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At least 415 records · Page 23
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Commissioning of an MPGD-based Drift Chamber for Heavy-ion Tracking in FRIB's Sweeper magnet system

A newly developed drift chamber equipped with an innovative hybrid Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detector based readout was commissioned at FRIB. The detector consists of a Multi-layer Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (M-THGEM) mounted over a high-granularity, position-sensitive readout board. Denoted as the Micro-Pattern Drift Chamber (MPDC), the new device is used to provide tracking capability as part of the detectors of the Sweeper magnet system for neutron-invariant-mass spectrometry at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). The localization of impinging ions in a 30 × 30 cm 2 drift area is derived by processing the charge-avalanche distribution induced on the segmented readout board. The signals induced on the readout pads are processed by a compact, multi-channel Data Acquisition System (DAQ) based on the Scalable Readout System (SRS). To facilitate synchronization with other detector systems of the Sweeper magnet system, the SRS has been configured to accept an external trigger.

Gaseous detectors↗
DOE OSTI2011

The Tevatron Wide Band Longitudinal Coupled Bunch Mode Dampers - an Account From Its Commissioning to Its Decommissioining

The Tevatron longitudinal dampers were built in 2002 to stop the proton beam from spontaneously blowing up during high energy physics. The system has been operational since then and has been very successful in keeping the beam stable. In October 2 011, the Tevatron will be shutdown and the dampers decommissioned. The goal of this paper is to document the 9 year experience in the operation of these dampers, account for the design choices made at the time, describe its commissioning, and its performa nce during its working life. Included will be a discussion on the type of instability which required the damper to be built.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

LCLS-II Helium Refrigeration System Commissioning Results

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has upgraded to LCLS-II, featuring a 4 GeV superconducting linear accelerator composed of 37 cryomodules and two large helium refrigeration systems with a cooling capacity of 4 kW at 2.0 K. The LCLS-II Helium Refrigeration System (HRS) consists of two compressor stations, each with a power of approximately 4.5 MW, two 4.5 K cold boxes, each with a power of 18 kW equivalent at 4.5 K, and two sets of cold compressors that can each produce a flow of 230 g/s at 31 mbar (2.0K). Performance tests of the HRS were meticulously planned and successfully carried out, with results demonstrating that it exceeded the process requirements for LCLS-II operations. This paper provides a detailed presentation of the LCLS-II HRS performance and the challenges encountered during the commissioning phase.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2026

Commissioning Results of the ESR2 Compressors at JLab

Abstract The future operation of the 4 kW 15 Kelvin MOLLER experiment at Jefferson lab necessitates an increase of cryogenic capacity at the End Station Refrigerator. The current plant is the former 1.5 kW (4.5 K) ESCAR plant that has been operating at Jefferson Lab since 1995. The existing 1.5 kW plant is not able to support the load for MOLLER and will be replaced with a refurbished plant comprised of the cold box and compressors of the 4 kW ASST-A plant from the Superconducting Super Collider in Texas. This paper reports the commissioning results of the warm compressor system. We compare the compressors’ current and past performance, specifically examining their Isothermal and Volumetric efficiency. The results indicate that the refurbished equipment’s efficiency is comparable to its original performance, proving that the reuse and refurbishment of old systems is a worthwhile endeavor.

Perry, C. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator F↗
DOE OSTI2017

SNS Central Helium Liquefier spare Carbon Bed installation and commissioning

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Central Helium Liquefier (CHL) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been without major operations downtime since operations were started back in 2006. This system utilizes a vessel filled with activated carbon as the final major component to remove oil vapor from the compressed helium circuit prior to insertion into the system's cryogenic cold box. The need for a spare carbon bed at SNS due to the variability of carbon media lifetime calculation to adsorption efficiency will be discussed. The fabrication, installation and commissioning of this spare carbon vessel will be presented. The novel plan for connecting the spare carbon vessel piping to the existing infrastructure will be presented.

