Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “PORT”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3

ITER Port Interspace Pressure Calculations

The ITER ('the way' in Latin) project in Cadarache, France, will operate the largest tokamak ever built to demonstrate the physical and technical feasibility of nuclear fusion as an energy source. The ITER vacuum vessel is equipped with 50 access ports. Each port has an opening in the bio-shield that communicates with a dedicated port cell. During tokamak operation, the bio-shield opening must be closed with a concrete plug to shield the radiation coming from the plasma. This port plug separates the port cell into a port interspace (between vacuum vessel closure lid and port plug) on the inner side and a port cell on the outer side. This paper presents calculations of pressures and temperatures in the ITER port interspace after a double-ended guillotine break (DEGB) of a pipe in the tokamak cooling water system (TCWS). It is assumed that the DEGB occurs during the worst possible conditions-during water baking operation, with water at 523 K (250 deg. C) and 4.4 MPa. These conditions are more severe than during normal tokamak operation with the water at 398 K (125 deg. C) and 2 MPa. Two computer codes are employed in these calculations: RELAP5-3D Version 4.2.1 to calculate blowdown releases from the pipe break, and MELCOR, Version 1.8.6 to calculate pressures and temperatures in the port interspace. A sensitivity study has been performed to optimize the maximum peak pressure in the port interspace volume of ITER. The optimum case was for a labyrinth area (FL131) of 0.5 m{sup 2} and a relief panel (FL135) kept open after the first cycle. This case keeps the pressure in the port interspace under 150 kPa and the temperatures under 385 K. (authors)

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

How to reduce Shutdown Dose Rates in ITER Diagnostics Equatorial Ports

The ITER vacuum vessel presents 54 access ports, arranged in three levels, where port plugs are inserted hosting different types of systems: test blanket modules, antennas, vacuum pumps, neutral beam injectors and diagnostics. At the equatorial level, nine out of the eighteen access ports present diagnostics port plugs, in which the diagnostics systems are deployed into three DSMs (Diagnostics Shield Modules). The DSMs, being a major constituent in volume of the port plugs, must help to fulfill the design target of Shutdown Dose Rates (SDDR) corresponding to 100 μSv.h{sup -1} after 10{sup 6} s of cooling time for planned in-situ maintenance operations in the port interspace. Additionally, the DSMs are largely responsible for the port plug drained weight limit of 45 T, which imposes limitations to the shielding technology. Up to now, all the proposed DSM designs combine differently stainless steel, water and/or B{sub 4}C as shielding to accommodate a maximum of 1.1 m{sup 3} of DSM bulk shield, contained into a L 1845 x W 518 x H 2011 mm stainless steel box weighting 5.8 T for each DSM. These proposals show insufficient shielding properties with respect to SDDR, while none of them satisfies currently the weight limit. However, during 2016, a new DSM concept has been developed, named 'modular DSM', with significant engineering advances and changes. The DSM length has been increased by 500 mm, up to 2345 mm. The SS box has been reduced to the minimum structure required, presenting the same weight while being larger and hosting a larger volume of bulk shielding inside. Thus, the volume of bulk shielding has been enlarged up to 1.5 m{sup 3} per DSM. The shielding technology is based on B{sub 4}C bricks deployed in SS trays that are attached to the vertical plates. This results in a bulk shielding made of 65% of B{sub 4}C, 10% SS and 25% void, with effective density of 2.4 g.cm{sup -3}. In summary, the modular DSM, without a weight increase, hosts extra 0.5 m3 of bulk shielding along an additional 500 mm of length, to be used with a light but highly neutron absorber, what allows fitting the weight limit of 45 T for the port plug once drained. From now, the non-modular DSMs will be referred as 'short DSMs'. The modular DSM's advantages with respect to the short DSM versions have shown that the DSMs design can be improved in generic approach, i.e. when the penetrations of the systems are not taken into consideration. A mention apart is required when port specific penetrations are considered. Provided that they will be an important radiation transmission path, their presence could significantly diminish the improvement. To clarify this issue, in this work we have carried out a nuclear analysis of the ITER equatorial port no. 11 integration considering the modular DSM. It is a first plasma port hosting the following 6 major diagnostics systems: Neutral Particle Analyzer (NPA), H-α monitor, Low Field Side (LFS) reflectometry, Visible - Ultraviolet divertor (VUV div), Visible - Ultraviolet core survey (VUV CS) and X-rays Crystal System (XRCS). For the baseline case, a SDDR matrix has been derived assigning responsibilities to the different EP no. 11 individual systems in terms of neutron flux transmission through them, and the related activation due to that neutron flux (activation of itself, but also of the rest of systems taken one by one). Different EP no. 11 configurations have been studied in addition to the baseline case. For example, the backfill of the port plug penetrations to protect all the empty space not required for systems sight. Another issue is the determination of the role of the Co impurity content minimization from 0.05 wt.% to 0.03 wt.% recently proposed. In this summary, only some results related to the baseline are given.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Subclavian Vein Versus Arm Vein for Totally Implantable Central Venous Port for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Retrospective Comparative Analysis

