Advanced Scientific Visualization, a Multidisciplinary Technology Based on Engineering and Computer Science

Today’s visualization tools are equipped with highly interactive visual aids, which allow analysis and inspection of complex numerical data generated from high-bandwidth data sources such as simulation software, experimental rigs, satellites, scanners, etc. Such tools help scientists and engineers in data extraction, visualization, interpretation and analysis tasks, enabling them to experience a high degree of interaction and effectiveness in solving their design problems, which become more and more complex day by day. As the variety of today’s visualization tools is diversifying, there is a need for their simultaneous use within different engineering software when solving multidisciplinary engineering problems. It is evident that such tools have to be available for a combined use, in order to eliminate many well known problems of sharing, accessing and exchanging design models and the related information content. It is shown that Object-Oriented methodology is a well adapted approach to stream the software development process of future engineering applications. The three European projects ALICE, LASCOT and SERKET are given as examples in which the evolving computer software technologies have been researched and demonstrated to address the evolution of the visualization software in engineering and for information visualization in general

Primary and albedo solar energy sources for high altitude persistent air vehicle operation

A new class of the all electric airship to globally transport both passengers and freight using a 'feeder-cruiser' concept, and powered by renewable electric energy, is considered. Specific focus is given to photo-electric harvesting as the primary energy source and the associated hydrogen-based energy storage systems. Furthermore, it is shown that the total PV output may be significantly increased by utilising cloud albedo effects. Appropriate power architectures and energy audits required for life support, and the propulsion and ancillary loads to support the continuous daily operation of the primary airship (cruiser) at stratospheric altitudes (circa 18 km), are also considered. The presented solution is substantially different from those of conventional aircraft due to the airship size and the inherent requirement to harvest and store sufficient energy during "daylight" operation, when subject to varying seasonal conditions and latitudes, to ensure its safe and continued operation during the corresponding varying "dark hours". This is particularly apparent when the sizing of the proposed electrolyser is considered, as its size and mass increase nonlinearly with decreasing day-night duty. As such, a Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell is proposed. For the first time the study also discusses the potential benefits of integrating the photo-voltaic cells into airship canopy structures utilising TENSAIRITY®-based elements in order to eliminate the requirements for separate inter-PV array wiring and the transport of low pressure hydrogen between fuel cells

A new aircraft architecture based on the ACHEON Coanda effect nozzle: flight model and energy evaluation

Purpose Aeronautic transport has an effective necessity of reducing fuel consumption and emissions to deliver efficiency and competitiveness driven by today commercial and legislative requirements. Actual aircraft configurations scenario allows envisaging the signs of a diffused technological maturity and they seem very near their limits. This scenario clearly shows the necessity of radical innovations with particular reference to propulsion systems and to aircraft architecture consequently. Methods This paper presents analyses and discusses a promising propulsive architecture based on an innovative nozzle, which allows realizing the selective adhesion of two impinging streams to two facing jets to two facing Coanda surfaces. This propulsion system is known with the acronym ACHEON (Aerial Coanda High Efficiency Orienting Nozzle). This paper investigates how the application of an all-electric ACHEONs propulsion system to a very traditional commuter aircraft can improve its relevant performances. This paper considers the constraints imposed by current state-of-the-art electric motors, drives, storage and conversion systems in terms of both power/energy density and performance and considers two different aircraft configurations: one using battery only and one adopting a more sophisticated hybrid cogeneration. The necessity of producing a very solid analysis has forced to limit the deflection of the jet in a very conservative range (±15°) with respect to the horizontal. This range can be surely produced also by not optimal configurations and allow minimizing the use of DBD. From the study of general flight dynamics equations of the aircraft in two-dimensional form it has been possible to determine with a high level of accuracy the advantages that ACHEON brings in terms of reduced stall speed and of reduced take-off and landing distances. Additionally, it includes an effective energy analysis focusing on the efficiency and environmental advantages of the electric ACHEON based propulsion by assuming the today industrial grade high capacity batteries with a power density of 207 Wh/kg. Results It has been clearly demonstrated that a short flight could be possible adopting battery energy storage, and longer duration could be possible by adopting a more sophisticated cogeneration system, which is based on cogeneration from a well-known turboprop, which is mostly used in helicopter propulsion. This electric generation system can be empowered by recovering the heat and using it to increase the temperature of the jet. It is possible to transfer this considerable amount of heat to the jet by convection and direct fluid mixing. In this way, it is possible to increase the energy of the jets of an amount that allows more than recover the pressure losses in the straitening section. In this case, it is then possible to demonstrate an adequate autonomy of flight and operative range of the aircraft. The proposed architecture, which is within the limits of the most conservative results obtained, demonstrates significant additional benefits for aircraft manoeuvrability. In conclusion, this paper has presented the implantation of ACHEON on well-known traditional aircraft, verifying the suitability and effectiveness of the proposed system both in terms of endurance with a cogeneration architecture and in terms of manoeuvrability. It has demonstrated the potential of the system in terms of both takeoff and landing space requirements. Conclusions This innovation opens interesting perspectives for the future implementation of this new vector and thrust propulsion system, especially in the area of greening the aeronautic sector. It has also demonstrated that ACHEON has the potential of renovating completely a classic old aircraft configuration such as the one of Cessna 402