Degraff, Brian D.↗
DOE OSTI2026

EC-Bench: A Benchmark for Enzyme Commission Number Prediction

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze specific biochemical reactions in cells. Enzyme Commission (EC) numbers are used to annotate enzymes in a four-level hierarchy that classifies enzymes based on the specific chemical reactions they catalyze. Accurate EC number prediction is essential for understanding enzyme functions. Despite the availability of numerous methods for predicting EC numbers from protein sequences, there is no unified framework for evaluating and studying such methods systematically. This gap limits the ability of the community to identify the most effective approaches for enzyme annotation. We introduce EC-Bench, a benchmark for EC number prediction, consisting of 1) an initial representative set of existing methods (including homology-based, deep learning, contrastive learning, and language model methods), 2) existing and novel accuracy and efficiency performance metrics, and 3) selected datasets to allow for comprehensive comparative study. EC-Bench is open-source and provides a framework for researchers to not only compare among existing methods objectively under uniform conditions, but also to introduce and effectively evaluate performance of new methods in a comparative framework. To demonstrate the utility of EC-Bench, we perform extensive experimentation to compare the existing EC number prediction methods and establish their advantages and disadvantages in a variety of prediction tasks, namely “exact EC number prediction”, “EC number completion” and (partial or additional) “EC number recommendation”. We find wide variation in the performance of different methods, but also subtle but potentially useful differences in the performance of different methods across tasks and for different parts of the EC hierarchy.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2011

Commissioning and performance of the ATLAS transition radiation tracker with first high energy pp and Pb-Pb collisions at LHC

The ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) is the outermost of the three sub-systems of the ATLAS Inner Detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. It consists of close to 300000 thin-wall drift tubes (straws) providing on average 30 two-dimensional space points with 0.12-0.15 mm resolution for charged particle tracks with |{eta}| < 2 and pt > 0.5 GeV. Along with continuous tracking, it provides particle identification capability through the detection of transition radiation X-ray photons generated by high velocity particles in the many polymer fibers or films that fill the spaces between the straws. Custom-built analog and digital electronics is optimized to operate as luminosity increases to the LHC design. In this article, a review of the commissioning and first operational experience of the TRT detector will be presented. Emphasis will be given to performance studies based on the reconstruction and analysis of LHC collisions. The first studies of the TRT detector response to the extremely high track density conditions during the November 2010 heavy ion LHC running period will be presented. These studies give interesting insight to the expected performance of the TRT in future high luminosity LHC proton-proton runs. (authors)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Commissioning and Testing the 1970's Era LASS Solenoid Magnet in JLab's Hall D

JLab refurbished and reconfigured the LASS1, 1.85m bore Solenoid and installed it as the principal analysis magnet for nuclear physics in the newly constructed, Hall D at Jefferson Lab. The magnet contains four superconducting coils within an iron yoke. The magnet was built in the early1970's at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and used a second time at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The coils were extensively refurbished and individually tested by JLab. A new Cryogenic Distribution Box provides cryogens and their control valving, current distribution bus, and instrumentation pass-through. A repurposed CTI 2800 refrigerator system and new transfer line complete the system. We describe the re-configuration, the process and problems of re-commissioning the magnet and the results of testing the completed magnet.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Commissioning Validation of CLAS-12 Torus Magnet Protection and Cryogenic Safety System

This paper provides an overview of the CLAS12 Torus magnet electromagnetic loss and energy balance in the magnet system and impact on the cryogenics system during an event of a fast dump and quench, as part of the commissioning activities within Hall B for the 12 GeV Accelerator Upgrade project at Jefferson Lab in November 2016. Test carried out validates the design of torus magnet protection and cryogenic safety system. This magnet is unique in that it comprises 6 superconducting coils which are individually conduction-cooled by helium, thereby providing an element of thermal and mechanical decoupling between the coils. Lastly, as such its behavior under a fast dump condition (and even a quench) is markedly different from that of more conventional bath-cooled superconducting magnets.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Commissioning of the Power Supplies and Coils of the SMART Tokamak

The small aspect ratio tokamak (SMART) is a spherical tokamak (ST) that offers unique capabilities for studying the potential of negative triangularity. It has been designed, constructed, and is currently being operated by the Plasma Science Fusion Technology (PSFT) Laboratory at the University of Seville. SMART has a total of 21 coils, organized into seven independent circuits and driven by five modular power supplies (PS). The PS operation relies on switching converter technology based on IGBT and supercapacitors (SCs). The PS delivers predefined current waveforms to the copper coil system consisting of the central solenoid (CS), 12 toroidal field (TF) coils, three series pairs of poloidal field (PF) coils, and two independent PF coils. This study details the commissioning and validation of the PS toroidal and solenoid coils, as well as the assembly of coils in SMART. The maximum rated current and slope were measured, along with the series impedance of the coils, the output current ripple, and the noise levels. The internal parameters of the SCs were measured, and optimized current profiles were proposed to enhance overall performance. A comparison has been made between the theoretical values and the experimental results, providing insight into the performance of the PS and areas for improvement.

