Numerical enhancements and parallel GPU implentation of a 3D Gaussian beam model

Abstract

Despite the increasing performance of modern processors it is well known that the majority of models that account for 3D underwater acoustic predictions still require a high computational cost. In this context, this work presents strategies to enhance the computational performance of a ray-based 3D model. First, it is presented an optimized method for acoustic field calculations, that accounts for a large number of sensors. Second, the inherent parallelism of ray tracing and the high workload of 3D propagation are carefully considered, leading to the development of parallel algorithms for field predictions using a GPU architecture. The strategies were validated through performance analyses and comparisons with experimental data from a tank scale experiment, and the results show that model predictions are computationally efficient and accurate. The combination of numerical enhancements and parallel computing allowed to speedup model calculations for a large number of receivers.