NASA
High Performance Computing
and Communications Program

Computational AeroSciences Project

PROGRESS IN HSR AND AST GRAND CHALLENGE APPLICATIONS AT ARC

OBJECTIVE:

The objective of this effort is to develop efficient methods on HPCCP Testbeds for multidisciplinary grand challenge applications that impact the other major focused programs, the High Speed Research (HSR) and Advanced Subsonic Transport (AST) programs.

APPROACH:

This work is done using a process that integrates high-fidelity single disciplines codes for multidisciplinary application and is being developed at Ames Research Center. Both uncoupled and coupled aeroelastic methods are incorporated into patched (ENSAERO) and overset (OVERFLOW) Euler/Navier-Stokes flow solvers integrated with the finite element/modal structural equations. Each discipline of the fluids, structures, controls and grid domains is distributed onto a different group of computational nodes for parallelization using the discipline domain decomposition approach. For the coupled method, the fluids domain is further parallelized based on the multi-zonal method either using patched or overset grids.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

A patched grid of total size 2 million pts was generated for aeroelastic computations of the Boeing 1122 HSCT wing-body-empennage configuration. This grid along with the modal data was mapped on to 10 nodes of IBM SP2. Each case using 10 nodes can run at about 400 MFLOPS . The current set-up gives a performance up to 6 GFLOPS for static aeroelastic computations using 140 nodes.

The rigid wing-body-nacelle configuration with the McDonnell Douglas Wing-44, a typical AST configuration, has been modeled on 16 nodes of SP2 using a overset grid of size 3 millions pts. Steady state computation have been made at transonic mach numbers. Each case performed at about 250 MFLOPS. This set-up can give a performance upto 2.5 GFLOP by using 160 nodes of SP2.

SIGNIFICANCE/IMPACT

The results and the performance of the HPCCP Testbeds has been reported to industry customers and the HPCCP technology has had a major impact on large scale computations. Boeing has initiated an MOU to absorb the technology. MDA has submitted a proposal to run the developed technology on the SP2 for AST applications..

STATUS/PLAN:

More complex geometries such as wing-body-nacelle-empennage will be analyzed using enhanced technology with fine grain parallel solvers and improved load balancing methods.

POINTS OF CONTACT:

Guru P. Guruswamy (NASA)
Chansup Byun (MCAT)
guru@nas.nasa.gov
(415) 604-6329
byun@nas.nasa.gov
(415) 604-4526

Ken Gee (MCAT)
Mehrdad Farhangnia
gee@nas.nasa.gov
(415) 604-4492
farhangn@nas.nasa.gov
(415) 604-4496