Power electronics↗
DOE OSTI2012

An Improved Coefficient Calculator for the California Energy Commission 6 Parameter Photovoltaic Module Model

This paper describes an improved algorithm for calculating the six parameters required by the California Energy Commission (CEC) photovoltaic (PV) Calculator module model. Rebate applications in California require results from the CEC PV model, and thus depend on an up-to-date database of module characteristics. Currently, adding new modules to the database requires calculating operational coefficients using a general purpose equation solver - a cumbersome process for the 300+ modules added on average every month. The combination of empirical regressions and heuristic methods presented herein achieve automated convergence for 99.87% of the 5487 modules in the CEC database and greatly enhance the accuracy and efficiency by which new modules can be characterized and approved for use. The added robustness also permits general purpose use of the CEC/6 parameter module model by modelers and system analysts when standard module specifications are known, even if the module does not exist in a preprocessed database.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2010

USING TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT PROACTIVE MANAGEMENT OF MATERIALS DEGRADATION FOR THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

The majority of the U.S. reactor fleet is applying for license renewal to extend the operating life from the current 40 years to 60 years, and there is now active interest in extending the operating life to beyond 60 years. Many plants are also applying for increases in power rating and both of these changes increases the need for an improved understanding of materials degradation. Many materials degrade over time and much is known about the degradation of materials under normal environmental conditions; however, less is known about the characteristics of materials degradation when the environment is subject to higher than normal radiological conditions over extended periods of time. Significant efforts are being made by industrial, academic and regulatory groups worldwide to identify, classify and mitigate potential problems arising from degradation of components in this context. From a regulatory perspective, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) is very interested in being able to identify ways to insure their licensees proactively manage the identification of materials degradation and the mitigation of its effects. To date, the USNRC has consolidated “generic” programs for mitigating aging issues in the two volume Generic Aging Lessons Learned (GALL) Report (NUREG-1801) [1][2], and have encouraged applicants for license renewal to use these programs where applicable in their plant when applying for renew of their reactor’s license. The USNRC has also published a comprehensive report entitled Expert Panel Report on Proactive Materials Degradation (NUREG/CR-6923) [3] that inventories the types of degradation mechanisms that could exist in each component of a Light Water Reactor (LWR) and each degradation mechanism is assessed regarding how much is known about mitigating its effects. Since the number of plant designs and materials used varies greatly within the U.S. fleet, there are many variations to implementing aging management programs (AMPs), requiring significant dialogs between the Licensee and the USNRC. These discussions are part of the licensing basis and as such are documented with up to multi-hundred page responses that are loosely coupled through the USNRC Agency-wide Document Access and Management System (ADAMS), which serves as an electronic records repository for the USNRC . These discussions have supported revisions to the GALL, including the revision that is being prepared as this paper is being written. The USNRC has sought the help of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to improve the staff’s ability to navigate the significant numbers of documents that are generated in this process and to provide a forum for regulators, licensees and researchers to share knowledge in the efforts to improve the cyclic process for defining, applying, validating and re-defining AMPs. Work to date in this area is publicly accessible and this paper will describe that work and outline a potential path forward. The presenter will also demonstrate the capabilities of the PMMD information tools (http://pmmd.pnl.gov).

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2010

Ant colony algorithm implementation in electron and photon Monte Carlo transport: Application to the commissioning of radiosurgery photon beams

Purpose: In this work, the authors describe an approach which has been developed to drive the application of different variance-reduction techniques to the Monte Carlo simulation of photon and electron transport in clinical accelerators. Methods: The new approach considers the following techniques: Russian roulette, splitting, a modified version of the directional bremsstrahlung splitting, and the azimuthal particle redistribution. Their application is controlled by an ant colony algorithm based on an importance map. Results: The procedure has been applied to radiosurgery beams. Specifically, the authors have calculated depth-dose profiles, off-axis ratios, and output factors, quantities usually considered in the commissioning of these beams. The agreement between Monte Carlo results and the corresponding measurements is within {approx}3%/0.3 mm for the central axis percentage depth dose and the dose profiles. The importance map generated in the calculation can be used to discuss simulation details in the different parts of the geometry in a simple way. The simulation CPU times are comparable to those needed within other approaches common in this field. Conclusions: The new approach is competitive with those previously used in this kind of problems (PSF generation or source models) and has some practical advantages that make it to be a good tool to simulate the radiation transport in problems where the quantities of interest are difficult to obtain because of low statistics.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2010

