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At least 1,531 records · Page 85
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Simulation and visualization of energy-related occupant behavior in office buildings

In current building performance simulation programs, occupant presence and interactions with building systems are over-simplified and less indicative of real world scenarios, contributing to the discrepancies between simulated and actual energy use in buildings. Simulation results are normally presented using various types of charts. However, using those charts, it is difficult to visualize and communicate the importance of occupants’ behavior to building energy performance. This study introduced a new approach to simulating and visualizing energy-related occupant behavior in office buildings. First, the Occupancy Simulator was used to simulate the occupant presence and movement and generate occupant schedules for each space as well as for each occupant. Then an occupant behavior functional mockup unit (obFMU) was used to model occupant behavior and analyze their impact on building energy use through co-simulation with EnergyPlus. Finally, an agent-based model built upon AnyLogic was applied to visualize the simulation results of the occupant movement and interactions with building systems, as well as the related energy performance. A case study using a small office building in Miami, FL was presented to demonstrate the process and application of the Occupancy Simulator, the obFMU and EnergyPlus, and the AnyLogic module in simulation and visualization of energy-related occupant behaviors in office buildings. Furthermore, the presented approach provides a new detailed and visual way for policy makers, architects, engineers and building operators to better understand occupant energy behavior and their impact on energy use in buildings, which can improve the design and operation of low energy buildings.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

A Fast Algorithm for Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Imaging and 4D-STEM Diffraction Simulations

Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is an extremely versatile method for studying materials on the atomic scale. Many STEM experiments are supported or validated with electron scattering simulations. However, using the conventional multislice algorithm to perform these simulations can require extremely large calculation times, particularly for experiments with millions of probe positions as each probe position must be simulated independently. Recently, the plane-wave reciprocal-space interpolated scattering matrix (PRISM) algorithm was developed to reduce calculation times for large STEM simulations. Here, we introduce a new method for STEM simulation: partitioning of the STEM probe into “beamlets,” given by a natural neighbor interpolation of the parent beams. This idea is compatible with PRISM simulations and can lead to even larger improvements in simulation time, as well requiring significantly less computer random access memory (RAM). We have performed various simulations to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of partitioned PRISM STEM simulations. We find that this new algorithm is particularly useful for 4D-STEM simulations of large fields of view. We also provide a reference implementation of the multislice, PRISM, and partitioned PRISM algorithms.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Gyrokinetic GENE simulations of DIII-D near-edge L-mode plasmas

We present gyrokinetic simulations with the GENE code addressing the near-edge region of an L-mode plasma in the DIII-D tokamak. At radial position ρ = 0.80, simulations with the ion temperature gradient (ITG) increased by 40% above the nominal value give electron and ion heat fluxes that are in simultaneous agreement with the experiment. This gradient increase is consistent with the combined statistical and systematic uncertainty σ of the charge exchange recombination spectroscopy measurements at the 1.6σ level. Multiscale simulations are carried out with a realistic mass ratio and geometry for the first time in the near-edge. These multiscale simulations suggest that the highly unstable ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes of the flux-matched ion-scale simulations suppress electron-scale transport, such that ion-scale simulations are sufficient at this location. At radial position ρ = 0.90, nonlinear simulations show a hybrid state of ITG and trapped electron modes, which was not expected from linear simulations. The nonlinear simulations reproduce the total experimental heat flux with the inclusion of E × B shear effects and an increase in the electron temperature gradient by ∼23%. This gradient increase is compatible with the combined statistical and systematic uncertainty of the Thomson scattering data at the 1.3σ level. These results are consistent with previous findings that gyrokinetic simulations are able to reproduce the experimental heat fluxes by varying input parameters close to their experimental uncertainties, pushing the validation frontier closer to the edge region.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

COMPARISONS OF COSMOLOGICAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC GALAXY CLUSTER SIMULATIONS TO RADIO OBSERVATIONS

