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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.

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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

New Optical Evaluation Approach for Parabolic Trough Collectors: First-Principle OPTical Intercept Calculation

A new analytical method -- First-principle OPTical Intercept Calculation (FirstOPTIC) -- is presented here for optical evaluation of trough collectors. It employs first-principle optical treatment of collector optical error sources and derives analytical mathematical formulae to calculate the intercept factor of a trough collector. A suite of MATLAB code is developed for FirstOPTIC and validated against theoretical/numerical solutions and ray-tracing results. It is shown that FirstOPTIC can provide fast and accurate calculation of intercept factors of trough collectors. The method makes it possible to carry out fast evaluation of trough collectors for design purposes. The FirstOPTIC techniques and analysis may be naturally extended to other types of CSP technologies such as linear-Fresnel collectors and central-receiver towers.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Metamodeling Time-Temperature Creep Parameters

Abstract There exist many time-temperature parameter (TTP) models for creep rupture prediction of components including the Larson–Miller (LM), Manson–Haferd (MH), Manson–Brown (MB), Orr–Sherby–Dorn (OSD), Manson–Succop (MS), Graham–Walles (GW), Chitty–Duval (CD), Goldhoff–Sherby (GS) models. It remains a challenge to determine which model is “best”, capable of accurate interpolation and physically realistic extrapolation of creep rupture data for a given material. In this study, metamodeling is applied to create a unified TTP metamodel that combines and regresses into twelve TTP models (eight existing and four newly derived). An analysis of the mathematical problems that exist in TTP models is provided. A matlab code is written that can: (1) calibrate the material constants of any of the twelve TTP models (using the metamodel); (2) determine the most suitable stress-parameter function; (3) and report the normalized mean square error (NMSE) of rupture predictions for a given material database. Using the metamodel, and code, a design engineer can make an intelligent selection of the “best” TTP model for creep resistant design. This process is demonstrated using four isotherms of alloy P91 creep rupture data. To assess the influence of material, further validation is performed on alloys Hastelloy X, 304SS, and 316SS. It is determined that the “best” model is dependent on material type and the quality and quantity of available data.

Engineering↗
DOE OSTI2016

Organizing Cells Within Non-Periodic Microarchitectured Materials That Achieve Graded Thermal Expansions

The aim of this paper is to introduce an approach for optimally organizing a variety of different unit cell designs within a large lattice such that the bulk behavior of the lattice exhibits a desired Young’s modulus with a graded change in thermal expansion over its geometry. This lattice, called a graded microarchitectured material, can be sandwiched between two other materials with different thermal expansion coefficients to accommodate their different expansions or contractions caused by changing temperature while achieving a desired uniform stiffness. First, this paper provides the theory necessary to calculate the thermal expansion and Young’s modulus of large multi-material lattices that consist of periodic (i.e., repeating) unit cells of the same design. Then it introduces the theory for calculating the graded thermal expansions of a large multimaterial lattice that consists of non-periodic unit cells of different designs. An approach is then provided for optimally designing and organizing different unit cells within a lattice such that both of its ends achieve the same thermal expansion as the two materials between which the lattice is sandwiched. A MATLAB tool is used to generate images of the undeformed and deformed lattices to verify their behavior and various examples are provided as case studies. The theory provided is also verified and validated using finite element analysis and experimentation.

Young’s modulus↗
DOE OSTI2017

MECHANICAL MOTION RECTIFIER BASED EFFICIENT POWER TAKEOFF FOR OCEAN WAVE ENERGY HARVESTING

This paper proposes a novel mechanical-motion-rectifier (MMR) based power-takeoff (PTO) for ocean wave energy harvesting. The proposed PTO directly converts irregular oscillatory wave motion into regular unidirectional rotation of the generator. It is mainly composed of two ball screws, three bevel gears, two one-way clutches, and a generator. The two one-way clutches and the bevel gears change the bi-directional rotation of the two ball screws into unidirectional ration of the generator. The MMR rectifies the irregular reciprocating motion into unidirectional rotation; similar to the way the electric voltage rectifier regulates an AC voltage. The proposed PTO can be integrated into a heaving point wave energy converter (WEC). The dynamics and modelling of the PTO are presented. The frequency-domain dynamics of the WEC are then formulated for operating condition and control. The power generation capability of the proposed WEC has been evaluated in MATLAB and WAMIT. The simulation results demonstrate that the power generation capability can be improved by using the MMR method.

