Release Notes

The release notes describe new features for the USim computational engine and the USimComposer graphical user interface. Deprecated features and bug fixes are also noted within the release notes.

New and Updated Features in 3.0

  1. Third order finite volume discretizations for hyperbolic PDE’s
  2. High performance preconditioners for multiphysics systems
  3. Improved MHD, two-temperature MHD, extended MHD and two-fluid models
  4. Improved advanced EoS for MHD
  5. Simplified input files for basic simulations (hydrodynamics, MHD)

New and Updated Features in 2.2

  1. Preconditioners for diffusion-type problems.
  2. Reduced memory footprint for finite volume operators
  3. Many bug-fixes throughout the simulation engine, documentation and user-interface.
  4. Improved user interface including better run output, vector plots, and better controls for license
  5. Bug fixes and improved documentation with 2.2.2

New and Updated Features in 2.0

  1. Turbulence Model (k-epsilon)
  2. Addition of an Exodus II grid reader
  3. Support for 3D unstructured grids
  4. New examples including radio communication blackout, ablation, interspecies collisions, 10 moment model and time dependent boundary conditions
  5. Isotropic and anisotropic Poisson solver (linear and non-linear).
  6. Added anisotropic diffusion, species collisions, ablation, user defined chemistry tables
  7. Improved MHD divergence cleaning algorithms
  8. Accelerators for time integration
  9. Improved user interface including better run output, vector plots, and better controls for license

USim Computational Engine

The USim 2.0 computational engine consists of the USim packages providing users with affordable simulation solutions targeted at their application area. Detailed information is provided in the figure Features in USim Engine 2.0.

  • USimBase (Base USim Simulation package):
    • USimBase is a flexible, multiplatform, fluid dynamics simulation tool for running problems on regular, body-fitted and unstructured meshes.
  • USimHS (USim simulation package for reacting high speed flow)
    • USimHS is a modeling tool for hypersonic aeronautics problems.
  • USimHEDP (USim simulation package for High Energy Density Plasmas)
    • USimHEDP is a full suite of plasma modeling tools for problems such as magnetic reconnection and laser-plasma interactions.

There are a few problems that require elements from both USimHS and USimHEDP. A specific example is radio communication blackout with full EM wave propagation in a multi-fluid plasma.

engineFeatures.png

Figure 21: Features in USim Engine 2.0

USimComposer GUI Features

The USimComposer graphical user interface (GUI) allows the user to edit and validate simulation input files, run simulations in either serial or parallel (thereby utilizing multiple cores or even computational nodes that do not share memory), and visualize results. Detailed information is provided in the figure Features in USimComposer 2.0.

composerFeatures.png

Figure 22: Features in USimComposer 2.0