Argonne principal
mechanical engineer Sibendu Som (left) and computational scientist
aymond Bair
discuss combustion engine simulations conducted by the Virtual Engine
Research Institute
and Fuels Initiative (VERIFI). The initiative will be running massive
simulations on
Argonne’s Mira supercomputer to gain further insight into the
inner workings of
combustion engines.
(August 24, 2015) When
you’re trying to understand the complex inner workings of a virtual engine,
with its millions of variables and untold number of uncertainties, the most
important horsepower number isn’t the one under the hood; it’s the one in the
computer rack next door.
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne
National Laboratory will be testing the limits of computing horsepower this
year with a new simulation project from the Virtual Engine Research Institute
and Fuels Initiative (VERIFI) that will harness 60 million computer core hours
to dispel those uncertainties and pave the way to more effective engine
simulations.
The work will be conducted on MIRA, which is currently the
fifth-fastest supercomputer in the world and serves as the epicenter of the
Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), a DOE Office of Science User
Facility. VERIFI has been working for two years to gain a deeper understanding
of the complex dynamics at work in engine combustion. While VERIFI has used
powerful computers before, it has never accessed a computer with the horsepower
of MIRA and the abilities to unlock the deepest secrets of combustion.