Purpose: This study was designed to compare central venous ports (CVP) from two different routes of venous access-the subclavian vein and arm vein-in terms of safety for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods: Patients with HNC who underwent image-guided implantations of CVPs were retrospectively evaluated. All CVPs were implanted under local anesthesia. Primary outcome measurements were rates and types of adverse events (AEs). Secondary outcomes included technical success and rate and reason of CVP removal. Results: A total of 162 patients (subclavian port group, 47; arm port group, 115) were included in this study. Technical success was achieved in all patients. The median follow-up period was 94 (range, 1-891) days. Two patients in the subclavian port group experienced periprocedural complications. Postprocedural AEs were observed in 8.5 and 22.6% of the subclavian port and arm port group patients, respectively (P = 0.044). Phlebitis and system occlusions were observed only in the arm port group. The rate of infection was not significantly different between the two groups. The CVP was removed in 34 and 39.1% of the subclavian port and arm port patients, respectively. Conclusions: Both subclavian and arm CVPs are feasible in patients with HNC. AEs were more frequent in the arm port group; thus, the arm port is not recommended as the first choice for patients with HNC. However, further experience is needed to improve the placement technique and the maintenance of CVPs and a prospective analysis is warranted.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Port Hope Area Initiative - Community Based Concepts Become Reality - 16538

The Port Hope Area Initiative (PHAI) involves the cleanup of historic low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) resulting from radium and uranium processing by the former Crown Corporation, Eldorado Nuclear Limited, and its predecessor companies, during the period between 1932 and 1988. The PHAI, which is based on a legal agreement between the Government of Canada and the adjacent municipalities of Port Hope and Clarington in Ontario, Canada, comprises two separate community-initiated projects for the long-term management of the historic LLRW located in each of these municipalities. The Port Hope Project involves the cleanup of approximately 1.2 million cubic metres of historic LLRW from various sites within the urban area of Port Hope, the construction and operation of an engineered aboveground mound where the waste will be safely contained, and the long-term maintenance and monitoring of the new waste management facility. The waste is currently located in 13 large-scale sites and an estimated 375 small-scale sites within the community. In contrast, the Port Granby Project involves the relocation of approximately 450,000 cubic metres of historic LLRW from the existing waste site on the north shore of Lake Ontario in rural Clarington, to a new engineered aboveground mound to be built 700 metres north of the shoreline. The work also involves the restoration of the existing site and long-term maintenance and monitoring the new facility. The PHAI entered Phase 2 (construction) of a three-phase program in early 2012, when $1.28 billion (Canadian) in federal funding was announced by the Minister of Natural Resources Canada. The funding, together with regulatory approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which granted 10-year waste management licences to both projects, have permitted the PHAI to move forward with construction and remediation. Waste water treatment plants based on best-available technologies have been constructed for each project to remove a wide range of contaminants from groundwater, surface water and leachate collected during construction and operation of the aboveground mounds. Each treatment process has been designed to ensure the quality of treated water being discharged into Lake Ontario meets or exceeds stringent regulatory requirements, resulting in the enhanced protection of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem. In 2015, the contract to build the Port Granby long-term waste management facility and remediate the existing waste site was awarded, and the long-awaited facility development will soon begin. The use of a dedicated internal waste transportation route along, which the LLRW will be trucked from the existing site to the new facility, is a key component of the design to minimize the impact on the local, rural community. In Port Hope, the removal of contaminated soil within the site for the new long-term management facility commenced in the fall of 2015. Over the next several years, multiple contracts will be awarded for construction and operation of the new waste management facility and remediation of the large and small-scale sites. In short, the Port Hope and Port Granby community-based concepts have matured into tangible projects with appropriate regulatory approvals and federal funding in place. Ongoing communications with the two communities have resulted in a well-informed public that understands the work to be done and is eager to see their projects take shape and become reality. As Canada's largest environmental remediation and restoration undertaking, the PHAI has never been closer to fulfilling its vision - working with the local communities to fulfil Canada's commitment for the cleanup of historic waste in Port Hope and Port Granby to leave an honourable legacy for future generations. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Design and Analysis Progress of ITER Diagnostic Equatorial Port #09

