Advances in thermal hydraulic and neutronic simulation for reactor analysis and safety

This paper describes several large-scale computational models developed at Argonne National Laboratory for the simulation and analysis of thermal-hydraulic and neutronic events in nuclear reactors and nuclear power plants. The impact of advanced parallel computing technologies on these computational models is emphasized

A bibliography on parallel and vector numerical algorithms

This is a bibliography of numerical methods. It also includes a number of other references on machine architecture, programming language, and other topics of interest to scientific computing. Certain conference proceedings and anthologies which have been published in book form are listed also

Dynamics of spinodal decomposition in polymer blends/

A numerical study investigating the dynamics of spinodal decomposition in polymer blends in three dimensions has been performed. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of the chain-like nature of polymer molecules on the formation and growth of the phase separating domains and to interpret the results of this numerical study to get a better understanding of the experimental observations that are unique to polymeric systems. The relative contributions of the enthalpic and entropic parts of the interfacial free energy of the inhomogeneous mixture have been computed for the non-hydrodynamic regime of spinodal decomposition in the quiescent polymer blend. It has been shown that the dominance of the entropic contribution leads to the freezing of the dispersed domain morphology and a coarsening mechanism based on the transport of long chain molecules parallel to the interface can explain this novel feature characteristic of polymer blends. Calculations have been also made to study spinodal decomposition under simple shear flow by making a mean field approximation for the velocity field. The domain growth has been found to be highly anisotropic with enhanced growth along the flow direction than in the directions perpendicular to the flow. The potential of the computational scheme used in the present calculations, for applications in other systems, is also discussed

Technical accomplishments of the NASA Lewis Research Center, 1989

Topics addressed include: high-temperature composite materials; structural mechanics; fatigue life prediction for composite materials; internal computational fluid mechanics; instrumentation and controls; electronics; stirling engines; aeropropulsion and space propulsion programs, including a study of slush hydrogen; space power for use in the space station, in the Mars rover, and other applications; thermal management; plasma and radiation; cryogenic fluid management in space; microgravity physics; combustion in reduced gravity; test facilities and resources

Utilisation de la radioluminescence pour la conception de dosimètres optiques déformables