Surface applicator calibration and commissioning of an electronic brachytherapy system for nonmelanoma skin cancer treatment

Purpose: The Xoft Axxent x-ray source has been used for treating nonmelanoma skin cancer since the surface applicators became clinically available in 2009. The authors report comprehensive calibration procedures for the electronic brachytherapy (eBx) system with the surface applicators. Methods: The Xoft miniature tube (model S700) generates 50 kVp low-energy x rays. The new surface applicators are available in four sizes of 10, 20, 35, and 50 mm in diameter. The authors' tests include measurements of dose rate, air-gap factor, output stability, depth dose verification, beam flatness and symmetry, and treatment planning with patient specific cutout factors. The TG-61 in-air method was used as a guideline for acquiring nominal dose-rate output at the skin surface. A soft x-ray parallel-plate chamber (PTW T34013) and electrometer was used for the output commissioning. GafChromic EBT films were used for testing the properties of the treatment fields with the skin applicators. Solid water slabs were used to verify the depth dose and cutout factors. Patients with basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma were treated with eBx using a calibrated Xoft system with the low-energy x-ray source and the skin applicators. Results: The average nominal dose-rate output at the skin surface for the 35 mm applicator is 1.35 Gy/min with {+-}5% variation for 16 sources. The dose-rate output and stability (within {+-}5% variation) were also measured for the remaining three applicators. For the same source, the output variation is within 2%. The effective source-surface distance was calculated based on the air-gap measurements for four applicator sizes. The field flatness and symmetry are well within 5%. Percentage depth dose in water was provided by factory measurements and can be verified using solid water slabs. Treatment duration was calculated based on the nominal dose rate, the prescription fraction size, the depth dose percentage, and the cutout factor. The output factor needs to be measured for each case with varying shapes of cutouts. Conclusions: Together with TG-61, the authors' methodology provides comprehensive calibration procedures for medical physicists for using the Xoft eBx system and skin applicators for nonmelanoma skin cancer treatments.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-560: Commissioning An HDR Freiburg Flap Applicator for Skin Lesion Treatment

Purpose: Flexible Freiburg flap used with high dose rate afterloaders is easy to cut into any size for any body site and to dwell with a precise source position, conforms to curved skin surface and then to the planned target. However, unlike intracavity or interstitial situations, incomplete scatter environment due to flap applicators exposed to air might lead to dose difference between the delivered and planned. This research is focused on the dose deviation of incomplete scatter versus full scatter. Methods: A 12x12 cm of Freiburg flap applicator was used for the validation. A Nucletron Oncentra Brachy Ver. 4.3 treatment planning system (TPS) was used for treatment planning. However, no heterogeneity correction incorporated into the brachytherap TPS needs to be considered. A Philips Brilliance CT Big Bore was employed for CT scan. Radiation was delivered using a Nucletron HDR remote afterloader system. A 10cm bolus was used to cover the flap for obtaining a full scatter. An OSL, ion chamber, and Gafchromic EBT2 film were used for commissioning the flap applicator. Results: The applicator calibration at 5mm depth was performed using an OSL dosimeter. Applicator source dwelling positions with 1D and 2D array exposed to and recorded by Gafchromic EBT2 film showed an agreement within 1mm. 1D array of Freiburg flap exhibited 4.2% cooler in dose with incomplete scatter than full scatter. 2D array showed 7.1% lower in dose for incomplete scatter than full scatter. The deviation was found more than 10% beyond 8cm in depth. Conclusion: Significant dose deviation caused by the incomplete scatter environment was found to be 7.1% at 1cm depth. This deviation was increased with increasing depth. The inaccuracy resulted from the incomplete scatter can be fixed by either placing a bolus on the top of the flap or making the plan at least 7% hotter.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-CAMPUS-J-01: TG142 Complied Comprehensive Commissioning and Quality Assurance Procedure for Respiratory Gating

