Turbomachinery GPU Accelerated CFD: An Insight into Performance

Abstract

Driven by the emergence of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), the solution of increasingly large and intricate numerical problems has become feasible. Yet, the integration of GPUs into Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes still presents a significant challenge. This study undertakes an evaluation of the computational performance of GPUs for CFD applications. Two Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA)-based implementations within the Open Field Operation and Manipulation (OpenFOAM) environment were employed for the numerical solution of a 3D Kaplan turbine draft tube workbench. A series of tests were conducted to assess the fixed-size grid problem speedup in accordance with Amdahl’s Law. Additionally, tests were performed to identify the optimal configuration utilizing various linear solvers, preconditioners, and smoothers, along with an analysis of memory usage.