Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Grid solving'

The smart grid offers a new infrastructure for the management of energy demand and generation towards a sustainable future. Accordingly, there is the objective to provide consumers with a response capacity to stimuli of the electricity market, and at the same time, to efficiently manage the generation system which tends to a diversification of the generators and the energy sources. For that purpose, this thesis is first focused on providing to consumers methods for managing their energy consumption and then reducing costs according to their production activities. Next, this thesis focuses on electricity generation, tackling the problem of how to share out energy production among a set of distributed generators using self-organisation. Finally, it tackles the problem of planning the placement of new generators suing meta-heuristics.
La xarxa elèctrica intel·ligent ofereix una nova infraestructura per a la gestió de la demanda i generació d'electricitat cap a un futur més sostenible. En aquest sentit, hi ha l'objectiu de proveir els consumidors de capacitat de reacció davant d'estímuls del mercat elèctric i, al mateix temps, gestionar de forma eficient un sistema de generació que tendeix cap a una diversificació. Amb aquest objectiu, aquesta tesi primer es centra a desenvolupar mètodes perquè els consumidors puguin gestionar els seus consums i així també reduir-ne els costos d'acord amb les seves activitats de producció. Posteriorment, la tesi es centra en la generació elèctrica abordant el problema de com repartir la producció d'energia d'entre un conjunt de generadors distribuïts utilitzant mètodes auto-organitzatius. Finalment, s'aborda la planificació de nous generadors utilitzant mètodes metaheurístics.

Sweden has a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2045. To reach this goal electrification of different sectors are one of the most important pathways for becoming fossil free. The power grid in Sweden has historically been seen as stable and with unlimited transmission capacity. However, with increasing power demand of electricity in society the transmission capacity is becoming limited. In short term this can delay development of new district and housing projects. In long term capacity deficit could prevent the opportunity of electrification project replacing fossil fuel for the transport and industry sector. This could have a negative impact on both Sweden’s competitiveness and ability to become carbon neutral. As an industry player with the aim of providing leading solutions for sustainable development, AFRY has an interest in finding solutions enabling a transition to a fossil free energy use. With capacity deficits in the power grid becoming a growing problem for metropolitan areas, AFRY has requested tool that can evaluate technical solutions for solving local power deficits. The aim of this thesis is thus to develop an evaluation tool for comparing technical solutions for solving local power deficit. Based on a literature review identifying suitable technologies; reinforcing local power grids, implementing BESS or combined BESS PV systems to a local power grid are the technical solutions chosen for this study. With the compiled technical key characteristics and component costs fort the technologies the tool is developed in Excel. From testing the tool with different cases, combined BESS PV solution is seen to have the lowest investment cost if the local power deficit is low. If the deficit is high, reinforcing the grid with transformer and substation capacity is the solution whit the lowest investment cost.
Sverige har som mål att inte ha några nettoutsläpp av växthusgaser till atmosfären till 2045. För att uppnå detta mål är elektrifiering av olika sektorer sett som ett av de viktigaste spåren mot en fossilfri framtid. Elnätet i Sverige har historiskt set varit stabilt och med en näst intill obegränsad överföringskapacitet. Men med ett ökande effektbehov av el i samhället börjar den befintliga överföringskapaciteten bli begränsad och i vissa fall otillräcklig. På kort sikt kan detta försena utvecklingen av nya stads- och bostadsprojekt. På lång sikt kan kapacitetsbrist förhindra möjligheten av elektrifieringsprojekt med syfte att ersätta fossila bränslen inom transport- och industrisektorn. Detta kan påverka Sveriges konkurrenskraft och mål att inte ha några nettoutsläpp av växthusgaser negativt. Som en aktör med målet att tillhandahålla ledande lösningar för en hållbar framtid har AFRY ett intresse av att finna lösningar som möjliggör en omställning till fossilfri energi. Eftersom kapacitetsbrist i elnätet är ett växande problem i och runt storstadsregioner, har AFRY efterfrågat ett verktyg som kan utvärdera tekniska lösningar för att möta lokal effektbrist. Syftet med denna studie är där med att utveckla ett utvärderingsverktyg som jämföra tekniska lösningar för att möta lokal effektbrist. Genom en litteraturstudie har kunskap om olika tekniska lösningar sammanställts och förstärkning av lokala elnät, implementering av BESS eller kombinerade BESS PVsystem till det lokala elnätet inkluderats som lösningar i denna studie. Tillsammans med de tekniska parametrarna och investeringskostnader för teknikerna utvecklas ett analysverktyg i Excel. Från att ha testat olika fall i verktyget kan den kombinerade BESS PV-lösningen ses ha den lägsta investeringskostnaden om effektbristen är låg. Om effektbristen där emot är hög är utbyggnad av transformator och nätstations kapacitet i det lokala elnätet lösningen med lägst investeringskostnad.

