Comparison of Three Different Parallel Computation Methods for a Two-Dimensional Dam-Break Model

Three parallel methods (OpenMP, MPI, and OpenACC) are evaluated for the computation of a two-dimensional dam-break model using the explicit finite volume method. A dam-break event in the Pangtoupao flood storage area in China is selected as a case study to demonstrate the key technologies for implementing parallel computation. The subsequent acceleration of the methods is also evaluated. The simulation results show that the OpenMP and MPI parallel methods achieve a speedup factor of 9.8x and 5.1x, respectively, on a 32-core computer, whereas the OpenACC parallel method achieves a speedup factor of 20.7x on NVIDIA Tesla K20c graphics card. The results show that if the memory required by the dam-break simulation does not exceed the memory capacity of a single computer, the OpenMP parallel method is a good choice. Moreover, if GPU acceleration is used, the acceleration of the OpenACC parallel method is the best. Finally, the MPI parallel method is suitable for a model that requires little data exchange and large-scale calculation. This study compares the efficiency and methodology of accelerating algorithms for a dam-break model and can also be used as a reference for selecting the best acceleration method for a similar hydrodynamic model.