com
www.industrie-techno.com
S.o.S. planet
special simulation issue
Numerical simulation of
combusion in an helicopter
turbo-engine - TURBOMECA
Simulation of surface
currents on an aircraft nose
radome - THALES
SIMUlatIon
www.usinenouvelle.com
www.industrie-techno.com
S.o.S. plante
spcial simulation
Representation
of the magnetic
field in the
earths core.
9 Billion Humans,
onE planEt
Sommaire
ESSENTIALS
a year of simulation
p. 4
INTERVIEW
p. 6
DOSSIER
p. 8
INTERVIEW
p. 20
A REAL STAR
p. 28
PORTFOLIO
nature revealed p. 34
VIRTUAL REALITY
p. 38
DESIGN OFFICE
p. 42
INNOVATION
p. 46
e are going to need more than the good intentions of governments if we are to limit global
warming to less than 2 now and feed 9 billion
humans in the future. Public-sector and economic
players must do everything in their power to meet these
challenges. Although it is no miracle solution, simulation enables us to be good diagnosticians by predicting
changes, especially climate change. Simulation also
provides invaluable decision-making tools to improve
how we manage resources and deal with natural hazards.
By modeling living organisms, simulation will facilitate
AURLIE
human existence on the only planet weve got.
BARBAUX
Scientists already know how to model crop and microassistant EDitoR,
algae growth. And models can be created in every
lusinE DiGitalE
domain, as Antoine Petit, INRIAs CEO, explains. We
can use the same corpus of mathematics to simulate
physical and biological phenomena, such as biochemical reactions and cell migration. Fluid mechanics
techniques used to calculate
planes air penetration have Combined with artificial
been reused to model blood
flow around the body. Other intelligence technology, models
techniques adapted to the
will become better adapted.
pharmaceuticals industry will
soon help us simulate clinical
trials, thus reducing how long it takes for treatments
to come onto the market. Coupling patient data with
general models is leading the way for patient-specific
medicine and more reliable diagnoses.
Combined with artificial intelligence technology,
models will become better adapted and more able to be
rebuilt from huge amounts of data. This means scientists will have an even greater responsibility. Just as the
parameters chosen for climate models determines how
close they come to real conditions, so too the quality
of modeling living organisms is the key to renewing
medical science and even human existence. Despite
space exploration, 9 billion human beings will have to
live on a single planet with limited resources.
simulation
Solar System
evenTs
CalCulatinG
PlanEt ninE
D.R. ; CAlTECH
Industry
Training
simulation
Computing
Computing
Fluid Mechanics
siEmEns aCQuiREs
CD-aDaPCo
HYDRoCEan at
BuREau VERitas
D.R.
oPtis sWalloWs uP
GEnEsis
simulation
moDElinG is
a corE activity
at inria
Simulation, especially modeling, is a core activity
at the French National Institute for Research
in Computer Science and Automation (INRIA),
as its CEO, Antoine Petit, explains.
INTERVIEWED BY AURLIE BARBAUX
Luc Prnom
INTERVIEW
can come onto the market very quickly. In 2003, the French
National Science Fund, which was replaced by the National
Research Agency (ARN), launched three new areas of activity: computer security, bulk data, and new mathematical
interfaces. These are todays research topics. But it would
be a mistake to think that some amazing new research topic
is going to emerge in six months time that will put all our
researchers out of a job. They know what the topics of the
future will be.
What are your main current areas of research?
Everything relating to modeling and simulation, of course.
Were conducting research on the Internet of Things, data
and big data, developing new algorithms for data processing,
display, encoding, and transport. Another major research
area is cybersecurity, cryptography, and protocols. Robotics
is also a key topic and were very interested in autonomous
cars. We also run many multi-disciplinary research programs
at the interface of various disciplines.
What happened to the initiative giving sMEs access to your
laboratories?
We cooperate with companies in several ways. First, companies benefit from skills transfers whenever our researchers
move into the business world. Weve also set up a dozen
joint laboratories with the main industrial groups: Microsoft,
Alcatel-Nokia, Total, EDF, Orange, Alstom, Airbus Group,
etc. Whats more, weve established many start-ups. Finally,
our INRIA innovation labs collaborate with SMEs on much
shorter deadlines than with big groups to change innovations into products. Weve already set up a dozen such
innovation labs and another is currently being established
with Safety Line, to reduce airplanes fuel consumption. In
2015, we also launched INRIA Tech in Lille, with support
from EuraTechnologie Center of Excellence. Although its
name is inspired by CEA Tech, were not doing the same
thing. INRIA Tech has a dozen engineers and not researchers providing initial responses to industrial needs. Its
got off to an encouraging start.
