Computer Science and Mathematics Division, ORNL
Biography
John Turner is the Group Leader of the Computational Engineering & Energy Sciences Group (CEES) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). After completion of a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from North Carolina State University, Dr. Turner joined Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and worked in areas including radiation transport, fluid flow, and numerical methods. He was one of the original developers of the Truchas computer code, developed in the Telluride project as part of the ASC program for metal casting simulation. Truchas has also been applied to welding simulation, and is now being explored for additive manufacturing applications. In 1997 John left LANL to join the R&D department at Blue Sky Studios, a computer animation company outside New York City, earning credits on the Academy Award-nominated feature film “Ice Age” as well as the Oscar-winning short animated film “Bunny”.
In 2001 John returned to LANL and became Group Leader of the Computational Physics Group (CCS-2), a group of over 70 Ph.D. scientists, students, and other staff conducting research in modeling & simulation of phenomena such as fluid dynamics & radiation transport for applications ranging from ocean & climate to nuclear weapons and nuclear energy systems. He also led an internally-funded R&D effort to investigate hybrid computing architectures such as the use of video cards (GPUs) as high-performance co-processors, and subsequently led the Advanced Algorithms & Applications team for the Roadrunner supercomputer. Roadrunner augmented standard processors with enhanced versions of the processor used in PlayStation 3 game consoles, and was the first system to achieve a sustained performance exceeding 1 PetaFlop/s (1015 operations per second).
In August of 2008, Dr. Turner moved to ORNL to form CEES, a new group focused on developing and applying advanced simulation tools to applications such as nuclear energy and electrical energy storage. He currently serves as Chief Computational Scientist for the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL), a DOE Innovation Hub led by ORNL that brings together national laboratories, universities, and industry to apply advanced modeling and simulation to science and engineering challenges in nuclear energy. Electrical energy storage projects include both supercapacitors and batteries, and are funded by both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the Department of Transportation, and the Vehicle Technologies Office of the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
Dr. Turner is also serving as the ORNL lead for the recently announced High Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) program. Launched by EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, HPC4Mfg is applying HPC expertise and technology to industry challenges in manufacturing in order to optimize processes and reduce energy consumption.
Publications
Selected Publications:
“Advanced Simulation for Additive Manufacturing: Meeting Challenges Through Collaboration (Workshop Report for U.S. DOE/EERE/AMO),” J. Turner, C. Blue, S. Babu, ORNL Report TM-2015/324, Sep, 2015.
“Multiscale modeling and characterization for performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries,” S. Pannala , J. A. Turner, S. Allu, W. Elwasif, S. Kalnaus, S. Simunovic, A. Kumar, J. J. Billings, H. Wang, and J. Nanda, J. Applied Physics 118, 072017, Aug, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4927817.
“Accelerated Application Development: The ORNL Titan Experience,” W. Joubert, R. Archibald, M. Berrill, W. M. Brown, M. Eisenbach, R. Grout, J. Larkin, J. Levesque, B. Messer, M. Norman, B. Philip, R. Sankaran, A. Tharrington, J. Turner, Computers and Electrical Engineering, special issue on Optimization of Parallel Scientific Applications with Accelerated HPC, Aug, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2015.04.008.
“Safer Batteries Through Coupled Multiscale Modeling,” J. A. Turner, S. Allu, M. Berrill, W. Elwasif, S. Kalnaus, A. Kumar, D. Lebrun-Grandie, S. Pannala, S. Simunovic, Procedia Computer Science (51) 2015, pp. 1168-1177, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2015.05.286.
“Three-dimensional discrete ordinates reactor assembly calculations on GPUs,” T. M. Evans, W. Joubert, S. P. Hamilton, S. R. Johnson, J. A. Turner, G. G. Davidson, and T. M. Pandya, Joint Intl. Conf. on Mathematics and Computation (M&C), Supercomputing in Nuclear Applications (SNA), and the Monte Carlo (MC) Method, Apr, 2015.
“Design of a High-Fidelity Core Simulator for Analysis of Pellet-Clad Interaction,” R. P. Pawlowski, K. T. Clarno, R. O. Montgomery, R. Salko, T. M. Evans, J. A. Turner, and D. Gaston, Joint Intl. Conf. on Mathematics and Computation (M&C), Supercomputing in Nuclear Applications (SNA), and the Monte Carlo (MC) Method, Apr, 2015.
“High-Fidelity Modeling of Pellet-Clad Interaction Using the CASL Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications,” K. T. Clarno, R. P. Pawlowski, R. O. Montgomery, T. M. Evans, B. S. Collins, B. Kochunas, D. Gaston, and J. A. Turner, Joint Intl. Conf. on Mathematics and Computation (M&C), Supercomputing in Nuclear Applications (SNA), and the Monte Carlo (MC) Method, Apr, 2015.
