NEPTUNE

Multidiscipline design optimization under uncertainty

Highlights

  • User interface for defining the optimization flowchart
  • Parallel coordination of multiple optimizations
  • Probabilistic contraints that take into account uncertainty
  • Seamless interface with simulation software
  • Design of complex systems
  • Development of adaptive metamodels

Description

NEPTUNE has built-in mathematical algorithms that enable the coordination of information among multiple optimizations that are running in parallel and that improve the system’s performance. This is very different from the “multidisciplinary” capability that other commercial optimization codes offer in the form of either sequential optimization or multiobjective optimization. NEPTUNE allows for true system design through a network of optimizations. This approach leads to both system- and discipline-level improvements while meeting the designer’s specifications. 

NEPTUNE has a graphical interface that enables users to set up the optimization trees graphically, built-in general-purpose interfaces that can exchange information with any solvers that are used for evaluating the objective functions and the constraints, and capabilities to construct metamodels (if desired) for replacing the high-fidelity solvers during the optimization computations. NEPTUNE also takes into account the uncertainty during the identification of the optimum configuration for a complex system, thus building in conservatism within the optimal solution and achieving both safety and optimality simultaneously. 

The user defines the flowcharts for the system and for the discipline-level optimizations in NEPTUNE’s user interface. A data file is generated by the interface containing all the information that the user specified. This data file is used by NEPTUNE to automatically generate a MATLAB® script that contains:

  • The mathematical algorithm that drives the interactions among the network of optimizations
  • The definition of the optimization statements
  • The exchange of data among the different optimizations
  • The interfaces and the execution commands for the simulation solvers that may be used by the optimization for assessing the performance of the design
  • The mathematical formulation for evaluating the probabilistic constraints if uncertainty effects are included

The user runs the MATLAB optimization script that is created by NEPTUNE to complete the optimization analysis; results can be brought back to the NEPTUNE interface for postprocessing.

Michigan Engineering Services

2890 Carpenter Rd Ste 1900
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
UNITED STATES
Tel: 734-358-0792
Fax: 734-477-0087
nv@miengsrv.com

Required Products

Platforms

  • Windows

Support

  • Consulting
  • E-mail
  • Fax
  • Telephone
  • Training

Product Type

  • Modeling and Simulation Tools

Tasks

  • Data Analysis and Statistics
  • MATLAB Programming

Industries

  • Aerospace and Defense