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Michigan Solar Car Team Gives Thanks to R Systems NA, Inc.
[April 05, 2018]

Michigan Solar Car Team Gives Thanks to R Systems NA, Inc.


ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Thank You, R Systems!

R Systems played a key role in helping the University of Michigan Solar Car Team design its successful solar car, Novum, giving our engineers the capability and flexibility to run crucial aerodynamics simulations.

The aerodynamics simulations, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tests, require a great deal of computational power, and R Systems provided us with that power. The team needed to assess canopy shape, lower shape, array shape, trailing edge, leading edge, and other characteristics--to develop a strong aerodynamic design, UM Solar Car had to put our best foot forward in regards to all these aerodynamic components, and we had to do it quickly.

During the design cycle, our team works at a rapid pace and on an exacting timeline. If certain benchmarks are not reached, the whole project is in jeopardy. Our engineers work often well into the morning; they know that if designs are not improved upon and finished on time, the car cannot be built on time and cannot be shipped on time and so cannot race. But designs cannot be improved upon in a timely fashion if they cannot be assessed quickly, and on a typical desktop computer, running just one CFD simulation can take an entire day. Over the course of our entire design cycle, the Aerodynamics Division ran over 200 simulations. With one a day that would mean 200 days, and the team did not have that kind of time to wait around for results to come in one by one.

Engineering Statement
"When the team needs to iterate over a number of different aerodynamic components of the car, the design process can easily span more than a year," explains 2017 Head Strategist Alan Li. "But with R Systems' support, we could complete a CFD simulation in not one day, but two hours.  R Systems enabled us to not only run individual simulations more quickly, but also to run multiple simulations simultaneously without slowing down any running parallel to one another. This allowed us to maintain the fast pace our design and build cycles called for. And even more than that, this speed allowed us to try out a arger number of shape designs and afforded us more time to brainstorm and review results. The flexibility to explore a wider array of possibilities yielded a better car than we could have otherwise designed -- it yielded Novum."



As the University of Michigan came close to finalizing Novum's design, R Systems proved very accommodating and supportive, helping the team when problems with the timeline arose. "We had only half the time to complete the task," 2017 Aerodynamics Lead Jiahong Min recalls. "So, we contacted R Systems to ask for more resources. They got back to us almost immediately and gave us twice the computing power we normally get, allowing us to complete the design on schedule." Within the span of just one week, UM Solar Car ran around 100 simulations with the computing power R Systems provided.

One big thing that makes Novum impressive is its aerodynamic prowess and how its aerobody stands out from the rest, departing from solar car design convention. We were able to try something new and take that risk and execute it well because of R Systems' support.


And during the 2017 World Solar Challenge last fall, R Systems provided our Strategy Division's Weatherman the capacity to run models while racing in the middle of the Australian Outback. The models take about six hours to run, which was quickly enough for our Strategy Division to analyze the results during the race and make important tactical decisions pertaining to speed and charging locations while on the road.

With the help of R Systems, UM Solar Car stayed on track both during the design cycle and during the race, finishing second overall and first among American team competitors. Thank you, R Systems, for making our historic finish possible!

"R Systems is very proud to provide HPC services to the University of Michigan's Solar Racing Team. The U Mich Solar Car's success as America's #1 team proves their ability to create and inspire world class talent and tech. The team has inspired us since the 1990s and we are thrilled we can be a small part of their major success." 

Greg Keller / Cofounder, R Systems NA, Inc. 

About Michigan Solar Car
Started in 1990, Michigan Solar Car has established itself as a prolific competitor in solar car competitions. The team oversees the development of solar powered vehicles, and competes in races across the US and Australia.

Today, Michigan Solar Car's team of 70 students continues to advance solar vehicle design to maintain their position as America's leading team. With a prestigious 27 year history including an international victory, Michigan Solar Car is the most successful project team at the university.

For more information visit http://www.solarcar.engin.umich.edu

About R Systems
"R Systems HPC Managed Service offering provides quick and easy access to "world-class, bare metal, infiniband interconnected HPC resources for bursting as well as short and long term dedicated projects with superior user support. The company empowers research by providing leading edge technology with a knowledgeable tech team, delivering the best performing result in a cohesive working environment. Offerings include lease-time for bursting as well as for short-term and long-term projects, available at industry-leading prices.

The R Systems central mission is to help researchers, scientists and engineers dramatically accelerate their time to solution.

For more information visit http://rsystemsinc.com/

 

 (PRNewsfoto/R Systems NA, Inc.)

Cision View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/michigan-solar-car-team-gives-thanks-to-r-systems-na-inc-300625231.html

SOURCE R Systems NA, Inc.


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