Purpose: To develop and establish a comprehensive gating commissioning and quality assurance procedure in compliance with TG142. Methods: Quality assurance tests on three Varian LINACs included beam output and energy constancy, calibration of surrogate, as well as phase and amplitude gating temporal accuracy. A diode array (MapCHECK 2) and film (Gafchromic EBT2) were used to measure the temporal accuracy of phase and amplitude gating windows. A motion simulation device (MotionSim) was used to simulate respiratory motion for both detectors. An end-to-end test was also performed on all three machines. The overall accuracy and uncertainty was analyzed and compared. Results: The end-to-end test using an anthropomorphic lung phantom (CIRS) results in an OSL dose difference reading within 5% (within measurement uncertainty) for both phase and amplitude gated treatment. Film results showed < 1% agreement between profiles for gated delivery and predicted dose. The diode array demonstrated an 80% passing rate for gamma criteria of 2%/0.2 mm, which results in a 111 msec temporal accuracy. However, the diode array is limited by its spatial resolution of measurements, due to its 7.07 mm diode spacing. Film provided higher measuring resolution, thus demonstrated a temporal accuracy of <100 msec. Conclusion: Results showed consistent respiratory gating stability and accuracy. MapCHECK 2 may not be sufficient for the temporal accuracy test in the respiratory gating treatment in order to meet the corresponding tolerance in TG142. One would need to decrease respiratory motion speed from the surrogate or tighten the gating window in order to be within tolerance of 100 msec temporal accuracy per TG-142. The end-to-end test offers insight to the overall accuracy and uncertainties with a gated protocol. Compared to static delivery, respiratory motion increases the overall uncertainty of treatment delivery from 3% to 5% dose difference.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

WE-F-16A-06: Using 3D Printers to Create Complex Phantoms for Dose Verification, Quality Assurance, and Treatment Planning System Commissioning in Radiotherapy

Purpose: To use 3D printers to design and construct complex geometrical phantoms for commissioning treatment planning systems, dose calculation algorithms, quality assurance (QA), dose delivery, and patient dose verifications. Methods: In radiotherapy, complex geometrical phantoms are often required for dose verification, dose delivery and calculation algorithm validation. Presently, fabrication of customized phantoms is limited due to time, expense and challenges in machining of complex shapes. In this work, we designed and utilized 3D printers to fabricate two phantoms for QA purposes. One phantom includes hills and valleys (HV) for verification of intensity modulated radiotherapy for photons, and protons (IMRT and IMPT). The other phantom includes cylindrical cavities (CC) of various sizes for dose verification of inhomogeneities. We evaluated the HV phantoms for an IMPT beam, and the CC phantom to study various inhomogeneity configurations using photon, electron, and proton beams. Gafcromic ™ films were used to quantify the dose distributions delivered to the phantoms. Results: The HV phantom has dimensions of 12 cm × 12 cm and consists of one row and one column of five peaks with heights ranging from 2 to 5 cm. The CC phantom has a size 10 cm × 14 cm and includes 6 cylindrical cavities with length of 7.2 cm and diameters ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 cm. The IMPT evaluation using the HV phantom shows good agreement as compared to the dose distribution calculated with treatment planning system. The CC phantom also shows reasonable agreements for using different algorithms for each beam modalities. Conclusion: 3D printers with submillimiter resolutions are capable of printing complex phantoms for dose verification and QA in radiotherapy. As printing costs decrease and the technology becomes widely available, phantom design and construction will be readily available to any clinic for testing geometries that were not previously feasible.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-P-49: Comparison of Mapcheck 2 Commission for Photon and Electron Beams

Purpose: We will investigate the performance variation of the MapCheck2 detector array with different array calibration and dose calibration pairs from different radiation therapy machine. Methods: A MapCheck2 detector array was calibrated on 3 Elekta accelerators with different energy of photon (6 MV, 10 MV, 15 MV and 18 MV) and electron (6 MeV, 9 MeV, 12 MeV, 15 MeV, 18 MeV and 20 MeV) beams. Dose calibration was conducted by referring a water phantom measurement following TG-51 protocol and commission data for each accelerator. A 10 cm × 10 cm beam was measured. This measured map was morphed by applying different calibration pairs. Then the difference was quantified by comparing the doses and similarity using gamma analysis of criteria (0.5 %, 0 mm). Profile variation was evaluated on a same dataset with different calibration pairs. The passing rate of an IMRT QA planar dose was calculated by using 3 mm and 3% criteria and compared with respect to each calibration pairs. Results: In this study, a dose variation up to 0.67% for matched photons and 1.0% for electron beams is observed. Differences of flatness and symmetry can be as high as 1% and 0.7% respectively. Gamma analysis shows a passing rate ranging from 34% to 85% for the standard 10 × 10 cm field. Conclusion: Our work demonstrated that a customized array calibration and dose calibration for each machine is preferred to fulfill a high standard patient QA task.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