ITER is the world's largest fusion device currently under construction in the South of France with >50 diagnostic systems to be installed inside the port plugs (PPs), the interspace (IS), or the port cell region of various diagnostic ports. The plasma facing diagnostic first wall (DFW) and its supporting diagnostic shield modules (DSM) are designed to protect front-end diagnostics from plasma neutron and plasma radiation, while providing apertures for diagnostic access to the plasma. The design of ITER port plug structures including the DFW and the DSM is largely driven by the electromagnetic loads included on the PP structural components during plasma major disruptions and the vertical displacement events (VDEs). Unlike DFW and DSM, the design of diagnostic system, however, is likely driven by the steady-state thermal loads from plasma volumetric and surface heating and the dynamic response of the in-port components attached to the port-specific DSM or closure plate under transient loads induced on the vacuum vessel and the port extension during asymmetric VDEs. Three tenant diagnostic systems are integrated into the equatorial port 09. The toroidal interferometer/polarimeter, or TIP system, is installed in the left drawer (DSM3, left looking from plasma) for measuring the plasma density so to control the fuel input. The electron cyclotron emission (ECE) system is installed in the middle drawer (DSM2) to provide the high spatial and temporal resolution measurements of electron temperature evolution and the electron thermal transport inferences. The visible/infrared wide angle viewing system is installed in the right drawer (DSM1) to provide visible and infrared viewing and temperature data of the first wall for its protection in support of machine operation. The port plug integration design and multiphysics analyses are performed following port integration requirements including the weight limit (45 tones total), shut down dose rate limits, the cooling/heating and structural integrity validation. Mass distribution for TIP and ECE DSMs has been optimized to minimize the total weight by a new design of the boron carbide shielding pocket. Furthermore, the lightened DSM maintains its front-end load distribution and the structural stiffness with minimum impact to the DFW so to better protect on-board diagnostics; while still provides sufficient front-end stiffness for its structural integrity as well as the diagnostics function requirements.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Port Graham Community Building Biomass Heating Design Project

