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At least 487 records · Page 27

Towards Enhancing Coding Productivity for GPU Programming Using Static Graphs

The main contribution of this work is to increase the coding productivity of GPU programming by using the concept of Static Graphs. GPU capabilities have been increasing significantly in terms of performance and memory capacity. However, there are still some problems in terms of scalability and limitations to the amount of work that a GPU can perform at a time. To minimize the overhead associated with the launch of GPU kernels, as well as to maximize the use of GPU capacity, we have combined the new CUDA Graph API with the CUDA programming model (including CUDA math libraries) and the OpenACC programming model. We use as test cases two different, well-known and widely used problems in HPC and AI: the Conjugate Gradient method and the Particle Swarm Optimization. In the first test case (Conjugate Gradient) we focus on the integration of Static Graphs with CUDA. In this case, we are able to significantly outperform the NVIDIA reference code, reaching an acceleration of up to 11x thanks to a better implementation, which can benefit from the new CUDA Graph capabilities. In the second test case (Particle Swarm Optimization), we complement the OpenACC functionality with the use of CUDA Graph, achieving again accelerations of up to one order of magnitude, with average speedups ranging from 2x to 4x, and performance very close to a reference and optimized CUDA code. Our main target is to achieve a higher coding productivity model for GPU programming by using Static Graphs, which provides, in a very transparent way, a better exploitation of the GPU capacity. The combination of using Static Graphs with two of the current most important GPU programming models (CUDA and OpenACC) is able to reduce considerably the execution time w.r.t. the use of CUDA and OpenACC only, achieving accelerations of up to more than one order of magnitude. Finally, we propose an interface to incorporate the concept of Static Graphs into the OpenACC Specifications.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Evaluating Building Energy Code Compliance and Savings Potential through Large-Scale Simulation with Models Inferred by Field Data

Building energy code compliance is the crucial link between the actual energy savings and the efficiency prescribed in energy codes. A research project aiming to identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption in new single-family residential construction by increasing compliance with the building energy code was conducted in several states of the United States. The study was comprised of three phases: (1) a baseline study to document typical practice and identify opportunities for improvement based on empirical data gathered from the field; (2) an education and training phase targeting the opportunities identified; and (3) a post-study to assess whether a reduction in average state-wide energy use could be achieved following the education and training phase. We proposed a novel methodology based on large-scale building energy simulation inferred by limited field data to assess the performance of a large population of homes. This paper presents the methodology, findings, and results of this study. The state-wide average energy consumption decreased at Phase III from Phase I for five of the seven states involved in the analysis. The measure-level savings potential analysis shows an overall reduction. Overall, the training and education phase plays a recognizable role in improving compliance with building energy codes.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

LACEwING: A New Moving Group Analysis Code

We present a new nearby young moving group (NYMG) kinematic membership analysis code, LocAting Constituent mEmbers In Nearby Groups (LACEwING), a new Catalog of Suspected Nearby Young Stars, a new list of bona fide members of moving groups, and a kinematic traceback code. LACEwING is a convergence-style algorithm with carefully vetted membership statistics based on a large numerical simulation of the Solar Neighborhood. Given spatial and kinematic information on stars, LACEwING calculates membership probabilities in 13 NYMGs and three open clusters within 100 pc. In addition to describing the inputs, methods, and products of the code, we provide comparisons of LACEwING to other popular kinematic moving group membership identification codes. As a proof of concept, we use LACEwING to reconsider the membership of 930 stellar systems in the Solar Neighborhood (within 100 pc) that have reported measurable lithium equivalent widths. We quantify the evidence in support of a population of young stars not attached to any NYMGs, which is a possible sign of new as-yet-undiscovered groups or of a field population of young stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

ASME Code Activities

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently assessing ASME Section III, Division 5 (2017 Edition) and accompanying Code Cases for endorsement Draft Regulatory Guide (DG-1380) and draft NUREG (2245) on the endorsement of Division 5 were issued and public comment phase completed DG-1380 places conditions in the areas of general requirements, mechanical design, metallic materials allowable stresses, and graphite materials/design of Division 5 DG-1380 is a revision to Regulatory Guide 1.87, Revision 1, 1975 (which endorsed the 159X series of ASME Code Cases, with conditions) NRC staff is currently reviewing the low-temperature and elevated temperature Alloy 617 code cases for endorsement Results of the review will be incorporated into DG-1380 and changes will be announced publicly The formal endorsement of Section III, Division 5 and accompanying code cases, with conditions, will be made through Regulatory Guide 1.87, Revision 2