Yin, Xiuxing↗
DOE OSTI2017

Surface recogniton for cars: A comprehensive approach for neural networks

This paper explores the viability of neural-networkbased classification of ground surface for vehicles. By classifying road surface in near realtime, improvements in vehicle performance (e.g. braking and cornering) may be possible. Classification performance for many combinations of feature encoding and neural network types are compared. The vehicle used here was an An Audi “S3” with a magnetic suspension system on the sport mode. An NI CompactRIO (or cDAQ) module was used to record from a lowing the cDAQ to communicate with the PCB 352C03 one-axis accelerometer. The accelerometer was firmly attached to the windshield of the car. This work focuses on the classification of four road surfaces (asphalt, dirt, concrete, and sand), though larger target sets were also considered. The most accurate method involved a MATLAB feature extraction package with a back-propagation neural network, yielding an overall accuracy of 97%. Lessons learned from this wide exploration of options may extend to other related classification problems.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2023

MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION OF A PCM-BASED OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY HARVESTER FOR POWERING UNMANNED UNDERWATER VEHICLES

As oceans cover over 70% of the planet’s surface, they represent a large reservoir of resources that remained vastly untapped. Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are becoming key technology for ocean exploration. Ocean thermal gradient is a permanent and reliable energy source that can be used to power UUVs using phase change material (PCM)-based thermal engines. However, the main drawback of this technology is its low conversion efficiency. When using PCM-based thermal engines to power UUVs, there are different energy conversion stages, thermal-hydraulic, hydraulic-kinetic, kinetic-electrical, dependent of a wide variety of parameters. Thus, optimization of the overall energy conversion is still a challenge for powering the increasing energy demanding UUVs for long missions. The goal of this study is to propose a PCM-based ocean thermal energy harvesting system for powering the Solo II float. Using the ocean thermal energy reduces the cost for battery replacement and expands the float’s mission time. For this purpose, we developed a multiphysics model for a system consisting of thermal material, hydraulic, and electrical systems. This system is designed to provide the electrical power needed for the instruments aboard the underwater vehicle. The models of the hydraulic and the electric systems are implemented in MATLAB-Simulink/Simscape environment. The final model developed can provide 13.66 kJ of electrical energy, which is more than 1.5 times the energy requirement per cycle for the SOLO II float.

Ouro-Koura, Habilou↗
DOE OSTI2022

A crystal plasticity finite element method modeling of Zircaloy with hydride phases based on scanning electron micrographs

This work developed a microstructure-based finite element model to predict the stress state of alloys with second phase inclusions. Quantitative microstructural details extracted from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were used to generate heterogeneous microstructures including the morphology and spatial distribution of hydrides. Generation of digital microstructure was achieved through two steps of tessellations using software Neper and Matlab. The process is demonstrated using an example of Zircaloy material with secondary phases of hydrides dispersed within and stress-strain response of Zircaloy containing hydrides was predicted. The constitutive material model for Zircaloy in this study was based on crystal plasticity theory which considers the hexagonal close-packed (HCP) atomic structure of Zircaloy material. The hydrides were modeled as isotropic elasto-plastic material. A parametric study had been conducted to understand the effect of volume fraction, and lamellae thickness of the hydride phase on the mechanical properties of the overall material. Results can help designers to alter the manufacturing process to obtain the enhanced mechanical properties for components used in nuclear applications made by Zircaloy material.