Radio observations of galaxy clusters show that there are {mu}G magnetic fields permeating the intracluster medium (ICM), but it is hard to accurately constrain the strength and structure of the magnetic fields without the help of advanced computer simulations. We present qualitative comparisons of synthetic Very Large Array observations of simulated galaxy clusters to radio observations of Faraday rotation measure (RM) and radio halos. The cluster formation is modeled using adaptive mesh refinement magnetohydrodynamic simulations with the assumption that the initial magnetic fields are injected into the ICM by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at high redshift. In addition to simulated clusters in Xu et al., we present a new simulation with magnetic field injections from multiple AGNs. We find that the cluster with multiple injection sources is magnetized to a similar level as in previous simulations with a single AGN. The RM profiles from simulated clusters, both |RM| and the dispersion of RM ({sigma}{sub RM}), are consistent at a first order with the radial distribution from observations. The correlations between the {sigma}{sub RM} and X-ray surface brightness from simulations are in a broad agreement with the observations, although there is an indication that the simulated clusters could be slightly overdense and less magnetized with respect to those in the observed sample. In addition, the simulated radio halos agree with the observed correlations between the radio power versus the cluster X-ray luminosity and between the radio power versus the radio halo size. These studies show that the cluster-wide magnetic fields that originate from AGNs and are then amplified by the ICM turbulence match observations of magnetic fields in galaxy clusters.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE ROLE OF A FLUX ROPE EJECTION IN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATION OF A SOLAR FLARE

We investigated the dynamic evolution of a three-dimensional (3D) flux rope eruption and magnetic reconnection process in a solar flare by simply extending the two-dimensional (2D) resistive magnetohydrodynamic simulation model of solar flares with low β plasma to a 3D model. We succeeded in reproducing a current sheet and bi-directional reconnection outflows just below the flux rope during the eruption in our 3D simulations. We calculated four cases of a strongly twisted flux rope and a weakly twisted flux rope in 2D and 3D simulations. The time evolution of a weakly twisted flux rope in the 3D simulation shows behaviors similar to those of the 2D simulation, while a strongly twisted flux rope in the 3D simulation clearly shows a different time evolution from the 2D simulation except for the initial phase evolution. The ejection speeds of both strongly and weakly twisted flux ropes in 3D simulations are larger than in the 2D simulations, and the reconnection rates in 3D cases are also larger than in the 2D cases. This indicates positive feedback between the ejection speed of a flux rope and the reconnection rate even in the 3D simulation, and we conclude that the plasmoid-induced reconnection model can be applied to 3D. We also found that small-scale plasmoids are formed inside a current sheet and make it turbulent. These small-scale plasmoid ejections have a role in locally increasing the reconnection rate intermittently as observed in solar flares, coupled with a global eruption of a flux rope.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Synchronization Algorithms for Co-Simulation of Power Grid and Communication Networks

The ongoing modernization of power grids consists of integrating them with communication networks in order to achieve robust and resilient control of grid operations. To understand the operation of the new smart grid, one approach is to use simulation software. Unfortunately, current power grid simulators at best utilize inadequate approximations to simulate communication networks, if at all. Cooperative simulation of specialized power grid and communication network simulators promises to more accurately reproduce the interactions of real smart grid deployments. However, co-simulation is a challenging problem. A co-simulation must manage the exchange of informa- tion, including the synchronization of simulator clocks, between all simulators while maintaining adequate computational perfor- mance. This paper describes two new conservative algorithms for reducing the overhead of time synchronization, namely Active Set Conservative and Reactive Conservative. We provide a detailed analysis of their performance characteristics with respect to the current state of the art including both conservative and optimistic synchronization algorithms. In addition, we provide guidelines for selecting the appropriate synchronization algorithm based on the requirements of the co-simulation. The newly proposed algorithms are shown to achieve as much as 14% and 63% im- provement, respectively, over the existing conservative algorithm.