This third volume in the International Technology Education Series provides insights into developments in technology education research in terms of methods and techniques. The importance of the book is that it highlights the uniqueness of the area of technology education in terms of content, and learning and teaching processes, and the need to provide methods and techniques to capture this uniqueness when undertaking research. The book comprises research methods and techniques being used by a range of current researchers. Each chapter includes details of the method or technique, but does so in terms of a project where it was used. This provides important contextual material that will help researchers when developing research projects. The book contains research methods and techniques that are new in general as well as ones new to technology education and ones that are variations to existing methods and techniques to make them suitable for use in technology education research. This book should be of interest to research students, teacher educators, researchers and policy-makers who are involved in technology education.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
This thesis explores the possibilities of developing fast grid parallel algorithms to solve the Weighted Region Least Cost Path problem. Two complimentary steps have been undertaken. First, an efficient sequential algorithm to solve the above problem was developed. the algorithm is a modification of a Gauss-Seidel-like algorithm for obtaining the minimum costs. The most salient feature of the algorithm is the reduction of the number of nodes and edges in cheaper regions of the grid. the reported experimental results ascertain the superiority of this algorithm with regard to computer running time at a modest reduction in the accuracy of the obtained solution. Parallel implementations of grid-based algorithms were studies. A simple grid-based variant was implemented on a network of Transputers. The overall approach is employed could be used to develop a parallel version of the above sequential algorithm on a Transputer network, combining both advantages of efficiency and parallelization.

Thesis (MTech (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009
The industrial and population growth of a nation can cause power delivery problems to localized areas of a national grid through their increased demand for electrical energy. One reason for these power shortages is the insufficient current carrying capacity of existing high voltage alternating current, (HVAC), transmission lines supplying the area. High voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission lines are a possible solution as they provide better power delivery than HVAC lines. New or upgraded HVAC lines, or HVDC lines or combinations of HVAC and HVDC lines are possible solutions to improve power delivery. This research investigates the various line possibilities using theory. and cutting edge frequency and time domain software tools. The challenge is how to approach this problem. What methodology or structure should be used? Thus one of the contributions of this work is the development of a strategy (flow chart), for solving power delivery problems to localized areas of a national grid through individual or combinations (e.g. parallel operation) of HVAC and/or HVDC transmission lines. The main contribution is the evaluation of a HVDC system as a solution to overcoming power delivery shortages to a localized area of a national grid. Three different software packages (two industrial and one academic) namely, PSCAD/EMTDC (time domain), DlgSILENT PowerFactory (frequency domain) and MathCAD software are evaluated for their capability to perform the simulation studies necessary to prove the possible solutions given in the developed flow chart. The PSCAD/EMTDC software package is evaluated for integrated HVAC/HVDC load flow analyses, DlgSILENT for individual and parallel combinations of HVAC lines and MathCAD to prove hand calculations to software results. Five case studies are conducted. The first case study demonstrates a healthy system with no delivery shortcomings, the second case study portrays the delivery shortcoming due to increased localized area demand, and the remaining three case studies explore possible solutions to solve the problem. The first possible solution is to construct an identical HVAC line in parallel to the existing line.