Kulkarni, Shank S.↗
DOE OSTI2023

New Developments and Capabilities Within WEC-Sim

WEC-Sim is an open-source software for simulating wave energy converters and has been actively developed and applied since its initial release in 2014 to simulate a wide variety of device archetypes. WEC-Sim is developed jointly by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories within the MATLAB/SIMULINK environment. A general wave-to-wire model begins with a deployment site resource characterization, which is used to complete the hydrodynamic simulation of wave energy converters (WEC), with the power generation profile imported to a grid simulator to understand the influence on the local electrical network. While modeling the entire wave-to-wire is difficult and encompasses multiple time scales and physics, WEC-Sim is focused on the hydrodynamics simulation to predict, analyze, and optimize WEC dynamics and power performance. WEC-Sim simulations are performed in the time domain based on the radiation and diffraction method using hydrodynamics coefficients derived from boundary element method (BEM)-based frequency-domain potential flow solvers (e.g., WAMIT, NEMOH, Capytaine, or ANSYS-AQWA). With this level of modeling fidelity, WEC-Sim can handle floating body hydrodynamics, mechanical and electrical power generation methods, advanced control implementation, mooring systems, and other unique applications such as desalination. Additional WEC-Sim functionalities include pre-built Simulink blocks and MATLAB scripts that can simulate a wide range of floating systems and the corresponding auxiliary subsystems. The developers of WEC-Sim continue to release new versions of the software, at least annually, with the latest release in September 2022. These releases include bug fixes, updates to software documentation, as well as new features to expand WEC-Sim's capabilities to model a wide range of WEC concepts. This publication will highlight the new features added to WEC-Sim between versions 4.1.0 to 5.0.1, which spans a 2-year period from June 2020 to September 2022. New features described here include topics such as continuous integration checks, revised Morison Element and nonlinear hydro implementations, run directly from Simulink (required for hardware-in-the-loop execution), BEMIO updates to import Capytaine BEM hydrodynamics, addition of cable blocks, and new wave visualization features.

TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2022

Large-scale parametric modeling of spent nuclear fuel dynamics in the 30 cm package drop scenario

Packages used to transport spent nuclear fuel (SNF) are required by the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations 10 CFR 71.71 to demonstrate satisfactory performance during a drop scenario. While the CFR is meant to ensure safe package function, it does not evaluate survival of the SNF within. The U.S. Department of Energy Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology program is working on closing the knowledge gap related to the response of SNF to external mechanical loads, including the hypothetical 30 cm package drop scenario in the CFR. In support of this effort, LS-DYNA finite element simulations were developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to model generic drop scenarios at both the package and fuel assembly level. The models were validated against one-third scale package and full scale fuel assembly drop test data and were exercised to predict fuel cladding strains in a narrow range of model configurations. This work describes a large-scale parametric study conducted by PNNL using the previously developed and validated PWR finite element model, with the addition of a new generic BWR assembly model. The motivation for the parametric study was to characterize the broad range of SNF responses in the 30 cm package drop scenario. This was accomplished by varying the drop orientation, fuel assembly type (17x17 PWR and 10x10 BWR), burnup, cladding temperature, spacer grid buckling load, package mass, impact limiter stiffness, and mechanical gap conditions within the basket. A MATLAB framework was developed to automate LS-DYNA model generation and execution on PNNL institutional computing resources. In total, over 2000 simulations were performed. For each simulation, the SNF response was quantified in terms of permanent grid deformation, fuel rod contact pressure, and strains within the fuel rods, guide tubes, and water rods. The results provide valuable insight into the range of responses that could be reasonably expected from SNF in the hypothetical drop scenario, as well as the sensitivity to each input parameter. The results of this parametric study are a key component of the testing and modeling strategy the Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology program is using to close the external loads knowledge gap.