Les traitements modernes de radiothérapie administrent la dose nécessaire à l'éradication de la région tumorale par un enchaînement complexe de faisceaux personnalisés selon l'anatomie de chaque patient. La distribution de dose résultante présente donc de forts gradients qui visent à maximiser l'irradiation de la maladie tout en limitant l'exposition des tissus sains. Or, les déformations et mouvements anatomiques que présentent certains patients viennent modifier la géométrie attendue et peuvent réduire la qualité escomptée du traitement. Dans ce contexte, le besoin d'outils permettant la quantification de la dose en présence de déformations est grandissant. Utilisant à profit les qualités uniques démontrées des dosimètres optiques, la thèse présentée vise le développement d'une nouvelle génération de dosimètres pensée pour la dosimétrie déformable. Entre autres, il sera montré que le dosimètre développé permet une mesure simultanée de la dose et de la déformation, ce qui ouvre la voie à la validation expérimentale d'algorithmes de recalage d'images déformables. Les contributions de la thèse se déploient principalement selon trois volets : la caractérisation des défis liés à l'utilisation de différentes sources de signaux radioluminescents, en particulier la radiation Cherenkov et la scintillation ; le développement de techniques de détection adaptées, telles que l'imagerie polarisée, l'imagerie spectrale et la triangulation stéréoscopique ; puis le développement d'un dosimètre déformable utilisant ces signaux pour la mesure simultanée de la dose et de la déformation. D'abord, la directionalité de l'émission Cherenkov a été caractérisée de pair avec l'imagerie polarisée. Le rayonnement Cherenkov est une émission lumineuse directement produite dans l'eau, le milieu de référence, suite à son irradiation. Or, les photons optiques sont émis selon un cône dont l'angle et l'orientation sont déterminés par l'énergie du faisceau et sa direction, lesquels varient grandement dans un fantôme. Ainsi, l'imagerie polarisée a été étudiée comme solution à l'utilisation du signal Cherenkov pour des mesures précises de la dose. En utilisant l'imagerie polarisée, la contribution polarisée du signal a été associée à la directionnalité du rayonnement qui a alors pu être corrigée. Ainsi, des écarts lors de mesures de dose atteignant jusqu'à 60% avec les valeurs attendues ont été réduits à moins de 3% en moyenne. Il a d'ailleurs été montré que l'état de polarisation du signal Cherenkov peut être utilisé pour le discriminer d'un signal de scintillation. Ainsi, les deux premières études présentées au sein de cette thèse montrent que des mesures précises (< 3%) de la dose, directement dans l'eau (le milieu de référence), peuvent être réalisées en utilisant le signal Cherenkov combiné à l'imagerie polarisée. Concernant l'utilisation de caméras pour la mesure de signaux radioluminescents, il a été montré qu'il est possible d'allier la grande résolution spatiale de ces photodétecteurs à une résolution spectrale. Les caméras polychromatiques utilisant un patron de Bayer, par exemple, collectent la lumière avec plusieurs milliers de pixels sur lesquels des filtres colorés sont apposés de sorte à former une mosaïque. Ainsi, ces caméras mesurent la lumière selon un canal rouge, vert et bleu. En utilisant les techniques de dématriçage appropriées, il est possible d'interpoler l'information spectrale manquante à chaque pixel. Ainsi, le formalisme hyperspectral, initialement développé pour des mesures en un point, peut être appliqué à des mesures de plus grande résolution spatiale. Ainsi, il a été montré que l'utilisation d'un kernel bilinéaire pour le dématriçage d'une caméra polychromatique utilisant un filtre de Bayer permet d'isoler les signaux Cherenkov et de scintillation avec une précision de 1%. Enfin, un dosimètre déformable permettant la mesure simultanée de la dose et de la déformation a été développé. Le système comprend un fantôme cylindrique transparent au sein duquel un réseau de 19 scintillateurs a été intégré. Le système comprend également un ensemble de 2 paires de caméras stéréoscopiques qui permet le suivi en 3D de la position des extrémités de chacun des scintillateurs. En conséquence, le système permet le suivi de la déformation avec une exactitude et une précision de respectivement 0.08 mm et 0.3 mm. Le suivi 3D de la position permet aussi la correction des variations de signal qui ne sont pas proportionnelles à la dose, mais plutôt au couplage des fibres avec la caméra. Le dosimètre a également permis la mesure de la dose en accord à 1% près avec celle prédite par un logiciel de planification de traitement et un système dosimétrique complémentaire. Ainsi, la thèse a permis le développement d'un premier dosimètre mesurant simultanément la dose et la déformation, permettant une comparaison avec un algorithme de recalage d'image déformable. Ce faisant, l'exploration d'une nouvelle voie d'application de la scintillation a, de plus, mené à l'avancement des connaissances en dosimétrie optique.Modern radiotherapy treatments deliver the dose to the target through a complex sequence of beams customized to the anatomy of each patient. The resulting dose distribution therefore has strong gradients that aim to maximize disease irradiation while limiting exposure of healthy tissue. However, the anatomical deformations and movements that some patients present modify the expected geometry and may potentially reduce the quality of the treatment. In this context, there is a growing need for tools able of measuring dose in the presence of deformations. Taking advantage of the unique qualities of optical dosimeters, the presented thesis aims at developing a new generation of dosimeters designed for deformable dosimetry. Enabling simultaneous measurements of dose and deformation, this dosimeter could also be used for the validation of deformable image registration algorithms. The contributions of the thesis are threefold: the characterization of the challenges related to the use of different sources of radioluminescent signals, in particular Cherenkov radiation and scintillation; the development of appropriate detection techniques, such as polarized imaging, spectral imaging and stereo triangulation; and then the development of a deformable dosimeter using these signals for the simultaneous measurement of dose and deformation. First, the directionality of Cherenkov emission was characterized using polarized imaging. Cherenkov radiation is a light emission directly produced in water, the reference medium for beam monitoring. Cherenkov photons are emitted in a cone whose angle and orientation are determined by the beam energy and direction, which vary greatly in a phantom. Thus, polarized imaging has been investigated as a solution enabling the use of Cherenkov emission for accurate dose measurements. By using polarization imaging, the polarized contribution of the signal was associated with the directionality of the radiation, which could then be corrected. Thus, deviations in dose measurements previously up to 60% from the expected values were reduced under 3% on average. It has also been shown that the polarization state of the Cherenkov signal can be used to discriminate it from a scintillation signal. Thus, the first two studies presented in this thesis show that accurate measurements, without disturbing the reference medium, can be made using the Cherenkov signal combined with polarization imaging. Concerning the use of cameras for the measurement of radioluminescent signals, it has been shown that it is possible to combine the high spatial resolution of these photodetectors with a spectral resolution. Polychromatic cameras using a Bayer pattern, for example, collect light with several thousand pixels on which colored filters are affixed to form a mosaic. Thus, these cameras measure the light according to a red, green and blue channel. By using appropriate demosaicing techniques, it is possible to interpolate the missing spectral information at each pixel. Thus, the hyperspectral formalism, initially developed for single point measurements, can be applied to higher spatial resolution measurements. Among others, the use of a bilinear kernel for dematrixing a polychromatic camera using a Bayer filter allows to isolate Cherenkov and scintillation signals with an accuracy of 1%. Finally, a deformable dosimeter allowing the simultaneous measurement of dose and deformation has been developed. The system includes a transparent cylindrical phantom in which an array of 19 scintillators has been integrated. The system also includes a set of 2 pairs of stereo cameras that allows the 3D tracking of the position of each scintillator ends. As a result, the system allows the 3D tracking of the deformation with an accuracy and accuracy of 0.08 mm and 0.3 mm respectively. This 3D position tracking also allows the correction of signal variations that are not proportional to the dose, but rather to the coupling of the fibers with the camera. The dosimeter also allowed measurement of the dose in agreement within 1% of the dose predicted by a treatment planning software and a complementary dosimetric system. Thus, the thesis allowed the development of a first dosimeter measuring simultaneously the dose and the deformation, allowing a comparison with a deformable image registration algorithm. In doing so, the exploration of a new application of scintillation has also led to the advancement of knowledge in optical dosimetr

