Results for “digital computing” — Page 93

DOE OSTI2025

Light-powered end-to-end neutron detection and imaging with an edge-deployed optical AI chip

Neutron detection is widely used in many applications including nuclear physics, nuclear energy, nuclear technologies and nuclear safeguards. Developing an end-to-end neutron detection and imaging workflow paves way towards fully automated processes for many applications. We implemented an automated workflow for neutron detection experiments which use a solid state image sensor to capture neutron hits as a digital image. We deploy the workflow to an edge-based optical neural network (ONN) to increase the radiation-hardness and lifetime of neutron detection instruments. We present a two-stage neural network framework for detection of neutrons at sub-pixel resolution. The first stage uses a region proposal network to efficiently detect and extract neutron hits from the input camera image. The second stage feeds the extracted hits into a fully connected neural network to predict the sub-pixel hit position. The performance of the two-stage framework is evaluated using the edge-based ONN. The results show that we can achieve above 96% neutron detection accuracy as well as sub-pixel and sub-micron position resolution, while enjoying the advantages of the ONN hardware including radiation-hardness, low energy consumption and high computing speed for integrated edge camera and hardware deployment, when compared with electronic counterparts.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-T-795: Validations of Dose Calculation Accuracy of Acuros BV in High-Dose-Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy with a Shielded Cylinder Applicator Using Monte Carlo Simulation

Purpose: Acuros BV has become available to perform accurate dose calculations in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy with phantom heterogeneity considered by solving the Boltzmann transport equation. In this work, we performed validation studies regarding the dose calculation accuracy of Acuros BV in cases with a shielded cylinder applicator using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Methods: Fifteen cases were considered in our studies, covering five different diameters of the applicator and three different shielding degrees. For each case, a digital phantom was created in Varian BrachyVision with the cylinder applicator inserted in the middle of a large water phantom. A treatment plan with eight dwell positions was generated for these fifteen cases. Dose calculations were performed with Acuros BV. We then generated a voxelized phantom of the same geometry, and the materials were modeled according to the vendor’s specifications. MC dose calculations were then performed using our in-house developed fast MC dose engine for HDR brachytherapy (gBMC) on a GPU platform, which is able to simulate both photon transport and electron transport in a voxelized geometry. A phase-space file for the Ir-192 HDR source was used as a source model for MC simulations. Results: Satisfactory agreements between the dose distributions calculated by Acuros BV and those calculated by gBMC were observed in all cases. Quantitatively, we computed point-wise dose difference within the region that receives a dose higher than 10% of the reference dose, defined to be the dose at 5mm outward away from the applicator surface. The mean dose difference was ∼0.45%–0.51% and the 95-percentile maximum difference was ∼1.24%–1.47%. Conclusion: Acuros BV is able to accurately perform dose calculations in HDR brachytherapy with a shielded cylinder applicator.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Root system architecture and environmental flux analysis in mature crops using 3D root mesocosms

Current methods of root sampling typically only obtain small or incomplete sections of root systems and do not capture their true complexity. To facilitate the visualization and analysis of full-sized plant root systems in 3-dimensions, we developed customized mesocosm growth containers. While highly scalable, the design presented here uses an internal volume of 45 ft 3 (1.27 m 3 ), suitable for large crop and bioenergy grass root systems to grow largely unconstrained. Furthermore, they allow for the excavation and preservation of 3-dimensional root system architecture (RSA), and facilitate the collection of time-resolved subterranean environmental data. Sensor arrays monitoring matric potential, temperature and CO 2 levels are buried in a grid formation at various depths to assess environmental fluxes at regular intervals. Methods of 3D data visualization of fluxes were developed to allow for comparison with root system architectural traits. Following harvest, the recovered root system can be digitally reconstructed in 3D through photogrammetry, which is an inexpensive method requiring only an appropriate studio space and a digital camera. We developed a pipeline to extract features from the 3D point clouds, or from derived skeletons that include point cloud voxel number as a proxy for biomass, total root system length, volume, depth, convex hull volume and solidity as a function of depth. Ground-truthing these features with biomass measurements from manually dissected root systems showed a high correlation. We evaluated switchgrass, maize, and sorghum root systems to highlight the capability for species wide comparisons. We focused on two switchgrass ecotypes, upland (VS16) and lowland (WBC3), in identical environments to demonstrate widely different root system architectures that may be indicative of core differences in their rhizoeconomic foraging strategies. Finally, we imposed a strong physiological water stress and manipulated the growth medium to demonstrate whole root system plasticity in response to environmental stimuli. Hence, these new “3D Root Mesocosms” and accompanying computational analysis provides a new paradigm for study of mature crop systems and the environmental fluxes that shape them.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