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

A summary of the mechanical properties data developed in FY 2023 by ANL, INL and ORNL to support the data package development for the A709 Code Case

This report provides the status of tensile, creep, fatigue, and creep-fatigue testing to date conducted at Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to generate the data package required to qualify Alloy 709 in American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, Division 5. The Division 5 Class A Alloy 709 Code Case requires data generated from a minimum of three commercial heats. Extensive mechanical properties data have been generated on two commercial heats, and some initial test data have been generated from the third commercial heat. The room temperature tensile test results for the three commercial heats met the specification minimum of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section II, Part A, SA-213/SA-213M for Grade TP310MoCbN (UNS S31025) seamless tubing. These three commercial heats of Alloy 709 are suitable for generating the code case data.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

A new code for spectrometric analysis for environmental radiological surveillance on monitors focused on gamma radioactivity on aerosols

pGamma is a code developed by the NERG group of the Technical University of Catalonia - Barcelona Tech for the analysis of gamma spectra generated by the Equipment for the Continuous Measurement and Identification of Gamma Radioactivity on Aerosols with Paper Filter developed for our group and Raditel Servies company. Nowadays the code is in the process of adaptation for the monitors of the Environmental Radiological Surveillance Network of the Local Government of Catalonia (Generalitat of Catalonia), Spain. The code is a Spectrum Analysis System, it identifies the gamma emitters on the spectrum, determines its Concentration of Activity, generates alarms depending on the Activity of the emitters and generates a report. The Spectrum Analysis System includes a library with emitters of interest, NORM and artificial. The code is being used on the three stations with the aerosol monitor of the Network (Asco and Vandellos, near both Nuclear Power Plants and Barcelona). (authors)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Development of the computer code for multi-calculations of source term of spent fuel - 15351

Many PWR spent fuels have been transferred between the neighboring nuclear power plants at Kori, Hanbit, Hanwul site, and from nuclear power plant to the KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) for the research purpose in Korea. In case of the PHWR type spent fuels, these have been transferred from the spent fuel pool to an on-site dry storage facility. Total radioactivity of spent fuels has to be calculated before transport in advance by the regulation requirement. In case of PWR, KN-12 transport cask can transfer 12 spent fuel assemblies at one time and in case of PHWR, Hi-STAR 63 transport cask can transfer 120 spent fuel assemblies at one time. Therefore, total radioactivity of all transported spent fuel assemblies that are transported generally are calculated by using the ORIGEN-ARP to meet this regulatory requirement. Basically, ORIGEN-ARP calculates the one fuel assembly at one time. SCALE code including this code provides the batch mode to perform the multi-calculations of the source term. In this study, in order to use the batch mode of ORIGEN-ARP, ARP-auto program was developed to generate input files and batch file of ORIGEN-ARP automatically and to make the summary file extracting the result from output files of ORIGEN-ARP. This code enhances the efficiency at the field. The working time to complete the calculation of source terms of 120 spent fuel assemblies take only 20 minutes. In order to confirm the credibility of this code, total radioactivity of 12 spent fuel assemblies of 17x17 Westinghouse type were calculated and compared to the previous result. The initial enrichments of these spent fuels are 3.46 ∼ 3.50 w/o and burnups are 29 ∼ 43 GWD/MTU. As the results, the relative errors are about 0.9 ∼ 3.0%. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Initial Validation of the Neutron Physics Codes in COSINE Using the MIT BEAVRS Benchmark