7
CD-aDapCo
we need to SIMULAte
tHe PLAnet now
Even if global warming slows down, it will continue to radically change our environment.
Numerical simulation is helping predict these changes.
BY ALAIN CLAPAUD, THIERRY LUCAS, AND JEAN-FRANOIS PREVRAUD
SIMULAtIon
Modeling
the behaviour
of industrial
buildings before
construction helps
assess and limit
the dispersion
of pollutants into
the atmosphere.
simulation
environment
a FREnCH
savoiR FaiRE
French laboratories have become experts at
simulating our environment whether airconditioning systems, storms or major industrial
catastrophes as demonstrated below.
By AlAin ClApAud
The worldwide agreement signed at the COP21 conference in December 2015 set nations new targets to limit
CO2 discharged into the atmosphere. Many countries
are already facing climate change. France especially its
coastline has not been spared, as Antoine Rousseau, an
INRIA researcher in charge of the LEMON team (coastline,
environment, models, and numerical tools), underlines:
Coastlines face three risks: storms and tsunamis, erosion
and flooding. We need to design mathematical models to
understand whats happening long term, as well as realtime risk-management simulation tools to evacuate flood
zones in time, he explains.
Its not easy. Every process brought into play whether
winds, currents or ground motion is very complex. The
equations require vast amounts of calculation, not to
mention the difficulty of coupling these simulations when
each process changes at its own pace. Erosion is caused
by water/sediment interactions when seabeds influence
coastal currents and vice versa. Currents change within
hours whereas modifications to sandy seabeds occur over
several months or years. From a mathematical perspective,
10
simulation
biodegradability. Another
area of research is focusing
on buildings energy
consumption and quality
of life.
one of your teams is working
on theoretical aspects, why
is that?
Our theorists are aiming to
make simulation cheaper
and faster by developing
new calculation methods.
Computational Fluid
Dynamics (CFD) codes use a
lot of computing resources,
especially for long-term
simulations. But if you use
more approximate models,
such as zonal or empirical
models, you lose the
subtlety of meshing.
simulation
representation
of wind-force
distribution on
a wind farm.
simulation
Discover
our Award
categories :
Submit your
fore
application be
!
April 22, 2016
J Start-up Award
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13
simulation
ComBAtinG pollution
D.R.
modeling sea currents and sea beds helped decide the best location
for the tidal turbine.
Although a lot of resources have been poured into simulating natural phenomena, considerable investment has also
been made in simulating the effects of human activity. There
is nothing unusual these days about consulting pollution
maps for major cities, in the same way as we check weather
forecasts. Vivien Mallet, an INRIA researcher, underlines
the progress made in forecasting since the 1980s: Simulation and observations made using sensor networks now
correlate more closely, which has really helped improve
weather forecasts. This is especially true for air-quality
forecasts, which are often very uncertain, explains Mallet.
For this reason, researchers improving these models have
installed many new sensors. Data from weather and airquality monitoring stations e.g. AIRPARIF is already
supplemented by satellite images and is increasingly
established using the Internet of Things. Smart pollution
sensors have been installed on Lyons tramways and are
expected to appear on public streetlights in more and more
French cities. All these data sources will feed into numerical models to produce more reliable pollution forecasts.
Even cell phones can serve as sensors. For example, the
SoundCity application uses cell phones to measure city
noise pollution.
Besides forecasting atmospheric pollution levels several
hours in advance, simulation also helps respond to catastrophes. For example, we can simulate how a dirty bomb
would explode in Place de lHtel-de-Ville in Paris; depending on the weather, this will tell us the arrondissements
in which to raise the alarm. Numerical simulation is also
used when constructing new petrochemical facilities to see
the impact of toxic discharged into the atmosphere. During
the Fukishima disaster, the French Institute for Radiological
Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) made operational
forecasts to find out whether or not the population was
going to be exposed to radionuclide emissions. We need
high-quality weather data for reliable forecasts, says
Mallet. Radioactive smoke plumes move according to wind
direction and the risk to the population varies according to
whether the wind is blowing inland or out to sea. Weather
simulation
noise pollution map in paris, drawn up using data sent from smartphones.
info@noesissolutions.com
id8.noesissolutions.com
15
simulation
simulation
nasa / sVs
Simulated
precipitation
rates for
typhoon
Hagupit,
which struck
the philippines
in 2014.
simulation
INTERVIEW
impact on mesh refinement for a territory and on how sophisticated atmospheric calculations can be. The other essential
parameter is algorithms, which vary in their effectiveness at
solving equations and incorporating observations to initialize
models. A significant amount of computation time is devoted
to initializing models rather than to actual weather forecasting. New data has to be integrated intelligently since it does
not cover the whole grid. We mix old and new data and then
weight the two. The skill lies in choosing the right weighting
for the initial state to match reality as closely as possible.
