Integrated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). Performance Verification Report: Final Comprehensive Performance Test Report, P/N 1331720-2TST, S/N 105/A1

Science.gov (United States)

Platt, R.

1999-01-01

This is the Performance Verification Report, Final Comprehensive Performance Test (CPT) Report, for the Integrated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). This specification establishes the requirements for the CPT and Limited Performance Test (LPT) of the AMSU-1A, referred to here in as the unit. The sequence in which the several phases of this test procedure shall take place is shown.

Integrated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). Performance Verification Report: Initial Comprehensive Performance Test Report, P/N 1331200-2-IT, S/N 105/A2

Science.gov (United States)

Platt, R.

1999-01-01

This is the Performance Verification Report, Initial Comprehensive Performance Test Report, P/N 1331200-2-IT, S/N 105/A2, for the Integrated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). The specification establishes the requirements for the Comprehensive Performance Test (CPT) and Limited Performance Test (LPT) of the Advanced Microwave Sounding, Unit-A2 (AMSU-A2), referred to herein as the unit. The unit is defined on Drawing 1331200. 1.2 Test procedure sequence. The sequence in which the several phases of this test procedure shall take place is shown in Figure 1, but the sequence can be in any order.

40 CFR 1065.520 - Pre-test verification procedures and pre-test data collection.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... corrective action does not resolve the deficiency, you may request to use the contaminated system as an... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Pre-test verification procedures and pre-test data collection. 1065.520 Section 1065.520 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION...

High-precision prostate cancer irradiation by clinical application of an offline patient setup verification procedure, using portal imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bel, Arjan; Vos, Pieter H.; Rodrigus, Patrick T. R.; Creutzberg, Carien L.; Visser, Andries G.; Stroom, Joep C.; Lebesque, Joos V.

1996-01-01

Purpose: To investigate in three institutions, The Netherlands Cancer Institute (Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Huis [AvL]), Dr. Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center (DDHC), and Dr, Bernard Verbeeten Institute (BVI), how much the patient setup accuracy for irradiation of prostate cancer can be improved by an offline setup verification and correction procedure, using portal imaging. Methods and Materials: The verification procedure consisted of two stages. During the first stage, setup deviations were measured during a number (N max ) of consecutive initial treatment sessions. The length of the average three dimensional (3D) setup deviation vector was compared with an action level for corrections, which shrunk with the number of setup measurements. After a correction was applied, N max measurements had to be performed again. Each institution chose different values for the initial action level (6, 9, and 10 mm) and N max (2 and 4). The choice of these parameters was based on a simulation of the procedure, using as input preestimated values of random and systematic deviations in each institution. During the second stage of the procedure, with weekly setup measurements, the AvL used a different criterion ('outlier detection') for corrective actions than the DDHC and the BVI ('sliding average'). After each correction the first stage of the procedure was restarted. The procedure was tested for 151 patients (62 in AvL, 47 in DDHC, and 42 in BVI) treated for prostate carcinoma. Treatment techniques and portal image acquisition and analysis were different in each institution. Results: The actual distributions of random and systematic deviations without corrections were estimated by eliminating the effect of the corrections. The percentage of mean (systematic) 3D deviations larger than 5 mm was 26% for the AvL and the DDHC, and 36% for the BVI. The setup accuracy after application of the procedure was considerably improved (percentage of mean 3D deviations larger than 5 mm was 1.6% in the

Experimental verification for standard analysis procedure of 241Am in food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Qingfen; Zhu Hongda; Liu Shutian; Pan Jingshun; Yang Dating

2005-01-01

Objective: The briefly experimental verification for 'determination of 241 Am in food' has been described. Methods: The overall recovery, the MDL of method and decontamination experiment has been done by standard analysis procedure. Results: The overall recovery is 76.26 ± 4.1%. The MDL is 3.4 x 10 -5 Bq/g ash, decontamination factor is higher than 10 3 for Po, 10 2 for U, Th, Pu and 60 for 237 Np. Conclusion: The results showed that the overall recovery is quite high and reliable, the MDL of method is able to meet examining 241 Am limited values in foods. the obtained decontamination factors of recommended procedure can meet analysis of 241 Am in food examination. Venifying results of the procedure are satisfied by using 243 Am spike and 241 Am standard reference material. (authors)

FPGA Design and Verification Procedure for Nuclear Power Plant MMIS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Dongil; Yoo, Kawnwoo; Ryoo, Kwangki [Hanbat National Univ., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

In this paper, it is shown that it is possible to ensure reliability by performing the steps of the verification based on the FPGA development methodology, to ensure the safety of application to the NPP MMIS of the FPGA run along the step. Currently, the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) which is being developed is composed of the FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and CPU (Central Processing Unit). As the importance of the FPGA in the NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) MMIS (Man-Machine Interface System) has been increasing than before, the research on the verification of the FPGA has being more and more concentrated recently.

As-Built Verification Plan Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building MCO Handling Machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SWENSON, C.E.

2000-01-01

This as-built verification plan outlines the methodology and responsibilities that will be implemented during the as-built field verification activity for the Canister Storage Building (CSB) MCO HANDLING MACHINE (MHM). This as-built verification plan covers THE ELECTRICAL PORTION of the CONSTRUCTION PERFORMED BY POWER CITY UNDER CONTRACT TO MOWAT. The as-built verifications will be performed in accordance Administrative Procedure AP 6-012-00, Spent Nuclear Fuel Project As-Built Verification Plan Development Process, revision I. The results of the verification walkdown will be documented in a verification walkdown completion package, approved by the Design Authority (DA), and maintained in the CSB project files

Verification procedures of ultrasonic flow meters for natural gas applications; Procedimento de verificacao de medidores ultra-sonicos para gas natural

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lourenco, Tulio C. [TRANSPETRO, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2009-12-19

In recent years, the use of ultrasonic flow meters for natural gas applications has grown significantly, especially after the issuance of AGA Report 9 and AGA Report 10. The reasons this technology has stood out from the others, such as orifice-plates or turbines, are: accuracy, wide range ability, it is bi-directional, robustness, low maintenance and, mainly, integrated diagnostic parameters, such as sound velocity, signal quality and profile velocity analysis. TRANSPETRO currently operates 56 ultrasonic natural gas flow-meter systems. For operational control applications, 90% of the meters are ultrasonic, of which 85% are provided with internal diagnostic tools through the manufacturer's software. Within this perspective, it is essential and unquestionable that there are procedures and routines for ultrasonic flow-meter verification and analysis, in order to monitor their performance and integrity, in addition to the early identification of potential problems. This paper discusses the practical application of several tools and diagnostic parameters inherent in ultrasonic flow meters in periodical verifications using TRANSPETRO's procedure. (author)

Verification and validation of a numeric procedure for flow simulation of a 2x2 PWR rod bundle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Andre A.C.; Barros Filho, Jose Afonso; Navarro, Moyses A.

2011-01-01

Before Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) can be considered as a reliable tool for the analysis of flow through rod bundles there is a need to establish the credibility of the numerical results. Procedures must be defined to evaluate the error and uncertainty due to aspects such as mesh refinement, turbulence model, wall treatment and appropriate definition of boundary conditions. These procedures are referred to as Verification and Validation (V and V) processes. In 2009 a standard was published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) establishing detailed procedures for V and V of CFD simulations. This paper presents a V and V evaluation of a numerical methodology applied to the simulation of a PWR rod bundle segment with a split vane spacer grid based on ASMEs standard. In this study six progressively refined meshes were generated to evaluate the numerical uncertainty through the verification procedure. Experimental and analytical results available in the literature were used in this study for validation purpose. The results show that the ASME verification procedure can give highly variable predictions of uncertainty depending on the mesh triplet used for the evaluation. However, the procedure can give good insight towards optimization of the mesh size and overall result quality. Although the experimental results used for the validation were not ideal, through the validation procedure the deficiencies and strengths of the presented modeling could be detected and reasonably evaluated. Even though it is difficult to obtain reliable estimates of the uncertainty of flow quantities in the turbulent flow, this study shows that the V and V process is a necessary step in a CFD analysis of a spacer grid design. (author)

Engineering drawing field verification program. Revision 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulk, P.F.

1994-01-01

Safe, efficient operation of waste tank farm facilities is dependent in part upon the availability of accurate, up-to-date plant drawings. Accurate plant drawings are also required in support of facility upgrades and future engineering remediation projects. This supporting document establishes the procedure for performing a visual field verification of engineering drawings, the degree of visual observation being performed and documenting the results. A copy of the drawing attesting to the degree of visual observation will be paginated into the released Engineering Change Notice (ECN) documenting the field verification for future retrieval and reference. All waste tank farm essential and support drawings within the scope of this program will be converted from manual to computer aided drafting (CAD) drawings. A permanent reference to the field verification status will be placed along the right border of the CAD-converted drawing, referencing the revision level, at which the visual verification was performed and documented

M&V Guidelines: Measurement and Verification for Performance-Based Contracts Version 4.0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2015-11-02

Document outlines the Federal Energy Management Program's standard procedures and guidelines for measurement and verification (M&V) for federal energy managers, procurement officials, and energy service providers.

The effect of two complexity factors on the performance of emergency tasks-An experimental verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea; Jung, Kwangtae

2008-01-01

It is well known that the use of procedures is very important in securing the safety of process systems, since good procedures effectively guide human operators by providing 'what should be done' and 'how to do it', especially under stressful conditions. At the same time, it has been emphasized that the use of complicated procedures could drastically impair operators' performance. This means that a systematic approach that can properly evaluate the complexity of procedures is indispensable for minimizing the side effects of complicated procedures. For this reason, Park et al. have developed a task complexity measure called TACOM that can be used to quantify the complexity of tasks stipulated in emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The TACOM measure consists of five sub-measures that can cover five important factors making the performance of emergency tasks complicated. However, a verification activity for two kinds of complexity factors-the level of abstraction hierarchy (AH) and engineering decision (ED)-seems to be insufficient. In this study, therefore, an experiment is conducted by using a low-fidelity simulator in order to clarify the appropriateness of these complexity factors. As a result, it seems that subjects' performance data are affected by the level of AH as well as ED. Therefore it is anticipate that both the level of AH and ED will play an important role in evaluating the complexity of EOPs

Development of Advanced Verification and Validation Procedures and Tools for the Certification of Learning Systems in Aerospace Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Jacklin, Stephen; Schumann, Johann; Gupta, Pramod; Richard, Michael; Guenther, Kurt; Soares, Fola

2005-01-01

Adaptive control technologies that incorporate learning algorithms have been proposed to enable automatic flight control and vehicle recovery, autonomous flight, and to maintain vehicle performance in the face of unknown, changing, or poorly defined operating environments. In order for adaptive control systems to be used in safety-critical aerospace applications, they must be proven to be highly safe and reliable. Rigorous methods for adaptive software verification and validation must be developed to ensure that control system software failures will not occur. Of central importance in this regard is the need to establish reliable methods that guarantee convergent learning, rapid convergence (learning) rate, and algorithm stability. This paper presents the major problems of adaptive control systems that use learning to improve performance. The paper then presents the major procedures and tools presently developed or currently being developed to enable the verification, validation, and ultimate certification of these adaptive control systems. These technologies include the application of automated program analysis methods, techniques to improve the learning process, analytical methods to verify stability, methods to automatically synthesize code, simulation and test methods, and tools to provide on-line software assurance.