co-simulation↗
DOE OSTI2012

Fast and Accurate Simulation of the Cray XMT Multithreaded Supercomputer

Irregular applications, such as data mining and analysis or graph-based computations, show unpredictable memory/network access patterns and control structures. Highly multithreaded architectures with large processor counts, like the Cray MTA-1, MTA-2 and XMT, appear to address their requirements better than commodity clusters. However, the research on highly multithreaded systems is currently limited by the lack of adequate architectural simulation infrastructures due to issues such as size of the machines, memory footprint, simulation speed, accuracy and customization. At the same time, Shared-memory MultiProcessors (SMPs) with multi-core processors have become an attractive platform to simulate large scale machines. In this paper, we introduce a cycle-level simulator of the highly multithreaded Cray XMT supercomputer. The simulator runs unmodified XMT applications. We discuss how we tackled the challenges posed by its development, detailing the techniques introduced to make the simulation as fast as possible while maintaining a high accuracy. By mapping XMT processors (ThreadStorm with 128 hardware threads) to host computing cores, the simulation speed remains constant as the number of simulated processors increases, up to the number of available host cores. The simulator supports zero-overhead switching among different accuracy levels at run-time and includes a network model that takes into account contention. On a modern 48-core SMP host, our infrastructure simulates a large set of irregular applications 500 to 2000 times slower than real time when compared to a 128-processor XMT, while remaining within 10\% of accuracy. Emulation is only from 25 to 200 times slower than real time.

Cray XMT↗
DOE OSTI2013

Extension of PENELOPE to protons: Simulation of nuclear reactions and benchmark with Geant4

Purpose: Describing the implementation of nuclear reactions in the extension of the Monte Carlo code (MC) PENELOPE to protons (PENH) and benchmarking with Geant4.Methods: PENH is based on mixed-simulation mechanics for both elastic and inelastic electromagnetic collisions (EM). The adopted differential cross sections for EM elastic collisions are calculated using the eikonal approximation with the Dirac–Hartree–Fock–Slater atomic potential. Cross sections for EM inelastic collisions are computed within the relativistic Born approximation, using the Sternheimer–Liljequist model of the generalized oscillator strength. Nuclear elastic and inelastic collisions were simulated using explicitly the scattering analysis interactive dialin database for {sup 1}H and ICRU 63 data for {sup 12}C, {sup 14}N, {sup 16}O, {sup 31}P, and {sup 40}Ca. Secondary protons, alphas, and deuterons were all simulated as protons, with the energy adapted to ensure consistent range. Prompt gamma emission can also be simulated upon user request. Simulations were performed in a water phantom with nuclear interactions switched off or on and integral depth–dose distributions were compared. Binary-cascade and precompound models were used for Geant4. Initial energies of 100 and 250 MeV were considered. For cases with no nuclear interactions simulated, additional simulations in a water phantom with tight resolution (1 mm in all directions) were performed with FLUKA. Finally, integral depth–dose distributions for a 250 MeV energy were computed with Geant4 and PENH in a homogeneous phantom with, first, ICRU striated muscle and, second, ICRU compact bone.Results: For simulations with EM collisions only, integral depth–dose distributions were within 1%/1 mm for doses higher than 10% of the Bragg-peak dose. For central-axis depth–dose and lateral profiles in a phantom with tight resolution, there are significant deviations between Geant4 and PENH (up to 60%/1 cm for depth–dose distributions). The agreement is much better with FLUKA, with deviations within 3%/3 mm. When nuclear interactions were turned on, agreement (within 6% before the Bragg-peak) between PENH and Geant4 was consistent with uncertainties on nuclear models and cross sections, whatever the material simulated (water, muscle, or bone).Conclusions: A detailed and flexible description of nuclear reactions has been implemented in the PENH extension of PENELOPE to protons, which utilizes a mixed-simulation scheme for both elastic and inelastic EM collisions, analogous to the well-established algorithm for electrons/positrons. PENH is compatible with all current main programs that use PENELOPE as the MC engine. The nuclear model of PENH is realistic enough to give dose distributions in fair agreement with those computed by Geant4.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Rapid Monte Carlo simulation of detector DQE(f)

