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At least 127 records · Page 7

Efficacy of the SU(3) scheme for ab initio large-scale calculations beyond the lightest nuclei

We report on the computational characteristics of ab initio nuclear structure calculations in a symmetry-adapted no-core shell model (SA-NCSM) framework. We examine the computational complexity of the current implementation of the SA-NCSM approach, dubbed LSU3shell, by analyzing ab initio results for 6 Li and 12 C in large harmonic oscillator model spaces and SU(3)-selected subspaces. We demonstrate LSU3shell's strong-scaling properties achieved with highly-parallel methods for computing the many-body matrix elements. Results compare favorably with complete model space calculations and signi cant memory savings are achieved in physically important applications. In particular, a well-chosen symmetry-adapted basis a ords memory savings in calculations of states with a fixed total angular momentum in large model spaces while exactly preserving translational invariance.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Production of FR Tubing from Advanced ODS Alloys

Significant research is underway to develop LWR nuclear fuels with improved accident tolerance. One of the leading candidate materials for cladding are the FeCrAl alloys. New alloys produced at ORNL called Gen I and Gen II FeCrAl alloys possess excellent oxidation resistance in steam up to 1400°C and in parallel methods are being developed to produce tubing from these alloys. Century tubing continues to produce excellent tubing from FeCrAl alloys. This memo reports receipt of ~21 feet of Gen I FeCrAl alloy tubing. This tubing will be used for future tests including burst testing, mechanical testing and irradiation testing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Development of a Library for Conducting Monte Carlo Tallies on Heterogeneous Systems

A library is introduced that enables users to conduct Monte Carlo tallies on heterogeneous computing systems. The library can be built with or linked to a Monte Carlo transport code to provide tally capabilities for the project. The library provides a set of tools and an interface for constructing tallies that can be computed on CPUs or GPUs regardless of where the sample data was generated. The library can be incorporated into existing Monte Carlo transport codes at both the research and production level with minimal intrusion into the transport code. The tally library is capable of computing a variety of tallies including track-length histogram (mesh) tallies, collisionbased kernel density estimators, functional expansion tallies, eigenvalue sensitivity coefficients via iterated fission probability, and sensitivities of reaction rates or adjoint-weighted quantities via differential operator sampling. The parallelization methods are discussed and speedups are shown for 2-D and 3-D problems with comparisons to both the tally library CPU implementations as well as the tally capabilities in the host transport code. Performance results and examples are shown for MCNP, MCATK, and OpenMC.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Computational structural mechanics and fluid dynamics: Advances and trends; Proceedings of the Symposium, Washington, DC, Oct. 17-19, 1988

Recent advances in computational structural and fluid dynamics are discussed in reviews and reports. Topics addressed include fluid-structure interaction and aeroelasticity, CFD techniques for reacting flows, micromechanics, stability and eigenproblems, probabilistic methods and chaotic dynamics, and perturbation and spectral methods. Consideration is given to finite-element, finite-volume, and boundary-element methods; adaptive methods; parallel processing machines and applications; and visualization, mesh generation, and AI interfaces.

Noor, Ahmed K.↗

Concurrent processing adaptation of aeroelastic analysis of propfans

This paper reports on a study involving the adaptation of an advanced aeroelastic analysis program to run concurrently on a shared memory multiple processor computer. The program uses a three-dimensional compressible unsteady aerodynamic model and blade normal modes to calculate aeroelastic stability and response of propfan blades. The identification of the computational parallelism within the sequential code and the scheduling of the concurrent subtasks to minimize processor idle time are discussed. Processor idle time in the calculation of the unsteady aerodynamic coefficients was reduced by the simple strategy of appropriately ordering the computations. Speedup and efficiency results are presented for the calculation of the matched flutter point of an experimental propfan model. The results show that efficiencies above 70 percent can be obtained using the present implementation with 7 processors. The parallel computational strategy described here is also applicable to other aeroelastic analysis procedures based on parallel methods.

