Rapid design optimization of antennas using variable-fidelity EM models and adjoint sensitivities

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 2007-2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slawomir Koziel ◽  
Adrian Bekasiewicz

Purpose Development of techniques for expedited design optimization of complex and numerically expensive electromagnetic (EM) simulation models of antenna structures validated both numerically and experimentally. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The optimization task is performed using a technique that combines gradient search with adjoint sensitivities, trust region framework, as well as EM simulation models with various levels of fidelity (coarse, medium and fine). Adaptive procedure for switching between the models of increasing accuracy in the course of the optimization process is implemented. Numerical and experimental case studies are provided to validate correctness of the design approach. Findings Appropriate combination of suitable design optimization algorithm embedded in a trust region framework, as well as model selection techniques, allows for considerable reduction of the antenna optimization cost compared to conventional methods. Research limitations/implications The study demonstrates feasibility of EM-simulation-driven design optimization of antennas at low computational cost. The presented techniques reach beyond the common design approaches based on direct optimization of EM models using conventional gradient-based or derivative-free methods, particularly in terms of reliability and reduction of the computational costs of the design processes. Originality/value Simulation-driven design optimization of contemporary antenna structures is very challenging when high-fidelity EM simulations are utilized for performance utilization of structure at hand. The proposed variable-fidelity optimization technique with adjoint sensitivity and trust regions permits rapid optimization of numerically demanding antenna designs (here, dielectric resonator antenna and compact monopole), which cannot be achieved when conventional methods are of use. The design cost of proposed strategy is up to 60 percent lower than direct optimization exploiting adjoint sensitivities. Experimental validation of the results is also provided.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 1179-1193
Author(s):  
Anna Pietrenko-Dabrowska ◽  
Slawomir Koziel

Purpose The purpose of this study is to propose a framework for expedited antenna optimization with numerical derivatives involving gradient variation monitoring throughout the optimization run and demonstrate it using a benchmark set of real-world wideband antennas. A comprehensive analysis of the algorithm performance involving multiple starting points is provided. The optimization results are compared with a conventional trust-region (TR) procedure, as well as the state-of-the-art accelerated TR algorithms. Design/methodology/approach The proposed algorithm is a modification of the TR gradient-based algorithm with numerical derivatives in which a monitoring of changes of the system response gradients is performed throughout the algorithm run. The gradient variations between consecutive iterations are quantified by an appropriately developed metric. Upon detecting stable patterns for particular parameter sensitivities, the costly finite differentiation (FD)-based gradient updates are suppressed; hence, the overall number of full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations is significantly reduced. This leads to considerable computational savings without compromising the design quality. Findings Monitoring of the antenna response sensitivity variations during the optimization process enables to detect the parameters for which updating the gradient information is not necessary at every iteration. When incorporated into the TR gradient-search procedures, the approach permits reduction of the computational cost of the optimization process. The proposed technique is dedicated to expedite direct optimization of antenna structures, but it can also be applied to speed up surrogate-assisted tasks, especially solving sub-problems that involve performing numerous evaluations of coarse-discretization models. Research limitations/implications The introduced methodology opens up new possibilities for future developments of accelerated antenna optimization procedures. In particular, the presented routine can be combined with the previously reported techniques that involve replacing FD with the Broyden formula for directions that are satisfactorily well aligned with the most recent design relocation and/or performing FD in a sparse manner based on relative design relocation (with respect to the current search region) in consecutive algorithm iterations. Originality/value Benchmarking against a conventional TR procedure, as well as previously reported methods, confirms improved efficiency and reliability of the proposed approach. The applications of the framework include direct EM-driven design closure, along with surrogate-based optimization within variable-fidelity surrogate-assisted procedures. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no comparable approach to antenna optimization has been reported elsewhere. Particularly, it surmounts established methodology by carrying out constant supervision of the antenna response gradient throughout successive algorithm iterations and using gathered observations to properly guide the optimization routine.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 851-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slawomir Koziel ◽  
Anna Pietrenko-Dabrowska

