations of these parameters. Model domains can be global or regional and the horizontal and vertical resolutions of the computational grid vary from model to model. Considering the entire climate system requires accounting for interactions between solar insolation, atmospheric, oceanic and continental processes, the latter including land hydrology and vegetation. Model simulations may concentrate on one or more of these components, but the most sophisticated models will estimate the mutual interactions of all of these environments. Advances in computer technology have prompted investments in more complex model configurations that consider more phenomena interactions than were possible with yesterday s computers. However, not every attempt to add to the computational layers is rewarded by better model performance. Extensive research is required to test and document any advantages gained by greater sophistication in model formulation. One purpose for publishing climate model research results is to present purported advances for evaluation by the scientific community.

Druyan, Leonard M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Primordial metamorphism of asteroids via electrical induction in a T Tauri-like solar wind

Possible heating mechanisms for an intense thermal cycle in the early solar system are considered, and inductive asteroid heating in a T Tauri environment is examined. Calculations of thermal models based on recent measurements of the electrical conductivity of carbonaceous meteorites are reported which are presumably more representative of actual conditions in the early solar nebula. Asteroidal thermal evolution is computed using a highly simplified code that restricts induction to the dc limit of the TM mode, approximates the complete unipolar-generation differential equation by a simple series-resistance model, and restricts the modeling of thermal conduction to a calculation of heat transfer across a thin planar shell of given thickness increasing with time, which blankets a body assumed to have an isothermal core. A grid of results is obtained for 20 combinations of asteroid radius and solar distance representing the populaton of asteroids. It is found that there is a relative heating maximum with respect to body radius, that this effect is due to the operation of two distinct heating-rate restrictions which have opposite radius dependences, and that the maximum current density is roughly proportional to the inverse of interior radius.

Herbert, F.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Code Development for Unsteady Inlet Flows using Parallel Processing, Iced Airfoils

As a part of an effort for the development of an "Integrated Solution Process for Iced Airfoils" which combines a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code and an ice accretion code for accurate prediction of ice growth and performance degradation, a study on the effect of iced-geometry-smoothing was initiated. As a first step in this study, the degree of smoothing was defined by the number of control points for the given iced airfoil geometry. Then, reducing these number of control points in a systematical way provided various degrees of grid generation. This study will be continued by comparing CFD computed data such as pressure, lift, drag, flow separation, and wake flow patterns between the iced airfoils against any existing experimental data.

Chung, Joongkee↗