Murthy, Durbha V.↗

Ordered fast Fourier transforms on a massively parallel hypercube multiprocessor

The present evaluation of alternative, massively parallel hypercube processor-applicable designs for ordered radix-2 decimation-in-frequency FFT algorithms gives attention to the reduction of computation time-dominating communication. A combination of the order and computational phases of the FFT is accordingly employed, in conjunction with sequence-to-processor maps which reduce communication. Two orderings, 'standard' and 'cyclic', in which the order of the transform is the same as that of the input sequence, can be implemented with ease on the Connection Machine (where orderings are determined by geometries and priorities. A parallel method for trigonometric coefficient computation is presented which does not employ trigonometric functions or interprocessor communication.

Tong, Charles↗

Ordered fast fourier transforms on a massively parallel hypercube multiprocessor

Design alternatives for ordered Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) algorithms were examined on massively parallel hypercube multiprocessors such as the Connection Machine. Particular emphasis is placed on reducing communication which is known to dominate the overall computing time. To this end, the order and computational phases of the FFT were combined, and the sequence to processor maps that reduce communication were used. The class of ordered transforms is expanded to include any FFT in which the order of the transform is the same as that of the input sequence. Two such orderings are examined, namely, standard-order and A-order which can be implemented with equal ease on the Connection Machine where orderings are determined by geometries and priorities. If the sequence has N = 2 exp r elements and the hypercube has P = 2 exp d processors, then a standard-order FFT can be implemented with d + r/2 + 1 parallel transmissions. An A-order sequence can be transformed with 2d - r/2 parallel transmissions which is r - d + 1 fewer than the standard order. A parallel method for computing the trigonometric coefficients is presented that does not use trigonometric functions or interprocessor communication. A performance of 0.9 GFLOPS was obtained for an A-order transform on the Connection Machine.

Tong, Charles↗

Recent progress in the joint velocity-scalar PDF method

This viewgraph presentation discusses joint velocity-scalar PDF method; turbulent combustion modeling issues for gas turbine combustors; PDF calculations for a recirculating flow; stochastic dissipation model; joint PDF calculations for swirling flows; spray calculations; reduced kinetics/manifold methods; parallel processing; and joint PDF focus areas.

Anand, M. S.↗

A New Approach to Parallel Dynamic Partitioning for Adaptive Unstructured Meshes

Classical mesh partitioning algorithms were designed for rather static situations, and their straightforward application in a dynamical framework may lead to unsatisfactory results, e.g., excessive data migration among processors. Furthermore, special attention should be paid to their amenability to parallelization. In this paper, a novel parallel method for the dynamic partitioning of adaptive unstructured meshes is described. It is based on a linear representation of the mesh using self-avoiding walks.

Heber, Gerd↗

Smoothed aggregation adaptive spectral element-based algebraic multigrid

SAAMGE provides parallel methods for building multilevel hierarchies and solvers that can be used for elliptic equations with highly heterogeneous coefficients. Additionally, hierarchy adaptation is implemented allowing solving multiple problems with close coefficients without rebuilding the hierarchy.

Source record↗

Parallel Evolutionary Optimization for Neuromorphic Network Training

One of the key impediments to the success of current neuromorphic computing architectures is the issue of how best to program them. Evolutionary optimization (EO) is one promising programming technique; in particular, its wide applicability makes it especially attractive for neuromorphic architectures, which can have many different characteristics. In this paper, we explore different facets of EO on a spiking neuromorphic computing model called DANNA. We focus on the performance of EO in the design of our DANNA simulator, and on how to structure EO on both multicore and massively parallel computing systems. We evaluate how our parallel methods impact the performance of EO on Titan, the U.S.'s largest open science supercomputer, and BOB, a Beowulf-style cluster of Raspberry Pi's. We also focus on how to improve the EO by evaluating commonality in higher performing neural networks, and present the result of a study that evaluates the EO performed by Titan.

