SBIR-STTR Award

The recent emergence of high performance massively parallel processing (MPP) computers has theoretically reduced the computer time required for the design and analysis of systems involving fluid flow using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). However, in practice, algorithms used in MPP today were developed for sequential computers and therefore do not harness the full power of massively parallel processing. Also, MPP computers have not simplified the structured grid generation process, which may take weeks for complex configurations. Amtec proposes to develop a new algorithm for computational fluid dynamics to harness the power of MPP. The research will focus on techniques for solving the Navier-Stokes equations on MPP computers using hybrid structured/unstructured finite-volume meshes. The structured grids will be used to resolve boundary layers near walls and unstructured grids will be used to discretize the remainder of the flow field. During phase I, a recently developed implicit procedure for 2D hybrid grids will be improved and parallelized using a novel domain decomposition technique. The new solution procedure will simplify the grid generation process by using hybrid grids, and reduce the computer time required by efficiently using MPP computers.

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will develop an efficient Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software package which uses hybrid structured-unstructured grids to minimize the grid generation effort, and massively parallel processing (MPP) computers to minimize run time. The recent emergence of high performance MPP computers has theoretically reduced the computer time required for the design and analysis of systems involving fluid flow using CFD. However, in practice, algorithms used in MPP today were developed for sequential computers and therefore do not harness the full power of massively parallel processing. Also, MPP computers have not simplified the structured grid generation process, which may take weeks for complex configurations. During phase I, an efficient implicit finite-volume method was developed for solving the 2D Navier-Stokes equations on MPP computers using hybrid structured-unstructured grids and domain decompostion. The structured grids are used to resolve boundary layers near walls and unstructured grids are used to discretize the remainder of the flow field. During phase II, the algorithm will be extended to 3D, the domain decompostion will be expanded and improved, and quasi-dynamic load balancing will be added. Also, the potential market will be broadened by adding incompressible flow capability, the ability to run in parallel on networks of engineering workstations, and an interactive MOTIF user interface which will make the parallelism nearly transparent to the users. The proposed solution algorithm has the potential to dramatically reduce the time required to perform a CFD analysis. The use of hybrid grids will simplify the grid generation process for practical (complex) geometries and the use of MPP computers will reduce the run time. The resulting analysis package will be marketable to the aerospace industry and other industries