Purpose: Performance optimization of indirect x-ray detectors requires proper characterization of both ionizing (gamma) and optical photon transport in a heterogeneous medium. As the tool of choice for modeling detector physics, Monte Carlo methods have failed to gain traction as a design utility, due mostly to excessive simulation times and a lack of convenient simulation packages. The most important figure-of-merit in assessing detector performance is the detective quantum efficiency (DQE), for which most of the computational burden has traditionally been associated with the determination of the noise power spectrum (NPS) from an ensemble of flood images, each conventionally having 10{sup 7} − 10{sup 9} detected gamma photons. In this work, the authors show that the idealized conditions inherent in a numerical simulation allow for a dramatic reduction in the number of gamma and optical photons required to accurately predict the NPS. Methods: The authors derived an expression for the mean squared error (MSE) of a simulated NPS when computed using the International Electrotechnical Commission-recommended technique based on taking the 2D Fourier transform of flood images. It is shown that the MSE is inversely proportional to the number of flood images, and is independent of the input fluence provided that the input fluence is above a minimal value that avoids biasing the estimate. The authors then propose to further lower the input fluence so that each event creates a point-spread function rather than a flood field. The authors use this finding as the foundation for a novel algorithm in which the characteristic MTF(f), NPS(f), and DQE(f) curves are simultaneously generated from the results of a single run. The authors also investigate lowering the number of optical photons used in a scintillator simulation to further increase efficiency. Simulation results are compared with measurements performed on a Varian AS1000 portal imager, and with a previously published simulation performed using clinical fluence levels. Results: On the order of only 10–100 gamma photons per flood image were required to be detected to avoid biasing the NPS estimate. This allowed for a factor of 10{sup 7} reduction in fluence compared to clinical levels with no loss of accuracy. An optimal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was achieved by increasing the number of flood images from a typical value of 100 up to 500, thereby illustrating the importance of flood image quantity over the number of gammas per flood. For the point-spread ensemble technique, an additional 2× reduction in the number of incident gammas was realized. As a result, when modeling gamma transport in a thick pixelated array, the simulation time was reduced from 2.5 × 10{sup 6} CPU min if using clinical fluence levels to 3.1 CPU min if using optimized fluence levels while also producing a higher SNR. The AS1000 DQE(f) simulation entailing both optical and radiative transport matched experimental results to within 11%, and required 14.5 min to complete on a single CPU. Conclusions: The authors demonstrate the feasibility of accurately modeling x-ray detector DQE(f) with completion times on the order of several minutes using a single CPU. Convenience of simulation can be achieved using GEANT4 which offers both gamma and optical photon transport capabilities.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Automatic CT simulation optimization for radiation therapy: A general strategy

Purpose: In radiation therapy, x-ray computed tomography (CT) simulation protocol specifications should be driven by the treatment planning requirements in lieu of duplicating diagnostic CT screening protocols. The purpose of this study was to develop a general strategy that allows for automatically, prospectively, and objectively determining the optimal patient-specific CT simulation protocols based on radiation-therapy goals, namely, maintenance of contouring quality and integrity while minimizing patient CT simulation dose. Methods: The authors proposed a general prediction strategy that provides automatic optimal CT simulation protocol selection as a function of patient size and treatment planning task. The optimal protocol is the one that delivers the minimum dose required to provide a CT simulation scan that yields accurate contours. Accurate treatment plans depend on accurate contours in order to conform the dose to actual tumor and normal organ positions. An image quality index, defined to characterize how simulation scan quality affects contour delineation, was developed and used to benchmark the contouring accuracy and treatment plan quality within the predication strategy. A clinical workflow was developed to select the optimal CT simulation protocols incorporating patient size, target delineation, and radiation dose efficiency. An experimental study using an anthropomorphic pelvis phantom with added-bolus layers was used to demonstrate how the proposed prediction strategy could be implemented and how the optimal CT simulation protocols could be selected for prostate cancer patients based on patient size and treatment planning task. Clinical IMRT prostate treatment plans for seven CT scans with varied image quality indices were separately optimized and compared to verify the trace of target and organ dosimetry coverage. Results: Based on the phantom study, the optimal image quality index for accurate manual prostate contouring was 4.4. The optimal tube potentials for patient sizes of 38, 43, 48, 53, and 58 cm were 120, 140, 140, 140, and 140 kVp, respectively, and the corresponding minimum CTDIvol for achieving the optimal image quality index 4.4 were 9.8, 32.2, 100.9, 241.4, and 274.1 mGy, respectively. For patients with lateral sizes of 43–58 cm, 120-kVp scan protocols yielded up to 165% greater radiation dose relative to 140-kVp protocols, and 140-kVp protocols always yielded a greater image quality index compared to the same dose-level 120-kVp protocols. The trace of target and organ dosimetry coverage and the γ passing rates of seven IMRT dose distribution pairs indicated the feasibility of the proposed image quality index for the predication strategy. Conclusions: A general strategy to predict the optimal CT simulation protocols in a flexible and quantitative way was developed that takes into account patient size, treatment planning task, and radiation dose. The experimental study indicated that the optimal CT simulation protocol and the corresponding radiation dose varied significantly for different patient sizes, contouring accuracy, and radiation treatment planning tasks.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-I-02: A Framework to Perform Batch Simulations of Computational Voxel Phantoms to Study Organ Doses in Computed Tomography Using a Commercial Monte Carlo Software Package