Schuman, Catherine D↗

Automated methods for scalable, parallelized enzymatic biopolymer synthesis and modification using microfluidic devices

Methods for the automated template-free synthesis of user-defined sequence controlled biopolymers using microfluidic devices are described. The methods facilitate simultaneous synthesis of up to thousands of uniquely addressed biopolymers from the controlled movement and combination of regents as fluid droplets using microfluidic and EWOD-based systems. In some forms, biopolymers including nucleic acids, peptides, carbohydrates, and lipids are synthesized from step-wise assembly of building blocks based on a user-defined sequence of droplet movements. In some forms, the methods synthesize uniquely addressed nucleic acids of up to 1,000 nucleotides in length. Methods for adding, removing and changing barcodes on biopolymers are also provided. Biopolymers synthesized according to the methods, and libraries and databases thereof are also described. Modified biopolymers, including chemically modified nucleotides and biopolymers conjugated to other molecules are described.

Banal, James↗

A survey on software methods to improve the energy efficiency of parallel computing

Energy consumption is one of the top challenges for achieving the next generation of supercomputing. Codesign of hardware and software is critical for improving energy efficiency (EE) for future large-scale systems. Many architectural power-saving techniques have been developed, and most hardware components are approaching physical limits. Accordingly, parallel computing software, including both applications and systems, should exploit power-saving hardware innovations and manage efficient energy use. In addition, new power-aware parallel computing methods are essential to decrease energy usage further. This article surveys software-based methods that aim to improve EE for parallel computing. It reviews the methods that exploit the characteristics of parallel scientific applications, including load imbalance and mixed precision of floating-point (FP) calculations, to improve EE. In addition, this article summarizes widely used methods to improve power usage at different granularities, such as the whole system and per application. In particular, it describes the most important techniques to measure and to achieve energy-efficient usage of various parallel computing facilities, including processors, memories, and networks. Overall, this article reviews the state-of-the-art of energy-efficient methods for parallel computing to motivate researchers to achieve optimal parallel computing under a power budget constraint.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Development and Validation of a Fast, Accurate and Cost-Effective Aeroservoelastic Method on Advanced Parallel Computing Systems

Progress to date towards the development and validation of a fast, accurate and cost-effective aeroelastic method for advanced parallel computing platforms such as the IBM SP2 and the SGI Origin 2000 is presented in this paper. The ENSAERO code, developed at the NASA-Ames Research Center has been selected for this effort. The code allows for the computation of aeroelastic responses by simultaneously integrating the Euler or Navier-Stokes equations and the modal structural equations of motion. To assess the computational performance and accuracy of the ENSAERO code, this paper reports the results of the Navier-Stokes simulations of the transonic flow over a flexible aeroelastic wing body configuration. In addition, a forced harmonic oscillation analysis in the frequency domain and an analysis in the time domain are done on a wing undergoing a rigid pitch and plunge motion. Finally, to demonstrate the ENSAERO flutter-analysis capability, aeroelastic Euler and Navier-Stokes computations on an L-1011 wind tunnel model including pylon, nacelle and empennage are underway. All computational solutions are compared with experimental data to assess the level of accuracy of ENSAERO. As the computations described above are performed, a meticulous log of computational performance in terms of wall clock time, execution speed, memory and disk storage is kept. Code scalability is also demonstrated by studying the impact of varying the number of processors on computational performance on the IBM SP2 and the Origin 2000 systems.

Goodwin, Sabine A.↗

Parallel, adaptive finite element methods for conservation laws

We construct parallel finite element methods for the solution of hyperbolic conservation laws in one and two dimensions. Spatial discretization is performed by a discontinuous Galerkin finite element method using a basis of piecewise Legendre polynomials. Temporal discretization utilizes a Runge-Kutta method. Dissipative fluxes and projection limiting prevent oscillations near solution discontinuities. A posteriori estimates of spatial errors are obtained by a p-refinement technique using superconvergence at Radau points. The resulting method is of high order and may be parallelized efficiently on MIMD computers. We compare results using different limiting schemes and demonstrate parallel efficiency through computations on an NCUBE/2 hypercube. We also present results using adaptive h- and p-refinement to reduce the computational cost of the method.