Purpose A technique for accelerated design optimization of antenna input characteristics is developed and comprehensively validated using real-world wideband antenna structures. Comparative study using a conventional trust-region algorithm is provided. Investigations of the effects of the algorithm control parameters are also carried out. Design/methodology/approach An optimization methodology is introduced that replaces finite differentiation (FD) by a combination of FD and selectively used Broyden updating formula for antenna response Jacobian estimations. The updating formula is used for directions that are sufficiently well aligned with the design relocation that occurred in the most recent algorithm iteration. This allows for a significant reduction of the number of full-wave electromagnetic simulations necessary for the algorithm to converge; hence, it leads to the reduction of the overall design cost. Findings Incorporation of the updating formulas into the Jacobian estimation process in a selective manner considerably reduces the computational cost of the optimization process without compromising the design quality. The algorithm proposed in the study can be used to speed up direct optimization of the antenna structures as well as surrogate-assisted procedures involving variable-fidelity models. Research limitations/implications This study sets a direction for further studies on accelerating procedures for the local optimization of antenna structures. Further investigations on the effects of the control parameters on the algorithm performance are necessary along with the development of means to automate the algorithm setup for a particular antenna structure, especially from the point of view of the search space dimensionality. Originality/value The proposed algorithm proved useful for a reduced-cost optimization of antennas and has been demonstrated to outperform conventional algorithms. To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to address the problem in this manner. In particular, it goes beyond traditional approaches, especially by combining various sensitivity estimation update measures in an adaptive fashion.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 1095-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slawomir Koziel ◽  
Adrian Bekasiewicz

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate strategies for expedited dimension scaling of electromagnetic (EM)-simulated microwave and antenna structures, exploiting the concept of variable-fidelity inverse surrogate modeling. Design/methodology/approach – A fast inverse surrogate modeling technique is described for dimension scaling of microwave and antenna structures. The model is established using reference designs obtained for cheap underlying low-fidelity model and corrected to allow structure scaling at high accuracy level. Numerical and experimental case studies are provided demonstrating feasibility of the proposed approach. Findings – It is possible, by appropriate combination of surrogate modeling techniques, to establish an inverse model for explicit determination of geometry dimensions of the structure at hand so as to re-design it for various operating frequencies. The scaling process can be concluded at a low computational cost corresponding to just a few evaluations of the high-fidelity computational model of the structure. Research limitations/implications – The present study is a step toward development of procedures for rapid dimension scaling of microwave and antenna structures at high-fidelity EM-simulation accuracy. Originality/value – The proposed modeling framework proved useful for fast geometry scaling of microwave and antenna structures, which is very laborious when using conventional methods. To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to surrogate-assisted dimension scaling of microwave components at the EM-simulation level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 2514-2542
Author(s):  
Andrew Thelen ◽  
Leifur Leifsson ◽  
Anupam Sharma ◽  
Slawomir Koziel

Purpose Dual-rotor wind turbines (DRWTs) are a novel type of wind turbines that can capture more power than their single-rotor counterparts. Because their surrounding flow fields are complex, evaluating a DRWT design requires accurate predictive simulations, which incur high computational costs. Currently, there does not exist a design optimization framework for DRWTs. Since the design optimization of DRWTs requires numerous model evaluations, the purpose of this paper is to identify computationally efficient design approaches. Design/methodology/approach Several algorithms are compared for the design optimization of DRWTs. The algorithms vary widely in approaches and include a direct derivative-free method, as well as three surrogate-based optimization methods, two approximation-based approaches and one variable-fidelity approach with coarse discretization low-fidelity models. Findings The proposed variable-fidelity method required significantly lower computational cost than the derivative-free and approximation-based methods. Large computational savings come from using the time-consuming high-fidelity simulations sparingly and performing the majority of the design space search using the fast variable-fidelity models. Originality/value Due the complex simulations and the large number of designable parameters, the design of DRWTs require the use of numerical optimization algorithms. This work presents a novel and efficient design optimization framework for DRWTs using computationally intensive simulations and variable-fidelity optimization techniques.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 753-788
Author(s):  
Slawomir Koziel ◽  
Adrian Bekasiewicz