In this thesis, we consider the use of the sparse grid combination technique with finite difference methods to solve parabolic partial differential equations. Convergence results are obtained in L2 for arbitrary dimensions via Fourier analysis arguments under the assumption that the initial data lies in the Sobolev space H4 mix. Numerical results are presented for model problems and for problems from the field of option pricing.

Le sujet de la thèse est le développement d'un outil numérique qui permet de modéliser l'écoulement autour des pales d'éoliennes. Nous nous sommes intéressés à la résolution des équations de Navier-Stokes en incompressible sur des maillages de type octree où les échelles plus petites en proche parois ont été modélisées par la méthode dite des wall functions. Un procédé d'adaptation automatique du maillage (AMR) a été développé pour affiner le maillage dans les zones où la vorticité est plus importante. Le modèle de structure d'une pale d'éolienne a été également implémenté et couplé avec le modèle fluide car une application de l'outil numérique est l'étude des effets des rafales de vent sur les pales d'éolienne. Un travail expérimental a été mené sur une éolienne avec une mesure de vent en amont. Ces données permettent ainsi de calibrer et valider les modèles numériques développés dans la thèse
The subject of the thesis is the development of a numerical tool that allows to model the flow around wind blades. We are interested in the solving of incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on octree grids, where the smallest scales close to the wall have been modelled by the use of the so-called Wall Functions. An automatic Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) process has been developed in order to refine the mesh in the areas where the vorticity is higher. The structural model of a real wind blade has also been implemented and coupled with the fluid model. Indeed, an application of the numerical tool is the study of the effects of wind gusts on blades. An experimental work has been conducted with an in-service wind turbine with the measurement of wind speed upstream. This data will allow to calibrate and validate the numerical models developed in the thesis

The Internet’s continued rapid growth is creating an untapped environment containing a large quantity of highly competent computing resources suitable for exploitation in existing capacity-constrained and new innovative capability-driven distributed applications. The Grid is a new computing model that has emerged to harness these resources in a manner that fits the problem solving process needs of the computational engineering design community. Their unique requirements have created specific challenges for Grid technologies to bring interoperability, stability, scalability and flexibility, in addition to, transparent integration and generic access to disparate computing resources within and across institutional boundaries. The emergence of maturing open standards based service-oriented (SO) technologies has fulfilled the fundamental requirements of interoperability, leaves a flexible framework onto which sophisticated system architectures may be built, and provides a suitable base for the development of future Grid technologies. The work presented in this thesis is motivated by the desire to identify, understand, and resolve important challenges involved in the construction of Grid-enabled Problem Solving Environments (PSE) using SO technologies. The work explains why they are appropriate for Grid computing and successfully demonstrates the application and benefits of applying SO technologies in the scenarios of Computational Micromagnetics and Grid-enabled Engineering Optimisation and Design Search (Geodise) systems. Experiences achieved through the work can also be of referential value to future application of Grid computing in different areas.

A new upwind scheme is developed for solving the three-dimensional Euler equations on unstructured tetrahedral meshes. The method yields solution accuracy and efficiency comparable to that currently available from similar structured-grid codes. The key to achieving this result is a novel cell reconstruction process which is based on an analytical formulation for computing solution gradients within tetrahedral cells. Prior methodology requires the application of cumbersome numerical procedures to evaluate surface integrals around the cell volume. The result is that higher-order differences can now be constructed more efficiently to attain computational times per cell comparable to those of structured codes. The underlying philosophy employed in constructing the basic flow solver is to draw on proven structured-grid technology whenever possible in order to reduce risk. Thus, spatial discretization is accomplished by a cell-centered finite-volume formulation using flux-difference splitting. Solutions are advanced in time by a 3- stage Runge-Kutta time-stepping scheme with convergence accelerated to steady state by local time stepping and implicit residual smoothing. The flow solver operates at a speed of 34 microseconds per cell per cycle on a CRAY-2S supercomputer and requires 64 words of memory per cell. Transonic solutions are presented for a broad class of configurations to demonstrate the accuracy, speed, and robustness of the new scheme. Solutions are shown for the ONERA M6 wing, the Boeing 747-200 configuration, a low-wing transport configuration, a high-speed civil transport configuration, and the space shuttle ascent configuration. Computed surface pressure-coefficient distributions on the ONERA M6 wing are compared with structured-grid results as well as experimental data to quantify the accuracy. A further assessment of grid sensitivity and the effect of convergence acceleration parameters is also included for this configuration. The more complex configurations serve to demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the new method and its potential for performing routine aerodynamic analysis of full aircraft configurations. For example, the basic transonic flow features are well captured on the space shuttle ascent configuration with only 7 megawords of memory and 142 minutes of CRAY-YMP run time.
Ph. D.