Otherwise, the model will rapidly diverge from reality. Part of
our research involves fine-tuning these algorithms.
Who works on these models?
The Mto France research center in Toulouse, which employs 300 people, or 10% of our workforce. For models, we
collaborate extensively with international centers, especially
the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
(ECMWF). It is an inter-governmental organization. Were
co-developing an atmosphere model on a global scale,
ARPEGE and the European model IFS are two versions.
As a result of this collaboration, we exert a major leverage
effect and obtain excellent results even with a modest-sized
team. Were the leading organization in the ALADIN consortium which brings together twelve European countries,
three North African countries and Turkey on limited-area
models. This consortium is developing fine-mesh models
for 24-hour forecasts.
Do you tackle more specific fields?
Absolutely. Our team in Grenoble is responsible for snowpack simulation, to predict the risk of avalanches. Which is
another of our roles. The team focuses on the atmosphere, as
well as the mechanics of snow-layer accumulation, how snow
layers are configured by wind, the probability of creep, etc.
Theyve developed a specific model for this research. Were
also committed to cutting-edge research on urban climate
modeling. One of our research units is modeling town-specific features, which helps local decision-makers assess the
need for green roofs, whitewashed roads, and dampened
simulation
ground and road surfaces. Our model can simulate the effect
of these actions on the temperature, especially during heat
waves. This is an increasingly important territorial issue in
the fight against global warming. Some of our researchers are
working on air quality. Others are simulating land surfaces
since transfers, humidity, vegetation, and soil sealing all need
to be modeled. Were also simulating the upper ocean (waves
and swell), running back-trajectories to calculate flotsam and
jetsam and pollutant (hydrocarbon) drift. These are all joint
research units attached to both Mto France and the French
National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), which also
ensures we have close ties with academia.
Luc Prnom
simulation
AriA Technologies
specialization Atmospheric
simulation
Date set up 1990
Locations Boulogne-Billancourt
(Hauts-de-Seine), Rio de Janeiro
(Brazil), Milan (Italy)
Workforce 45 people
T/O (2014) 4 million Euros
mArkeTs
smes, natuRal
element eXPeRts
Several outstanding French companies are at
the cutting edge of environmental simulation,
whether of air and land phenomena, pollution,
or renewable energy sources.
bY ALAIN CLAPAUD
Numtech is located on La
Pardieu Technology Park
(in Aubires, near ClermontFerrand) and specializes in
weather forecasting and
simulating pollutant dispersion into the atmosphere. The
companys operational systems feed data 24/7 into air monitoring stations run by associations such as AirPARIF and
AirPACA. Numtech opened its first subsidiary in Morocco
a year ago. Pierre Bal the companys founder is also
looking into providing pollution forecasts in very fine scale.
This service, called NOA, is at the preparation stage and
could give two-hourly city pollution forecasts, accurate to
within a few meters. Ideal for planning your run!
specialization Atmospheric event
modelling and simulation
Date set up April 2000
Location Aubire (Puy-de-Dme)
Workforce 20 people
T/O (2014) 1.3 million Euros
20
simulation
meteodyns
wind
assessment
on a wind
farm.
MeTeodyn
22
simulation
OptiFluides is located on La
Doua science campus in Villeurbanne (Rhne) and has
developed process simulation
and modelling expertise. To
achieve this, the start-ups
founder Nicolas Boisson used
simulation codes produced by the software vendor Fluent.
OptiFluides calculations simulate flows in industrial plants,
thus enabling petrochemical companies to optimize their
processes. OptiFluide also models air pollutant dispersion
as part of risk assessments for industrial sites.
specialization Simulation of
liquid, gas, and multiphase flows
Date set up June 2011
Location Villeurbanne (Rhne)
Workforce 5 people
T/O (2015) 400,000 Euros
Open Oceans
online
decisionmaking tool
can model
ocean
currents, wind,
and waves.
