On-node performance optimization of a Monte-Carlo transport code for leadership architectures

The tally system in Monte Carlo neutron transport codes accounts for a significant fraction of the total execution time. This project studied the tally performance of a Monte Carlo neutron transport code (i.e., OpenMC) and implemented several optimizations to address the major bottlenecks. First, a comprehensive profiling analysis was carried out on modern Intel micro-architectures (i.e., Intel Xeon Phi and Intel Xeon Platinum 8180) to understand what hardware and settings configurations were optimal. The specific modules and subroutines that were responsible for the performance drop were also highlighted. The first round of optimizations were specific to the information that the profiling analysis provided. Both the nuclide and the reaction index searches were found to be inefficient. As a result, the two searches were improved with the implementation of direct address tables, which have a single search efficiency of O(1) and a small memory footprint.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Salcedo-Pérez, José Luis.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Benoit Forget and Kord Smith.

• Nuclear Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123358

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/123358