ADS Demonstrates Large Scale Unsteady Simulation on Amazon EC2

Tests conducted with the U.S. Air Force demonstrate speed and cost advantages of cloud-based simulation using ADS CFD

PLEASANTON, Calif. - August 25, 2011 - AeroDynamic Solutions, Inc. (ADS) today announced the successful demonstration of its large scale aerodynamic simulation capabilities on Amazon EC2.  The results of tests conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force reveal the speed and cost advantages of cloud-based simulation using ADS CFD.

For the world's leading manufacturers of jet engines, product development remains an extremely costly and time-consuming task.  Modern designs have pushed traditional analysis methods to the limit, demanding the use of advanced simulation techniques to better address engine performance and durability issues before committing to hardware. 

To address these concerns, the Turbine Branch of the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and ADS joined forces to advance one such simulation technique—large scale time accurate simulation—for the U.S. gas turbine industry.  Time accurate simulation enables designers to understand how time-varying aerodynamic loads can lead to performance loss and structural fatigue.  Though this analytical method has long been available, it has largely remained out of reach for commercial design due to its high computational cost and long turnaround time.

Working under an SBIR Phase II award from the U.S. Air Force, ADS enhanced its large-scale time accurate analysis capabilities to tackle these issues.  As part of this effort, ADS turned to Amazon Web Services (AWS).  Using Amazon EC2, AeroDynamic Solutions gained the capabilities of a large commercial cluster on demand and at a fraction of the cost.

For the demonstration, an Air Force-designed 1.5 stage turbine was analyzed for unsteady effects.  One fifth of a full wheel configuration was simulated for a complete revolution and carried out to convergence on a 40 processor cluster in EC2.  Results were turned around in just 72 hours with computing infrastructure costs well below $1,000.  Additionally, time accurate analysis revealed critical insights that were not detected using traditional analysis techniques--most notably a 2% drop in efficiency relative to conventional 3D multi-stage steady predictions.

"Advancing turbine durability and performance remains critical for the U.S. gas turbine industry," said John Clark, Turbine Engine Division, Air Force Research Laboratory.  "The combination of high fidelity time accurate analysis from ADS and on-demand CFD analysis resources from Amazon makes it possible for turbine manufacturers to tackle these issues during design--quickly and without the need for large hardware investment"

"Traditional 3D steady analysis techniques are no longer sufficient to support the design of today's advanced jet engines," said George Fan, President and CEO.  "To improve durability and performance, advanced analysis capabilities such as time accurate simulation must be made to work within the accuracy, time and cost constraints of a commercial design cycle.  We're delighted to be working closely with the Air Force and Amazon Web Services to make this a reality for designers large and small."

A case study of the simulation may be found here or on the Amazon Web Services website (link).