A software package for nuclear power plant design and analysis, known as COSINE, has been developed by State Nuclear Power Software Development Center (SNPSDC). A detailed benchmark called BEAVRS which includes measured reactor data is presented by MIT. The BEAVRS benchmark is based on a commercial power plant and provides a highly-detailed Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) specification with measured operational data that has been used to validate the neutron physics codes in COSINE. In this paper, a COSINE core model is prepared to calculate the BEAVRS benchmark. The first stage validation is focused on the depletion of two cycles and initial physics test of cycle 1. The calculation results agree well with the measured data. It could be confirmed that the COSINE codes package has the ability to design and analyze a commercial PWR core, and the precision of the calculation results can meet the requirements of industrial design and analysis. A calculation of MIT BEAVRS benchmark using COSINE has been performed in this paper. A lot of measurements are given in the benchmark specification which can be used for code validation. The calculation includes a depletion calculation of both two cycles and a calculation of the initial physics test of cycle 1. COSINE neutron physics codes use the mature industrial calculation method which can achieve reasonable results with acceptable accuracy and speed. Through the calculation, it can be seen that the difference of critical boron concentration calculated from cos Nu is less than 25 pcm compared with measured data. And the relative difference of rod worth is less than 10%. The isothermal temperature coefficient difference between measurement and calculation is less than 1 pcm/deg. F. All results meet the criteria of ANS. The validation for measurements after initial physics test following a more complex power history and the validation for in-core detector signals are underway. (authors)

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Implementation of Material and Geometry Criticality Search in RMC Code

RMC is a continuous-energy Reactor Monte Carlo neutron and photon transport code being developed by Department of Engineering Physics at Tsinghua University, Beijing. For the use of simulation of reactor control or design of reactor with unknown material and geometry parameters, an accurate and efficient method of eigenvalue search is implemented in RMC code. The eigenvalue search focuses on two types of parameters. One is nuclide atom density, called material search, which includes the fuel density, enrichment or boron concentration. Perturbation theory of Monte Carlo Code, like differential operator method and adjoint-weighted perturbation method has been widely researched in sensitivity and uncertainty study. For material search, the perturbation algorithm needs to coupled with flexible material control block and optimized strategy. The other type of parameter is surface position, called geometry search, which includes fuel rod diameter, pitch and control rod position. MC21 iterated on surface position based on bisection method or regula-falsi method, and directly recalculated k-eff until it converged to target error interval. In this paper, the differential operator method, improved Newton-Raphson method is introduced. Based on these methods, the global material search is implemented. Then based on material search and finite method, global geometry search is implement. Finally, fuel enrichment, boron concentration and control rod position in normal PWR assembly are searched. The results show that RMC can search material and geometry parameters accurately and efficiently. In this paper, global eigenvalue search of material and geometry parameters have been implemented in RMC code. They are based on the differential operator method in Monte Carlo perturbation theory. The differential operator method samples δk/δρ{sub r}, δ{sup 2}k/δρ{sub r}{sup 2} along with k-eff estimator. Therefore it won't take up too much additional computational resource. For homogeneous material search, fission source effect has little effect of accuracy and can be ignored. The results of fuel enrichment and boron concentration searches in assembly show that improved Newton-Raphson method can iterate efficiently until k-eff is in the error interval. Based on material search and finite difference formula, the geometry parameter, like control rod axial position, can iterate until k-eff is in the error interval. However, the tiny perturbed region may not contain enough tracks to simulate. Besides, the large number density's relative change up to -1 may cause underestimation of Δk-eff, and then slope of k-x curve. This will cause non-convergence for Newton- Raphson method. (authors)

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

NECP-Cypress: Development and Benchmarking of a 3D PWR Core-Analysis Code

As one of the key components of nuclear reactor design and safety analysis software for Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR), the advance of the core-analysis code indicates the nuclear power development of the corresponding country. Hence, Nuclear Engineering Computational Physics Lab. (NECP) developed a PWR core-analysis code NECP-Cypress. Currently, it contains several modules including a generalized cross section module, a diffusion module using the Variational Nodal Method (VNM), a depletion-calculation using the traditional macroscopic module, a thermal-hydraulics module solving the single channel heat transfer equation and 1D heat conduction equation. With the VNM employed, NECP-Cypress can eliminate the control rod cusping effect and provide a better pin power reconstruction. In this paper, we firstly introduce the modules of the code NECP-Cypress. Secondly, two large-scale PWR core benchmarks were employed to demonstrate the ability of the code by comparing with SIMULATE-3, including the BEAVRS problem and a pseudo CAP1400 reactor core problem. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Preparatory Verification of a New Monte Carlo Code cosRMC based on VERA Core Physics Benchmark