“AP1000 PWR Startup Core Modeling and Simulation with VERA-CS,” F. Franceschini, A.T. Godfrey, S. Stimpson, T. Evans, B. Collins, J.C. Gehin, J.A. Turner, A. Graham, T. Downar, Advances in Nuclear Fuel Management V (ANFM 2015), Mar, 2015.
M. A. Martin, C-F Chen, P. P. Mukherjee, S. Pannala, J-F Zietiker, J. A. Turner, and D. Ranjan, “Morphological Influence in Lithium-Ion Battery 3D Electrode Architectures,” J. Electrochem. Soc. Mar, 2015 162(6): A991-A1002; http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/2.0631506jes.
“Crash Models for Automotive Batteries (DOT/NHTSA Project Report),” J. A. Turner, S. Allu, S. B. Gorti, S. Kalnaus, A. Kumar, D. T. Lebrun-Grandie, S. Pannala, S. Simunovic, S. R. Slattery, H. Wang, ORNL Report TM-2015/366, Feb, 2015.
“An Approach for Coupled-Code Multiphysics Core Simulations from a Common Input,” R. Schmidt, K. Belcourt, R. Hooper, R. Pawlowski, K. Clarno, S. Simunovic, S. Slattery, J. Turner, S. Palmtag, Annals of Nuclear Energy, Dec, 2014, ISSN 0306-4549, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.11.015.
“A Generalized 3D Multiphysics Model for Li-Ion Intercalation Batteries,” S. Allu, S. Pannala, J. Nanda, S. Simunovic, J. Turner, ECS Meeting, Oct, 2014, http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2014-02/1/34.abstract.
“Mesoscale Models for Mechanics of Active Materials in Li-Ion Batteries,” S. Simunovic, A. Stershic, S. Kalnaus, S. Allu, S. Pannala, J. Turner, ECS Meeting, Oct, 2014, http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2014-02/1/38.abstract.
“Coupled Neutronics and Thermal-Hydraulic Solution of a Full-Core PWR Using VERA-CS,” S. Palmtag, K. Clarno, G. Davidson, T. Evans, R. Salko, J. Turner, K. Belcourt, R. Hooper, R. Schmidt, PHYSOR 2014, Sept, 2014.
“3D Predictive Simulation of Battery Systems”, J. Turner, S. Allu, W. Elwasif, S. Kalnaus, S. Pannala, S. Simunovic, Gordon Research Conference, Mar, 2014.
“A new open computational framework for highly-resolved coupled 3D multiphysics simulations of Li-Ion Cells,” S. Allu, S. Kalnaus, W. Elwasif, S. Simunovic, J. A. Turner, S. Pannala, J. Power Sources, Vol 246, Jan, 2014, p. 876-886, ISSN 0378-7753, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.08.040.
“Coupled COBRA-TF/MAMBA2D Multiphysics Models for Seabrook 1 Cycle 5 Assembly G70 5x5 rod array,” J. Secker, R. Schmidt, N. Belcourt, R. Hooper, R. Sankaran, J. A. Turner, Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light-Water Reactors (CASL) Report CASL-I-2013-0191-0000, Sep, 2013.
"Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA): Snapshot 3.1," J. A. Turner, Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light-Water Reactors (CASL) Report CASL-U-2013-0164-000, Jul, 2013.
“Revolutionary Radiation Transport for Next-Generation Predictive Multi-Physics Modeling and Simulation,” J. C. Wagner, T. M. Evans, S. W. Mosher, D. E. Peplow, J. A. Turner, ORNL Report 41138, 2013.
“Improvements, Enhancements, and Optimization of COBRA-TF,” R. Salko, M. Avramova, R. Hooper, S. Palmtag, E. Popov, J. Turner, Intl. Conf. on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Sci. and Engineering, May 5-9, 2013.
"Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA): Snapshot 2.0," J. A. Turner, Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light-Water Reactors (CASL) Milestone L1:5.01, Jun, 2012.
“Electrochemical and Transport Behavior of Lithium Ion Battery 3-D Electrode Architectures,” M. Martin, P. Mukherjee, S. Pannala, S. Allu, D. Ranjan, J. Turner, ECS Meeting, Seattle, May, 2012, http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2012-01/27/1050.abstract.
“Multiscale Modeling Framework for Li-Ion Batteries”, S. Pannala, P. Mukherjee, S. Allu, J. Turner, Gordon Research Conference, Mar, 2012.
“Hierarchical Models for Batteries: Overview with Some Case Studies,” S. Pannala, P. Mukherjee, S. Allu, J. Nanda, S. Martha, N. Dudney, J. Turner, Advanced Automotive Battery Conference, Orlando, FL, Feb, 2012.
“A micro-macroscopic volume-averaged model for batteries,” S. Pannala, S. Allu, P. Mukherjee, J. Nanda, N. Dudney, S. Martha, and J. Turner, Electronic Materials and Applications 2012, American Ceramic Society, Orlando, Jan, 2012.