Kadooka, Kevin↗
DOE OSTI2020

Adaptive noise canceling for transient absorption microscopy

Significance: Ultrafast fiber lasers are an attractive alternative to bulk lasers for nonlinear optical microscopy for their compactness and low cost. The high relative intensity noise (RIN) of these lasers poses a challenge for pump-probe measurements such as transient absorption and stimulated Raman scattering, along with modalities that provide label-free contrast from the vibrational and electronic structure of molecules. Aim: Digital adaptive filtering was applied to determine the applicability for canceling laser RIN in a transient absorption microscope with an ultrafast fiber laser source. Approach: Digitized signals from the transmitted probe and reference photodetectors were fed to an adaptive filter in MATLAB, running in a noise canceling configuration. This result was then fed to a software lock-in algorithm to demodulate the pump-probe signal. Images were built up one line scan at a time with a 3.5-kHz resonant scanner, with 100× averaging. The imaging target was Bi4Ge3O12, which exhibits nondegenerate two-photon absorption at the pump/probe wavelengths used (530-nm pump and 490-nm probe). Results: Without adaptive noise cancellation, the lock-in output primarily passes the laser RIN within its detection bandwidth, resulting in images that closely follow the linear transmissivity and lack sensitivity to pump-probe time delay. With adaptive noise cancellation in front of the lock-in, the RIN rejection is enough to restore the z-sectioning and sensitivity to pump-probe delay, as expected for transient absorption. Results were limited primarily by noise from the photodetector and analog-to-digital converter. Conclusions: Digital adaptive noise cancellation, even when limited by electronics noise, can recover pump-probe signals by removal of laser RIN, under conditions where averaging alone fails.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Thermal Image Processing for Feature Extraction from Encapsulated Phase Change Materials

Encapsulated inorganic particles with high melting points (>300 °C) are desired as high-temperature Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for next-generation Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage (LHTES) systems. One of the many challenges during the development of PCMs is to achieve a high throughput that in turn depends on accurately modeling the relation between process parameters and geometric & thermal properties of the PCMs particle. During the production of the PCMs, a high-speed infrared camera is used to acquire images of the encapsulated material under controlled illumination conditions. This research article focuses on the development of image processing techniques for both geometric and thermal feature extraction during the development of the PCMs. A user-friendly GUI has been designed in MATLAB and preliminary experimental results have demonstrated that the method is fast, accurate and reliable for a high throughput production. The extracted features will be used to develop Machine Learning (ML) models to predict the geometric and thermal properties of the PCM based on the process parameter settings. The ML model will accelerate the search for the optimized process settings to boost the throughput of the production.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2013