Power Performance Verification of a Wind Farm Using the Friedman's Test.

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Wilmar; López-Presa, José Luis; Maldonado-Correa, Jorge L

2016-06-03

In this paper, a method of verification of the power performance of a wind farm is presented. This method is based on the Friedman's test, which is a nonparametric statistical inference technique, and it uses the information that is collected by the SCADA system from the sensors embedded in the wind turbines in order to carry out the power performance verification of a wind farm. Here, the guaranteed power curve of the wind turbines is used as one more wind turbine of the wind farm under assessment, and a multiple comparison method is used to investigate differences between pairs of wind turbines with respect to their power performance. The proposed method says whether the power performance of the specific wind farm under assessment differs significantly from what would be expected, and it also allows wind farm owners to know whether their wind farm has either a perfect power performance or an acceptable power performance. Finally, the power performance verification of an actual wind farm is carried out. The results of the application of the proposed method showed that the power performance of the specific wind farm under assessment was acceptable.

Practical approach to a procedure for judging the results of analytical verification measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beyrich, W.; Spannagel, G.

1979-01-01

For practical safeguards a particularly transparent procedure is described to judge analytical differences between declared and verified values based on experimental data relevant to the actual status of the measurement technique concerned. Essentially it consists of two parts: Derivation of distribution curves for the occurrence of interlaboratory differences from the results of analytical intercomparison programmes; and judging of observed differences using criteria established on the basis of these probability curves. By courtesy of the Euratom Safeguards Directorate, Luxembourg, the applicability of this judging procedure has been checked in practical data verification for safeguarding; the experience gained was encouraging and implementation of the method is intended. Its reliability might be improved further by evaluation of additional experimental data. (author)

Hanford spent nuclear fuel cold vacuum drying proof of performance test procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCracken, K.J.

1998-01-01

This document provides the test procedure for cold testing of the first article skids for the Cold Vacuum Drying (CVD) process at the Facility. The primary objective of this testing is to confirm design choices and provide data for the initial start-up parameters for the process. The current scope of testing in this document includes design verification, drying cycle determination equipment performance testing of the CVD process and MCC components, heat up and cool-down cycle determination, and thermal model validation

Design verification methodology for a solenoid valve for industrial applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Chang Dae; Lim, Byung Ju; Chun, Kyung Yul

2015-01-01

Solenoid operated valves (SOV) are widely used in many applications due to their fast dynamic responses, cost effectiveness, and less contamination sensitive characteristics. In this paper, we tried to provide a convenient method of design verification of SOV to design engineers who depend on their experiences and experiment during design and development process of SOV. First, we summarize a detailed procedure for designing SOVs for industrial applications. All of the design constraints are defined in the first step of the design, and then the detail design procedure is presented based on design experiences as well as various physical and electromagnetic relationships. Secondly, we have suggested a verification method of this design using theoretical relationships, which enables optimal design of SOV from a point of view of safety factor of design attraction force. Lastly, experimental performance tests using several prototypes manufactured based on this design method show that the suggested design verification methodology is appropriate for designing new models of solenoids. We believe that this verification process is novel logic and useful to save time and expenses during development of SOV because verification tests with manufactured specimen may be substituted partly by this verification methodology.

Performance Verification for Safety Injection Tank with Fluidic Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yune, Seok Jeong; Kim, Da Yong

2014-01-01

In LBLOCA, the SITs of a conventional nuclear power plant deliver excessive cooling water to the reactor vessel causing the water to flow into the containment atmosphere. In an effort to make it more efficient, Fluidic Device (FD) is installed inside a SIT of Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR 1400). FD, a complete passive controller which doesn't require actuating power, controls injection flow rates which are susceptible to a change in the flow resistance inside a vortex chamber of FD. When SIT Emergency Core Cooling (ECC) water level is above the top of the stand pipe, the water enters the vortex chamber through both the top of the stand pipe and the control ports resulting in injection of the water at a large flow rate. When the water level drops below the top of the stand pipe, the water only enters the vortex chamber through the control ports resulting in vortex formation in the vortex chamber and a relatively small flow injection. Performance verification of SIT shall be carried out because SITs play an integral role to mitigate accidents. In this paper, the performance verification method of SIT with FD is presented. In this paper, the equations for calculation of flow resistance coefficient (K) are induced to evaluate on-site performance of APR 1400 SIT with FD. Then, the equations are applied to the performance verification of SIT with FD and good results are obtained

Study of verification and validation of standard welding procedure specifications guidelines for API 5L X-70 grade line pipe welding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qazi H. A. A.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Verification and validation of welding procedure specifications for X-70 grade line pipe welding was performed as per clause 8.2, Annexure B and D of API 5L, 45th Edition to check weld integrity in its future application conditions. Hot rolled coils were imported from China, de-coiling, strip edge milling, three roller bending to from pipe, inside and outside submerged arc welding of pipe, online ultrasonic testing of weld, HAZ and pipe body, cutting at fixed random length of pipe, visual inspection of pipe, Fluoroscopic inspection of pipe, welding procedure qualification test pieces marking at weld portion of the pipe, tensile testing, guided bend testing, CVN Impact testing were performed. Detailed study was conducted to explore possible explanations and variation in mechanical properties, WPS is examined and qualified as per API 5L 45th Edition.

Development of evaluation and performance verification technology for radiotherapy radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, J. Y.; Jang, S. Y.; Kim, B. H. and others

2005-02-15

No matter how much the importance is emphasized, the exact assessment of the absorbed doses administered to the patients to treat the various diseases such as lately soaring malignant tumors with the radiotherapy practices is the most important factor. In reality, several over-exposed patients from the radiotherapy practice become very serious social issues. Especially, the development of a technology to exactly assess the high doses and high energies (In general, dose administered to the patients with the radiotherapy practices are very huge doses, and they are about three times higher than the lethal doses) generated by the radiation generators and irradiation equipment is a competing issue to be promptly conducted. Over fifty medical centers in Korea operate the radiation generators and irradiation equipment for the radiotherapy practices. However, neither the legal and regulatory systems to implement a quality assurance program are sufficiently stipulated nor qualified personnel who could run a program to maintain the quality assurance and control of those generators and equipment for the radiotherapy practices in the medical facilities are sufficiently employed. To overcome the above deficiencies, a quality assurance program such as those developed in the technically advanced countries should be developed to exactly assess the doses administered to patients with the radiotherapy practices and develop the necessary procedures to maintain the continuing performance of the machine or equipment for the radiotherapy. The QA program and procedures should induce the fluent calibration of the machine or equipment with quality, and definitely establish the safety of patients in the radiotherapy practices. In this study, a methodology for the verification and evaluation of the radiotherapy doses is developed, and several accurate measurements, evaluations of the doses delivered to patients and verification of the performance of the therapy machine and equipment are

Power Performance Verification of a Wind Farm Using the Friedman’s Test

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Wilmar; López-Presa, José Luis; Maldonado-Correa, Jorge L.

2016-01-01

In this paper, a method of verification of the power performance of a wind farm is presented. This method is based on the Friedman’s test, which is a nonparametric statistical inference technique, and it uses the information that is collected by the SCADA system from the sensors embedded in the wind turbines in order to carry out the power performance verification of a wind farm. Here, the guaranteed power curve of the wind turbines is used as one more wind turbine of the wind farm under assessment, and a multiple comparison method is used to investigate differences between pairs of wind turbines with respect to their power performance. The proposed method says whether the power performance of the specific wind farm under assessment differs significantly from what would be expected, and it also allows wind farm owners to know whether their wind farm has either a perfect power performance or an acceptable power performance. Finally, the power performance verification of an actual wind farm is carried out. The results of the application of the proposed method showed that the power performance of the specific wind farm under assessment was acceptable. PMID:27271628

Power Performance Verification of a Wind Farm Using the Friedman’s Test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilmar Hernandez

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a method of verification of the power performance of a wind farm is presented. This method is based on the Friedman’s test, which is a nonparametric statistical inference technique, and it uses the information that is collected by the SCADA system from the sensors embedded in the wind turbines in order to carry out the power performance verification of a wind farm. Here, the guaranteed power curve of the wind turbines is used as one more wind turbine of the wind farm under assessment, and a multiple comparison method is used to investigate differences between pairs of wind turbines with respect to their power performance. The proposed method says whether the power performance of the specific wind farm under assessment differs significantly from what would be expected, and it also allows wind farm owners to know whether their wind farm has either a perfect power performance or an acceptable power performance. Finally, the power performance verification of an actual wind farm is carried out. The results of the application of the proposed method showed that the power performance of the specific wind farm under assessment was acceptable.

Verification of safety critical software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Ki Chang; Chun, Chong Son; Lee, Byeong Joo; Lee, Soon Sung; Lee, Byung Chai

1996-01-01

To assure quality of safety critical software, software should be developed in accordance with software development procedures and rigorous software verification and validation should be performed. Software verification is the formal act of reviewing, testing of checking, and documenting whether software components comply with the specified requirements for a particular stage of the development phase[1]. New software verification methodology was developed and was applied to the Shutdown System No. 1 and 2 (SDS1,2) for Wolsung 2,3 and 4 nuclear power plants by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited(AECL) in order to satisfy new regulation requirements of Atomic Energy Control Boars(AECB). Software verification methodology applied to SDS1 for Wolsung 2,3 and 4 project will be described in this paper. Some errors were found by this methodology during the software development for SDS1 and were corrected by software designer. Outputs from Wolsung 2,3 and 4 project have demonstrated that the use of this methodology results in a high quality, cost-effective product. 15 refs., 6 figs. (author)

Application of virtual distances methodology to laser tracker verification with an indexed metrology platform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acero, R; Pueo, M; Santolaria, J; Aguilar, J J; Brau, A

2015-01-01

High-range measuring equipment like laser trackers need large dimension calibrated reference artifacts in their calibration and verification procedures. In this paper, a new verification procedure for portable coordinate measuring instruments based on the generation and evaluation of virtual distances with an indexed metrology platform is developed. This methodology enables the definition of an unlimited number of reference distances without materializing them in a physical gauge to be used as a reference. The generation of the virtual points and reference lengths derived is linked to the concept of the indexed metrology platform and the knowledge of the relative position and orientation of its upper and lower platforms with high accuracy. It is the measuring instrument together with the indexed metrology platform one that remains still, rotating the virtual mesh around them. As a first step, the virtual distances technique is applied to a laser tracker in this work. The experimental verification procedure of the laser tracker with virtual distances is simulated and further compared with the conventional verification procedure of the laser tracker with the indexed metrology platform. The results obtained in terms of volumetric performance of the laser tracker proved the suitability of the virtual distances methodology in calibration and verification procedures for portable coordinate measuring instruments, broadening and expanding the possibilities for the definition of reference distances in these procedures. (paper)

Application of virtual distances methodology to laser tracker verification with an indexed metrology platform

Science.gov (United States)

Acero, R.; Santolaria, J.; Pueo, M.; Aguilar, J. J.; Brau, A.

