Solving PDEs in modern multiphysics simulation software

Abstract

Needs and expectations of nowadays science require not only precise description of certain natural and physics phenomena, but also a capability to model and predict their future state. There are many physics and mathematical models already created and described, some of them are developed many years ago; however, solving the models remains a challenge till date. Due to research advances in computer science field, the challenge can be faced using modern software tools, called multiphysics simulators. In this paper, three systems using finite element method are presented. Structure, concept of solving problems, capacity, performance, and weak and strong sides of these systems are described and discussed. Goal of the analysis is to find bottlenecks in the systems. These bottlenecks are caused by limitations of hardware used, which can be overcome using other technologies. We propose Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) and Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) as the solutions significantly increasing performance of multiphysics simulators.