The need for application-based adaptation of deformable image registration

Purpose: To utilize a deformable phantom to objectively evaluate the accuracy of 11 different deformable image registration (DIR) algorithms. Methods: The phantom represents an axial plane of the pelvic anatomy. Urethane plastic serves as the bony anatomy and urethane rubber with three levels of Hounsfield units (HU) is used to represent fat and organs, including the prostate. A plastic insert is placed into the phantom to simulate bladder filling. Nonradiopaque markers reside on the phantom surface. Optical camera images of these markers are used to measure the positions and determine the deformation from the bladder insert. Eleven different DIR algorithms are applied to the full and empty-bladder computed tomography images of the phantom (fixed and moving volumes, respectively) to calculate the deformation. The algorithms include those from MIM Software (MIM) and Velocity Medical Solutions (VEL) and nine different implementations from the deformable image registration and adaptive radiotherapy toolbox for Matlab. These algorithms warp one image to make it similar to another, but must utilize a method for regularization to avoid physically unrealistic deformation scenarios. The mean absolute difference (MAD) between the HUs at the marker locations on one image and the calculated location on the other serves as a metric to evaluate the balance between image similarity and regularization. To demonstrate the effect of regularization on registration accuracy, an additional beta version of MIM was created with a variable smoothness factor that controls the emphasis of the algorithm on regularization. The distance to agreement between the measured and calculated marker deformations is used to compare the overall spatial accuracy of the DIR algorithms. This overall spatial accuracy is also utilized to evaluate the phantom geometry and the ability of the phantom soft-tissue heterogeneity to represent patient data. To evaluate the ability of the DIR algorithms to accurately transfer anatomical contours, the rectum is delineated on both the fixed and moving images. A Dice similarity coefficient is then calculated between the contour on the fixed image and that transferred, via the calculated deformation, from the moving to the fixed image. Results: The phantom possesses sufficient soft-tissue heterogeneity to act as a proxy for patient data. Large discrepancies appear between the algorithms and the measured ground-truth deformation. VEL yields the smallest mean spatial error and a Dice coefficient of 0.90. MIM produces the lowest MAD value and the highest Dice coefficient of 0.96, but creates the largest spatial errors. Increasing the MIM smoothness factor above the default value improves the overall spatial accuracy, but the factor associated with the lowest mean error decreases the Dice coefficient to 0.85. Conclusions: Different applications of DIR require disparate balances between image similarity and regularization. A DIR algorithm that is optimized only for its ability to transfer anatomical contours will yield large deformation errors in homogeneous regions, which is problematic for dose mapping. For this reason, these algorithms must be tested for their overall spatial accuracy. The developed phantom is an objective tool for this purpose.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Development and clinical evaluation of automatic fiducial detection for tumor tracking in cine megavoltage images during volumetric modulated arc therapy

Purpose: Real-time tracking of implanted fiducials in cine megavoltage (MV) imaging during volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery is complicated due to the inherent low contrast of MV images and potential blockage of dynamic leaves configurations. The purpose of this work is to develop a clinically practical autodetection algorithm for motion management during VMAT. Methods: The expected field-specific segments and the planned fiducial position from the Eclipse (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) treatment planning system were projected onto the MV images. The fiducials were enhanced by applying a Laplacian of Gaussian filter in the spatial domain for each image, with a blob-shaped object as the impulse response. The search of implanted fiducials was then performed on a region of interest centered on the projection of the fiducial when it was within an open field including the case when it was close to the field edge or partially occluded by the leaves. A universal template formula was proposed for template matching and normalized cross correlation was employed for its simplicity and computational efficiency. The search region for every image was adaptively updated through a prediction model that employed the 3D position of the fiducial estimated from the localized positions in previous images. This prediction model allowed the actual fiducial position to be tracked dynamically and was used to initialize the search region. The artifacts caused by electronic interference during the acquisition were effectively removed. A score map was computed by combining both morphological information and image intensity. The pixel location with the highest score was selected as the detected fiducial position. The sets of cine MV images taken during treatment were analyzed with in-house developed software written in MATLAB (The Mathworks, Inc., Natick, MA). Five prostate patients were analyzed to assess the algorithm performance by measuring their positioning accuracy during treatment. Results: The algorithm was able to accurately localize the fiducial position on MV images with success rates of more than 90% per case. The percentage of images in which each fiducial was localized in the studied cases varied between 23% and 65%, with at least one fiducial having been localized between 40% and 95% of the images. This depended mainly on the modulation of the plan and fiducial blockage. The prostate movement in the presented cases varied between 0.8 and 3.5 mm (mean values). The maximum displacement detected among all patients was of 5.7 mm. Conclusions: An algorithm for automatic detection of fiducial markers in cine MV images has been developed and tested with five clinical cases. Despite the challenges posed by complex beam aperture shapes, fiducial localization close to the field edge, partial occlusion of fiducials, fast leaf and gantry movement, and inherently low MV image quality, good localization results were achieved in patient images. This work provides a technique for enabling real-time accurate fiducial detection and tumor tracking during VMAT treatments without the use of extra imaging dose.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

BrachyView: Proof-of-principle of a novel in-body gamma camera for low dose-rate prostate brachytherapy