Purpose: ImpactMC (CT Imaging, Erlangen, Germany) is a Monte Carlo (MC) software package that offers a GPU enabled, user definable and validated method for 3D dose distribution calculations for radiography and Computed Tomography (CT). ImpactMC, in and of itself, offers limited capabilities to perform batch simulations. The aim of this work was to develop a framework for the batch simulation of absorbed organ dose distributions from CT scans of computational voxel phantoms. Methods: The ICRP 110 adult Reference Male and Reference Female computational voxel phantoms were formatted into compatible input volumes for MC simulations. A Matlab (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA) script was written to loop through a user defined set of simulation parameters and 1) generate input files required for the simulation, 2) start the MC simulation, 3) segment the absorbed dose for organs in the simulated dose volume and 4) transfer the organ doses to a database. A demonstration of the framework is made where the glandular breast dose to the adult Reference Female phantom, for a typical Chest CT examination, is investigated. Results: A batch of 48 contiguous simulations was performed with variations in the total collimation and spiral pitch. The demonstration of the framework showed that the glandular dose to the right and left breast will vary depending on the start angle of rotation, total collimation and spiral pitch. Conclusion: The developed framework provides a robust and efficient approach to performing a large number of user defined MC simulations with computational voxel phantoms in CT (minimal user interaction). The resulting organ doses from each simulation can be accessed through a database which greatly increases the ease of analyzing the resulting organ doses. The framework developed in this work provides a valuable resource when investigating different dose optimization strategies in CT.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Monte Carlo simulation of PET and SPECT imaging of {sup 90}Y

Purpose: Yittrium-90 ({sup 90}Y) is traditionally thought of as a pure beta emitter, and is used in targeted radionuclide therapy, with imaging performed using bremsstrahlung single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). However, because {sup 90}Y also emits positrons through internal pair production with a very small branching ratio, positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is also available. Because of the insufficient image quality of {sup 90}Y bremsstrahlung SPECT, PET imaging has been suggested as an alternative. In this paper, the authors present the Monte Carlo-based simulation–reconstruction framework for {sup 90}Y to comprehensively analyze the PET and SPECT imaging techniques and to quantitatively consider the disadvantages associated with them. Methods: Our PET and SPECT simulation modules were developed using Monte Carlo simulation of Electrons and Photons (MCEP), developed by Dr. S. Uehara. PET code (MCEP-PET) generates a sinogram, and reconstructs the tomography image using a time-of-flight ordered subset expectation maximization (TOF-OSEM) algorithm with attenuation compensation. To evaluate MCEP-PET, simulated results of {sup 18}F PET imaging were compared with the experimental results. The results confirmed that MCEP-PET can simulate the experimental results very well. The SPECT code (MCEP-SPECT) models the collimator and NaI detector system, and generates the projection images and projection data. To save the computational time, the authors adopt the prerecorded {sup 90}Y bremsstrahlung photon data calculated by MCEP. The projection data are also reconstructed using the OSEM algorithm. The authors simulated PET and SPECT images of a water phantom containing six hot spheres filled with different concentrations of {sup 90}Y without background activity. The amount of activity was 163 MBq, with an acquisition time of 40 min. Results: The simulated {sup 90}Y-PET image accurately simulated the experimental results. PET image is visually superior to SPECT image because of the low background noise. The simulation reveals that the detected photon number in SPECT is comparable to that of PET, but the large fraction (approximately 75%) of scattered and penetration photons contaminates SPECT image. The lower limit of {sup 90}Y detection in SPECT image was approximately 200 kBq/ml, while that in PET image was approximately 100 kBq/ml. Conclusions: By comparing the background noise level and the image concentration profile of both the techniques, PET image quality was determined to be superior to that of bremsstrahlung SPECT. The developed simulation codes will be very useful in the future investigations of PET and bremsstrahlung SPECT imaging of {sup 90}Y.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Experimental depth dose curves of a 67.5 MeV proton beam for benchmarking and validation of Monte Carlo simulation