Nuclear Power

We are fortunate to live in incredibly exciting and incredibly challenging time. Energy demands due to economic growth and increasing population must be satisfied in a sustainable manner assuring inherent safety, efficiency and no or minimized environmental impact. These considerations are among the reasons that lead to serious interest in deploying nuclear power as a sustainable energy source. At the same time, catastrophic earthquake and tsunami events in Japan resulted in the nuclear accident that forced us to rethink our approach to nuclear safety, design requirements and facilitated growing interests in advanced nuclear energy systems. This book is one in a series of books on nuclear power published by InTech. It consists of six major sections housing twenty chapters on topics from the key subject areas pertinent to successful development, deployment and operation of nuclear power systems worldwide. The book targets everyone as its potential readership groups - students, researchers and practitioners - who are interested to learn about nuclear power

Aeronautical engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 289)

This bibliography lists 792 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in Mar. 1993. Subject coverage includes: design, construction and testing of aircraft and aircraft engines; aircraft components, equipment, and systems; ground support systems; and theoretical and applied aspects of aerodynamics and general fluid dynamics

Goddard Visiting Scientist Program for the Space and Earth Sciences Directorate

A visiting scientist program was conducted in the space and earth sciences at GSFC. Research was performed in the following areas: astronomical observations; broadband x-ray spectral variability; ground-based spectroscopic and photometric studies; Seyfert galaxies; active galactic nuclei (AGN); massive stellar black holes; the differential microwave radiometer (DMR) onboard the cosmic background explorer (COBE); atmospheric models; and airborne and ground based radar observations. The specific research efforts are detailed by tasks