2015-11-01

High-range measuring equipment like laser trackers need large dimension calibrated reference artifacts in their calibration and verification procedures. In this paper, a new verification procedure for portable coordinate measuring instruments based on the generation and evaluation of virtual distances with an indexed metrology platform is developed. This methodology enables the definition of an unlimited number of reference distances without materializing them in a physical gauge to be used as a reference. The generation of the virtual points and reference lengths derived is linked to the concept of the indexed metrology platform and the knowledge of the relative position and orientation of its upper and lower platforms with high accuracy. It is the measuring instrument together with the indexed metrology platform one that remains still, rotating the virtual mesh around them. As a first step, the virtual distances technique is applied to a laser tracker in this work. The experimental verification procedure of the laser tracker with virtual distances is simulated and further compared with the conventional verification procedure of the laser tracker with the indexed metrology platform. The results obtained in terms of volumetric performance of the laser tracker proved the suitability of the virtual distances methodology in calibration and verification procedures for portable coordinate measuring instruments, broadening and expanding the possibilities for the definition of reference distances in these procedures.

High Performance Electrical Modeling and Simulation Verification Test Suite - Tier I; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

SCHELLS, REGINA L.; BOGDAN, CAROLYN W.; WIX, STEVEN D.

2001-01-01

This document describes the High Performance Electrical Modeling and Simulation (HPEMS) Global Verification Test Suite (VERTS). The VERTS is a regression test suite used for verification of the electrical circuit simulation codes currently being developed by the HPEMS code development team. This document contains descriptions of the Tier I test cases

40 CFR 86.1823-01 - Durability demonstration procedures for exhaust emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) Discussion of the manufacturer's in-use verification procedures including testing performed, vehicle... performed should also be documented in the manufacturer's submission. The in-use verification program shall...), the Alternate Service Accumulation Durability Program described in § 86.094-13(e) or the Standard Self...

Outdoor Irrigation Measurement and Verification Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stoughton, Kate M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Figueroa, Jorge [Western Resource Advocates, Boulder, CO (United States)

2017-12-05

This measurement and verification (M&V) protocol provides procedures for energy service companies (ESCOs) and water efficiency service companies (WESCOs) to determine water savings resulting from water conservation measures (WCMs) in energy performance contracts associated with outdoor irrigation efficiency projects. The water savings are determined by comparing the baseline water use to the water use after the WCM has been implemented. This protocol outlines the basic structure of the M&V plan, and details the procedures to use to determine water savings.

Visualization of Instrumental Verification Information Details (VIVID) : code development, description, and usage.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roy, Christopher John; Bainbridge, Bruce L.; Potter, Donald L.; Blottner, Frederick G.; Black, Amalia Rebecca

2005-03-01

The formulation, implementation and usage of a numerical solution verification code is described. This code uses the Richardson extrapolation procedure to estimate the order of accuracy and error of a computational program solution. It evaluates multiple solutions performed in numerical grid convergence studies to verify a numerical algorithm implementation. Analyses are performed on both structured and unstructured grid codes. Finite volume and finite element discretization programs are examined. Two and three-dimensional solutions are evaluated. Steady state and transient solution analysis capabilities are present in the verification code. Multiple input data bases are accepted. Benchmark options are included to allow for minimal solution validation capability as well as verification.

A verification regime for the spatial discretization of the SN transport equations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schunert, S.; Azmy, Y. [North Carolina State Univ., Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, 2500 Stinson Drive, Raleigh, NC 27695 (United States)

2012-07-01

The order-of-accuracy test in conjunction with the method of manufactured solutions is the current state of the art in computer code verification. In this work we investigate the application of a verification procedure including the order-of-accuracy test on a generic SN transport solver that implements the AHOTN spatial discretization. Different types of semantic errors, e.g. removal of a line of code or changing a single character, are introduced randomly into the previously verified S{sub N} code and the proposed verification procedure is used to identify the coding mistakes (if possible) and classify them. Itemized by error type we record the stage of the verification procedure where the error is detected and report the frequency with which the errors are correctly identified at various stages of the verification. Errors that remain undetected by the verification procedure are further scrutinized to determine the reason why the introduced coding mistake eluded the verification procedure. The result of this work is that the verification procedure based on an order-of-accuracy test finds almost all detectable coding mistakes but rarely, 1.44% of the time, and under certain circumstances can fail. (authors)

A Synthesized Framework for Formal Verification of Computing Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikola Bogunovic

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Design process of computing systems gradually evolved to a level that encompasses formal verification techniques. However, the integration of formal verification techniques into a methodical design procedure has many inherent miscomprehensions and problems. The paper explicates the discrepancy between the real system implementation and the abstracted model that is actually used in the formal verification procedure. Particular attention is paid to the seamless integration of all phases of the verification procedure that encompasses definition of the specification language and denotation and execution of conformance relation between the abstracted model and its intended behavior. The concealed obstacles are exposed, computationally expensive steps identified and possible improvements proposed.

Model checking as an aid to procedure design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Wenhu

2001-01-01

The OECD Halden Reactor Project has been actively working on computer assisted operating procedures for many years. The objective of the research has been to provide computerised assistance for procedure design, verification and validation, implementation and maintenance. For the verification purpose, the application of formal methods has been considered in several reports. The recent formal verification activity conducted at the Halden Project is based on using model checking to the verification of procedures. This report presents verification approaches based on different model checking techniques and tools for the formalization and verification of operating procedures. Possible problems and relative merits of the different approaches are discussed. A case study of one of the approaches is presented to show the practical application of formal verification. Application of formal verification in the traditional procedure design process can reduce the human resources involved in reviews and simulations, and hence reduce the cost of verification and validation. A discussion of the integration of the formal verification with the traditional procedure design process is given at the end of this report. (Author)

Turf Conversion Measurement and Verification Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stoughton, Kate M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Figueroa, Jorge [Western Resource Advocates, Boulder, CO (United States)

2017-12-05

This measurement and verification (M and V) protocol provides procedures for energy service companies (ESCOs) and water efficiency service companies (WESCOs) to determine water savings as a result of water conservation measures (WCMs) in energy performance contracts associated with converting turfgrass or other water-intensive plantings to water-wise and sustainable landscapes. The water savings are determined by comparing the baseline water use to the water use after the WCM has been implemented. This protocol outlines the basic structure of the M and V plan, and details the procedures to use to determine water savings.

A Syntactic-Semantic Approach to Incremental Verification

OpenAIRE

Bianculli, Domenico; Filieri, Antonio; Ghezzi, Carlo; Mandrioli, Dino

2013-01-01

Software verification of evolving systems is challenging mainstream methodologies and tools. Formal verification techniques often conflict with the time constraints imposed by change management practices for evolving systems. Since changes in these systems are often local to restricted parts, an incremental verification approach could be beneficial. This paper introduces SiDECAR, a general framework for the definition of verification procedures, which are made incremental by the framework...

Quantitative analysis of patient-specific dosimetric IMRT verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budgell, G J; Perrin, B A; Mott, J H L; Fairfoul, J; Mackay, R I

2005-01-01

Patient-specific dosimetric verification methods for IMRT treatments are variable, time-consuming and frequently qualitative, preventing evidence-based reduction in the amount of verification performed. This paper addresses some of these issues by applying a quantitative analysis parameter to the dosimetric verification procedure. Film measurements in different planes were acquired for a series of ten IMRT prostate patients, analysed using the quantitative parameter, and compared to determine the most suitable verification plane. Film and ion chamber verification results for 61 patients were analysed to determine long-term accuracy, reproducibility and stability of the planning and delivery system. The reproducibility of the measurement and analysis system was also studied. The results show that verification results are strongly dependent on the plane chosen, with the coronal plane particularly insensitive to delivery error. Unexpectedly, no correlation could be found between the levels of error in different verification planes. Longer term verification results showed consistent patterns which suggest that the amount of patient-specific verification can be safely reduced, provided proper caution is exercised: an evidence-based model for such reduction is proposed. It is concluded that dose/distance to agreement (e.g., 3%/3 mm) should be used as a criterion of acceptability. Quantitative parameters calculated for a given criterion of acceptability should be adopted in conjunction with displays that show where discrepancies occur. Planning and delivery systems which cannot meet the required standards of accuracy, reproducibility and stability to reduce verification will not be accepted by the radiotherapy community

A practical approach to perform graded verification and validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terrado, Carlos; Woolley, J.

2000-01-01

Modernization of instrumentation and control (I and C) systems in nuclear power plants often implies to go from analog to digital systems. One condition for the upgrade to be successful is that the new systems achieve at least the same quality level as the analog they replace. The most important part of digital systems quality assurance (QA) is verification and validation (V and V). V and V is concerned with the process as much as the product, it is a systematic program of review and testing activities performed throughout the system development life cycle. Briefly, we can say that verification is to build the product correctly, and validation is to build the correct product. Since V and V is necessary but costly, it is helpful to tailor the effort that should be performed to achieve the quality goal for each particular case. To do this, an accepted practice is to establish different V and V levels, each one with a proper degree of stringency or rigor. This paper shows a practical approach to estimate the appropriate level of V and V, and the resulting V and V techniques recommended for each specific system. The firs step purposed is to determine 'What to do', that is the selection of the V and V class. The main factors considered here are: required integrity, functional complexity, defense in depth and development environment. A guideline to classify the particular system using these factors and show how they lead to the selection of the V and V class is presented. The second step is to determine 'How to do it', that is to choose an appropriate set of V and V methods according to the attributes of the system and the V and V class already selected. A list of possible V and V methods that are recommended for each V and V level during different stages of the development life cycle is included. As a result of the application of this procedure, solutions are found for generalists interested in 'What to do', as well as for specialists, interested in 'How to do'. Finally

Metering and energy audit : the key to success; Mesurage et verification energetique : la cle du succes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milot, J. [Econoler, Quebec, PQ (Canada)

2010-01-01

The most widely used measurement and verification (M and V) procedure for energy performance contracting (EPC) projects is the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). This article discussed the IPMVP as a tool for measuring the success of energy efficiency projects. The IPMVP provides an overview of current best practice techniques available for verifying results of energy efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy projects in commercial and industrial facilities. Facility operators can use the IPMVP to evaluate and improve facility performance. Energy conservation measures (ECMs) covered in the protocol include fuel saving measures, water efficiency measures, load shifting and energy reductions through installation or retrofit of equipment, or modification of operating procedures. 2 figs.