Purpose: To measure depth dose curves for a 67.5 ± 0.1 MeV proton beam for benchmarking and validation of Monte Carlo simulation. Methods: Depth dose curves were measured in 2 beam lines. Protons in the raw beam line traversed a Ta scattering foil, 0.1016 or 0.381 mm thick, a secondary emission monitor comprised of thin Al foils, and a thin Kapton exit window. The beam energy and peak width and the composition and density of material traversed by the beam were known with sufficient accuracy to permit benchmark quality measurements. Diodes for charged particle dosimetry from two different manufacturers were used to scan the depth dose curves with 0.003 mm depth reproducibility in a water tank placed 300 mm from the exit window. Depth in water was determined with an uncertainty of 0.15 mm, including the uncertainty in the water equivalent depth of the sensitive volume of the detector. Parallel-plate chambers were used to verify the accuracy of the shape of the Bragg peak and the peak-to-plateau ratio measured with the diodes. The uncertainty in the measured peak-to-plateau ratio was 4%. Depth dose curves were also measured with a diode for a Bragg curve and treatment beam spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) on the beam line used for eye treatment. The measurements were compared to Monte Carlo simulation done with GEANT4 using TOPAS. Results: The 80% dose at the distal side of the Bragg peak for the thinner foil was at 37.47 ± 0.11 mm (average of measurement with diodes from two different manufacturers), compared to the simulated value of 37.20 mm. The 80% dose for the thicker foil was at 35.08 ± 0.15 mm, compared to the simulated value of 34.90 mm. The measured peak-to-plateau ratio was within one standard deviation experimental uncertainty of the simulated result for the thinnest foil and two standard deviations for the thickest foil. It was necessary to include the collimation in the simulation, which had a more pronounced effect on the peak-to-plateau ratio for the thicker foil. The treatment beam, being unfocussed, had a broader Bragg peak than the raw beam. A 1.3 ± 0.1 MeV FWHM peak width in the energy distribution was used in the simulation to match the Bragg peak width. An additional 1.3–2.24 mm of water in the water column was required over the nominal values to match the measured depth penetration. Conclusions: The proton Bragg curve measured for the 0.1016 mm thick Ta foil provided the most accurate benchmark, having a low contribution of proton scatter from upstream of the water tank. The accuracy was 0.15% in measured beam energy and 0.3% in measured depth penetration at the Bragg peak. The depth of the distal edge of the Bragg peak in the simulation fell short of measurement, suggesting that the mean ionization potential of water is 2–5 eV higher than the 78 eV used in the stopping power calculation for the simulation. The eye treatment beam line depth dose curves provide validation of Monte Carlo simulation of a Bragg curve and SOBP with 4%/2 mm accuracy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-J-145: Validation of An Analytical Model for in Vivo Range Verification Using GATE Monte Carlo Simulation in Proton Therapy

