GPU-based Monte Carlo simulation in neutron transport and finite differences heat equation evaluation

Graphics Processing Units (GPU) are high performance co-processors originally intended to improve the use and quality of computer graphics applications. Since researchers and practitioners realized the potential of using GPU for general purpose, their application has been extended to other fields out of computer graphics scope. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the impact of using GPU in two computational expensive problems in nuclear area: a neutron transport simulation by Monte Carlo method and Poison heat equation resolution for a square thin plate. To accomplish that, GPU and CPU-based (single- and multi-core) approaches were developed. Results demonstrated that the GPU-based approach is damn faster than a parallel 8-core CPU-based approach also developed in this work.