24
comsol multiphysics
application builder
comsol.fr/application-builder
21
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trademarks of COMSOL AB. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners, and COMSOL AB and its subsidiaries and products are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or
supported by those trademark owners. For a list of such trademark owners, see www.comsol.com/trademarks
23
2016
HPC
BIGDATA
SIMULATION
Les c ls du futu r
Unlocking the future
Les 28 & 29
juin / June 2016
Ecole Polytechnique
Palaiseau - France
www.teratec.eu
Platinum Sponsors :
Gold Sponsors :
Silver Sponsors :
25
simulation
a reaL sTar
CYBElEtECH,
numERiCal
FaRminG
Agriculture needs to produce bigger, higher quality
yields while also reducing its pollution. CybeleTech
has taken up this challenge by incorporating
farmland data into plant-growth simulation.
by Jean-Franois Prevraud
D.R.
hat do you get if you take an agronomist, a numerical simulation researcher, a student engineer mad
about IT developments, an agri-food marketing
expert and bring them together under a name evoking the
Phrygian goddess of nature and abundance? CybeleTech, of
course a French start-up established at the end of 2011
to model plant growth. As is often the case, CybeleTechs
story is first and foremost about human encounters rather
than technology, explains Marie-Joseph Lambert, Novartis
Agros former director of business forecasting. Together
with the mathematician Christian Saguez, his PhD student Paul-Henry Cournde, and two other members of the
Digiplante team (Professor Vronique Letort Courndes
deputy and Benoit Bayol), Lambert is one of CybeleTechs
five cofounders.
simulation
Marie-Joseph
Lambert
trained in sales
and marketing
before pursuing
his career
in various
industrial groups. He became
Novartis Agros director of
commercial policy and
distribution marketing in 1997,
and its director of business
forecasting in 2000. After the
company merged with Zeneca,
he was key account manager
Europe from 2001 to 2005,
before joining CybeleTech as
its director.
CHRistian saGuEz,
Ceo Cofounder
Christian
Saguez
graduated from
the cole
Centrale de
Paris in 1972,
and was
director of international and
industrial relations at the French
National Institute for Research
in Computer Science and
Automation (INRIA). He
subsequently founded and was
CEO of Simulog, and was also
Paul-Henry
Cournde
graduated
from the cole
Centrale de
Paris (1997)
and Cambridge
University, and has a PhD in
applied mathematics (2001).
He is director of the
CentraleSuplecs Digiplante
team, working on mathematical
modeling of plant growth in the
MAS laboratory.
simulation
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
tHE nEW
aGRiCultuRal
REVolution
Challenges in agricultural modeling simulating
wheat growth, optimizing inputs, predicting milk
production, etc. have spurred on start-ups and
yielded a bumper crop of innovations.
by ADRIEN CAHUZAC
28
simulation
We equip,
you compute
Climate changes
Reducing pollutant
emissions
29
simulation
Arvalis models the resistance of plants to water shortage using sensor data and cameras (RGb images of photosynthesis).
pascal Guittet
30
simulation
Standardized Computer
Language
to benefit from digital
technology, we need a single
computer language to speed
things up. the agro edi europe
association set up twenty years
ago by agricultural organizations
to improve traceability and data
exchange between phytosanitary
suppliers and users is
standardizing remote-sensing
data. this new language should
be operational by the end of the
first half of 2016 and will apply in
particular to all drone operators.
cooperatives and chambers of
agriculture will be able to change
d.R.
32
with Arvalis on a national high-throughput cereal phenotyping program called Phnome. One of the main platforms
for this 24-million Euro project jointly funded by the French
Investment for the Future initiative is in the commune of
Ouzouer-le-March, deep in Le Loir-et-Cher. This site has
eight large, mobile greenhouses in the middle of a field.
Sensors measure rainfall, soil humidity, wind, etc. At the
far end of the land parcel is an imposing boom on a railmounted gantry. This boom fitted with many sensors and
cameras takes photos to analyze plants phenotype (i.e. their
physical characteristics) and chlorophyll content. The goal
is to create controlled water stress in plants and stop rain
falling on the plot, explains Yann Flodrops, director of the
experimental station. This pioneering European program will
help scientists select varieties consuming less inputs (water,
nitrogen, and pesticides) and identify phenotype genes.
The advent of thousands or even millions pieces of agricultural data from fields and research programs presupposes
high-security data storage facilities. The INRA has built two
data centers one in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) in 2014 and
another in Bruyres-le-Chtel (Essonne) in October 2015
which each cost four million Euros. The challenge is to
promote this data to third parties such as Thales, which
use it to simulate plant growth, says Franois Houllier,
president of INRA.
Although entering the digital era is a major change for
agriculture, digital projects and initiatives remain scattered.
Faced with global foreign giants at the cutting edge of agricultural digital technology such as John Deere and Monsanto
French projects urgently need to pool their efforts. Some
joint initiatives are starting to emerge: for example, the
three-year Smart Agriculture System project launched in
2014. This project brings together the Vgpolys, Crales
Valle, DREAM Eau & Milieux competitiveness clusters and
private groups such as Limagrain. Its purpose is to design an
innovative wheat modeling, yield forecasting, and decisionmaking system.