Dans ce travail, nous avons adapté une méthode de volumes finis aux équations de Saint-Venant avec termes sources, dans des configurations monodimensionnelles et bidimensionnelles complexes. Ces équations représentent les écoulements de l'eau peu profonde, consécutifs par exemple a une rupture de barrage. Pour la partie hyperbolique des équations, le schéma de Roe, solveur approché de Riemann, est introduit, et amélioré par une modification entropique, afin de prendre en compte les configurations particulières, telles que l'écoulement sur fond sec. Une extension à l'ordre deux de ce schéma a été réalisée, soit par la méthode de limitation de flux, soit par la méthode MUSCL en espace et Runge-Kutta 2 en temps. Une analyse de stabilité numérique non linéaire a été menée ; cela a permis la justification et la prédiction de limitations sur la condition CFL, confirmées par les expériences numériques. D'autre part, on introduit un schéma fractionné pour la prise en compte du terme source. La stabilité et la convergence du schéma vers la solution entropique sont prouvées dans le cas scalaire. Dans le cas de problèmes bidimensionnels, et afin de traiter correctement les termes de diffusion, des schémas conçus et analysés récemment ont été appliqués. Il s'agit d'un schéma à neuf points (VF9) dans le cas de maillages structurés, et d'un schéma à quatre points (VF4) dans le cas de maillages non structurés. En outre, une technique d'adaptation de maillage basée sur la méthode des ressorts a été utilisée avec succès, dans le cas de maillages structurés, afin de capturer avec plus de précisions les ondes de chocs et de détente. Enfin, on présente une méthode originale d'optimisation, les algorithmes génétiques (GAS), faisant le lien entre la méthode des volumes finis introduite et l'identification de paramètres physiques. Les expériences numériques réalisées, entre autres pour la propagation de polluants dans des domaines à géométrie complexe, ont confirmé les performances de ces méthodes.

碩士
中原大學
資訊管理研究所
92
In this paper, we propose a Grid Service-Based Problem-Solving Environment （GSBPSE） to integrate the heterogeneous resources and solve several scientific problems. All of the computing resources in a grid environment can be regarded as grid services. We need not consider the physical geographical position of computing resources in this environment for solving user’s problem. When a request is made, GSBPSE can dynamically organize the computing resources to be a virtual service instance to solve it. Besides, since grids services technology is on the basis of open protocols and standards, so that can efficiently integrate heterogeneous applications distributed in the different geography. Globus Toolkit V3.2 （GT3） was used as construction tool to build the grid environment. Parallel matrix multiplication written in C with MPI codes was published as grid services to evaluate the performance and feasibility of GSBPSE. Experimental Results showed that our method was feasible.