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategies and algorithms for expedited design optimization of microwave and antenna structures in multi-objective setup. Design/methodology/approach Formulation of the multi-objective design problem-oriented toward execution of the population-based metaheuristic algorithm within the segmented search space is investigated. Described algorithmic framework exploits variable fidelity modeling, physics- and approximation-based representation of the structure and model correction techniques. The considered approach is suitable for handling various problems pertinent to the design of microwave and antenna structures. Numerical case studies are provided demonstrating the feasibility of the segmentation-based framework for the design of real-world structures in setups with two and three objectives. Findings Formulation of appropriate design problem enables identification of the search space region containing Pareto front, which can be further divided into a set of compartments characterized by small combined volume. Approximation model of each segment can be constructed using a small number of training samples and then optimized, at a negligible computational cost, using population-based metaheuristics. Introduction of segmentation mechanism to multi-objective design framework is important to facilitate low-cost optimization of many-parameter structures represented by numerically expensive computational models. Further reduction of the design cost can be achieved by enforcing equal-volumes of the search space segments. Research limitations/implications The study summarizes recent advances in low-cost multi-objective design of microwave and antenna structures. The investigated techniques exceed capabilities of conventional design approaches involving direct evaluation of physics-based models for determination of trade-offs between the design objectives, particularly in terms of reliability and reduction of the computational cost. Studies on the scalability of segmentation mechanism indicate that computational benefits of the approach decrease with the number of search space segments. Originality/value The proposed design framework proved useful for the rapid multi-objective design of microwave and antenna structures characterized by complex and multi-parameter topologies, which is extremely challenging when using conventional methods driven by population-based metaheuristics algorithms. To the authors knowledge, this is the first work that summarizes segmentation-based approaches to multi-objective optimization of microwave and antenna components.


Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1341
Author(s):  
Piotr Kurgan

High-performance and small-size on-chip inductors play a critical role in contemporary radio-frequency integrated circuits. This work presents a reliable surrogate modeling technique combining low-fidelity EM simulation models, response surface approximations based on kriging interpolation, and space mapping technology. The reported method is useful for the development of broadband and highly accurate data-driven models of integrated inductors within a practical timeframe, especially in terms of the computational expense of training data acquisition. Application of the constructed surrogate model for rapid design optimization of a compact on-chip inductor is demonstrated. The optimized EM-validated design solution can be reached at a low computational cost, which is a considerable improvement over existing approaches. In addition, this work provides a description and illustrates the usefulness of a multi-fidelity design optimization method incorporating EM computational models of graduated complexity and local polynomial approximations managed by an output space mapping optimization framework. As shown by the application example, the final design solution is obtained at the cost of a few high-fidelity EM simulations of a small-size integrated coil. A supplementary description of variable-fidelity EM computational models and a trade-off between model accuracy and its processing time complements the work.


2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 403-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slawomir Koziel ◽  
Adrian Bekasiewicz

Purpose This paper aims to investigate deterministic strategies for low-cost multi-objective design optimization of compact microwave structures, specifically, impedance matching transformers. The considered methods involve surrogate modeling techniques and variable-fidelity electromagnetic (EM) simulations. In contrary to majority of conventional approaches, they do not rely on population-based metaheuristics, which permit lowering the design cost and improve reliability. Design/methodology/approach There are two algorithmic frameworks presented, both fully deterministic. The first algorithm involves creating a path covering the Pareto front and arranged as a sequence of patches relocated in the course of optimization. Response correction techniques are used to find the Pareto front representation at the high-fidelity EM simulation level. The second algorithm exploits Pareto front exploration where subsequent Pareto-optimal designs are obtained by moving along the front by means of solving appropriately defined local constrained optimization problems. Numerical case studies are provided demonstrating feasibility of solving real-world problems involving expensive EM-simulation models of impedance transformer structures. Findings It is possible, by means of combining surrogate modeling techniques and constrained local optimization, to identify the set of alternative designs representing Pareto-optimal solutions, in a realistic time frame corresponding to a few dozen of high-fidelity EM simulations of the respective structures. Multi-objective optimization for the considered class of structures can be realized using deterministic approaches without defaulting to evolutionary methods. Research limitations/implications The present study can be considered a step toward further studies on expedited optimization of computationally expensive simulation models for miniaturized microwave components. Originality/value The proposed algorithmic solutions proved useful for expedited multi-objective design optimization of miniaturized microwave structures. The problem is extremely challenging when using conventional methods, in particular evolutionary algorithms. To the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first attempts to investigate deterministic surrogate-assisted multi-objective optimization of compact components at the EM-simulation level.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Thelen ◽  
Leifur Leifsson ◽  
Anupam Sharma ◽  
Slawomir Koziel

