Graphics Processing Unit-Accelerated Propeller Computational Fluid Dynamics Using AmgX: Performance Analysis Across Mesh Types and Hardware Configurations

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has become increasingly prevalent in marine and offshore engineering, with enhancing simulation efficiency emerging as a critical challenge. This study systematically evaluates the application of graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration technology in CFD simulation of propeller open water performance. Numerical simulations of the VP1304 propeller model were performed using OpenFOAM v2312 integrated with the NVIDIA AmgX library. The research compared GPU acceleration performance against conventional CPU methods across various hardware configurations and mesh types (tetrahedral, hexahedral-dominant, and polyhedral). Results demonstrate that GPU acceleration significantly improved computational efficiency, with tetrahedral meshes achieving over 400% speedup in a 4-GPU configuration, while polyhedral meshes reached over 500% speedup with a fixed mesh count. Among the mesh types, hexahedral-dominant meshes performed best in capturing flow field details. The study also found that GPU acceleration does not compromise simulation accuracy, but its effectiveness is closely related to mesh type and hardware configuration. Notably, GPUs demonstrate more significant advantages when handling large-scale problems. These findings have important practical implications for improving propeller design processes and shortening product development cycles.