Developing Software for High-Order Simulation of Transient Compressible Flow Phenomena: Application to Design of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Over the past decades, computer simulations have played an increasingly important role in design of numerous complex systems. In particular, computer simulations have played a pivotal role in aerodynamic and structural design of aircraft. It is becoming apparent, however, that current generation software packages used for aerodynamics design are not fit for purpose. Newer software is required, that can make effective use of current and future computing platforms, to perform highly accurate so called 'scale-resolving' simulations of air flow over complex aircraft configurations. Such capability would lead to design of more efficient and capable aerospace technology. In particular, it would greatly improve design of next generation Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), which in the coming decades are set to have a significant impact on our society, playing key roles in areas such as defense, border security, search and rescue, farming, fishing, cargo transport, wireless communications, and weather monitoring.

The primary objectives of this research are to i.) develop software that can effectively leverage capabilities of current and future computing platforms (with many thousands or even millions of computing cores) to undertaken hitherto intractable simulations of airflow over complex UAV configurations ii.) test and demonstrate cutting edge functionality of this software, iii.) translate the technology to industry, such that it can be used to facilitate design of next generation UAVs.

The research program will be lead by Dr. Peter Vincent (a Lecturer in the department of Aeronautics at Imperial College London). It will be undertaken in collaboration with various industrial partners including BAE Systems, NASA Glenn, Nvidia, and Zenotech, and with various academic partners including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, University of Swansea, and University of Utah. This assembled team of project partners, comprising a selection of the world's leading companies, and elite research institutions, will ensure the project successfully delivers its objectives.

1.) Beneficiaries:

Beneficiaries of the research include the UK Government and the general public (primarily via its impact on UK defence capabilities - see Societal Impact below), and UK business/industry (primarily via its impact on high-tech aerospace exports - see Economic Impact below). Academic beneficiaries and impact are discussed in Academic Beneficiaries.

2.) Societal Impact:

i.) Defence Applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): In a time of increasing defence cuts, it is becoming increasingly important that the UK Government leverage technological advances to maintain and improve defence capabilities on a reduced budget. To this end the British Army already uses Watchkeeper UAVs for all weather Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR), and the Royal Air Force already uses Reaper UAVs for persistent all weather ISTAR, and to strike targets. Key advantages of UAVs include reduced production costs, reduced training costs, reduced risk to crew, and increased loiter capabilities. Looking forwards, UAV technology will increasingly underpin key components of UK defence strategy and policy. UAVs are, for example, set to play a key role in the Network Enabled Capability of the UK military. Also, their importance was highlighted in the recent 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review which, whilst cutting several more established aspects of the armed forces, explicitly mentioned UAV technology as an area to be explored further. Technology developed under this proposal will have a major impact on how Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used to design UAVs; leading to further reduced design costs, and more sophisticated and capable UAV technology. As such, the proposed work will have a significant impact on UK defence capabilities.
ii.) Other Applications of UAVs: Development of advanced UAV technology will also impact various other areas of society, via its application to border security (UAVs are already used to monitor the US-Mexico border, for example), search and rescue (UAVs were used in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, for example), farming, fishing, cargo transport, wireless communications, and weather monitoring.
iii.) Knowledge and Skills (People): Knowledge and skills generated in the areas of high-order methods for unstructured grids, and massively-parallel many-core computing can be applied in various other fields of research that rely heavily on efficient algorithms and implementations strategies for high-performance computing. Such fields include weather prediction, climate modelling, and design of quieter aircraft, all of which have clear and significant societal impacts.

3.) Economic Impact:

i.) High-Tech Aerospace Exports: The UK has traditionally been an exporter of high-tech aerospace products, providing significant financial benefits to the UK economy. Specifically, turnover of the UK aerospace industry was £23.1 billion in 2010, of which 70% was from exports. UAV technology will play a vital role in future high-tech aerospace export markets. Technology developed under this proposal will help UK industry move to the forefront in this important emerging market, having a significant positive impact on the UK economy.
ii.) Knowledge and Skills (People): Knowledge and skills generated in the areas of high-order methods for unstructured grids, and massively-parallel many-core computing will also benefit various other industries that are important to the UK economy. Such industries include design of manned military and civilian aircraft, design of Formula 1 racing cars, and the financial sector (all of which rely heavily on efficient algorithms and implementations strategies for high-performance computing, and all of which are keen to explore the benefits of modern massively-parallel many-core computing technology, which due to its small energy footprint is likely to underpin many next generation supercomputers)