Purpose An improvement in the energy efficiency of wind turbines can be achieved using dual rotors. Because of complex flow physics, the design of dual-rotor wind turbines (DRWTs) requires repetitive evaluations of computationally expensive partial differential equation (PDE) simulation models. Approaches for solving design optimization of DRWTs constrained by PDE simulations are investigated. The purpose of this study is to determine design optimization algorithms which can find optimal designs at a low computational cost. Design/methodology/approach Several optimization approaches and algorithms are compared and contrasted for the design of DRWTs. More specifically, parametric sweeps, direct optimization using pattern search, surrogate-based optimization (SBO) using approximation-based models and SBO using kriging interpolation models with infill criteria are investigated for the DRWT design problem. Findings The approaches are applied to two example design cases where the DRWT fluid flow is simulated using the Reynolds-averaged Navier−Stokes (RANS) equations with a two-equation turbulence model on an axisymmetric computational grid. The main rotor geometry is kept fixed and the secondary rotor characteristics, using up to three variables, are optimized. The results show that the automated numerical optimization techniques were able to accurately find the optimal designs at a low cost. In particular, SBO algorithm with infill criteria configured for design space exploitation required the least computational cost. The widely adopted parametric sweep approach required more model evaluations than the optimization algorithms, as well as not being able to accurately find the optimal designs. Originality/value For low-dimensional PDE-constrained design of DRWTs, automated optimization algorithms are essential to find accurately and efficiently the optimal designs. More specifically, surrogate-based approaches seem to offer a computationally efficient way of solving such problems.


Author(s):  
Marco Baldan ◽  
Alexander Nikanorov ◽  
Bernard Nacke

Purpose Reliable modeling of induction hardening requires a multi-physical approach, which makes it time-consuming. In designing an induction hardening system, combining such model with an optimization technique allows managing a high number of design variables. However, this could lead to a tremendous overall computational cost. This paper aims to reduce the computational time of an optimal design problem by making use of multi-fidelity modeling and parallel computing. Design/methodology/approach In the multi-fidelity framework, the “high-fidelity” model couples the electromagnetic, thermal and metallurgical fields. It predicts the phase transformations during both the heating and cooling stages. The “low-fidelity” model is instead limited to the heating step. Its inaccuracy is counterbalanced by its cheapness, which makes it suitable for exploring the design space in optimization. Then, the use of co-Kriging allows merging information from different fidelity models and predicting good design candidates. Field evaluations of both models occur in parallel. Findings In the design of an induction heating system, the synergy between the “high-fidelity” and “low-fidelity” model, together with use of surrogates and parallel computing could reduce up to one order of magnitude the overall computational cost. Practical implications On one hand, multi-physical modeling of induction hardening implies a better understanding of the process, resulting in further potential process improvements. On the other hand, the optimization technique could be applied to many other computationally intensive real-life problems. Originality/value This paper highlights how parallel multi-fidelity optimization could be used in designing an induction hardening system.


Author(s):  
Robin Tournemenne ◽  
Jean-François Petiot ◽  
Bastien Talgorn ◽  
Michael Kokkolaras

This paper presents a method for design optimization of brass wind instruments. The shape of a trumpet’s bore is optimized to improve intonation using a physics-based sound simulation model. This physics-based model consists of an acoustic model of the resonator (input impedance), a mechanical model of the excitator (the lips of a virtual musician) and a model of the coupling between the excitator and the resonator. The harmonic balance technique allows the computation of sounds in a permanent regime, representative of the shape of the resonator according to control parameters of the virtual musician. An optimization problem is formulated, in which the objective function to be minimized is the overall quality of the intonation of the different notes played by the instrument (deviation from the equal-tempered scale). The design variables are the physical dimensions of the resonator. Given the computationally expensive function evaluation and the unavailability of gradients, a surrogate-assisted optimization framework is implemented using the mesh adaptive direct search algorithm (MADS). Surrogate models are used both to obtain promising candidates in the search step of MADS and to rank-order additional candidates generated by the poll step of MADS. The physics-based model is then used to determine the next design iterate. Two examples (with two and five design optimization variables, respectively) are presented to demonstrate the approach. Results show that significant improvement of intonation can be achieved at reasonable computational cost. The implementation of this method for computer-aided instrument design is discussed, considering different objective functions or constraints based on intonation but also on the timbre of the instrument.


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