The project started three years ago with the aim of modernising Computational Fluid Dynamics tools for aeronautical design
The CODA software will serve as the benchmark simulator for aerodynamic applications within the Airbus group and is expected to have a significant impact on the European aviation market.
NextSim was funded by the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking and supported by research and innovation programs from Spain, France, and Germany.
Project NextSim (CODA: Next generation of industrial aerodynamic simulation code), coordinated by the Barcelona Supercomputing Center - Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC-CNS), has concluded after three years of work, presenting cutting-edge solutions for the aviation market. The project emerged from the European industry's need to stay abreast of new technologies in aircraft design and improve simulation capabilities, computational efficiency, and scalability.
One of its primary objectives was to develop the next generation of CODA software, adapting it for EuroHPC's new supercomputers and enabling the use of much more advanced models. CODA is a code that simulates aerodynamics within the aerospace domain, acting as a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver for aircraft design. It features innovative algorithms and advanced software technology concepts dedicated to High-Performance Computing (HPC). Developed as a joint venture of Airbus, DLR, and ONERA, partners in the European project, it will enter production towards the end of this year, and the upcoming designs from the Airbus group will be calculated using it.
The main benefits of developing and using a simulator like CODA include:
- Design Optimization: CODA allows engineers to virtually test a wide range of aircraft designs, quickly identifying configurations that provide the best aerodynamic performance. This helps reduce time and costs associated with physical wind tunnel tests or flight trials.
- Cost and Time Reduction: By conducting computational simulations instead of physical tests, companies can significantly save in terms of time and financial resources. Costs associated with building physical models, conducting tests, and analyzing data are considerably reduced.
- Increased Efficiency: With CODA, engineers can iterate more quickly in the design process, exploring a variety of configurations and continuously refining the design to maximize aerodynamic efficiency. This leads to the development of aircraft that consume less fuel and have lower pollutant emissions.
- Safety Improvement: By analyzing the airflow around the aircraft under different flight conditions, CODA can identify potential areas of instability or aerodynamic issues that could compromise safety. This allows engineers to make design adjustments to ensure safe operation of the aircraft in all flight phases.
In summary, the development of a simulator like CODA is crucial for modern aircraft design, offering a powerful tool for modeling, analyzing, and optimizing aircraft aerodynamics, resulting in more efficient, safer, and more cost-effective aircraft.
"This adaptation has not only improved the models but also the algorithms and mathematical methods used in CODA. Thanks to these advances, more precise and efficient aerodynamic simulation has been achieved, marking an important step forward in aircraft design," explains Oriol Lehmkuhl, coordinator of NextSim and principal investigator at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC).
Other Results NextSim has focused on improving the sustainability and competitiveness of the aviation industry. By reconfiguring current CFD tools and leveraging advanced parallel computing platforms, the project aimed to streamline processes and enhance the efficiency of virtual models. These efforts are aligned with the European Union's goals for aviation sustainability and emissions reduction.
Among the key results achieved by the NextSim project are:
- It has generated small, fully open applications for the aeronautical research community to participate in key NextSim challenges collaboratively, such as using GPUs for CFD, integrating surrogate models, and parallel visualization.
- Expanded the use of High-Performance Computing (HPC) in the aeronautical product design cycle, enabling the complete aerodynamics calculation of an aircraft with transient models in less than 8 hours, allowing seamless interaction with Airbus engineers to test new designs in less than one night.
- Overcame existing deficiencies in CFD software to significantly reduce certification costs by 2050 through virtual design and simulation.
About NextSim
With an overall funding of almost €4M, NextSim was funded by the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking and supported by the research and innovation programmes of Spain, France and Germany. NextSim´s work contributes to the realisation of the European Technology Platform for High Performance computing (ETP4HPC) strategic agenda by advancing the technological capabilities of CFD to take advantage of HPC technology. It also increases the innovation potential of the European aeronautical industry through the use of advanced HPC infrastructures, applications and services.
Its international consortium is composed of one leading university in Spain: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM); four reference European research centres in Europe: Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-Spain), Office National D'etudes Et De Recherches Aerospatiales (ONERA-France), Deutsches Zentrum Fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR-Germany) and Centre Internacional de Mètodes Numèrics a l’Enginyeria (CIMNE-Spain); and two large companies in the aeronautical sector: Centre Européen de Recherche et de Formation Avancée en Calcul Scientifique (CERFACS-France) and Airbus (France).
Visit the NextSim website: https://nextsimproject.eu/
Watch the video about NextSim: https://youtu.be/uZVqu164ck8
Video: Aerodynamic Analysis of High-Lift Common Research Model (CRM-HL) in Landing Configuration - https://youtu.be/xg8lEkkJP0c?si=VYxUvi2ufsdS3Y7F