Seed companies will be able to market their seeds faster.
Farmers will be able to discover constraints more quickly,
predict water requirements, and increase production. This
will give a real competitive advantage, says an enthusiastic
Christian Saguez, CEO of the start-up CybeleTech, one of
the projects partners. Alongside this project, a plant digital
valley Agreen Tech Valley is to be established in Orlans
and its suburbs (Loiret) in 2017. This initiative is expected
to bring together several agricultural companies such as
Axral, Kuhn and Sofiprotol as well as the University of
Orlans. France has all the skills it needs to hold a strong
position in the international digital agriculture race. Were
well positioned on IT technology and agriculture. Its now up
to us to move into the industrial phase, says Saguez, who
is also vice-president of Agreen Tech Valley. In the future,
French agriculture will be distinguished by its technology
and Frances ability to export this technology, as well as by
its production. This is the challenge facing French agriculture
if it wishes to retain its world ranking.
31
European Pole
Mastering technology
Industrial Research
Dissemination across industries
Teaching and training
International cooperations
Teaching
& Research
Industrial
companies
Technology
33
companies
www.teratec.eu
simulatioN
PortfoLio
Nature revealed
Forces, movement, flow, growth and turbulence:
when simulation unveils the environment.
By Jean-Louis saLque and Bernard VidaL
tree growth
and crown
interaction.
34
simulatioN
distribution of carbon
dioxide emmisions in
earths atmosphere.
representation of ocean
surface temperature
in the Gulf of Mexico.
Chlorophyll
evolution
in an unstable
seabed.
Wave dispersion
along the bow
of a boat.
35
simulatioN
Modeling
atmospheric
dispersion
of pollutants.
representation of
the magnetic field in
the earths core.
Vortex lines
of a tornado.
Propagation
of seismic waves
throughout
the planet.
earths magnetic
fields.
36
simulatioN
trajectory of air
particles around
a sailboat.
Modeling
a north atlantic
type ocean.
Modeling
the temperature of
currents at a depth
of 30 meters off the
Cape of Good Hope.
3d visualization
of fluid flow
in porous rock.
Lusine nouVeLLe I N 3464 supplEmENT I aprIl 14 2016
37
simulation
Virtual-reality helmets help train staff to use machines without disrupting production.
aFFoRDaBlE
immERsion FoR
EVERYonE
The advent of mass virtual reality will benefit
companies especially small ones by making
immersive simulation more accessible.
BY Julien Bergounhoux
38
The advent of HMDs (head-mounted displays) for immersive simulation are changing this model. By significantly
reducing costs which have dropped from around a million
to approximately a thousand or even a hundred Euros
HMDs have made virtual reality affordable for all compa-
VirTuAl reAliTY
simulation
FaBiEn BaRati
CEO and cofounder of Emissive
have you noticed more
interest in virtual reality?
Yes. Weve been working in
this field for the past ten
years. Over the past few
months, weve sensed that
demand is increasing.
It hasnt yet rocketed,
but its really growing.
Will these helmets replace
existing equipment, even in
big companies?
I dont see how CAVEs
[Ed. note: rooms with
projectors, for virtual-
e date !
Rservez votr
CONFRENCE
Thomas LANDRAIN
Nathalie MAUBON
Malika MIR
Pascale SAUVAGE
Prsident
LA PAILLASSE
Prsidente
HCS PHARMA
AnTiCiPATing uSeS
39
simulation
hololenS
THE ALTERNATIVE
OPTION
Price 3,000 dollars
Release Date March 2016
Manufacturer Microsoft
hTC ViVe
D.R.
Manufacturer HTC
40
simulation
although most cars already have automated-driving features, the transition to full automation is not going to happen overnight.
42
dEsiGN oFFicE
simulation
simulation
iNNovaTioN
networks of
ConneCted objeCts,
its a Challenge
Vast emerging networks of connected objects and
sensors will force this sector to use simulation,
says Wind Rivers Michel Genard.
by SylvaiN aRNulf
D.R.
Simulation-driven Innovation
simulation
aeronautics
solaR imPulsE
100% CalCulatED
AltrAn
unconventional simulation
is a wonderful opportunity
to change how we think about
problems.
Christophe Besau, an advanced simulation expert at Altran
46
a tailor-Made supercomputer
Teratec Campus
www-hpc.cea.fr
www.teratec.eu
jean-pascal.jegu@teratec.fr
Tel. +33 (0)9 70 65 02 10
Campus Teratec
2 rue de la Piquetterie
91680 Bruyres-le-Chtel - France
47
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sequana
48