Purpose: Predicted PET images on the basis of analytical filtering approach for proton range verification has been successful developed and validated using FLUKA Monte Carlo (MC) codes and phantom measurements. The purpose of the study is to validate the effectiveness of analytical filtering model for proton range verification on GATE/GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulation codes. Methods: In this study, we performed two experiments for validation of predicted β+-isotope by the analytical model with GATE/GEANT4 simulations. The first experiments to evaluate the accuracy of predicting β+-yields as a function of irradiated proton energies. In second experiment, we simulate homogeneous phantoms of different materials irradiated by a mono-energetic pencil-like proton beam. The results of filtered β+-yields distributions by the analytical model is compared with those of MC simulated β+-yields in proximal and distal fall-off ranges. Results: The results investigate the distribution between filtered β+-yields and MC simulated β+-yields distribution in different conditions. First, we found that the analytical filtering can be applied over the whole range of the therapeutic energies. Second, the range difference between filtered β+-yields and MC simulated β+-yields at the distal fall-off region are within 1.5mm for all materials used. The findings validated the usefulness of analytical filtering model on range verification of proton therapy on GATE Monte Carlo simulations. In addition, there is a larger discrepancy between filtered prediction and MC simulated β+-yields using GATE code, especially in proximal region. This discrepancy might Result from the absence of wellestablished theoretical models for predicting the nuclear interactions. Conclusion: Despite the fact that large discrepancies of the distributions between MC-simulated and predicted β+-yields were observed, the study prove the effectiveness of analytical filtering model for proton range verification using GATE Monte Carlo simulation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

TU-EF-204-07: Add Tube Current Modulation to a Low Dose Simulation Tool for CT Systems

Purpose: We extended the capabilities of a low dose simulation tool to model Tube-Current Modulation (TCM). TCM is widely used in clinical practice to reduce radiation dose in CT scans. We expect the tool to be valuable for various clinical applications (e.g., optimize protocols, compare reconstruction techniques and evaluate TCM methods). Methods: The tube current is input as a function of z location, instead of a fixed value. Starting from the line integrals of a scan, a new Poisson noise realization at a lower dose is generated for each view. To validate the new functionality, we compared simulated scans with real scans in image space. Results: First we assessed noise in the difference between the low-dose simulations and the original high-dose scan. When the simulated tube current is a step function of z location, the noise at each segment matches the noise of 3 separate constant-tube-current-simulations. Secondly, with a phantom that forces TCM, we compared a low-dose simulation with an equivalent real low-dose scan. The mean CT number of the simulated scan and the real low-dose scan were 137.7±0.6 and 137.8±0.5 respectively. Furthermore, with 240 ROIs, the noise of the simulated scan and the real low-dose scan were 24.03±0.45 and 23.99±0.43 respectively, and they were not statistically different (2-sample t-test, p-value=0.28). The facts that the noise reflected the trend of the TCM curve, and that the absolute noise measurements were not statistically different validated the TCM function. Conclusion: We successfully added tube-current modulation functionality in an existing low dose simulation tool. We demonstrated that the noise reflected an input tube-current modulation curve. In addition, we verified that the noise and mean CT number of our simulation agreed with a real low dose scan. The authors are all employees of Philips. Yijun Ding is also supported by NIBIB P41EB002035 and NIBIB R01EB000803.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

TU-H-207A-02: Relative Importance of the Various Factors Influencing the Accuracy of Monte Carlo Simulated CT Dose Index

