Massively Parallel Particle Hydrodynamics at Exascale

Computing in Science & Engineering, vol. 24, pp. 14–25

Abstract

In this article, we introduce the work of the Massively Parallel Particle Hydrodynamics working group, part of the U.K.’s ExCALIBUR software initiative. The aim of the group is to develop extensible software suitable for simulating complex hydrodynamics problems on exascale computing facilities using a Lagrangian particle-based approach. These methods complement mesh-based approaches, and are particularly suited to problems with a large and fluid dynamic range or that involve free surfaces. The code we are developing uses fine-grained task parallelism to achieve a good load balance, when the workload varies greatly from fluid element to element. We describe how components from astrophysics and engineering are being brought together to further develop this interesting approach, and outline some of the challenges, such as enabling task execution on graphics processing units, that the working group will need to solve in order to extract the full potential of exascale systems.

Authors 3

1. Richard G. Bower Aachen Lorentz Institute for Theoretical Physics

   Leiden University · University of Manchester · Durham University · Leiden Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Durham, Durham, U.K

   Dept. of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

   Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK;

   Leiden University, PO Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

   Lorentz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Leiden University, PO Box 9506, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Leiden Observatory,

   The University of Manchester Research

2. Benedict D. Rogers

   University of Manchester

   Affiliation as printed

   The University of Manchester, Manchester, U.K

3. Matthieu Schaller Aachen Lorentz Institute for Theoretical Physics

   Leiden University · University of Manchester · Durham University · Leiden Observatory

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

   Dept. of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

   Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK;

   Leiden University, PO Box 9513, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

   Lorentz Institute for Theoretical Physics, Leiden University, PO Box 9506, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Leiden Observatory,

   The University of Manchester Research