Native Fortran Implementation of TensorFlow-Trained Deep and Bayesian Neural Networks

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Furlong, Aidan, Zhao, Xingang, Salko, Bob, Wu, Xu
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Furlong, Aidan
Zhao, Xingang
Salko, Bob
Wu, Xu
author_facet Furlong, Aidan
Zhao, Xingang
Salko, Bob
Wu, Xu
contents Over the past decade, the investigation of machine learning (ML) within the field of nuclear engineering has grown significantly. With many approaches reaching maturity, the next phase of investigation will determine the feasibility and usefulness of ML model implementation in a production setting. Several of the codes used for reactor design and assessment are primarily written in the Fortran language, which is not immediately compatible with TensorFlow-trained ML models. This study presents a framework for implementing deep neural networks (DNNs) and Bayesian neural networks (BNNs) in Fortran, allowing for native execution without TensorFlow's C API, Python runtime, or ONNX conversion. Designed for ease of use and computational efficiency, the framework can be implemented in any Fortran code, supporting iterative solvers and UQ via ensembles or BNNs. Verification was performed using a two-input, one-output test case composed of a noisy sinusoid to compare Fortran-based predictions to those from TensorFlow. The DNN predictions showed negligible differences and achieved a 19.6x speedup, whereas the BNN predictions exhibited minor disagreement, plausibly due to differences in random number generation. An 8.0x speedup was noted for BNN inference. The approach was then further verified on a nuclear-relevant problem predicting critical heat flux (CHF), which demonstrated similar behavior along with significant computational gains. Discussion regarding the framework's successful integration into the CTF thermal-hydraulics code is also included, outlining its practical usefulness. Overall, this framework was shown to be effective at implementing both DNN and BNN model inference within Fortran, allowing for the continued study of ML-based methods in real-world nuclear applications.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_06853
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Native Fortran Implementation of TensorFlow-Trained Deep and Bayesian Neural Networks
Furlong, Aidan
Zhao, Xingang
Salko, Bob
Wu, Xu
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Over the past decade, the investigation of machine learning (ML) within the field of nuclear engineering has grown significantly. With many approaches reaching maturity, the next phase of investigation will determine the feasibility and usefulness of ML model implementation in a production setting. Several of the codes used for reactor design and assessment are primarily written in the Fortran language, which is not immediately compatible with TensorFlow-trained ML models. This study presents a framework for implementing deep neural networks (DNNs) and Bayesian neural networks (BNNs) in Fortran, allowing for native execution without TensorFlow's C API, Python runtime, or ONNX conversion. Designed for ease of use and computational efficiency, the framework can be implemented in any Fortran code, supporting iterative solvers and UQ via ensembles or BNNs. Verification was performed using a two-input, one-output test case composed of a noisy sinusoid to compare Fortran-based predictions to those from TensorFlow. The DNN predictions showed negligible differences and achieved a 19.6x speedup, whereas the BNN predictions exhibited minor disagreement, plausibly due to differences in random number generation. An 8.0x speedup was noted for BNN inference. The approach was then further verified on a nuclear-relevant problem predicting critical heat flux (CHF), which demonstrated similar behavior along with significant computational gains. Discussion regarding the framework's successful integration into the CTF thermal-hydraulics code is also included, outlining its practical usefulness. Overall, this framework was shown to be effective at implementing both DNN and BNN model inference within Fortran, allowing for the continued study of ML-based methods in real-world nuclear applications.
title Native Fortran Implementation of TensorFlow-Trained Deep and Bayesian Neural Networks
topic Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.06853