Purpose: The conformity of the achieved dose distribution to the treatment plan strongly correlates with the accuracy of seed implantation in a prostate brachytherapy treatment procedure. Incorrect seed placement leads to both short and long term complications, including urethral and rectal toxicity. The authors present BrachyView, a novel concept of a fast intraoperative treatment planning system, to provide real-time seed placement information based on in-body gamma camera data. BrachyView combines the high spatial resolution of a pixellated silicon detector (Medipix2) with the volumetric information acquired by a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). The two systems will be embedded in the same probe so as to provide anatomically correct seed positions for intraoperative planning and postimplant dosimetry. Dosimetric calculations are based on the TG-43 method using the real position of the seeds. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of BrachyView using the Medipix2 pixel detector and a pinhole collimator to reconstruct the real-time 3D position of low dose-rate brachytherapy seeds in a phantom. Methods: BrachyView incorporates three Medipix2 detectors coupled to a multipinhole collimator. Three-dimensionally triangulated seed positions from multiple planar images are used to determine the seed placement in a PMMA prostate phantom in real time. MATLAB codes were used to test the reconstruction method and to optimize the device geometry. Results: The results presented in this paper show a 3D position reconstruction accuracy of the seed in the range of 0.5-3 mm for a 10-60 mm seed-to-detector distance interval (Z direction), respectively. The BrachyView system also demonstrates a spatial resolution of 0.25 mm in the XY plane for sources at 10 mm distance from Medipix2 detector plane, comparable to the theoretical value calculated for an equivalent gamma camera arrangement. The authors successfully demonstrated the capability of BrachyView for real-time imaging (using a 3 s data acquisition time) of different brachytherapy seed configurations (with an activity of 0.05 U) throughout a 60 Multiplication-Sign 60 Multiplication-Sign 60 mm{sup 3} Perspex prostate phantom. Conclusions: The newly developed miniature gamma camera component of BrachyView, with its high spatial resolution and real time capability, allows accurate 3D localization of seeds in a prostate phantom. Combination of the gamma camera with TRUS in a single probe will complete the BrachyView system.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

The use of computed radiography plates to determine light and radiation field coincidence

Purpose: Photo-stimulable phosphor computed radiography (CR) has characteristics that allow the output to be manipulated by both radiation and optical light. The authors have developed a method that uses these characteristics to carry out radiation field and light field coincidence quality assurance on linear accelerators.Methods: CR detectors from Kodak were used outside their cassettes to measure both radiation and light field edges from a Varian linear accelerator. The CR detector was first exposed to a radiation field and then to a slightly smaller light field. The light impinged on the detector's latent image, removing to an extent the portion exposed to the light field. The detector was then digitally scanned. A MATLAB-based algorithm was developed to automatically analyze the images and determine the edges of the light and radiation fields, the vector between the field centers, and the crosshair center. Radiographic film was also used as a control to confirm the radiation field size.Results: Analysis showed a high degree of repeatability with the proposed method. Results between the proposed method and radiographic film showed excellent agreement of the radiation field. The effect of varying monitor units and light exposure time was tested and found to be very small. Radiation and light field sizes were determined with an uncertainty of less than 1 mm, and light and crosshair centers were determined within 0.1 mm.Conclusions: A new method was developed to digitally determine the radiation and light field size using CR photo-stimulable phosphor plates. The method is quick and reproducible, allowing for the streamlined and robust assessment of light and radiation field coincidence, with no observer interpretation needed.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Verification of Gamma Knife extend system based fractionated treatment planning using EBT2 film

