Paper Details

Simulation of gas pipeline networks

Authors: Patel, Minesh, Bentley, Paul, Hughes, Clifton

Abstract:

As part of the Alvey ParSiFal project, Logica Cambridge has been developing a model of a significant gas distribution network, in order to explore the potential for improvements in modelling speed using large numbers of transputers.There are two basic approaches to continuous simulation - the explicit and the implicit. The implicit approach models an entire system as a set of equations. Current implementations are well suited to conventional mono-processor machines but it is difficult to parallelize the algorithm and consequently to fully exploit the potential of transputers.The explicit approach models components such as pipes as individual objects which can be directly mapped into parallel processes, making it ideally suited to the transputer/occam architecture. However, explicit simulation is inherently expensive in terms of computational resources. To enhance performance we are also working on improvements to the model.We have developed a system using an explicit algorithm and have simulated networks ranging from 20 to 500+ objects. Preliminary results indicate that the explicit algorithm can efficiently exploit high degrees of parallelism.

Proceedings:

OUG-9: Occam and the Transputer -- Research and Applications, Charlie Askew, 1988, pp 47 - 52 published by IOS Press, Amsterdam

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