Biswas, Rupak↗

Real-time fault detection and transient identification using extended Kalman filters - 254

In this paper, real-time fault detection and transient identification are studied with adaptive estimation methods, in particular parallel processing methods by implementing a bank of extended Kalman filters. Adaptive estimation is combined with probabilistic risk assessment to allow for real-time continuous monitoring of initiating events. The approach provides a probability of an initiating event happening. Real-time monitoring of initiating events can reduce labor demand. Each extended Kalman filter is configured to operate at a single configuration, either at normal operation or a faulted state. Fault detection is based on calculating a likelihood function for each extended Kalman filter to determine the posteriori conditional probability that the system configuration is the true configuration. The transient identification is determined by performing a multivariate statistical analysis on each extended Kalman filter to provide a posterior probability assessment that the reactor states and its dynamics are within the allowable limits. The probability distribution being outside the allowable limits indicate a transient has occurred. The combination of parallel processing methods with the multivariate statistical analysis for transient identification allows for the operator to perform transient identification with having a high level of certainty of the current system configuration. We demonstrate the real-time fault detection and transient identification on a simple reactor example to determine the reactor power, reactor temperature, and coolant temperature in the presence of various faults. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

A calibration method for overconstrained spatial translational parallel manipulators

A calibration method for overconstrained spatial translational parallel mechanisms is proposed. The calibration of a Tri-pyramid overconstrained parallel robot is used as a vehicle to demonstrate the methodology and verify its feasibility. The proposed methodology consists of transforming the overconstrained mechanism of the robot into a non-overconstrained mechanism by replacing its redundant constraints with generalized forces (couples). The kinematic model of the non-overconstrained mechanism is derived using vector loops while its mechanical model is established by the energy method. An integrated kinematic model of the original overconstrained parallel robot is subsequently established by expressing the actual position of the end effector as the sum of the position derived by the kinematic model of the non-overconstrained mechanism and of the force-induced deformations at the end effector derived from the mechanical model. To assess the feasibility and the attainable improvements in accuracy through calibration, the positions of the end effector of the Tri-pyramid robot were measured by a method that uses a Double Ball Bar (DBB) and a 3-axes linear stage with micrometers. Based on the integrated kinematic model of the robot and the measured data, its structural parameters were identified by the Newton–Raphson iteration and least squares methods to complete the calibration. The calibration result shows that accuracy improvements on the order of 90% are achievable.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Parallel Monte Carlo Methods for Heterogeneous Hardware Computer Systems Using GPUs and Coprocessors: Recent Development of ARCHER Code - Paper 54

Traditional methods of accelerating Monte Carlo (MC) calculations typically use CPUs as the computing unit. The parallelism is based upon multithreading on a multi-core processor, and message passing interface (MPI) across many processors and nodes. In recent years, the hardware accelerators have been introduced by the high performance computing industry as an alternative approach to achieve massive parallelism. Hardware accelerators have the advantage of high Floating-point Operations Per Second (FLOPS) and high energy efficiency. Examples include graphics processing units (GPUs) and coprocessors. Compute-intensive programs can be off-loaded to them to be concurrently executed by hundreds or thousands of active threads. Existing production MC codes, however, cannot be directly compiled or executed on the new platforms. It is therefore necessary to rewrite or redevelop the code using the hardware accelerator specific programming models and APIs. Several studies have been conducted on using GPUs to accelerate MC calculations in reactor analysis and medical physics. In this paper, we present the recent progress at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in developing a new parallel MC code called ARCHER (Accelerated Radiation-transport Computations in Heterogeneous Environments) for coupled photon-electron transport simulations. The code is designed as a test bed to evaluate the efficacy of heterogeneous computing systems for low-cost MC-based radiation dosimetric calculations. The code has three variants corresponding to three parallel hardware platforms: ARCHER-CPU (multi-core CPU), ARCHER-GPU (Nvidia GPU) and ARCHER-COP (Intel Xeon Phi coprocessor). The code has been used for several applications, including CT imaging dosimetry, radiotherapy dosimetry and radiation shielding design. (authors)

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