MO-AB-207-00: ACR Update in MR, CT, Nuclear Medicine, and Mammography

A goal of an imaging accreditation program is to ensure adequate image quality, verify appropriate staff qualifications, and to assure patient and personnel safety. Currently, more than 35,000 facilities in 10 modalities have been accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), making the ACR program one of the most prolific accreditation options in the U.S. In addition, ACR is one of the accepted accreditations required by some state laws, CMS/MIPPA insurance and others. Familiarity with the ACR accreditation process is therefore essential to clinical diagnostic medical physicists. Maintaining sufficient knowledge of the ACR program must include keeping up-to-date as the various modality requirements are refined to better serve the goals of the program and to accommodate newer technologies and practices. This session consists of presentations from authorities in four ACR accreditation modality programs, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, and mammography. Each speaker will discuss the general components of the modality program and address any recent changes to the requirements. Learning Objectives: To understand the requirements of the ACR MR Accreditation program. The discussion will include accreditation of whole-body general purpose magnets, dedicated extremity systems well as breast MRI accreditation. Anticipated updates to the ACR MRI Quality Control Manual will also be reviewed. To understand the requirements of the ACR CT accreditation program, including updates to the QC manual as well as updates through the FAQ process. To understand the requirements of the ACR nuclear medicine accreditation program, and the role of the physicist in annual equipment surveys and the set up and supervision of the routine QC program. To understand the current ACR MAP Accreditation requirement and present the concepts and structure of the forthcoming ACR Digital Mammography QC Manual and Program.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

MO-AB-207-01: ACR Update in CT

A goal of an imaging accreditation program is to ensure adequate image quality, verify appropriate staff qualifications, and to assure patient and personnel safety. Currently, more than 35,000 facilities in 10 modalities have been accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), making the ACR program one of the most prolific accreditation options in the U.S. In addition, ACR is one of the accepted accreditations required by some state laws, CMS/MIPPA insurance and others. Familiarity with the ACR accreditation process is therefore essential to clinical diagnostic medical physicists. Maintaining sufficient knowledge of the ACR program must include keeping up-to-date as the various modality requirements are refined to better serve the goals of the program and to accommodate newer technologies and practices. This session consists of presentations from authorities in four ACR accreditation modality programs, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, and mammography. Each speaker will discuss the general components of the modality program and address any recent changes to the requirements. Learning Objectives: To understand the requirements of the ACR MR Accreditation program. The discussion will include accreditation of whole-body general purpose magnets, dedicated extremity systems well as breast MRI accreditation. Anticipated updates to the ACR MRI Quality Control Manual will also be reviewed. To understand the requirements of the ACR CT accreditation program, including updates to the QC manual as well as updates through the FAQ process. To understand the requirements of the ACR nuclear medicine accreditation program, and the role of the physicist in annual equipment surveys and the set up and supervision of the routine QC program. To understand the current ACR MAP Accreditation requirement and present the concepts and structure of the forthcoming ACR Digital Mammography QC Manual and Program.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

MO-AB-207-02: ACR Update in MR

A goal of an imaging accreditation program is to ensure adequate image quality, verify appropriate staff qualifications, and to assure patient and personnel safety. Currently, more than 35,000 facilities in 10 modalities have been accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), making the ACR program one of the most prolific accreditation options in the U.S. In addition, ACR is one of the accepted accreditations required by some state laws, CMS/MIPPA insurance and others. Familiarity with the ACR accreditation process is therefore essential to clinical diagnostic medical physicists. Maintaining sufficient knowledge of the ACR program must include keeping up-to-date as the various modality requirements are refined to better serve the goals of the program and to accommodate newer technologies and practices. This session consists of presentations from authorities in four ACR accreditation modality programs, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, and mammography. Each speaker will discuss the general components of the modality program and address any recent changes to the requirements. Learning Objectives: To understand the requirements of the ACR MR Accreditation program. The discussion will include accreditation of whole-body general purpose magnets, dedicated extremity systems well as breast MRI accreditation. Anticipated updates to the ACR MRI Quality Control Manual will also be reviewed. To understand the requirements of the ACR CT accreditation program, including updates to the QC manual as well as updates through the FAQ process. To understand the requirements of the ACR nuclear medicine accreditation program, and the role of the physicist in annual equipment surveys and the set up and supervision of the routine QC program. To understand the current ACR MAP Accreditation requirement and present the concepts and structure of the forthcoming ACR Digital Mammography QC Manual and Program.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