Purpose: This paper presents EBT2 film verification of fractionated treatment planning with the Gamma Knife (GK) extend system, a relocatable frame system for multiple-fraction or serial multiple-session radiosurgery.Methods: A human head shaped phantom simulated the verification process for fractionated Gamma Knife treatment. Phantom preparation for Extend Frame based treatment planning involved creating a dental impression, fitting the phantom to the frame system, and acquiring a stereotactic computed tomography (CT) scan. A CT scan (Siemens, Emotion 6) of the phantom was obtained with following parameters: Tube voltage—110 kV, tube current—280 mA, pixel size—0.5 × 0.5 and 1 mm slice thickness. A treatment plan with two 8 mm collimator shots and three sectors blocking in each shot was made. Dose prescription of 4 Gy at 100% was delivered for the first fraction out of the two fractions planned. Gafchromic EBT2 film (ISP Wayne, NJ) was used as 2D verification dosimeter in this process. Films were cut and placed inside the film insert of the phantom for treatment dose delivery. Meanwhile a set of films from the same batch were exposed from 0 to 12 Gy doses for calibration purposes. An EPSON (Expression 10000 XL) scanner was used for scanning the exposed films in transparency mode. Scanned films were analyzed with inhouse written MATLAB codes.Results: Gamma index analysis of film measurement in comparison with TPS calculated dose resulted in high pass rates >90% for tolerance criteria of 1%/1 mm. The isodose overlay and linear dose profiles of film measured and computed dose distribution on sagittal and coronal plane were in close agreement.Conclusions: Through this study, the authors propose treatment verification QA method for Extend frame based fractionated Gamma Knife radiosurgery using EBT2 film.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Measuring linac photon beam energy through EPID image analysis of physically wedged fields

Purpose: Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) have proven to be useful tools for measuring several parameters of interest in linac quality assurance (QA). However, a method for measuring linac photon beam energy using EPIDs has not previously been reported. In this report, such a method is devised and tested, based on fitting a second order polynomial to the profiles of physically wedged beams, where the metric of interest is the second order coefficientα. The relationship between α and the beam quality index [percentage depth dose at 10 cm depth (PDD{sub 10})] is examined to produce a suitable calibration curve between these two parameters. Methods: Measurements were taken in a water-tank for beams with a range of energies representative of the local QA tolerances about the nominal value 6 MV. In each case, the beam quality was found in terms of PDD{sub 10} for 100 × 100 mm{sup 2} square fields. EPID images of 200 × 200 mm{sup 2} wedged fields were then taken for each beam and the wedge profile was fitted in MATLAB 2010b (The MathWorks, Inc., Natick, MA). α was then plotted against PDD{sub 10} and fitted with a linear relation to produce the calibration curve. The uncertainty in α was evaluated by taking five repeat EPID images of the wedged field for a beam of 6 MV nominal energy. The consistency of measuring α was found by taking repeat measurements on a single linac over a three month period. The method was also tested at 10 MV by repeating the water-tank crosscalibration for a range of energies centered approximately about a 10 MV nominal value. Finally, the calibration curve from the test linac and that from a separate clinical machine were compared to test consistency of the method across machines in a matched fleet. Results: The relationship betweenα and PDD{sub 10} was found to be strongly linear (R{sup 2} = 0.979) while the uncertainty in α was found to be negligible compared to that associated with measuring PDD{sub 10} in the water-tank (±0.3%). The repeat measurements over a three month period showed the method to be reasonably consistent (i.e., well within the limits defined by local QA tolerances). The measurements were repeated on a matched machine and the same linear relationship between α and PDD{sub 10} was observed. The results for both machines were found to be indistinguishable across the energy range of interest (i.e., across and close to the thresholds defined by local QA tolerances), hence a single relation could be established across a matched fleet. Finally, the experiment was repeated on both linacs at 10 MV, where the linear relationship between α and PDD{sub 10} was again observed. Conclusions: The authors conclude that EPID image analysis of physically wedged beam profiles can be used to measure linac photon beam energy. The uncertainty in such a measurement is dominated by that associated with measuring PDD{sub 10} in the water-tank; hence, the accuracies of these two methods are directly comparable. This method provides a useful technique for quickly performing energy constancy measurements while saving significant clinical downtime for QA.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