European wind turbine testing procedure developments. Task 1: Measurement method to verify wind turbine performance characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hunter, R.; Friis Pedersen, Troels; Dunbabin, P.

2001-01-01

There is currently significant standardisation work ongoing in the context of wind farm energy yield warranty assessment and wind turbine power performance testing. A standards maintenance team is revising the current IEC (EN) 61400-12 Ed 1 standard forwind turbine power performance testing....... The standard is being divided into four documents. Two of them are drafted for evaluation and verification of complete wind farms and of individual wind turbines within wind farms. This document, and the project itdescribes, has been designed to help provide a solid technical foundation for this revised...... standard. The work was wide ranging and addressed 'grey' areas of knowledge, regarding existing methodologies or to carry out basic research in support offundamentally new procedures. The work has given rise to recommendations in all areas of the work, including site calibration procedures, nacelle...

Efficiency of material accountability verification procedures: A case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avenhaus, R.

1976-01-01

In the model agreement INFCIRC/153 the international nuclear materials safeguards system has been established such that the material accountability principle is the main safeguards tool, with containment and surveillance as complementary measures. In addition, it has been agreed that the plant operator generates all data necessary for the material balance establishment and reports them to the safeguards authority and furthermore, that these data are verified by representatives of the safeguards authority with the help of independent measurements. In this paper, the problem of the determination of the efficiency of the combined system - data verification and material balance establishment - is analysed. Here, the difficulty arises that the two statistical procedures used are not independent because part of the operator's data are used in both cases. It is the purpose of this paper to work out the procedure for calculating the systems efficiency, i.e. the overall guaranteed probability of detection for the whole system for an assumed diversion and a given false alarm rate as a function of the safeguards effort spent over a given interval of time. Simplified formulae are derived which allow for a quick determination of the whole system efficiency: it is shown that the correlation between the two parts of the total system can be neglected. Therefore, the total systems efficiency can be represented as the product of the efficiencies of the two subsystems. The method developed is applied to a concrete case of a chemical reprocessing plant for irradiated fuels on the basis of data collected earlier. (author)

Performance verification tests of JT-60SA CS model coil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Obana, Tetsuhiro, E-mail: obana.tetsuhiro@LHD.nifs.ac.jp [National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi, Toki, Gifu 509-5292 (Japan); Murakami, Haruyuki [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 801-1 Mukoyama, Naka, Ibaraki 311-0193 (Japan); Takahata, Kazuya; Hamaguchi, Shinji; Chikaraishi, Hirotaka; Mito, Toshiyuki; Imagawa, Shinsaku [National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi, Toki, Gifu 509-5292 (Japan); Kizu, Kaname; Natsume, Kyohei; Yoshida, Kiyoshi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 801-1 Mukoyama, Naka, Ibaraki 311-0193 (Japan)

2015-11-15

Highlights: • The performance of the JT-60SA CS model coil was verified. • The CS model coil comprised a quad-pancake wound with a Nb{sub 3}Sn CIC conductor. • The CS model coil met the design requirements. - Abstract: As a final check of the coil manufacturing method of the JT-60 Super Advanced (JT-60SA) central solenoid (CS), we verified the performance of a CS model coil. The model coil comprised a quad-pancake wound with a Nb{sub 3}Sn cable-in-conduit conductor. Measurements of the critical current, joint resistance, pressure drop, and magnetic field were conducted in the verification tests. In the critical-current measurement, the critical current of the model coil coincided with the estimation derived from a strain of −0.62% for the Nb{sub 3}Sn strands. As a result, critical-current degradation caused by the coil manufacturing process was not observed. The results of the performance verification tests indicate that the model coil met the design requirements. Consequently, the manufacturing process of the JT-60SA CS was established.

Development of requirements tracking and verification system for the software design of distributed control system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Chul Hwan; Kim, Jang Yeol; Kim, Jung Tack; Lee, Jang Soo; Ham, Chang Shik [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1999-12-31

In this paper a prototype of Requirement Tracking and Verification System(RTVS) for a Distributed Control System was implemented and tested. The RTVS is a software design and verification tool. The main functions required by the RTVS are managing, tracking and verification of the software requirements listed in the documentation of the DCS. The analysis of DCS software design procedures and interfaces with documents were performed to define the user of the RTVS, and the design requirements for RTVS were developed. 4 refs., 3 figs. (Author)

Development of requirements tracking and verification system for the software design of distributed control system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Chul Hwan; Kim, Jang Yeol; Kim, Jung Tack; Lee, Jang Soo; Ham, Chang Shik [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1998-12-31

In this paper a prototype of Requirement Tracking and Verification System(RTVS) for a Distributed Control System was implemented and tested. The RTVS is a software design and verification tool. The main functions required by the RTVS are managing, tracking and verification of the software requirements listed in the documentation of the DCS. The analysis of DCS software design procedures and interfaces with documents were performed to define the user of the RTVS, and the design requirements for RTVS were developed. 4 refs., 3 figs. (Author)

Concepts for inventory verification in critical facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cobb, D.D.; Sapir, J.L.; Kern, E.A.; Dietz, R.J.

1978-12-01

Materials measurement and inventory verification concepts for safeguarding large critical facilities are presented. Inspection strategies and methods for applying international safeguards to such facilities are proposed. The conceptual approach to routine inventory verification includes frequent visits to the facility by one inspector, and the use of seals and nondestructive assay (NDA) measurements to verify the portion of the inventory maintained in vault storage. Periodic verification of the reactor inventory is accomplished by sampling and NDA measurement of in-core fuel elements combined with measurements of integral reactivity and related reactor parameters that are sensitive to the total fissile inventory. A combination of statistical sampling and NDA verification with measurements of reactor parameters is more effective than either technique used by itself. Special procedures for assessment and verification for abnormal safeguards conditions are also considered. When the inspection strategies and inventory verification methods are combined with strict containment and surveillance methods, they provide a high degree of assurance that any clandestine attempt to divert a significant quantity of fissile material from a critical facility inventory will be detected. Field testing of specific hardware systems and procedures to determine their sensitivity, reliability, and operational acceptability is recommended. 50 figures, 21 tables

Verification and validation guidelines for high integrity systems. Volume 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hecht, H.; Hecht, M.; Dinsmore, G.; Hecht, S.; Tang, D. [SoHaR, Inc., Beverly Hills, CA (United States)

1995-03-01

High integrity systems include all protective (safety and mitigation) systems for nuclear power plants, and also systems for which comparable reliability requirements exist in other fields, such as in the process industries, in air traffic control, and in patient monitoring and other medical systems. Verification aims at determining that each stage in the software development completely and correctly implements requirements that were established in a preceding phase, while validation determines that the overall performance of a computer system completely and correctly meets system requirements. Volume I of the report reviews existing classifications for high integrity systems and for the types of errors that may be encountered, and makes recommendations for verification and validation procedures, based on assumptions about the environment in which these procedures will be conducted. The final chapter of Volume I deals with a framework for standards in this field. Volume II contains appendices dealing with specific methodologies for system classification, for dependability evaluation, and for two software tools that can automate otherwise very labor intensive verification and validation activities.

Verification and validation guidelines for high integrity systems. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hecht, H.; Hecht, M.; Dinsmore, G.; Hecht, S.; Tang, D.

1995-03-01

High integrity systems include all protective (safety and mitigation) systems for nuclear power plants, and also systems for which comparable reliability requirements exist in other fields, such as in the process industries, in air traffic control, and in patient monitoring and other medical systems. Verification aims at determining that each stage in the software development completely and correctly implements requirements that were established in a preceding phase, while validation determines that the overall performance of a computer system completely and correctly meets system requirements. Volume I of the report reviews existing classifications for high integrity systems and for the types of errors that may be encountered, and makes recommendations for verification and validation procedures, based on assumptions about the environment in which these procedures will be conducted. The final chapter of Volume I deals with a framework for standards in this field. Volume II contains appendices dealing with specific methodologies for system classification, for dependability evaluation, and for two software tools that can automate otherwise very labor intensive verification and validation activities

FFTF fuel pin design procedure verification for transient operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baars, R.E.

1975-05-01

The FFTF design procedures for evaluating fuel pin transient performance are briefly reviewed, and data where available are compared with design procedure predictions. Specifically, burst conditions derived from Fuel Cladding Transient Tester (FCTT) tests and from ANL loss-of-flow tests are compared with burst pressures computed using the design procedure upon which the cladding integrity limit was based. Failure times are predicted using the design procedure for evaluation of rapid reactivity insertion accidents, for five unterminated TREAT experiments in which well characterized fuel failures were deliberately incurred. (U.S.)

702AZ aging waste ventilation facility year 2000 test procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winkelman, W.D.

1998-01-01

This test procedure was developed to determine if the 702AZ Tank Ventilation Facility system is Year 2000 Compliant. The procedure provides detailed instructions for performing the operations necessary and documenting the results. This verification procedure will document that the 702AZ Facility Systems are year 2000 compliant and will correctly meet the criteria established in this procedure

Inspector measurement verification activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, R.S.; Crouch, R.

e most difficult and complex activity facing a safeguards inspector involves the verification of measurements and the performance of the measurement system. Remeasurement is the key to measurement verification activities. Remeasurerements using the facility's measurement system provide the bulk of the data needed for determining the performance of the measurement system. Remeasurements by reference laboratories are also important for evaluation of the measurement system and determination of systematic errors. The use of these measurement verification activities in conjunction with accepted inventory verification practices provides a better basis for accepting or rejecting an inventory. (U.S.)

Nuclear disarmament verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeVolpi, A.

