GPU Acceleration of Rarefied Gas Dynamic Simulations

Kinetic equations are used to mathematically model gas flows that are far from equilibrium due to their more general applicability than typical hydrodynamic equations. However, their complex mathematical structure requires time consuming algorithms to obtain accurate numerical solutions for realistic flow geometries. In this chapter, we show GPU-accelerated algorithms for direct solutions of kinetic equations. The efficiency of the GPU-accelerated codes is demonstrated on the two-dimensional driven cavity flow. Experimental results show that the GPU-accelerated codes run about two orders of magnitude faster than their sequential counterparts whose execution time is comparable to those reported in the literature. The algorithms described can be extended to three-dimensional flows and gas mixtures.