Native Village of Port Graham completed preconstruction activities to prepare for construction and operations of a cord wood biomass heating system to five or more community buildings in Port Graham, Alaska. Project Description Native Village of Port Graham (NVPG) completed preconstruction activities that pave the way towards reduced local energy costs through the construction and operations of a cord wood biomass heating system. NVPG plans include installation of a GARN WHS 3200 Boiler that uses cord wood as fuel source. Implementation of the 700,000 Btu per hour output biomass community building heat utility would heat 5-community buildings in Port Graham, Alaska. Heating system is estimated to displace 85% of the heating fuel oil or 5365 gallons of fuel on an annual basis with an estimated peak output of 600,000 Btu per hour. Estimated savings is $15,112.00 per year. The construction cost estimate made to install the new biomass boiler system is estimated $251,693.47 with an additional Boiler Building expansion cost estimated at $97,828.40. Total installed cost is estimated $349,521.87. The WHS 3200 Boiler would be placed inside a new structure at the old community Water Plant Building site that is controlled by NVPG. Design of the new biomass heat plant and hot water loop system was completed by Richmond Engineering, NVPG contractor for the project. A hot water heat loop system running off the boiler is designed to be placed underground on lands controlled by NVPG and stubbed to feed hot water to existing base board heating system in the following community buildings: 1. Anesia Anahonak Moonin Health and Dental Clinic 2. Native Village of Port Graham offices 3. Port Graham Public Safety Building/Fire Department 4. Port Graham Corporation Office Building which also houses the Port Graham Museum and Head Start Center 5. North Pacific Rim Housing Authority Workshop/Old Fire Hall Existing community buildings fuel oil heating systems are to be retro-fitted to accommodate hot water from the proposed wood-burning GARN Boiler, once installed, and rely on the existing fuel oil-fired hot water heating equipment for backup. The boiler would use an estimated 125 bone dry tons, equivalent to 100 cords, woody biomass feedstock obtained from local lands per year. Project would use local labor as described in the Port Graham Biomass Project, report completed by Chena Power, Inc. and Winters and Associates as part of the in-kind support to the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) project for work on a project for State of Alaska’s Alaska Energy Authority (AEA). NVPG will likely initiate operations of the biomass boiler system even though several operational variations were studied. Obtaining the fuel source could be done by contractors, PGVC employees, or NVPG employees. Feeding the system would likely be done by NVPG employees. A majority of the buildings heated would be owned by NVPG. The PGVC office would be heated as well as the Old Fire Hall used as a workshop and storage area for North Pacific Rim Housing Authority. One methodology studied to charge for cost of utilizing the community building biomass system would use a percentage of use of hot water generated by the biomass hot water system based on past heating oil usage in relation to all buildings heated by biomass hot water. The method is better described in the Port Graham Biomass Project report. Fuel source agreements have been drafted to enter into agreements with area landowners. One Native allotment owner has asked Chugachmiut Forestry to begin a timber sale process to sell timber off her lands, specifically wind thrown timber that was determined to be of sufficient quantity to supply to the proposed biomass heating system for approximately 5-years. On NVPG’s behalf, Chugachmiut has presented to PGVC three different documents, attached, that could lead to a sale of woody biomass fuel for the project for up to 25-years, the expected life of the project. PGVC has signed a letter of intent to negotiate a sale of woody biomass material April 30, 2015. Chugachmiut Forestry has conducted two different field forest measurements of Native allotment lands and PGVC forest and timber lands. Lands deemed road accessible for biomass harvest were analyzed for this project. Forestry then conducted three different analyses and developed two reports to determine forest biomass on a tons per acre basis in addition to timber volume measurements taken for forest management purposes. Permits required were limited. For the biomass building, the Kenai Peninsula Borough did not require a permit. State of Alaska, Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire and Life Safety requires a plan review for fire and life safety requirements called an application for Fire and Life Safety Plan Review that would require a registered design professional to sign the document. State of Alaska State Forest Practices Act is required to be followed for any timber sale or harvest. This Act also requires consultation with Alaska Department of Fish and Game when operations are in close proximity or cross anadromous waters. Native allotment lands require following U. S. Bureau of Indian Affairs timber sale contracting process and approval.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Development of Repeatable Microcatheter Access Port for Intra-arterial Therapy of Liver Cancer