MO-AB-207-03: ACR Update in Nuclear Medicine

A goal of an imaging accreditation program is to ensure adequate image quality, verify appropriate staff qualifications, and to assure patient and personnel safety. Currently, more than 35,000 facilities in 10 modalities have been accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), making the ACR program one of the most prolific accreditation options in the U.S. In addition, ACR is one of the accepted accreditations required by some state laws, CMS/MIPPA insurance and others. Familiarity with the ACR accreditation process is therefore essential to clinical diagnostic medical physicists. Maintaining sufficient knowledge of the ACR program must include keeping up-to-date as the various modality requirements are refined to better serve the goals of the program and to accommodate newer technologies and practices. This session consists of presentations from authorities in four ACR accreditation modality programs, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, and mammography. Each speaker will discuss the general components of the modality program and address any recent changes to the requirements. Learning Objectives: To understand the requirements of the ACR MR Accreditation program. The discussion will include accreditation of whole-body general purpose magnets, dedicated extremity systems well as breast MRI accreditation. Anticipated updates to the ACR MRI Quality Control Manual will also be reviewed. To understand the requirements of the ACR CT accreditation program, including updates to the QC manual as well as updates through the FAQ process. To understand the requirements of the ACR nuclear medicine accreditation program, and the role of the physicist in annual equipment surveys and the set up and supervision of the routine QC program. To understand the current ACR MAP Accreditation requirement and present the concepts and structure of the forthcoming ACR Digital Mammography QC Manual and Program.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2015

MO-AB-207-04: ACR Update in Mammography

A goal of an imaging accreditation program is to ensure adequate image quality, verify appropriate staff qualifications, and to assure patient and personnel safety. Currently, more than 35,000 facilities in 10 modalities have been accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), making the ACR program one of the most prolific accreditation options in the U.S. In addition, ACR is one of the accepted accreditations required by some state laws, CMS/MIPPA insurance and others. Familiarity with the ACR accreditation process is therefore essential to clinical diagnostic medical physicists. Maintaining sufficient knowledge of the ACR program must include keeping up-to-date as the various modality requirements are refined to better serve the goals of the program and to accommodate newer technologies and practices. This session consists of presentations from authorities in four ACR accreditation modality programs, including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, nuclear medicine, and mammography. Each speaker will discuss the general components of the modality program and address any recent changes to the requirements. Learning Objectives: To understand the requirements of the ACR MR Accreditation program. The discussion will include accreditation of whole-body general purpose magnets, dedicated extremity systems well as breast MRI accreditation. Anticipated updates to the ACR MRI Quality Control Manual will also be reviewed. To understand the requirements of the ACR CT accreditation program, including updates to the QC manual as well as updates through the FAQ process. To understand the requirements of the ACR nuclear medicine accreditation program, and the role of the physicist in annual equipment surveys and the set up and supervision of the routine QC program. To understand the current ACR MAP Accreditation requirement and present the concepts and structure of the forthcoming ACR Digital Mammography QC Manual and Program.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Creating a Digital Twin for a Hydropower System through 3D Object Modeling: Alder Dam FY23

Hydropower stands as the world's leading source of renewable electricity, with hydropower plants spanning the globe. A typical hydropower plant comprises essential components including the governor, excitation system, generator, thrust bearing, hydraulic turbine, transformer, main lead, metering and control devices, tailwater depression system, and dissolved oxygen monitoring. Each of these components undergoes various measures and monitoring procedures. These measurements are collected through a diverse array of systems, encompassing standalone sensors, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and data acquisition and integration platforms like OSI/PI.