1993-01-01

Arms control treaties, unilateral actions, and cooperative activities -- reflecting the defusing of East-West tensions -- are causing nuclear weapons to be disarmed and dismantled worldwide. In order to provide for future reductions and to build confidence in the permanency of this disarmament, verification procedures and technologies would play an important role. This paper outlines arms-control objectives, treaty organization, and actions that could be undertaken. For the purposes of this Workshop on Verification, nuclear disarmament has been divided into five topical subareas: Converting nuclear-weapons production complexes, Eliminating and monitoring nuclear-weapons delivery systems, Disabling and destroying nuclear warheads, Demilitarizing or non-military utilization of special nuclear materials, and Inhibiting nuclear arms in non-nuclear-weapons states. This paper concludes with an overview of potential methods for verification

Virtual Distances Methodology as Verification Technique for AACMMs with a Capacitive Sensor Based Indexed Metrology Platform

Science.gov (United States)

Acero, Raquel; Santolaria, Jorge; Brau, Agustin; Pueo, Marcos

2016-01-01

This paper presents a new verification procedure for articulated arm coordinate measuring machines (AACMMs) together with a capacitive sensor-based indexed metrology platform (IMP) based on the generation of virtual reference distances. The novelty of this procedure lays on the possibility of creating virtual points, virtual gauges and virtual distances through the indexed metrology platform’s mathematical model taking as a reference the measurements of a ball bar gauge located in a fixed position of the instrument’s working volume. The measurements are carried out with the AACMM assembled on the IMP from the six rotating positions of the platform. In this way, an unlimited number and types of reference distances could be created without the need of using a physical gauge, therefore optimizing the testing time, the number of gauge positions and the space needed in the calibration and verification procedures. Four evaluation methods are presented to assess the volumetric performance of the AACMM. The results obtained proved the suitability of the virtual distances methodology as an alternative procedure for verification of AACMMs using the indexed metrology platform. PMID:27869722

Virtual Distances Methodology as Verification Technique for AACMMs with a Capacitive Sensor Based Indexed Metrology Platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Acero, Raquel; Santolaria, Jorge; Brau, Agustin; Pueo, Marcos

2016-11-18

This paper presents a new verification procedure for articulated arm coordinate measuring machines (AACMMs) together with a capacitive sensor-based indexed metrology platform (IMP) based on the generation of virtual reference distances. The novelty of this procedure lays on the possibility of creating virtual points, virtual gauges and virtual distances through the indexed metrology platform's mathematical model taking as a reference the measurements of a ball bar gauge located in a fixed position of the instrument's working volume. The measurements are carried out with the AACMM assembled on the IMP from the six rotating positions of the platform. In this way, an unlimited number and types of reference distances could be created without the need of using a physical gauge, therefore optimizing the testing time, the number of gauge positions and the space needed in the calibration and verification procedures. Four evaluation methods are presented to assess the volumetric performance of the AACMM. The results obtained proved the suitability of the virtual distances methodology as an alternative procedure for verification of AACMMs using the indexed metrology platform.

European wind turbine testing procedure developments. Task 1: Measurement method to verify wind turbine performance characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunter, R.; Friis Pedersen, T.; Dunbabin, P.; Antoniou, I.; Frandsen, S.; Klug, H.; Albers, A.; Lee, W.K.

2001-01-01

There is currently significant standardisation work ongoing in the context of wind farm energy yield warranty assessment and wind turbine power performance testing. A standards maintenance team is revising the current IEC (EN) 61400-12 Ed 1 standard for wind turbine power performance testing. The standard is being divided into four documents. Two of them are drafted for evaluation and verification of complete wind farms and of individual wind turbines within wind farms. This document, and the project it describes, has been designed to help provide a solid technical foundation for this revised standard. The work was wide ranging and addressed 'grey' areas of knowledge, regarding existing methodologies or to carry out basic research in support of fundamentally new procedures. The work has given rise to recommendations in all areas of the work, including site calibration procedures, nacelle anemometry, multi-variate regression analysis and density normalisation. (au)

Cooling Tower (Evaporative Cooling System) Measurement and Verification Protocol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurnik, Charles W. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Boyd, Brian [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Stoughton, Kate M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Lewis, Taylor [Colorado Energy Office, Denver, CO (United States)

2017-12-05

This measurement and verification (M and V) protocol provides procedures for energy service companies (ESCOs) and water efficiency service companies (WESCOs) to determine water savings resulting from water conservation measures (WCMs) in energy performance contracts associated with cooling tower efficiency projects. The water savings are determined by comparing the baseline water use to the water use after the WCM has been implemented. This protocol outlines the basic structure of the M and V plan, and details the procedures to use to determine water savings.

An Optimized Online Verification Imaging Procedure for External Beam Partial Breast Irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willis, David J.; Kron, Tomas; Chua, Boon

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capabilities of a kilovoltage (kV) on-board imager (OBI)-equipped linear accelerator in the setting of on-line verification imaging for external-beam partial breast irradiation. Available imaging techniques were optimized and assessed for image quality using a modified anthropomorphic phantom. Imaging dose was also assessed. Imaging techniques were assessed for physical clearance between patient and treatment machine using a volunteer. Nonorthogonal kV image pairs were identified as optimal in terms of image quality, clearance, and dose. After institutional review board approval, this approach was used for 17 patients receiving accelerated partial breast irradiation. Imaging was performed before every fraction verification with online correction of setup deviations >5 mm (total image sessions = 170). Treatment staff rated risk of collision and visibility of tumor bed surgical clips where present. Image session duration and detected setup deviations were recorded. For all cases, both image projections (n = 34) had low collision risk. Surgical clips were rated as well as visualized in all cases where they were present (n = 5). The average imaging session time was 6 min, 16 sec, and a reduction in duration was observed as staff became familiar with the technique. Setup deviations of up to 1.3 cm were detected before treatment and subsequently confirmed offline. Nonorthogonal kV image pairs allowed effective and efficient online verification for partial breast irradiation. It has yet to be tested in a multicenter study to determine whether it is dependent on skilled treatment staff.

Advancing Disarmament Verification Tools: A Task for Europe?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Göttsche, Malte; Kütt, Moritz; Neuneck, Götz; Niemeyer, Irmgard

2015-01-01

A number of scientific-technical activities have been carried out to establish more robust and irreversible disarmament verification schemes. Regardless of the actual path towards deeper reductions in nuclear arsenals or their total elimination in the future, disarmament verification will require new verification procedures and techniques. This paper discusses the information that would be required as a basis for building confidence in disarmament, how it could be principally verified and the role Europe could play. Various ongoing activities are presented that could be brought together to produce a more intensified research and development environment in Europe. The paper argues that if ‘effective multilateralism’ is the main goal of the European Union’s (EU) disarmament policy, EU efforts should be combined and strengthened to create a coordinated multilateral disarmament verification capacity in the EU and other European countries. The paper concludes with several recommendations that would have a significant impact on future developments. Among other things, the paper proposes a one-year review process that should include all relevant European actors. In the long run, an EU Centre for Disarmament Verification could be envisaged to optimize verification needs, technologies and procedures.

Reload core safety verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svetlik, M.; Minarcin, M.

2003-01-01

This paper presents a brief look at the process of reload core safety evaluation and verification in Slovak Republic. It gives an overview of experimental verification of selected nuclear parameters in the course of physics testing during reactor start-up. The comparison of IAEA recommendations and testing procedures at Slovak and European nuclear power plants of similar design is included. An introduction of two level criteria for evaluation of tests represents an effort to formulate the relation between safety evaluation and measured values (Authors)

Calibration and verification of thermographic cameras for geometric measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Lagüela, S.; González-Jorge, H.; Armesto, J.; Arias, P.

2011-03-01

Infrared thermography is a technique with an increasing degree of development and applications. Quality assessment in the measurements performed with the thermal cameras should be achieved through metrology calibration and verification. Infrared cameras acquire temperature and geometric information, although calibration and verification procedures are only usual for thermal data. Black bodies are used for these purposes. Moreover, the geometric information is important for many fields as architecture, civil engineering and industry. This work presents a calibration procedure that allows the photogrammetric restitution and a portable artefact to verify the geometric accuracy, repeatability and drift of thermographic cameras. These results allow the incorporation of this information into the quality control processes of the companies. A grid based on burning lamps is used for the geometric calibration of thermographic cameras. The artefact designed for the geometric verification consists of five delrin spheres and seven cubes of different sizes. Metrology traceability for the artefact is obtained from a coordinate measuring machine. Two sets of targets with different reflectivity are fixed to the spheres and cubes to make data processing and photogrammetric restitution possible. Reflectivity was the chosen material propriety due to the thermographic and visual cameras ability to detect it. Two thermographic cameras from Flir and Nec manufacturers, and one visible camera from Jai are calibrated, verified and compared using calibration grids and the standard artefact. The calibration system based on burning lamps shows its capability to perform the internal orientation of the thermal cameras. Verification results show repeatability better than 1 mm for all cases, being better than 0.5 mm for the visible one. As it must be expected, also accuracy appears higher in the visible camera, and the geometric comparison between thermographic cameras shows slightly better

A simple method for validation and verification of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stangegaard, Michael; Hansen, Anders Johannes; Frøslev, Tobias G

2011-01-01

We have implemented a simple, inexpensive, and fast procedure for validation and verification of the performance of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers (ALHs) as necessary for laboratories accredited under ISO 17025. A six- or seven-step serial dilution of OrangeG was prepared in quadru......We have implemented a simple, inexpensive, and fast procedure for validation and verification of the performance of pipettes mounted on automated liquid handlers (ALHs) as necessary for laboratories accredited under ISO 17025. A six- or seven-step serial dilution of OrangeG was prepared...... are freely available. In conclusion, we have set up a simple, inexpensive, and fast solution for the continuous validation of ALHs used for accredited work according to the ISO 17025 standard. The method is easy to use for aqueous solutions but requires a spectrophotometer that can read microtiter plates....

Challenges for effective WMD verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andemicael, B.

2006-01-01

already awash in fissile material and is increasingly threatened by the possible consequences of illicit trafficking in such material. The chemical field poses fewer problems. The ban on chemical weapons is a virtually complete post-Cold War regime, with state-of-the-art concepts and procedures of verification resulting from decades of negotiation. The detection of prohibited materials and activities is the common goal of the nuclear and chemical regimes for which the most intrusive and intensive procedures are activated by the three organizations. Accounting for the strictly peaceful application of dual-use items constitutes the bulk of the work of the inspectorates at the IAEA and the OPCW. A common challenge in both fields is the advance of science and technology in the vast nuclear and chemical industries and the ingenuity of some determined proliferators to deceive by concealing illicit activities under legitimate ones. Inspection procedures and technologies need to keep up with the requirement for flexibility and adaptation to change. The common objective of the three organizations is to assemble and analyze all relevant information in order to conclude reliably whether a State is or is not complying with its treaty obligations. The positive lessons learned from the IAEA's verification experience today are valuable in advancing concepts and technologies that might also benefit the other areas of WMD verification. Together with the emerging, more comprehensive verification practice of the OPCW, they may provide a useful basis for developing common standards, which may in turn help in evaluating the cost-effectiveness of verification methods for the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and other components of a WMD control regime

Verification of DRAGON: the NXT tracking module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zkiek, A.; Marleau, G.

2007-01-01

The version of DRAGON-IST that has been verified for the calculation of the incremental cross sections associated with CANDU reactivity devices is version 3.04Bb that was released in 2001. Since then, various improvements were implemented in the code including the NXT: module that can track assemblies of clusters in 2-D and 3-D geometries. Here we will discuss the verification plan for the NXT: module of DRAGON, illustrate the verification procedure we selected and present our verification results. (author)

Emotion Monitoring – Verification of Physiological Characteristics Measurement Procedures

OpenAIRE

Landowska Agnieszka

2014-01-01

This paper concerns measurement procedures on an emotion monitoring stand designed for tracking human emotions in the Human-Computer Interaction with physiological characteristics. The paper addresses the key problem of physiological measurements being disturbed by a motion typical for human-computer interaction such as keyboard typing or mouse movements. An original experiment is described, that aimed at practical evaluation of measurement procedures performed at the emotion monitoring stand...

