PI:  Kenneth Bryden

Summary: Researchers at VRAC, led by Professor Mark Bryden, have been working with the Department of Energy/National Engineering Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) on the development of virtual engineering tools. These virtual engineering tools aid in the design and development of thermal systems where operating conditions vary over time such as common processes encountered in a power plant. Development of virtual engineering as a critical technology will require that many computational intensive technologies be enhanced and closely integrated: computer aided design/engineering (CAD/CAE), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), high performance computing, intelligent process control, system analysis, information management, and advanced visualization. VRAC researchers have also been assisting DOE/NETL in configuring a PC cluster cave, which runs off consumer-grade computers, projectors, and readily accessible hardware. The objective of a PC cluster cave is to allow organizations to configure their own virtual environments at a low cost.