Purpose: Monte Carlo simulation is a frequently used technique for assessing patient dose in CT. The accuracy of a Monte Carlo program is often validated using the standard CT dose index (CTDI) phantoms by comparing simulated and measured CTDI{sub 100}. To achieve good agreement, many input parameters in the simulation (e.g., energy spectrum and effective beam width) need to be determined. However, not all the parameters have equal importance. Our aim was to assess the relative importance of the various factors that influence the accuracy of simulated CTDI{sub 100}. Methods: A Monte Carlo program previously validated for a clinical CT system was used to simulate CTDI{sub 100}. For the standard CTDI phantoms (32 and 16 cm in diameter), CTDI{sub 100} values from central and four peripheral locations at 70 and 120 kVp were first simulated using a set of reference input parameter values (treated as the truth). To emulate the situation in which the input parameter values used by the researcher may deviate from the truth, additional simulations were performed in which intentional errors were introduced into the input parameters, the effects of which on simulated CTDI{sub 100} were analyzed. Results: At 38.4-mm collimation, errors in effective beam width up to 5.0 mm showed negligible effects on simulated CTDI{sub 100} (<1.0%). Likewise, errors in acrylic density of up to 0.01 g/cm{sup 3} resulted in small CTDI{sub 100} errors (<2.5%). In contrast, errors in spectral HVL produced more significant effects: slight deviations (±0.2 mm Al) produced errors up to 4.4%, whereas more extreme deviations (±1.4 mm Al) produced errors as high as 25.9%. Lastly, ignoring the CT table introduced errors up to 13.9%. Conclusion: Monte Carlo simulated CTDI{sub 100} is insensitive to errors in effective beam width and acrylic density. However, they are sensitive to errors in spectral HVL. To obtain accurate results, the CT table should not be ignored. This work was supported by a Faculty Research and Development Award from Cleveland State University.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Mesoscale to Microscale Simulations over Complex Terrain with the Immersed Boundary Method in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model

Improvements to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model are made to enable multiscale simulations over highly complex terrain with dynamically downscaled boundary conditions from the mesoscale to the microscale. Over steep terrain, the WRF Model develops numerical errors that are due to grid deformation of the terrain-following coordinates. An alternative coordinate system, the immersed boundary method (IBM), has been implemented into WRF, allowing for simulations over highly complex terrain; however, the new coordinate system precluded nesting within mesoscale simulations using WRF’s native terrain-following coordinates. Here, the immersed boundary method and WRF’s grid-nesting framework are modified to seamlessly work together. This improved framework for the first time allows for large-eddy simulation over complex (urban) terrain with IBM to be nested within a typical mesoscale WRF simulation. Simulations of the Joint Urban 2003 field campaign in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, are performed using a multiscale five-domain nested configuration, spanning horizontal grid resolutions from 6 km to 2 m. These are compared with microscale-only simulations with idealized lateral boundary conditions and with observations of wind speed/direction and SF 6 concentrations from a controlled release from intensive observation period 3. The multiscale simulation, which is configured independent of local observations, shows similar model skill predicting wind speed/direction and improved skill predicting SF 6 concentrations when compared with the idealized simulations, which require use of observations to set mean flow conditions. Use of this improved multiscale framework shows promise for enabling large-eddy simulation over highly complex terrain with dynamically downscaled boundary conditions from mesoscale models.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Large-eddy Simulations of Spray Variability Effects on Flow Variability in a Direct-injection Spark-ignition Engine Under Non-combusting Operating Conditions

Large-eddy Simulations (LES) have been carried out to investigate spray variability and its effect on cycle-to-cycle flow variability in a direct-injection spark-ignition (DISI) engine under non-reacting conditions. Initial simulations were performed of an injector in a constant volume spray chamber to validate the simulation spray set-up. Comparisons showed good agreement in global spray measures such as the penetration. Local mixing data and shot-to-shot variability were also compared using Rayleigh-scattering images and probability contours. The simulations were found to reasonably match the local mixing data and shot-to-shot variability using a random-seed perturbation methodology. After validation, the same spray set-up with only minor changes was used to simulate the same injector in an optically accessible DISI engine. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements were used to quantify the flow velocity in a horizontal plane intersecting the spark plug gap. The engine was operated in a skip-fired operating mode and comparisons focused on cycles that included fuel injection, but no spark event and therefore no combustion. 105 total LES engine cycles were simulated using a parallel cycle simulation approach and 3 different perturbation methods in an attempt to isolate the effects of shot-to-shot spray variability and the initial turbulent flow field as well as their interaction effects on overall engine CCVs. The experimental mean and standard deviations were reasonably well matched by the simulations, though quantitative comparisons near the injection event during the intake stroke were difficult due to the high uncertainty in the PIV measurements at these crank angles. The 3 simulation perturbation methods resulted in very similar results, though further analysis found the current parallel cycle approach may be limiting the ability of the simulations to isolate the spray and flow effects.

Cycle-to-cycle Variability↗