37 CFR 260.6 - Verification of royalty payments.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... verification of the payment of royalty fees to those parties entitled to receive such fees, according to terms... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Verification of royalty... COPYRIGHT ARBITRATION ROYALTY PANEL RULES AND PROCEDURES RATES AND TERMS FOR PREEXISTING SUBSCRIPTION...

Verification of industrial x-ray machine: MINTs experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz Amat; Saidi Rajab; Eesan Pasupathi; Saipo Bahari Abdul Ratan; Shaharudin Sayuti; Abd Nassir Ibrahim; Abd Razak Hamzah

2005-01-01

Radiation and electrical safety of the industrial x-ray equipment required to meet Atomic Energy Licensing Board(AELB) guidelines ( LEM/TEK/42 ) at the time of installation and subsequently a periodic verification should be ensured. The purpose of the guide is to explain the requirements employed in conducting the test on industrial x-ray apparatus and be certified in meeting with our local legislative and regulation. Verification is aimed to provide safety assurance information on electrical requirements and the minimum radiation exposure to the operator. This regulation is introduced on new models imported into the Malaysian market. Since June, 1997, Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT) has been approved by AELB to provide verification services to private company, government and corporate body throughout Malaysia. Early January 1997, AELB has made it mandatory that all x-ray equipment for industrial purpose (especially Industrial Radiography) must fulfill certain performance test based on the LEM/TEK/42 guidelines. MINT as the third party verification encourages user to improve maintenance of the equipment. MINT experiences in measuring the performance on intermittent and continuous duty rating single-phase industrial x-ray machine in the year 2004 indicated that all of irradiating apparatus tested pass the test and met the requirements of the guideline. From MINT record, 1997 to 2005 , three x-ray models did not meet the requirement and thus not allowed to be used unless the manufacturers willing to modify it to meet AELB requirement. This verification procedures on electrical and radiation safety on industrial x-ray has significantly improved the the maintenance cultures and safety awareness in the usage of x-ray apparatus in the industrial environment. (Author)

The step complexity measure for emergency operating procedures: measure verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea; Ha, Jaejoo; Park, Changkue

2002-01-01

In complex systems, such as nuclear power plants (NPPs) or airplane control systems, human errors play a major role in many accidents. Therefore, to prevent an occurrence of accidents or to ensure system safety, extensive effort has been made to identify significant factors that can cause human errors. According to related studies, written manuals or operating procedures are revealed as one of the most important factors, and the understandability is pointed out as one of the major reasons for procedure-related human errors. Many qualitative checklists are suggested to evaluate emergency operating procedures (EOPs) of NPPs. However, since qualitative evaluations using checklists have some drawbacks, a quantitative measure that can quantify the complexity of EOPs is very necessary to compensate for them. In order to quantify the complexity of steps included in EOPs, Park et al. suggested the step complexity (SC) measure. In addition, to ascertain the appropriateness of the SC measure, averaged step performance time data obtained from emergency training records for the loss of coolant accident and the excess steam dump event were compared with estimated SC scores. Although averaged step performance time data show good correlation with estimated SC scores, conclusions for some important issues that have to be clarified to ensure the appropriateness of the SC measure were not properly drawn because of lack of backup data. In this paper, to clarify remaining issues, additional activities to verify the appropriateness of the SC measure are performed using averaged step performance time data obtained from emergency training records. The total number of available records is 36, and training scenarios are the steam generator tube rupture and the loss of all feedwater. The number of scenarios is 18 each. From these emergency training records, averaged step performance time data for 30 steps are retrieved. As the results, the SC measure shows statistically meaningful

Concepts of Model Verification and Validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thacker, B.H.; Doebling, S.W.; Hemez, F.M.; Anderson, M.C.; Pepin, J.E.; Rodriguez, E.A.

2004-01-01

Model verification and validation (VandV) is an enabling methodology for the development of computational models that can be used to make engineering predictions with quantified confidence. Model VandV procedures are needed by government and industry to reduce the time, cost, and risk associated with full-scale testing of products, materials, and weapon systems. Quantifying the confidence and predictive accuracy of model calculations provides the decision-maker with the information necessary for making high-consequence decisions. The development of guidelines and procedures for conducting a model VandV program are currently being defined by a broad spectrum of researchers. This report reviews the concepts involved in such a program. Model VandV is a current topic of great interest to both government and industry. In response to a ban on the production of new strategic weapons and nuclear testing, the Department of Energy (DOE) initiated the Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP). An objective of the SSP is to maintain a high level of confidence in the safety, reliability, and performance of the existing nuclear weapons stockpile in the absence of nuclear testing. This objective has challenged the national laboratories to develop high-confidence tools and methods that can be used to provide credible models needed for stockpile certification via numerical simulation. There has been a significant increase in activity recently to define VandV methods and procedures. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Modeling and Simulation Office (DMSO) is working to develop fundamental concepts and terminology for VandV applied to high-level systems such as ballistic missile defense and battle management simulations. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has recently formed a Standards Committee for the development of VandV procedures for computational solid mechanics models. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) has been a proponent of model

Evaluation factors for verification and validation of low-level waste disposal site models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moran, M.S.; Mezga, L.J.

1982-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to identify general evaluation factors to be used to verify and validate LLW disposal site performance models in order to assess their site-specific applicability and to determine their accuracy and sensitivity. It is intended that the information contained in this paper be employed by model users involved with LLW site performance model verification and validation. It should not be construed as providing protocols, but rather as providing a framework for the preparation of specific protocols or procedures. A brief description of each evaluation factor is provided. The factors have been categorized according to recommended use during either the model verification or the model validation process. The general responsibilities of the developer and user are provided. In many cases it is difficult to separate the responsibilities of the developer and user, but the user is ultimately accountable for both verification and validation processes. 4 refs

Verification of the Indicating Measuring Instruments Taking into Account their Instrumental Measurement Uncertainty

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakharov Igor

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The specific features of the measuring instruments verification based on the results of their calibration are considered. It is noted that, in contrast to the verification procedure used in the legal metrology, the verification procedure for calibrated measuring instruments has to take into account the uncertainty of measurements into account. In this regard, a large number of measuring instruments, considered as those that are in compliance after verification in the legal metrology, turns out to be not in compliance after calibration. In this case, it is necessary to evaluate the probability of compliance of indicating measuring instruments. The procedure of compliance probability determination on the basis of the Monte Carlo method is considered. An example of calibration of a Vernier caliper is given.

Solid waste operations complex engineering verification program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergeson, C.L.

1994-01-01

This plan supersedes, but does not replace, the previous Waste Receiving and Processing/Solid Waste Engineering Development Program Plan. In doing this, it does not repeat the basic definitions of the various types or classes of development activities nor provide the rigorous written description of each facility and assign the equipment to development classes. The methodology described in the previous document is still valid and was used to determine the types of verification efforts required. This Engineering Verification Program Plan will be updated on a yearly basis. This EVPP provides programmatic definition of all engineering verification activities for the following SWOC projects: (1) Project W-026 - Waste Receiving and Processing Facility Module 1; (2) Project W-100 - Waste Receiving and Processing Facility Module 2A; (3) Project W-112 - Phase V Storage Facility; and (4) Project W-113 - Solid Waste Retrieval. No engineering verification activities are defined for Project W-112 as no verification work was identified. The Acceptance Test Procedures/Operational Test Procedures will be part of each project's Title III operation test efforts. The ATPs/OTPs are not covered by this EVPP

IMRT plan verification in radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vlk, P.

2006-01-01

This article describes the procedure for verification of IMRT (Intensity modulated radiation therapy) plan, which is used in the Oncological Institute of St. Elisabeth in Bratislava. It contains basic description of IMRT technology and developing a deployment plan for IMRT planning system CORVUS 6.0, the device Mimic (Multilammelar intensity modulated collimator) and the overall process of verifying the schedule created. The aim of verification is particularly good control of the functions of MIMIC and evaluate the overall reliability of IMRT planning. (author)

Methodology and Toolset for Model Verification, Hardware/Software co-simulation, Performance Optimisation and Customisable Source-code generation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berger, Michael Stübert; Soler, José; Yu, Hao

2013-01-01

The MODUS project aims to provide a pragmatic and viable solution that will allow SMEs to substantially improve their positioning in the embedded-systems development market. The MODUS tool will provide a model verification and Hardware/Software co-simulation tool (TRIAL) and a performance...... optimisation and customisable source-code generation tool (TUNE). The concept is depicted in automated modelling and optimisation of embedded-systems development. The tool will enable model verification by guiding the selection of existing open-source model verification engines, based on the automated analysis...

DOT-7A packaging test procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kelly, D.L.

1995-01-01

This test procedure documents the steps involved with performance testing of Department of Transportation Specification 7A (DOT-7A) Type A packages. It includes description of the performance tests, the personnel involved, appropriate safety considerations, and the procedures to be followed while performing the tests. Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) is conducting the evaluation and testing discussed herein for the Department of Energy-Headquarters, Division of Quality Verification and Transportation Safety (EH-321). Please note that this report is not in WHC format. This report is being submitted through the Engineering Documentation System so that it may be used for reference and information purposes

Calibration And Performance Verification Of LSC Packard 1900TR AFTER REPAIRING

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satrio; Evarista-Ristin; Syafalni; Alip

2003-01-01

Calibration process and repeated verification of LSC Packard 1900TR at Hydrology Section-P3TlR has been done. In the period of middle 1997 to July 2000, the counting system of the instrument has damaged and repaired for several times. After repairing, the system was recalibrated and then verified. The calibration and verification were conducted by using standard 3 H, 14 C and background unquenched. The result of calibration shows that background count rates of 3 H and 14 C is 12.3 ± 0.79 cpm and 18.24 ± 0.69 cpm respectively; FOM 3 H and 14 C is 285.03 ± 15.95 and 641.06 ± 16.45 respectively; 3 H and 14 C efficiency is 59.13 ± 0.28 % and 95.09 ± 0.31 %. respectively. From the verification data's, the parameter of SIS and tSIE for 14 C is to be in range of limit. And then 3 H and 14 C efficiency is still above minimum limit. Whereas, the background fluctuation still show normal condition. It could be concluded that until now the performance of LSC Packard 1900TR is well condition and could be used for counting. (author)

MR image-guided portal verification for brain treatment field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin Fangfang; Gao Qinghuai; Xie Huchen; Nelson, Diana F.; Yu Yan; Kwok, W. Edmund; Totterman, Saara; Schell, Michael C.; Rubin, Philip