Purpose: To develop an implantable port in which a microcatheter can be inserted for a combination therapy of repeated transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) for advanced liver cancer. Materials and Methods: The design of a currently used implantable port was modified. A funnel part was constructed in the port. The septum was punctured by a 20-gauge indwelling needle, and 2.0-Fr non-tapered microcatheter was inserted into the port. In the in vitro studies, the advance of a microcatheter out of the funnel part was evaluated via seven different septum puncture sites. A 5-Fr indwelling catheter connected to the port was placed in a vascular model, and a microcatheter catheterization was evaluated. In an in vivo study, the port–catheter system was implanted in the hepatic artery in a pig. A microcatheter was percutaneously inserted through the port into the hepatic arterial branches, and embolization was performed. Results: In the in vitro studies, the microcatheter was smoothly advanced out of the port and catheterizations into the hepatic arteries were successful via all septum puncture sites. In the in vivo study, repeated selective embolization through the port was successfully conducted on 7, 14 and 21 days after the implantation. Conclusion: The developed implantable port can be used for repeated catheter insertion into the hepatic artery. The combination of repeated TACE and HAIC could be possible using this device.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Beam current enhancement of microwave plasma ion source utilizing double-port rectangular cavity resonator

Microwave plasma ion source with rectangular cavity resonator has been examined to improve ion beam current by changing wave launcher type from single-port to double-port. The cavity resonators with double-port and single-port wave launchers are designed to get resonance effect at TE-103 mode and TE-102 mode, respectively. In order to confirm that the cavities are acting as resonator, the microwave power for breakdown is measured and compared with the E-field strength estimated from the HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) simulation. Langmuir probe measurements show that double-port cavity enhances central density of plasma ion source by modifying non-uniform plasma density profile of the single-port cavity. Correspondingly, beam current from the plasma ion source utilizing the double-port resonator is measured to be higher than that utilizing single-port resonator. Moreover, the enhancement in plasma density and ion beam current utilizing the double-port resonator is more pronounced as higher microwave power applied to the plasma ion source. Therefore, the rectangular cavity resonator utilizing the double-port is expected to enhance the performance of plasma ion source in terms of ion beam extraction.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Port geometry effects on thrust reverser static performance

An investigation has been conducted to provide some insight into the effect of several geometric parameters on the internal performance of thrust reverser ports for nonaxisymmetric nozzles using a single port test apparatus. This test apparatus simulates thrust reversal (conceptually) which would occur in the convergent section of the forward flight nozzle or in the constant area duct just upstream. The port opening had an aspect ratio of 6.1 (throat width/throat height) and had constant passage area from the geometric throat to the exit. The geometric parameters investigated were port angle, port corner radius, port location, and flow blocker angle. The apparatus had a single port so that thrust (vector) angle could be obtained from force balance measurements. The tests were conducted in the Static Test Stand of the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel at nozzle pressure ratios from 1.5 to 8.0 using high pressure air for propulsion simulation. Port angles (measured forward from a horizontal reference line) investigated were 75, 90, 120 and 135 deg. Sharp and rounded port corners were investigated for each port angle. Discharge coefficient, thrust ratio, and passage static pressures were measured.

Re, R. J.↗

Test Port for Fiber-Optic-Coupled Laser Altimeter

A test port designed as part of a fiber optic coupled laser altimeter receiver optical system allows for the back-illumination of the optical system for alignment verification, as well as illumination of the detector(s) for testing the receiver electronics and signal-processing algorithms. Measuring the optical alignment of a laser altimeter instrument is difficult after the instrument is fully assembled. The addition of a test port in the receiver aft-optics allows for the back-illumination of the receiver system such that its focal setting and boresight alignment can be easily verified. For a multiple-detector receiver system, the addition of the aft-optics test port offers the added advantage of being able to simultaneously test all the detectors with different signals that simulate the expected operational conditions. On a laser altimeter instrument (see figure), the aft-optics couple the light from the receiver telescope to the receiver detector(s). Incorporating a beam splitter in the aft-optics design allows for the addition of a test port to back-illuminate the receiver telescope and/or detectors. The aft-optics layout resembles a T with the detector on one leg, the receiver telescope input port on the second leg, and the test port on the third leg. The use of a custom beam splitter with 99-percent reflection, 1-percent transmission, and a mirrored roof can send the test port light to the receiver telescope leg as well as the detector leg, without unduly sacrificing the signal from the receiver telescope to the detector. The ability to test the receiver system alignment, as well as multiple detectors with different signals without the need to disassemble the instrument or connect and reconnect components, is a great advantage to the aft-optics test port. Another benefit is that the receiver telescope aperture is fully back-illuminated by the test port so the receiver telescope focal setting vs. pressure and or temperature can be accurately measured (as compared to schemes where the aperture is only partially illuminated). Fiber-optic coupling the test port also allows for the modularity of testing the receiver detectors with a variety of background and signal laser sources without the need of using complex optical set-ups to optimize the efficiency of each source.