13 HYDRO ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Adoption of AI in the Utility T&D Sector: Use Cases, Consequence, Assessment and Benefits

Digital transformation and utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in the electric grid are fundamentally changing the industry’s approach to common problems and enabling a broader paradigm shift in grid planning and operations. The change in approach is circularly both enabling and driving modernization, with load growth and reliable management of data center and AI infrastructure shifting away from planning approaches with relatively predictable behaviors and toward a mix of consumer and industrial choices that surpass human cognitive abilities to process. This movement has potential to condition humans to not understand the system on which the AI depends, while requiring it for development of the necessary infrastructure. Approaches which would address most likely grid conditions and events, such as faults, aging of equipment, and weather, now must also account for large loads which shift not based upon weather or time of day, but the computational load. Quantifying computational load is independent of the traditional grid forecasting variables, where a data center’s aggregate load is determined by user and AI system behavior and decoupled from normal grid planning and operations. AI is both the cause and solution for these challenges, with new grid planning tools integrating massive amounts of decisions into frameworks.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗

DOE OSTI2025

Hardware-in-the-Loop Using Electromagnetic Transient Simulation

Digital real time simulators have the capability to run electromagnetic transient simulations in real time. This capability allows users to leverage the hardware-software combination to evaluate controller performance, protection device performance, and power device performance. This has helped many field deployment projects to be successful and be cost-effective. In this talk, we will present current state-of-art, and future of real time electromagnetic transient simulation and its impacts on field deployment.

08 HYDROGEN↗

DOE OSTI2021

Design and Optimization of a Gas-Cooled, Airfoil Fin Microchannel Heat Exchanger

High-performance microchannel heat exchangers are needed to supply heat for power conversion for nuclear microreactors. An airfoil fin microchannel design, constructed of Alloy 617 with helium as the working fluid, was analyzed and optimized using a design of experiments with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. The use of airfoil fins offers the potential to reduce pressure drop across the heat exchanger, as compared to other types of channel configurations. A framework for topology optimization of airfoil fin PCHEs has been developed that can be readily extended to different fin sizes and shapes, as well as different inlet and operating conditions, materials of construction, and working fluids. An optimization procedure was developed that employs computational fluid dynamics for a set of design points identified using Latin hypercube sampling. STAR-CCM+ was used to analyze a simplified two-channel configuration where five parameters were varied – inlet angle, fin scale, extent of staggering, transverse and longitudinal pitches. Two methods were compared for generating surrogate models – a 5D polynomial and a regression neural network. A response surface approximation was created from the surrogate models and input to a genetic algorithm. The genetic algorithm identified a set of optimal points on the Pareto front. The optimal geometry was found across six channel Reynolds numbers ranging from 1000 to 5000 to analyze how varying inlet conditions affects the optimal design. A set of optimal designs that maximizes heat transfer and minimizes pressure drop was identified, and a thermal stress analysis was performed on the optimal design. This work has developed a digital framework for the expedient topology design and evaluation of PCHE designs for gas-cooled microreactor applications. Correlations for the Nusselt number and Darcy friction factor were developed that can be useful for thermal hydraulic analyses using system codes. A thermal stress analysis was conducted and a brief discussion of the status of code cases of PCHEs for nuclear applications is given. Testing and thermomechanical modeling is needed to facilitate future code compliance of PCHEs for high pressure and high temperature applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2020

X-ray Computed Tomography on UNESE Core: FY2020 Data Report to Support Fracture and Multiphase Fluid Flow Studies

Natural and induced fractures are potential preferential pathways for migration of radioactive gases to earths surface from underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). This report documents X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) imaging on 26 samples of rock core that was collected to support the Underground Nuclear Explosion Signatures Experiment (UNESE) program. The XRCT datasets are intended to help fill a data gap on the three-dimensional (3D) characteristics of natural and/or induced fractures at the centimeter and smaller scale, which may strongly influence multiphase fluid flow and transport properties of preferential flow paths and interaction with the matrix of the surrounding host rock. Pre- and post-UNE rock samples were carefully chosen to enable comparison of fractures as a function of lithologic and petrophysical properties, as well as distance to the past UNEs. This report serves as documentation for the data, including an introduction with the research motivation, a methods and materials section, descriptions of the XRCT datasets without post-processing, and recommendations for 3D quantification via image analysis and digital rock physics.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2019

Gaussian mixture models as automated particle classifiers for fast neutron detectors

Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) is the task of classifying electronic pulse shapes for different particle types such as gamma rays and fast neutrons interacting in scintillators and read out by photo sensitive detectors. This field has been limited in its adoption of techniques found in the statistical learning community. Methods initially employed in the 1960s for analog electronic circuitry persist in the current PSD literature describing operations performed on digitized pulses, which are amenable to statistical rigor. Despite vast amounts of data collected at low energy levels, traditional PSD methods are unable to discriminate particles below a certain threshold. As such, in this work, Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) are used as a clustering technique for fast neutron detection in the absence of labeled data. GMMs yield improvements spanning the energy spectrum in a desirably efficient, unsupervised fashion. An extension, the Dirichlet Process GMM, provides further flexibility and classification improvement.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2013