1998-01-01

Purpose: To investigate a method for the generation of digitally reconstructed radiographs directly from MR images (DRR-MRI) to guide a computerized portal verification procedure. Methods and Materials: Several major steps were developed to perform an MR image-guided portal verification procedure. Initially, a wavelet-based multiresolution adaptive thresholding method was used to segment the skin slice-by-slice in MR brain axial images. Some selected anatomical structures, such as target volume and critical organs, were then manually identified and were reassigned to relatively higher intensities. Interslice information was interpolated with a directional method to achieve comparable display resolution in three dimensions. Next, a ray-tracing method was used to generate a DRR-MRI image at the planned treatment position, and the ray tracing was simply performed on summation of voxels along the ray. The skin and its relative positions were also projected to the DRR-MRI and were used to guide the search of similar features in the portal image. A Canny edge detector was used to enhance the brain contour in both portal and simulation images. The skin in the brain portal image was then extracted using a knowledge-based searching technique. Finally, a Chamfer matching technique was used to correlate features between DRR-MRI and portal image. Results: The MR image-guided portal verification method was evaluated using a brain phantom case and a clinical patient case. Both DRR-CT and DRR-MRI were generated using CT and MR phantom images with the same beam orientation and then compared. The matching result indicated that the maximum deviation of internal structures was less than 1 mm. The segmented results for brain MR slice images indicated that a wavelet-based image segmentation technique provided a reasonable estimation for the brain skin. For the clinical patient case with a given portal field, the MR image-guided verification method provided an excellent match between

Java bytecode verification via static single assignment form

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gal, Andreas; Probst, Christian W.; Franz, Michael

2008-01-01

Java Virtual Machines (JVMs) traditionally perform bytecode verification by way of an iterative data-flow analysis. Bytecode verification is necessary to ensure type safety because temporary variables in the JVM are not statically typed. We present an alternative verification mechanism that trans......Java Virtual Machines (JVMs) traditionally perform bytecode verification by way of an iterative data-flow analysis. Bytecode verification is necessary to ensure type safety because temporary variables in the JVM are not statically typed. We present an alternative verification mechanism...

Evaluation of Revised Computer-Based Procedure System Prototype

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katya Le Blanc; Johanna Oxstrand; Cheradan Fikstad

2013-01-01

The nuclear power industry is very procedure driven, i.e. almost all activities that take place at a nuclear power plant are conducted by following procedures. The paper-based procedures (PBPs) currently used by the industry do a good job at keeping the industry safe. However, these procedures are most often paired with methods and tools put in place to anticipate, prevent, and catch errors related to hands-on work. These tools are commonly called human performance tools. The drawback with the current implementation of these tools is that the task of performing one procedure becomes time and labor intensive. For example, concurrent and independent verification of procedure steps are required at times, which essentially means that at least two people have to be actively involved in the task. Even though the current use of PBPs and human performance tools are keeping the industry safe, there is room for improvement. The industry could potentially increase their efficiency and safety by replacing their existing PBPs with CBPs. If implemented correctly, the CBP system could reduce the time and focus spent on using the human performance tools. Some of the tools can be completely incorporated in the CBP system in a manner that the performer does not think about the fact that these tools are being used. Examples of these tools are procedure use and adherence, placekeeping, and peer checks. Other tools can be partly integrated in a fashion that reduce the time and labor they require, such as concurrent and independent verification. The incorporation of advanced technology, such as CBP systems, may help to manage the effects of aging systems, structures, and components. The introduction of advanced technology may also make the existing LWR fleet more attractive to the future workforce, which will be of importance when the future workforce will chose between existing fleet and the newly built nuclear power plants.

Verification Test of Hydraulic Performance for Reactor Coolant Pump

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Sang Jun; Kim, Jae Shin; Ryu, In Wan; Ko, Bok Seong; Song, Keun Myung [Samjin Ind. Co., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2010-01-15

According to this project, basic design for prototype pump and model pump of reactor coolant pump and test facilities has been completed. Basic design for prototype pump to establish structure, dimension and hydraulic performance has been completed and through primary flow analysis by computational fluid dynamics(CFD), flow characteristics and hydraulic performance have been established. This pump was designed with mixed flow pump having the following design requirements; specific velocity(Ns); 1080.9(rpm{center_dot}m{sup 3}/m{center_dot}m), capacity; 3115m{sup 3}/h, total head ; 26.3m, pump speed; 1710rpm, pump efficiency; 77.0%, Impeller out-diameter; 349mm, motor output; 360kw, design pressure; 17MPaG. The features of the pump are leakage free due to no mechanical seal on the pump shaft which insures reactor's safety and law noise level and low vibration due to no cooling fan on the motor which makes eco-friendly product. Model pump size was reduced to 44% of prototype pump for the verification test for hydraulic performance of reactor coolant pump and was designed with mixed flow pump and canned motor having the following design requirements; specific speed(NS); 1060.9(rpm{center_dot}m{sup 3}/m{center_dot}m), capacity; 539.4m{sup 3}/h, total head; 21.0m, pump speed; 3476rpm, pump efficiency; 72.9%, Impeller out-diameter; 154mm, motor output; 55kw, design pressure; 1.0MPaG. The test facilities were designed for verification test of hydraulic performance suitable for pump performance test, homologous test, NPSH test(cavitation), cost down test and pressure pulsation test of inlet and outlet ports. Test tank was designed with testing capacity enabling up to 2000m{sup 3}/h and design pressure 1.0MPaG. Auxiliary pump was designed with centrifugal pump having capacity; 1100m{sup 3}/h, total head; 42.0m, motor output; 190kw

A study on a systematic approach of verification and validation of a computerized procedure system: ImPRO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, Wei; Seong, Poong Hyun

2003-01-01

Paper Based Procedure (PBP) and Computerized Procedure System (CPS) are studied to demonstrate that it is necessary to develop CPS in NPP I and C system. Computerized procedure system is actually a software system. All the desired and undesired properties of a software system can be described and evaluated as software qualities. Generally, software qualities can be categorized into product quality and process quality. In order to achieve product quality, the process quality of a software system should also be considered and achieved. Characteristics of CPS will be described to analyse the product and process of an example CPS: ImPRO. At the same time, several main product and process issues will be analysed from Verification and Validation (V and V) point of view. It is concluded and suggested that V and V activities can also be regarded as software development process, this point of view then is applied to the V and V activities of ImPRO as a systematic approach of V and V of ImPRO. To support and realize this approach, suitable testing technologies and testing strategies are suggested

The relative importance of managerial competencies for predicting the perceived job performance of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment verification practitioners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara M. Seate

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Orientation: There is a need for the growing Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE verification industry to assess competencies and determine skills gaps for the management of the verification practitioners’ perceived job performance. Knowing which managerial competencies are important for different managerial functions is vital for developing and improving training and development programmes. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the managerial capabilities that are required of the B-BBEE verification practitioners, in order to improve their perceived job performance. Motivation for the study: The growing number of the B-BBEE verification practitioners calls for more focused training and development. Generating such a training and development programme demands empirical research into the relative importance of managerial competencies. Research approach, design and method: A quantitative design using the survey approach was adopted. A questionnaire was administered to a stratified sample of 87 B-BBEE verification practitioners. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 22.0 and Smart Partial Least Squares software. Main findings: The results of the correlation analysis revealed that there were strong and positive associations between technical skills, interpersonal skills, compliance to standards and ethics, managerial skills and perceived job performance. Results of the regression analysis showed that managerial skills, compliance to standards and ethics and interpersonal skills were statistically significant in predicting perceived job performance. However, technical skills were insignificant in predicting perceived job performance. Practical/managerial implications: The study has shown that the B-BBEE verification industry, insofar as the technical skills of the practitioners are concerned, does have suitably qualified staff with the requisite educational qualifications. At

Formal verification and validation of the safety-critical software in a digital reactor protection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, K. C.; Park, G. Y.

2006-01-01

This paper describes the Verification and Validation (V and V) activities for the safety-critical software in a Digital Reactor Protection System (DRPS) that is being developed through the Korea nuclear instrumentation and control system project. The main activities of the DRPS V and V process are a preparation of the software planning documentation, a verification of the software according to the software life cycle, a software safety analysis and a software configuration management. The verification works for the Software Requirement Specification (SRS) of the DRPS consist of a technical evaluation, a licensing suitability evaluation, a inspection and traceability analysis, a formal verification, and preparing a test plan and procedure. Especially, the SRS is specified by the formal specification method in the development phase, and the formal SRS is verified by a formal verification method. Through these activities, we believe we can achieve the functionality, performance, reliability, and safety that are the major V and V objectives of the nuclear safety-critical software in a DRPS. (authors)

Formal Verification of Continuous Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sloth, Christoffer

2012-01-01

and the verification procedures should be algorithmically synthesizable. Autonomous control plays an important role in many safety-critical systems. This implies that a malfunction in the control system can have catastrophic consequences, e.g., in space applications where a design flaw can result in large economic...... losses. Furthermore, a malfunction in the control system of a surgical robot may cause death of patients. The previous examples involve complex systems that are required to operate according to complex specifications. The systems cannot be formally verified by modern verification techniques, due...

Linear models to perform treaty verification tasks for enhanced information security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacGahan, Christopher J.; Kupinski, Matthew A.; Brubaker, Erik M.; Hilton, Nathan R.; Marleau, Peter A.

2017-01-01

Linear mathematical models were applied to binary-discrimination tasks relevant to arms control verification measurements in which a host party wishes to convince a monitoring party that an item is or is not treaty accountable. These models process data in list-mode format and can compensate for the presence of variability in the source, such as uncertain object orientation and location. The Hotelling observer applies an optimal set of weights to binned detector data, yielding a test statistic that is thresholded to make a decision. The channelized Hotelling observer applies a channelizing matrix to the vectorized data, resulting in a lower dimensional vector available to the monitor to make decisions. We demonstrate how incorporating additional terms in this channelizing-matrix optimization offers benefits for treaty verification. We present two methods to increase shared information and trust between the host and monitor. The first method penalizes individual channel performance in order to maximize the information available to the monitor while maintaining optimal performance. Second, we present a method that penalizes predefined sensitive information while maintaining the capability to discriminate between binary choices. Data used in this study was generated using Monte Carlo simulations for fission neutrons, accomplished with the GEANT4 toolkit. Custom models for plutonium inspection objects were measured in simulation by a radiation imaging system. Model performance was evaluated and presented using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

Linear models to perform treaty verification tasks for enhanced information security

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MacGahan, Christopher J., E-mail: cmacgahan@optics.arizona.edu [College of Optical Sciences, The University of Arizona, 1630 E. University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Kupinski, Matthew A. [College of Optical Sciences, The University of Arizona, 1630 E. University Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Brubaker, Erik M.; Hilton, Nathan R.; Marleau, Peter A. [Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States)

2017-02-01

Linear mathematical models were applied to binary-discrimination tasks relevant to arms control verification measurements in which a host party wishes to convince a monitoring party that an item is or is not treaty accountable. These models process data in list-mode format and can compensate for the presence of variability in the source, such as uncertain object orientation and location. The Hotelling observer applies an optimal set of weights to binned detector data, yielding a test statistic that is thresholded to make a decision. The channelized Hotelling observer applies a channelizing matrix to the vectorized data, resulting in a lower dimensional vector available to the monitor to make decisions. We demonstrate how incorporating additional terms in this channelizing-matrix optimization offers benefits for treaty verification. We present two methods to increase shared information and trust between the host and monitor. The first method penalizes individual channel performance in order to maximize the information available to the monitor while maintaining optimal performance. Second, we present a method that penalizes predefined sensitive information while maintaining the capability to discriminate between binary choices. Data used in this study was generated using Monte Carlo simulations for fission neutrons, accomplished with the GEANT4 toolkit. Custom models for plutonium inspection objects were measured in simulation by a radiation imaging system. Model performance was evaluated and presented using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve.

