A PC based parallel LU decomposition algorithm for sparse matrices

Linear equations are used in the mathematical models of many engineering problems, including load-flow in power engineering and electrical railway simulation. A common approach for solving the linear equations is by LU decomposition, which is then followed by forward and backward substitution. The LU decomposition operation is a computation intensive algorithm and in this paper, we present a cost-effective SIMD parallel algorithm for the LU decomposition of sparse matrices. The algorithm can be implemented using a common personal computer and does not require other hardware support.