碩士
國立勤益科技大學
資訊工程系
103
Grid is a technology of sharing computing ability that combines the scattered heterogeneous resources around the world, and the computing ability of the grid is comparable to supercomputers. There are lots of researchers devote to enhance the capacity of the grid by applying novel algorithms to facilitate distributing resources to the adequate jobs and decide the executing order of the jobs in the grid environment. In this thesis, an enhanced particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with the additional forces exerted on particles is suggested. This proposed PSO is named “Multi-force Particle Swarm Optimization, MPSO”. In MPSO, two negative experiences of particle including the worst individual experience of particle and the worst group experience of the swarm are used to update the particle’s moving velocity. Meanwhile, this thesis utilizes a parameter based on the problem scale to control the exerting force for pushing particles to move away from the both worst experiences. The experimental results show that the proposed multi-force particle swarm optimization algorithm is able to solve the grid scheduling problems effectively and efficiently. Comparing to other studies, although the proposed MPSO is not outstanding for the small scale problems, nevertheless the MPSO outperform other schemes in large scale problems. Restated, this MPSO with additional forces included is suitable for solving large scale grid scheduling problems.

碩士
國立高雄海洋科技大學
輪機工程研究所
97
In this study a cell-centered finite volume method on unstructured grids is used to solve Laplace’s equation. The two- dimensional and three-dimensional heat conduction problems in steady and unsteady states are analyzed. First, Laplace’s equation is discretized to obtain differential equations with first-order and hyper-order accuracy. Then, the converged solution is determined within specific iterative times using the conjugate gradient iterative method (P-CG). This study compares the calculated results of first-order accuracy with those of hyper-order accuracy in steady and unsteady states. The experiment indicates that the results of first-order accuracy are consistent with those of hyper-order accuracy on unstructured grids in steady state. Moreover, applying the cell-centered finite volume method on problems in unsteady state will reduce the number of iterative times, and converges much faster.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Johannesburg 2016.
This dissertation investigates grit “passion and perseverance” for a long-term goal and growth mindset in grade 11 high school students as they code a non-trivial pro-gramming project in Java over a six-week period. Students are often challenged by the complexities of programming and can be overwhelmed when they encounter errors causing them to give up and not persevere. The programming project includes scaffolding with frequent feedback to increase the motivation of students. The study used mixed methods research that used both quantitative and qualitative data to find answers to the research questions. Whilst the correlation between grit, mindset and the project results were moderate, that students submitted their project numerous times showed an indication to perseverance. The data gathered from the interviews further indicated that the students’ perseverance led them to employ their own prob-lem-solving strategies when they encounter problems.
MT 2017

碩士
國立臺灣大學
工程科學及海洋工程學研究所
101
An explicit finite-difference scheme for solving the three-dimensional Maxwell''s equations in non-staggered grids is presented in time domain. Our aim is to solve the Faraday''s and Ampere''s equations in time domain within the discrete zero-divergence context for the electric and magnetic fields (or Gauss''s law). The local conservation laws in Maxwell''s equations are also numerically preserved all the time using the explicit second-order accurate symplectic partitioned Runge-Kutta temporal scheme. Following the method of lines, the spatial derivative terms in the semi-discretized Faraday''s and Ampere''s equations are then properly discretized to get a dispersively very accurate solution. This proposed fourth-order accurate space centered scheme minimizes the difference between the exact and numerical phase velocities. The significant dispersion and anisotropy errors manifested normally in finite difference time domain methods are therefore much reduced. In addition to the fundamental study performed on the proposed scheme, the dual-preserving (symplecticity and dispersion relation equation) wave solver is numerically demonstrated to be efficient for use to get in particular long-term accurate Maxwell''s solutions.