“Modeling and Simulation of Battery Systems,” P. Mukherjee, S. Pannala, and J. Turner, chapter in Handbook of Battery Materials, Editors C. Daniel and J. O. Weinheim, Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 2011, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9783527637188.
Wagner, J.C., T.M. Evans, S.W. Mosher, D.E. Peplow, and J.A. Turner, “Hybrid and Parallel Domain-Decomposition Methods Development to Enable Monte Carlo for Reactor Analyses,” Prog. Nucl. Sci. Tech. 2, 815-820 (2011).
“A Multi-scale Modeling Framework for Li-Ion Batteries,” J. Turner, P. Mukherjee, S. Pannala, and S. Allu, 7th Annual Intl. Conf. on Lithium Battery Power (invited), Las Vegas, NV, Nov, 2011.
“Predictive System Simulation Capability for Evaluating Safety and Performance of Batteries,” S. Pannala, J. Nanda, A. Sabau, H. Bilheux, P. Mukherjee, S. Allu, C. Shaffer, S. Voisin, J. Turner, W. Shelton Jr., N. Dudney, ORNL Report 32620, Oct, 2011.
“Particle Morphology and Interactions in the Lithium Ion Battery Electrode,” S. Pannala P. Mukherjee, S. Allu, J. Nanda, N. Dudney, and J. Turner, ECS Meeting, Boston, MA, Oct, 2011, http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2011-02/15/730.abstract.
“Domain Model Specification for VERA: Version 1.0,” C. Baker, R. Bartlett, K. Clarno, B. Collins, T. Evans, R. Pawlowski, R. Schmidt, J. Turner, Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light-Water Reactors (CASL) Report CASL-U-2011-0169-0000, Sep, 2011.
“A Micro‐mesoscopic Model for Li‐Ion Intercalation Batteries,” S. Pannala, P. Mukherjee, S. Allu, J. Nanda, S. Martha, N. Dudney, and J. Turner, ECS Meeting, Montreal, Canada, May, 2011, http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2011-01/10/509.abstract.
“Initial Validation of the AMP Nuclear Fuel Performance Code,” S. Allu, J. Banfield, P. Barai; J. Billings, K. T. Clarno, W. K. Cochran, G. A. Dilts, S. Kadioglu, J. Lee, G. I. Maldonado, R. Martineau, B. Mihaila, L. Ott, S. Pannala, B. Philip, R. Sampath, S. Simunovic, J. A. Turner, C. Unal, G. Yesilyurt, ANS winter meeting, 2010.
Wagner, J. C., T. M. Evans, S. W. Mosher, D. E. Peplow, and J. A. Turner, “Hybrid and Parallel Domain-Decomposition Methods Development to Enable Monte Carlo for Reactor Analyses.” Joint Intl. Conf. on Supercomputing in Nuclear Applications + Monte Carlo 2010, Tokyo, Oct, 2010.
P. Mukherjee, S. Pannala, S. Allu, J. Nanda, and J. Turner, “Solid-Phase Diffusion Modeling in Lithium Ion Batteries”, ECS Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, USA, Oct, 2010, http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2010-02/11/1129.abstract.
Clarno, K. T., T. M. Evans, G. Yesilyurt, M. L. Williams, J. A. Turner, “Denovo: The Next-Generation HPC Solver for Multiscale Nuclear Energy Transport,” ORNL Report 21950, 2009.
Alvin, K., N. Frazier, R. Meisner, “Advanced Simulation and Computing National Code Strategy: Simulation-Based Complex Transformation,” Advanced Simulation and Computing Program, NA-121.2, SAND 2009-0604P, NA-ASC-108R-09-Vol. 1-Rev.0, Jan, 2009, member of writing team.
Turner, J., “The Los Alamos Roadrunner Petascale Hybrid Supercomputer: Overview of Applications, Results, and Programming,” Roadrunner Technical Seminar Series, LA-UR-08-2412, Mar, 2008.
J. A. Turner and A. C. Mazzone, “Multifluid Finite Volume Navier-Stokes Solutions for Realistic Fluid Animation,” ACM SIGGRAPH, 1999.
W. J. Rider, D. B. Kothe, S. Mosso, R. Lowrie, T. Adams, D. A. Knoll, R. L. Ferrell, J. A. Turner, A. V. Reddy, K. A. Lam, E. G. Puckett, G. H. Miller, C. Beckermann, “Advanced Three-Dimensional Eulerian Hydrodynamic Algorithm Development”, Los Alamos National Laboratory Report LA-UR-98-1859, 1998.
D. B. Kothe, R. C. Ferrell, J. A. Turner, and S. J. Mosso, “A High-Resolution Finite Volume Method for Efficient Parallel Simulation of Casting Processes on Unstructured Meshes”, LANL Report LA-UR-97-30, 8th SIAM Conf. on Parallel Processing for Scientific Computing, Minneapolis, MN, 1997.