Advanced Scientific Visualization, a Multidisciplinary Technology Based on Engineering and Computer Science

Today’s visualization tools are equipped with highly interactive visual aids, which allow analysis and inspection of complex numerical data generated from high-bandwidth data sources such as simulation software, experimental rigs, satellites, scanners, etc. Such tools help scientists and engineers in data extraction, visualization, interpretation and analysis tasks, enabling them to experience a high degree of interaction and effectiveness in solving their design problems, which become more and more complex day by day. As the variety of today’s visualization tools is diversifying, there is a need for their simultaneous use within different engineering software when solving multidisciplinary engineering problems. It is evident that such tools have to be available for a combined use, in order to eliminate many well known problems of sharing, accessing and exchanging design models and the related information content. It is shown that Object-Oriented methodology is a well adapted approach to stream the software development process of future engineering applications. The three European projects ALICE, LASCOT and SERKET are given as examples in which the evolving computer software technologies have been researched and demonstrated to address the evolution of the visualization software in engineering and for information visualization in general

Increasing aeronautic electric propulsion performances by cogeneration and heat recovery

Emissions from aviation have become a focus of increasing interest in recent years. The growth of civil aviation is faster than nearly all other economic sectors. Increased demand has led to a higher growth rate in fossil fuels consumption by the aviation sector. Despite more fuel-effcient and less polluting turbofan and turboprop engines, the growth of air travel contributes to increase pollution attributable to aviation. Aircraft are currently the only human-made in situ generators of emissions in the upper troposphere and in the stratosphere. The depletion of the stratosphere's ozone layer by CFCs and related chemicals has underscored the importance of anticipating other potential insults to the ozone layer. Different possible solutions have been advanced to reduce the environmental impact of aviation, such as electrication of ground operations, optimization of airline timetables and airspace usage, limitation of cruise altitude and increased use of turboprop aircrafts. Those improvements seem very limited answers, which allow only marginal reduction of the environmental footprint of air transport. Breakthrough concepts such as the all-electric aircrafts must be considered. Today state of electric-propulsion is demonstrating a lack of performance and operative range if compared to traditional propulsion concepts. This paper presents a novel concept which has been only envisaged before based on the increase of the performance and range of electric airplanes by an effective cogeneration on board. This concept aims to allow effective and more efcient electric aeronautic propulsion through next generation of green all electric propulsionThe present work was performed as part of Project MAAT | Multibody Advanced Airship for Transport | with ref. 285602, supported by European Union through the 7th Framework Programm

Space Weather Prediction and Exascale Computing

Space weather can have a great effect on Earth's climate. Predicting the impact of space environment disturbances on Earth presents a challenge to scientists. The authors present the ExaScience Lab's efforts, which use exascale computing and new visualization tools to predict the arrival and impact of space events on Earth. © 1999-2011 IEEE.status: publishe

DISTRIBUTED 3D INFORMATION VISUALIZATION Towards Integration of the dynamic 3D graphics and Web Services

Abstract: This paper focuses on visualization and manipulation of graphical content in distributed network environments. The developed graphical middleware and 3D desktop prototypes were specialized for situational awareness. This research was done in the LArge Scale COllaborative decision support Technology (LASCOT) project, which explored and combined software technologies to support humancentred decision support system for crisis management (earthquake, tsunami, flooding, airplane or oil-tanker incidents, chemical, radio-active or other pollutants spreading, etc.). The performed state-of-the-art review did not identify any publicly available large scale distributed application of this kind. Existing proprietary solutions rely on the conventional technologies and 2D representations. Our challenge was to apply the "latest " available technologies, such Java3D, X3D and SOAP, compatible with average computer graphics hardware. The selected technologies are integrated and we demonstrate: the flow of data, which originates from heterogeneous data sources; interoperability across different operating systems and 3D visual representations to enhance the end-users interactions.