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An Optimization Client for Design Automation--Simulation Technology & Applied Research, 11520 North Port Washington Road, Suite 101B, Mequon, WI 53092-1195; 414-240-0291
Dr. John F. DeFord, Principal Investigator
Dr. John F. DeFord, Business Official
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-98ER82669
Amount: $599,360
The use of electromagnetic analysis tools to design accelerator components and microwave hardware requires substantial user expertise and time investment in order to reach an optimum design. Moreover, the large number of repetitive manual steps in a typical design process can lead to errors and the inefficient use of both available manpower and computer resources. This project will create an automated system for designing three-dimensional accelerator and microwave components. The software will directly interface with a modern computer-aided design tool, and will automatically design an optimized product given an initial rough design. In Phase I, a prototype system was created that demonstrated the feasibility of the approach. The prototype system permitted the design of three-dimensional hardware that was tested on a cavity for the Next Linear Collider damping ring. The software contained prototypes of crucial components, including an interface to an analysis product, a client/server-based interface to the Omega3p code, and design-of-experiment and functional-optimization routines. In Phase II, the analysis product will be extended to support design-of-experiment and search-based design optimization servers. The power and flexibility of the client/server-based architecture will be used to add transparent network support, enabling efficient use of heterogeneous, networked computers, including Department of Energy computing resources.
Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The proposed system, when coupled with advanced electromagnetic analysis, should provide unprecedented capability for the automated design of complex, three-dimensional structures. Additionally, the inherent ease-of-use and flexibility of the system should make it accessible to "non-experts," leading to potentially significant improvements in the productivity of corporate R&D organizations.