Ramos Izquierdo, Luis↗

The Status of USITER Diagnostic Port Plug Neutronics Analysis Using Attila

USITER is one of seven partner domestic agencies (DA) contributing components to the ITER project. Four diagnostic port plug packages (two equatorial ports and two upper ports) will be engineered and fabricated by Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (PPPL). Diagnostic port plugs as illustrated in Fig. 1 are large primarily stainless steel structures that serve several roles on ITER. The port plugs are the primary vacuum seal and tritium confinement barriers for the vessel. The port plugs also house several plasma diagnostic systems and other machine service equipment. Finally, each port plug must shield high energy neutrons and gamma photons from escaping and creating radiological problems in maintenance areas behind the port plugs. The optimization of the balance between adequate shielding and the need for high performance, high throughput diagnostics systems is the focus of this paper. Neutronics calculations are also needed for assessing nuclear heating and nuclear damage in the port plug and diagnostic components. Attila, the commercially available discrete-ordinates software package, is used for all diagnostic port plug neutronics analysis studies at PPPL.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

ITER Port Interspace Pressure Calculations

The ITER Vacuum Vessel (VV) is equipped with 54 access ports. Each of these ports has an opening in the bioshield that communicates with a dedicated port cell. During Tokamak operation, the bioshield opening must be closed with a concrete plug to shield the radiation coming from the plasma. This port plug separates the port cell into a Port Interspace (between VV closure lid and Port Plug) on the inner side and the Port Cell on the outer side. This paper presents calculations of pressures and temperatures in the ITER (Ref. 1) Port Interspace after a double-ended guillotine break (DEGB) of a pipe of the Tokamak Cooling Water System (TCWS) with high temperature water. It is assumed that this DEGB occurs during the worst possible conditions, which are during water baking operation, with water at a temperature of 523 K (250 C) and at a pressure of 4.4 MPa. These conditions are more severe than during normal Tokamak operation, with the water at 398 K (125 C) and 2 MPa. Two computer codes are employed in these calculations: RELAP5-3D Version 4.2.1 (Ref. 2) to calculate the blowdown releases from the pipe break, and MELCOR, Version 1.8.6 (Ref. 3) to calculate the pressures and temperatures in the Port Interspace. A sensitivity study has been performed to optimize some flow areas.