To promote nuclear power plant system design and simulation software self-reliance development, DOE of China approved a R and D key project to develop an integrated engine for pressurized water reactor core and system design and analysis, referred as COSINE hereafter. The scope of this code package includes reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, safety analysis, severe accidents, probability safety assessment and etc. Many universities, research institutes and nuclear related corporations in China are involved in the code development, among which the State Nuclear Power Software Development Center (SNPSDC) plays the leading role. With the requirement of accurate three-dimensional modeling of the advanced, special or new complex core in reactor neutronics and shielding analysis, Monte Carlo method is becoming a more powerful tool for reactor analysis. Thus, a new Monte Carlo transport code named cosRMC (abbreviation for COSINE Reactor Monte Carlo) has been developed jointly by SNPSDC and Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, the main developer of RMC code. The cosRMC now has many functions as criticality calculation, fixed-source calculation, burnup calculation, and etc. Some techniques for geometry treatment, new burnup algorithm, source convergence acceleration, massive tally and parallel calculation have been implemented in cosRMC to improve the efficiency. In order to ensure its reliability, several types of V and V work have been and are being carried out for cosRMC. In this paper, some preparatory verification results based on VERA Core Physics Benchmark are presented. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Solution of the C5G7 Benchmark using the MOCUM Transport Code with ANSYS Unstructured Mesh

The objective of this research is to use finite element analysis (FEA) software to perform the unstructured meshing for reactor geometries and port the mesh information to MOCUM code. This workflow takes the advantage of the mature meshing module of the mainstream FEA; reduces the development effort for nuclear codes; and increases the nuclear code accuracy by using high quality meshes. In this work, ANSYS is used to build the reactor model and perform the unstructured meshing. The mesh information is then imported to the MOCUM code, a method of characteristic (MOC) transport program supporting unstructured meshes, using a developed MATLAB script. This procedure is verified by modeling the C5G7 benchmark problem. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Preliminary Development of a Nuclide Inventory Code for HTGR

Nuclide inventory calculation for a reactor core is the basis of radiation protection, shielding design and radioactive environmental impact assessment of the power plant. HTR-PM (high-temperature gas-cooled reactor pebble-bed module) under construction in China is one of the candidates for Gen-IV advanced nuclear power system.1 In the design stage of HTR-PM, KORIGEN has been utilized in the inventory calculation.2 However, the current version of KORIGEN was developed several decades ago. In order to improve the design capability of the analysis code package for HTR-PM, a new computer code for nuclide inventory calculation called NUIT (Nuclide Inventory Tool) is being developed based on the DEPTH3 code. The NUIT code tries to utilize accurate and efficient burnup solvers, incorporate well-validated and most recent nuclear data libraries, and provide user-friendly IO interface. This paper presents the preliminary work in the development of NUIT.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Implementation of a Pressure Correction Term in the CTF Subchannel Code

CTF is a modernized and improved version of the legacy subchannel code COBRA-TF, being jointly developed and maintained by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and North Carolina State University. The code was adopted by ORNL for use in the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) in 2012 to help address CASL challenge problems. Since that time, activities related to CTF have included implementing software quality assurance measures, implementing new features and models, performing validation and verification testing, establishing and supporting a CTF user group, and developing the code for use in coupled applications. CTF is applicable to single- and two-phase flows in light water reactor geometries at normal and accident operating conditions. The two-phase flow model consists of the six-equation two-phase flow model augmented by equations for the droplet field, and it also includes appropriate source terms. This work focuses on the numerical stability of the six-equation two-phase flow model and is part of a recent effort to improve CTF capabilities for simulating flows in boiling water reactors (BWRs). The six-equation two-phase flow model is not strongly hyperbolic, meaning that some of its eigenvalues are either not real or not distinct. In a Cauchy sense, and for an initial-value problem, strong hyperbolicity was found to be equivalent to well-posedness, which ensures the uniqueness of the solution in the space-time used. This concept is also of importance when designing high-order numerical methods and also when implementing boundary conditions that rely on real eigenvalues such as Riemann solvers. A tremendous amount of research is available in the literature on how to hyperbolize the six-equation two-phase flow model by adding ad hoc terms to the system of equations. Such terms are often referred to as virtual mass or interfacial pressure correction terms. From a mathematical perspective, this approach adds terms to the phasic momentum equation containing first-order partial derivatives of the unknowns to modify the Jacobian matrix, thus the imaginary part of the eigenvalues. For this work, an interfacial pressure correction (IPC) term on the same model as what was used for the CATHARE system code, is implemented in CTF. This allows for recovery of a two-pressure formulation. In the following, the six-equation two-phase flow model is recalled, along with the IPC term and its influence on the eigenvalues. Then, numerical results and convergence studies are presented for a water-faucet problem at a pressure of 10 bar. Finally, conclusions and future work are addressed.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Pennsylvania and Delaware Energy Code Field Studies (Final Technical Report (FTR)