Τα τελευταία χρόνια έχουν γίνει σημαντικές προσπάθειες o Πληροφορικός-Επιστήμονας των Υπολογισμών να εκθέσει με εύληπτο τρόπο τη γνώση και εμπειρία του στις κοινότητες εκείνων που θέλουν να κάνουν υπολογισμούς. Κάτι τέτοιο έχει καταστεί δυνατό με την κατασκευή σύνθετων στη δομή, αλλά εύκολων στη χρήση, εργαλείων-περιβαλλόντων υπολογισμού στα οποία κανείς μπορεί με εντελώς φυσικό τρόπο να προδιαγράψει το πρόβλημά του και -ανάλογα με την εμπειρία του- να επέμβει στη ροή επίλυσής του. Τα Περιβάλλοντα Επίλυσης Προβλημάτων (ΠΕΠ) προβάλλουν λοιπόν ως μια πολύ ελκυστική λύση για τον επιστήμονα των εφαρμογών που αναζητεί μια εύχρηστη, ισχυρή και αξιόπιστη πλατφόρμα λογισμικού για τους υπολογισμούς του. Σε πολλές περιπτώσεις αυτοί οι υπολογισμοί είναι πολύ μεγάλης κλίμακας και απαιτούν πολυάριθμους και αποδοτικούς πόρους. Η τιθάσευσή τους σε κάποια έκταση έγινε δυνατή με τη στροφή σε παράλληλες-κατανεμημένες αρχιτεκτονικές, πρόσφατα μεγάλης κλίμακας, με έμφαση στην ευχρηστία, στην ασφάλεια πρόσβασης και στη συνεργατικότητα (Πλέγμα (Grid)). Σε άλλες περιπτώσεις οι πολυπύρηνοι επεξεργαστές που εξοπλίζουν πλέον τους τυπικούς οικιακούς υπολογιστές μας και οι προβλέψεις για αθρόα κλιμάκωση του αριθμού των προσφερόμενων πυρήνων, προτρέπουν σε επαναδιαπραγμάτευση κλασικών αλγορίθμων με στόχευση στην εξαγωγή παραλληλίας, αφού πλέον αυτή μπορεί να απεικονιστεί άμεσα στο διαθέσιμο υλικό. Επιπρόσθετα μια τέτοια στροφή ώθησε και τη διερεύνηση εναλλακτικών μοντέλων υπολογισμού: Το ασύγχρονο μοντέλο υπολογισμού προσφέροντας τη δυνατότητα για εξάλειψη των χρονοβόρων φάσεων συγχρονισμού των πολλαπλών μονάδων επεξεργασίας προβάλλει ως μια ενδιαφέρουσα επιλογή. Συστηματοποιούμε τη μελέτη των Περιβαλλόντων Επίλυσης Προβλημάτων (ΠΕΠ) εντοπίζοντας τους άξονες που χαρακτηρίζουν αυτήν την κατηγορία συστημάτων λογισμικού και υλοποιώντας το Jylab, ένα πρωτότυπο ΠΕΠ με έμφαση στη φορητότητα, την επαναχρησιμοποίηση ελεύθερα διαθέσιμου κώδικα και τη δυνατότητα για ακολουθιακό, παράλληλο και κατανεμημένο υπολογισμό σε πολλαπλές πλατφόρμες. Ειδικότερα, το Jylab περιλαμβάνει υποστήριξη για ασύγχρονο κατανεμημένο υπολογισμό, ανάλυση ιστογραφημάτων και εκτέλεση υπολογισμών στο Πλέγμα (Grid). Αμέσως μετά εισάγουμε το ασύγχρονο μοντέλο υπολογισμού εστιάζοντας σε καίρια ζητήματα όπως η ανάλυση της σύγκλισης, η ανίχνευση του τερματισμού και η υλοποίησή του. Προτείνουμε πιθανοτικό πλαίσιο εντοπισμού της σύγκλισης και διερευνούμε την πολυπλοκότητα του μοντέλου. Στη συνέχεια μελετούμε αλγορίθμους διάταξης των κόμβων ενός γραφήματος, επικεντρώνοντας στον υπολογισμό του διανύσματος του PageRank το οποίο χρησιμοποιεί η Google για να διατάξει τα αποτελέσματα μιας ερώτησης που υποβάλλουμε στη μηχανή αναζήτησής της. Αποδεικνύουμε πως και άλλες μέθοδοι διάταξης, οι οποίες εκφράζονται πρωταρχικά ως δυναμοσειρές ενός τροποποιημένου μητρώου συνδέσμων μπορούν να γραφτούν ως γινόμενα των επαναληπτικών μητρώων που χρησιμοποιούνται στον υπολογισμό του διανύσματος PageRank, αλλά με διαφορετική παράμετρο σε κάθε όρο τους (μέθοδος της πολυπαραμετρικής απόσβεσης). Στη συνέχεια εκθέτουμε την πειραματική συμπεριφορά του ασύγχρονου μοντέλου, όπως αυτή προκύπτει από υλοποιήσεις κυρίως του αλγορίθμου του PageRank, σε διάφορες πλατφόρμες (τοπικά, στη συστάδα υπολογισμών και στο Πλέγμα (Grid)) και με μονάδες εκτέλεσης νήματα ή διεργασίες. To Jylab χρησιμοποιήθηκε εντατικά σε αυτές τις διερευνήσεις και αποδείχτηκε πως όλοι οι πειραματισμοί μπορούν να τεθούν κάτω από ενιαίο πλαίσιο λογισμικού. Επίσης εισάγουμε μια κλάση αλγορίθμων κατανεμημένου υπολογισμού στατιστικών μεγεθών, τους gossip αλγορίθμους, σε κάθε στοιχειώδες βήμα των οποίων μόνο δύο οντότητες επικοινωνούν και υπολογίζουν. Επεκτείνουμε αυτούς τους αλγορίθμους επιτρέποντας σε k > 2 οντότητες να αλληλεπιδρούν ανά βήμα, προσομοιώνουμε τη συμπεριφορά τους και προτείνουμε πρωτόκολλα υλοποίησής τους.