Interspace ITER Vacuum vessel↗

Neutronics Analysis for ITER Diagnostic Generic Upper Port Plug

This paper presents new results of neutronics analysis performed for the updated design of the ITER Diagnostic Generic Upper Port Plug (DGUPP). Such analysis is performed regularly during the development of the ITER Ports design. Neutronics analysis is an important step in support of the development of ITER components irradiated by 14 MeV neutrons generated in D-T fusion thermonuclear reactions. The neutrons are born in the ITER tokamak plasma chamber and then impinge on the surrounding blanket and port plugs, after that they diffuse through shielding material of vacuum vessel components or could stream through the diagnostic channels and assembly gaps far away from plasma up to the bio-shield and in a small amount beyond it. While ITER machine is in operation it is inaccessible, after the shut-down it is planned to provide personnel access to the Upper Port Inter-Space Structure (UP ISS) behind the Port Plug via the corridors. Neutrons activate the ITER materials and those radioactive materials emit decay gammas during the shut-down causing a Shut-Down Dose Rate (SDDR) field distributed all around the activated materials. Decay gammas could also stream through the void channels. That emphasizes the need for calculation of decay gamma transport in evaluations of SDDR, which is reflected in the use of transport - activation interface code described in Section of Computational Modelling. The assessment of radiation environment (fluxes and SDDR) at DGUPP was focused on the port back-side area of UP ISS, where personnel access is planned along the ISS maintenance corridors. Minimization of SDDR at the front part of the ISS maintenance corridors was the target value for optimization of the DGUPP shielding and analysis of related neutronics effects. Following the dose ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle, every possibility to reduce SDDR should be investigated, emphasizing the importance of this analysis. The challenges of such analysis are inextricably connected with the engineering complexity of the ITER machine, with integration of many diagnostics systems having channels and gaps inside the ITER ports. Those gaps result in radiation streaming and negatively affect the shielding performance of the port plugs. The computational complication is caused by the need to model precisely the ITER geometry and then to run deep penetrating radiation transport in the substantially heterogenic toroidal geometry of ITER large-size tokamak, with 30 m height and diameter of its bio-shield. The whole mass of Upper Port Plug (UPP) could be up to 25 tons and it must be very precisely positioned inside the port opening in blanket and Vacuum Vessel. Facing the engineering challenges for the assembly of DGUPP, there were proposed two Project Change Requests (PCRs) No. 439 and 709 concerning the design updates of UPP/blanket interface and its remote handling.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

SU-E-T-243: Design of a Novel Testing Port for Radiation Protection and Shielding Measurements

Purpose: The majority of radiation shielding research utilizes Monte Carlo simulation because of the difficulty in eliminating secondary radiations from measurements. We have designed a test port into a primary barrier of our newest vault to allow for shielding measurements while ensuring adequate protection to the public and staff during normal machine operation. This port allows for measurement of attenuation values of shielding materials, differential dose albedos, and radiation scatter fractions. Methods: The vault design utilized the maze as part of a compound primary barrier. The test port is contained within the maze and is centered along isocenter. The inner 30 cm has a 20×20 cm{sup 2} opening, while the remaining length has a 30×30 cm{sup 2} opening. The block that contains the port has a density of 200 pcf to minimize internal scatter. The 30×30 cm{sup 2} opening is occupied by removable 215 pcf concrete blocks. The innermost and outermost blocks activate an interlock wired into the beam-enable loop. This disallows beam-on in treatment mode if the interlock isn’t closed. The interlock can be overridden in service mode, or by-passed via an override switch in case of circuit failure. Results: The test port was installed in August. The beam is disabled when the interlock is tripped. Measurements taken when the primary beam is not incident on the port are indistinguishable from background. Ambient dose levels surrounding the vault with the designed shielding blocks in place are all within allowable limits for occupational workers. Conclusions: We have designed and installed a unique testing port for radiation protection and shielding measurements. This port is appropriately interlocked and designed to mitigate any risks of incidental exposure to staff or members of the public. The test port design allows measurements with “good geometry” and efficient removal of contaminating sources of radiation present in many shielding measurements. Daniel Harrell and Jim Noller are employees of Shielding Construction Solutions, Inc, the shielding construction company that built the vault discussed in this abstract. Manjit Chopra is an employee of Universal Minerals International, Inc, the company that provided the aggregates for the high density concretes used in the vault construction.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Effect of varying internal geometry on the static performance of rectangular thrust-reverser ports

An investigation has been conducted to evaluate the effects of several geometric parameters on the internal performance of rectangular thrust-reverser ports for nonaxisymmetric nozzles. Internal geometry was varied with a test apparatus which simulated a forward-flight nozzle with a single, fully deployed reverser port. The test apparatus was designed to simulate thrust reversal (conceptually) either in the convergent section of the nozzle or in the constant-area duct just upstream of the nozzle. The main geometric parameters investigated were port angle, port corner radius, port location, and internal flow blocker angle. For all reverser port geometries, the port opening had an aspect ratio (throat width to throat height) of 6.1 and had a constant passage area from the geometric port throat to the exit. Reverser-port internal performance and thrust-vector angles computed from force-balance measurements are presented.

