Vector and Parallel Processing - VECPAR'96


Book Description

This book constitutes a carefully arranged selection of revised full papers chosen from the presentations given at the Second International Conference on Vector and Parallel Processing - Systems and Applications, VECPAR'96, held in Porto, Portugal, in September 1996. Besides 10 invited papers by internationally leading experts, 17 papers were accepted from the submitted conference papers for inclusion in this documentation following a second round of refereeing. A broad spectrum of topics and applications for which parallelism contributes to progress is covered, among them parallel linear algebra, computational fluid dynamics, data parallelism, implementational issues, optimization, finite element computations, simulation, and visualisation.




The Variational Method for Aerodynamic Optimization Using the Navier-Stokes Equations


Book Description

This report describes the formulation of an aerodynamic shape design methodology using a compressible viscous flow model based on the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations. The aerodynamic shape is described by a set of geometrical design variables. The design problem is formulated as an optimization problem stated in terms of an aerodynamic objective functional which has to be minimized. The design scheme employs a gradient based optimization algorithm in order to obtain the optimum values of the design variables. The gradient of the aerodynamic functional with respect to the design variables is computed by means of the variational method, which requires the solution of an adjoint problem. The formulation of the adjoint problem is described which leads to a set of adjoint equations and boundary conditions. Using the flow variables and the adjoint variables, an expression for the gradient has been constructed. Computational results are presented for an inverse problem of an airfoil. It will be shown that, starting from an initial geometry of the NACA 0012 airfoil, the target pressure distribution and geometry of a best fit of the RAE 2822 airfoil in a transonic flow condition has been reconstructed successfully.




Aerodynamic Optimization Using High-fidelity Computational Fluid Dynamics


Book Description

In this study, we demonstrate the ability to perform large-scale PDE-constrained optimizations using Large Eddy Simulation (LES). We first outline the challenges associated with performing gradient-based optimization using LES, specifically chaotic divergence of the sensitivity functions. We then demonstrate that shape optimization using LES and Mesh Adaptive Direct Search Method (MADS) is feasible for aerodynamic design. Next, we introduce a Dynamic Polynomial Approximation (DPA) procedure, which allows the high-order solution polynomial representation used by the flow solver to be increased, or decreased, depending on the poll size being used by MADS. This allows rapid convergence towards the optimal design space using lower-fidelity simulations, followed by an automatic transition to higher-fidelity simulations when close to the optimal design point. Additionally, this study proposes a new physics-constrained data-driven approach for sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification of large-scale chaotic dynamical systems. Unlike conventional sensitivity analysis, the proposed approach can manipulate the unsteady sensitivity function (i.e., tangent) for PDE-constrained optimizations. In this new approach, high-dimensional governing equations from physical space are transformed into an unphysical space (i.e., Hilbert space) to develop a closure model in the form of a Reduced-Order Model (ROM). Afterward, a new data sampling approach is proposed to build a data-driven approach for this framework. To compute sensitivities, Least-Squares Shadowing (LSS) minimization is applied to the ROM. It is shown that the proposed approach can capture sensitivities for large-scale chaotic dynamical systems, where Finite Difference (FD) approximations fail. Therefore, we expect that implementing the proposed optimization approach can be applied to large-scale chaotic problems, such as turbulent flows, and this approach significantly reduces computational cost and data storage requirements.










Simulation-driven Aerodynamic Design Using Variable-fidelity Models


Book Description

Computer simulations is a fundamental tool of the design process in many engineering disciplines including aerospace engineering. However, although high-fidelity numerical models are accurate, they can be computationally expensive with evaluation time for a single design as long as hours, days or even weeks. Simulation-driven design using conventional optimization techniques may be therefore prohibitive.This book explores the alternative: performing computationally efficient design using surrogate-based optimization, where the high-fidelity model is replaced by its computationally cheap but still reasonably accurate representation: a surrogate. The emphasis is on physics-based surrogates. Application-wise, the focus is on aerodynamics and the methods and techniques described in the book are demonstrated using aerodynamic shape optimization cases. Applications in other engineering fields are also demonstrated.State-of-the-art techniques and a depth of coverage never published before make this a unique and essential book for all researchers working in aerospace and other engineering areas and dealing with optimization, computationally expensive design problems, and simulation-driven design.