In recent years computational scientists strive to expose their knowledge and experience to the communities of people interested in performing computations. This endeavor focuses on the construction of complex in structure, however simple in use, toolchains and environments in which a researcher can specify his or her problem and - depending on his experience - change its exact solution flow. In many cases these computations necessitate large-scale and performant resources. Harnessing them, to some extent, became possible by turning to parallel-distributed architectures, recently of large scale, emphasizing usability, security in accessing them and collaboration perspectives (Grid). In other cases, the multicore processors, nowadays powering even typical personal computers, coupled with predictions for dramatic increase in the number of available cores in the near future, suggest a reconsideration of classic algorithms aiming at extracting parallelism, since this can be directly mapped to underlying hardware. Additionally, such a move, also fuels the investigation of alternative computation models: The asynchronous computation model, offering the flexibility for the complete removal of time-consuming synchronization phases, is a very interesting option. We study Problem Solving Environments (PSEs) in a systematic manner, specifying the axes characterizing this category of systems of software also implementing Jylab, a prototype PSE emphasizing portability and the reuse of freely available code and enabling sequential, parallel and distributed computing over multiple platforms. More specifically, Jylab includes support for asynchronous distributed computations, Web graph analysis and Grid computing. Then we introduce the asynchronous computation model, focusing in three core subjects, namely its convergence analysis, the termination detection problem and its implementation. We propose a probabilistic framework for convergence detection and explore the complexity of the model. Afterwards, we survey algorithms for ranking the nodes of a graph, focusing on computing the PageRank vector, which is used by Google for ranking the results of a query submitted to its search engine. We prove that a whole class of ranking methods, primarily expressed as a power series of a modified link matrix can be written as products of iterative matrices similar to those used in computing the PageRank vector, albeit with a different damping parameter for each of its terms (multidamping). Next, we present the experimental behavior of the asynchronous model, mainly as applied in computing the PageRank vector, over different platforms (locally, in a computer cluster and over the Grid) using either threads or processes as its units of execution. Jylab was intensively used in these investigations and it was proved that all experimentations can be cast under a unifying software framework. We also introduce a class of algorithms for the distributed computation of statistical quantities, namely gossip algorithms, for which only two entities communicate and compute at each elementary step. We extend these algorithms be permitting k > 2 entities to interact on a per elementary step basis, simulate their behavior and propose protocols for implementing them.