Three-dimensional patterning and morphological control of porous nanomaterials by gray-scale direct imprinting

We present a method for direct three-dimensional (3D) patterning of porous nanomaterials through the application of a premastered and reusable gray-scale stamp. Four classes of 3D nanostructures are demonstrated for the first time in porous media: gradient profiles, digital patterns, curves and lens shapes and sharp features including v-grooves, nano-pits and ‘cookie-cutter’ particles. Further, we demonstrate this technique enables morphological tuning and direct tailoring of nanomaterial properties, including porosity, average pore size, dielectric constant and plasmonic response. This work opens a rapid and low-cost route for fabricating novel nanostructures and devices utilizing porous nanomaterials, with promising applications spanning diffractive and plasmonic sensing, holography, micro- and transformation optics and drug delivery and imaging.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2020

Organismic materials for beyond von Neumann machines

The elementary basis of intelligence in organisms with a central nervous system includes neurons and synapses and their complex interconnections forming neural circuits. In non-neural organisms such as slime mold with gel-like media, viscosity modulation enables adaptation to changing environments. At a larger scale, collective intelligence emerges via social interactions and feedback in animal colonies. Learning and memory are therefore multi-scale features that evolve as a result of constant interactions with the environment. There is growing interest in emulating such features of intelligence in computing machines and autonomous systems. Materials that can respond to their environment in a manner similar to organisms (referred to as "organismic materials") therefore may be of interest as hardware components in artificial intelligence machines. In this brief review, we present a class of semiconductors called correlated oxides as candidates for learning machines. The term "correlated" refers to the fact that electrons in such lattices strongly interact and the ground state is not what is predicted by classical band theory. Such materials can undergo insulator-metal transitions at near ambient conditions under external stimuli such as thermal or electrical fields, strain, and chemical doping. Depending on the mechanism driving the transition, intermediate states can be metastable with different volatilities, and the time scales of phase change can be controlled over many orders of magnitude. The change in electronic properties can be sharp or gradual, leading to digital or analog behavior. These properties enable the realization of artificial neurons and synapses and emulate the associative and non-associative learning characteristics found in various organisms. We examine microscopic properties concerning electronic and structural transitions leading to collective behavior and theoretical treatments of the ground state and dynamical response, showcasing VO 2 as a model system. Next, we briefly review algorithms designed from the plasticity demonstrated by phase changing systems. Finally, we conclude the brief review with suggestions for future research toward realizing non-von Neumann machines.

42 ENGINEERING↗

DOE OSTI2024

Sensitivity Analysis for the Component Design App: Analysis of Success Assured Data

A new tool has been developed to perform variance-based global sensitivity analysis (VBGSA) on data from a set-based concurrent engineering software called Success Assured (SA). The tool is part of a digital component design app, which is currently in production as an Accelerated Digital Engineering Pathfinder at Sandia National Laboratories. When working with complex digital models, it is important to understand relationships between inputs and outputs, i.e., how “sensitive” model outputs are to changes in model inputs. After extensive research and trials of various sensitivity analysis methods, it was determined that estimation of Sobol’ indices for VBGSA with Monte Carlo simulation, paired with simple surrogate models, produces the best results for SA data. This tool increases understanding of SA models and streamlines the creation of SA datasets. This report details the methodology and implementation of this sensitivity analysis tool so others can understand it and implement it.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

DOE OSTI2024

Digital image correlation and infrared thermography data for seven unique geometries of 304L stainless steel

Material Testing 2.0 (MT2.0) is a paradigm that advocates for the use of rich, full-field data, such as from digital image correlation and infrared thermography, for material identification. By employing heterogeneous, multi-axial data in conjunction with sophisticated inverse calibration techniques such as finite element model updating and the virtual fields method, MT2.0 aims to reduce the number of specimens needed for material identification and to increase confidence in the calibration results. To support continued development, improvement, and validation of such inverse methods—specifically for rate-dependent, temperature-dependent, and anisotropic metal plasticity models—we provide here a thorough experimental data set for 304L stainless steel sheet metal. The data set includes full-field displacement, strain, and temperature data for seven unique specimen geometries tested at different strain rates and in different material orientations. Commensurate extensometer strain data from tensile dog bones is provided as well for comparison. We believe this complete data set will be a valuable contribution to the experimental and computational mechanics communities, supporting continued advances in material identification methods.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