Led by Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) in partnership with Performance Systems Development (PSD), the project aimed to conduct energy code compliance field studies for single-family residential buildings in Pennsylvania and Delaware, as well as multifamily and commercial buildings in Pennsylvania. Using U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved methodologies, trained field teams conducted on-site observations and testing to document compliance with key energy efficiency measures, including building envelope insulation, air sealing, duct leakage, windows, and mechanical systems. Data from these studies would then be analyzed to identify construction trends and compliance gaps. The goals included published baseline data for each study, and a training roadmap tailored to each state’s needs. This roadmap would have guided outreach and training for builders, code officials, and other stakeholders on the specific code requirements that offered the greatest opportunity for improvement.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Optimizing fusion PIC code performance at scale on Cori Phase 2

In this paper we present the results of optimizing the performance of the gyrokinetic full-f fusion PIC code XGC1 on the Cori Phase Two Knights Landing system. The code has undergone substantial development to enable the use of vector instructions in its most expensive kernels within the NERSC Exascale Science Applications Program. We study the single-node performance of the code on an absolute scale using the roofline methodology to guide optimization efforts. We have obtained 2x speedups in single node performance due to enabling vectorization and performing memory layout optimizations. On multiple nodes, the code is shown to scale well up to 4000 nodes, near half the size of the machine. We discuss some communication bottlenecks that were identified and resolved during the work.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Homological Invariants of Pauli Stabilizer Codes

Abstract We study translationally invariant Pauli stabilizer codes with qudits of arbitrary, not necessarily uniform, dimensions. Using homological methods, we define a series of invariants called charge modules. We describe their properties and physical meaning. The most complete results are obtained for codes whose charge modules have Krull dimension zero. This condition is interpreted as mobility of excitations. We show that it is always satisfied for translation invariant 2D codes with unique ground state in infinite volume, which was previously known only in the case of uniform, prime qudit dimension. For codes all of whose excitations are mobile we construct a p-dimensional excitation and a $$(D-p-1)$$ ( D - p - 1 ) -form symmetry for every element of thep-th charge module. Moreover, we define a braiding pairing between charge modules in complementary degrees. We discuss examples which illustrate how charge modules and braiding can be computed in practice.

Physics↗

Multi-rate OCDMA system BER performance evaluations for different ML-code sequences

This paper analyzes Bit Error Rate (BER) of Optical Code Division Multiple Access (OCDMA) networks for different class of services which are data, voice, and video; whereas Multi-Length Weighted Modified Prime Code (ML-WMPC) sequences are utilized as a spreading code in with respect to previously used ML-Optical Orthogonal codes. Due to variations in bit rates between the mentioned services, each of them assigns a different WMPC sequence length. In addition, the shot noise, thermal noise, and the Multiple Access Interference (MAI) are included and considered as sources of noise in the BER performance analysis. Furthermore, Pulse Position Modulation, Manchester encoding and MAI cancellation (MAIC) technique are utilized to improve the network performance at a higher number of active users. For analysis, the BER performance calculations are investigated for three types of OCDMA receivers such as simple receiver, receiver with MAIC technique, and receiver with MAIC and Manchester encoding. Moreover, the BER mathematical models have been introduced for different bit rates according to the type of service in the presence of the ML-WMPC and the last of three mentioned OCDMA receivers. Finally, these models and their results are compared with the other existing models, where the results show an improvement in BER performance in the proposed approach.

42 ENGINEERING↗