Re, Richard J.↗

KLONOS: Similarity-based planning tool support for porting scientific applications:

In this paper, we propose a methodology to address an important aspect of software porting that receives little attention, namely planning support. When a scientific application consisting of many subroutines is to be ported, the selection of key subroutines greatly impacts the productivity and overall porting strategy because these subroutines may represent a significant feature of the code in terms of functionality, code structure, or performance. They may as well serve as indicators of the difficulty and amount of effort involved in porting a code to a new platform. The proposed methodology is based on the idea that a set of similar subroutines can be ported with similar strategies and result in a similar-quality porting. By viewing subroutines as data and operator sequences, analogous to DNA sequences, we are able to use various bioinformatics techniques to conduct the similarity analysis of subroutines while mitigating NP-complete challenges of other approaches. To the best of our knowledge, we are one of the first to explore this bio-inspired view of program to target the porting planning problem. In this paper, we describe our methodology and present a tool called Klonos to facilitate the execution of the methodology, which integrates to well known bioinformatics tools. As a proof of concept, we use Klonos to conduct experiments to find strategies for porting of several scientific benchmarks and applications. We also have identified some of the advantages and limitations of the bio-inspired view of a program code and the future work. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Computer Science↗

Long-term Outcome of Peripherally Implanted Venous Access Ports in the Forearm in Female Cancer Patients

PurposeThe aim of this retrospective study was to analyze the long-term outcome of peripherally implanted venous access ports in the forearm at our institution in a female patient collective.MethodsBetween June 2002 and May 2011, a total of 293 female patients with an underlying malignancy had 299 forearm ports implanted in our interventional radiology suite. The mean age of the cohort was 55 ± 12 years (range 26–81 years). The majority of women suffered from breast (59.5 %) or ovarian cancer (28.1 %). Complications were classified as infectious complications, thrombotic and nonthrombotic catheter dysfunction (dislocation of the catheter or port chamber, fracture with/without embolization or kinking of the catheter, port occlusion), and others.ResultsWe analyzed a total of 90,276 catheter days in 248 port systems (47 patients were lost to follow-up). The mean device service interval was 364 days per catheter (range 8–2,132, median 223 days, CI 311–415, SD 404). Sixty-seven early (≤30 days from implantation) or late complications (>30 days) occurred during the observation period (0.74/1,000 catheter days). Common complications were port infection (0.18/1,000 days), thrombotic dysfunction (0.12/1,000 days), and skin dehiscence (0.12/1,000 days). Nonthrombotic dysfunction occurred in a total of 21 cases (0.23/1,000 days) and seemed to cumulate on the venous catheter entry site on the distal upper arm.ConclusionPeripherally implanted venous access ports in the forearm are a safe alternative to chest or upper-arm ports in female oncology patients. Special attention should be paid to signs of skin dehiscence and nonthrombotic dysfunction, especially when used for long-term treatment.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Port scanner and Testing Suite

This project addresses the challenge of identifying and managing open network ports across physical and virtual hosts. The current form of verifying ports in use required manually searching individual ports - a process that was both time- consuming and a potential bottleneck for deployment timelines. To resolve this, an automated port scanning tool was developed in Python. The tool supports simultaneous multiple port scans. To ensure functionality and long-term maintainability, a comprehensive testing suite was implemented using Python’s unittest framework. Edge cases, including valid port numbers, reversed ranges, and closed ports, were explicitly tested to ensure robust handling of real-world scenarios. The resulting tool reduces the time required to verify port security across a network, supporting both targeted and host checks and broader Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) -based network scans. This work demonstrates the value of automation and test-driven development in strengthening network security practices, and provides a foundation for future enhancements.

Rivera, Linda [Fermilab]↗