TRACEABILITY OF PRECISION MEASUREMENTS ON COORDINATE MEASURING MACHINES – PERFORMANCE VERIFICATION OF CMMs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Chiffre, Leonardo; Sobiecki, René; Tosello, Guido

This document is used in connection with one exercise of 30 minutes duration as a part of the course VISION ONLINE – One week course on Precision & Nanometrology. The exercise concerns performance verification of the volumetric measuring capability of a small volume coordinate measuring machine...

URANS simulations of the tip-leakage cavitating flow with verification and validation procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Huai-yu; Long, Xin-ping; Liang, Yun-zhi; Long, Yun; Ji, Bin

2018-04-01

In the present paper, the Vortex Identified Zwart-Gerber-Belamri (VIZGB) cavitation model coupled with the SST-CC turbulence model is used to investigate the unsteady tip-leakage cavitating flow induced by a NACA0009 hydrofoil. A qualitative comparison between the numerical and experimental results is made. In order to quantitatively evaluate the reliability of the numerical data, the verification and validation (V&V) procedures are used in the present paper. Errors of numerical results are estimated with seven error estimators based on the Richardson extrapolation method. It is shown that though a strict validation cannot be achieved, a reasonable prediction of the gross characteristics of the tip-leakage cavitating flow can be obtained. Based on the numerical results, the influence of the cavitation on the tip-leakage vortex (TLV) is discussed, which indicates that the cavitation accelerates the fusion of the TLV and the tip-separation vortex (TSV). Moreover, the trajectory of the TLV, when the cavitation occurs, is close to the side wall.

Verification of the 2.00 WAPPA-B [Waste Package Performance Assessment-B version] code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tylock, B.; Jansen, G.; Raines, G.E.

1987-07-01

The old version of the Waste Package Performance Assessment (WAPPA) code has been modified into a new code version, 2.00 WAPPA-B. The input files and the results for two benchmarks at repository conditions are fully documented in the appendixes of the EA reference report. The 2.00 WAPPA-B version of the code is suitable for computation of barrier failure due to uniform corrosion; however, an improved sub-version, 2.01 WAPPA-B, is recommended for general use due to minor errors found in 2.00 WAPPA-B during its verification procedures. The input files and input echoes have been modified to include behavior of both radionuclides and elements, but the 2.00 WAPPA-B version of the WAPPA code is not recommended for computation of radionuclide releases. The 2.00 WAPPA-B version computes only mass balances and the initial presence of radionuclides that can be released. Future code development in the 3.00 WAPPA-C version will include radionuclide release computations. 19 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab

Electrical performance verification methodology for large reflector antennas: based on the P-band SAR payload of the ESA BIOMASS candidate mission

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pivnenko, Sergey; Kim, Oleksiy S.; Nielsen, Jeppe Majlund

2013-01-01

pattern and gain of the entire antenna including support and satellite structure with an appropriate computational software. A preliminary investigation of the proposed methodology was carried out by performing extensive simulations of different verification approaches. The experimental validation......In this paper, an electrical performance verification methodology for large reflector antennas is proposed. The verification methodology was developed for the BIOMASS P-band (435 MHz) synthetic aperture radar (SAR), but can be applied to other large deployable or fixed reflector antennas for which...... the verification of the entire antenna or payload is impossible. The two-step methodology is based on accurate measurement of the feed structure characteristics, such as complex radiation pattern and radiation efficiency, with an appropriate Measurement technique, and then accurate calculation of the radiation...

Validation, verification and evaluation of a Train to Train Distance Measurement System by means of Colored Petri Nets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Haifeng; Liu, Jieyu; Schnieder, Eckehard

2017-01-01

Validation, verification and evaluation are necessary processes to assure the safety and functionality of a system before its application in practice. This paper presents a Train to Train Distance Measurement System (TTDMS), which can provide distance information independently from existing onboard equipment. Afterwards, we proposed a new process using Colored Petri Nets to verify the TTDMS system functional safety, as well as to evaluate the system performance. Three main contributions are carried out in the paper: Firstly, this paper proposes a formalized TTDMS model, and the model correctness is validated using state space analysis and simulation-based verification. Secondly, corresponding checking queries are proposed for the purpose of functional safety verification. Further, the TTDMS performance is evaluated by applying parameters in the formal model. Thirdly, the reliability of a functional prototype TTDMS is estimated. It is found that the procedure can cooperate with the system development, and both formal and simulation-based verifications are performed. Using our process to evaluate and verify a system is easier to read and more reliable compared to executable code and mathematical methods. - Highlights: • A new Train to Train Distance Measurement System. • New approach verifying system functional safety and evaluating system performance by means of CPN. • System formalization using the system property concept. • Verification of system functional safety using state space analysis. • Evaluation of system performance applying simulation-based analysis.

Safe introduction of new procedures and emerging technologies in surgery: education, credentialing, and privileging.

Science.gov (United States)

Sachdeva, Ajit K; Russell, Thomas R

2007-08-01

Ongoing horizon scanning is needed to identify new procedures and emerging technologies that should be evaluated for introduction into surgical practice. Following evidence-based evaluation, if a new modality is found ready for adoption in practice, surgeons need education in the safe and effective use of the new modality. The educational experience should include structured teaching and learning, verification of new knowledge and skills, preceptoring or proctoring, and monitoring of outcomes. Credentialing and privileging to perform a new procedure or use an emerging technology should be based on evaluation of knowledge and skills and outcomes of surgical care, and not merely on the numbers of procedures performed. Education of the surgical team is also essential. The entire process involving education, verification of knowledge and skills, credentialing, and privileging must be transparent. Patients need to play a central role in making informed decisions regarding their care that involves use of a new procedure or an emerging technology, and they should participate actively in their perioperative care.

SQUG cable tray and conduit evaluation procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, P.D.; Eder, S.J.; Conoscente, J.P.

1990-01-01

Cable tray and conduit systems for electrical cables are a common feature and industrial facilities. They have an excellent performance history in past strong earthquake, even though they are rarely designed for earthquakes. Considerable data have been gathered on their performance in earthquakes and in shake table testing. The data have been used to develop a procedure for the verification of the seismic adequacy of cable tray and conduit systems in operating nuclear plants. The procedure is discussed in this paper. It will result in substantial savings, such as reduced engineering effort, fewer modifications of existing hardware, and simpler documentation, relative to alternate procedures like dynamic analysis of shake table testing. The procedure ensures safety-function in a unique manner since the methodology used to develop it (1) is based on a large body of historical data and (2) uses a relative approach of ensuring that nuclear plant systems will perform at least as well as systems that performed well in past earthquakes. (orig.)

Performance audit procedures for opacity monitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plaisance, S.J.; Peeler, J.W.

1987-04-01

This manual contains monitor-specific performance audit procedures and data forms for use in conducting audits of installed opacity continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS). General auditing procedures and acceptance limits for various audit criteria are discussed. Practical considerations and common problems encountered in conducting audits are delineated, and recommendations are included to optimize the successful completion of performance audits. Performance audit procedures and field-data forms were developed for six common opacity CEMS: (1) Lear Siegler, Inc. Model RM-41; (2) Lear Siegler, Inc. Model RM-4; (3) Dynatron Model 1100; (4) Thermo Electron, Inc. Model 400; (5) Thermo Electron, Inc. Model 1000A; and (6) Enviroplan Model D-R280 AV. Generic audit procedures are included for use in evaluating opacity CEMS with multiple transmissometers and combiner devices. In addition, several approaches for evaluating the zero-alignment or clear-path zero response are described. The zero-alignment procedures are included since the factor is fundamental to the accuracy of opacity monitoring data, even though the zero-alignment checks cannot usually be conducted during a performance audit

Non proliferation regimes undertakings: Benefits and limits of synergies in verification technologies and procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richard, M.

2001-01-01

development and the implementation of adequate verification. During the last thirty years, multinational or mutual verification has become a fundamental element in building States' confidence in the agreements and amongst those States. It gives them the assurance that the agreements are efficient and that all other parties comply with their obligations. This trend has been confirmed with the discovery of the cheating of two NPT Parties in the beginning of the nineties. First, the clandestine programme of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq revealed after the Gulf war and, secondly, the inability of the IAEA to verify the initial declaration of the DPRK and the discovery of its attempt to build a clandestine nuclear programme along with a ballistic missile programme. These cheats have led to the strengthening of the IAEA safeguards, the reinforcement of export controls and new efforts to curb the proliferation of ballistic missiles. With the development of verification and monitoring regimes in scope, range and precision, the international interdependence has grown very rapidly. The verification protocols of these instruments share a lot of features: procedures, inspection techniques in the field and in the laboratory, information analyses, and so on. A wide range of techniques is employed which goes from the simple like exchange of information to more intrusive techniques like environmental sampling, permanent surveillance, on-site inspection, short notice access, etc... In the past ten years, the capabilities of verification techniques have been very much improved. For example, sampling and trace analysis allow to detect minute quantities of materials which could show evidence of proscribed activities, satellite imagery can allow to detect undeclared activities or undercover preparation But a one hundred percent assurance of compliance is more a political wish than a reality and is not needed for most of the agreements. Whatever the sophistication of techniques, a small

Guidelines for the verification and validation of expert system software and conventional software: Volume 5, Rationale and description of verification and validation guideline packages and procedures. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, L.A.; Hayes, J.E.; Mirsky, S.M.

1995-05-01

This report is the fifth volume in a series of reports describing the results of the Expert System Verification and Validation (V ampersand V) project which is jointly funded by US NRC and EPRI toward formulating guidelines for V ampersand V of expert systems for use in nuclear power applications. This report provides the rationale for and description of those guidelines. The actual guidelines themselves (and the accompanying 11 step by step Procedures) are presented in Volume 7, User's Manual. Three factors determine what V ampersand V is needed: (1) the stage, of the development life cycle (requirements, design, or implementation), (2) whether the overall system or a specialized component needs be tested (knowledge base component, inference engine or other highly reusable element, or a component involving conventional software), and (3) the stringency of V ampersand V that is needed (as judged from an assessment of the system's complexity and the requirement for its integrity to form three Classes). A V ampersand V guideline package is provided for each of the combinations of these three variables. The package specifies the V ampersand V methods recommended and the order in which they should be administered, the assurances each method provides, the qualifications needed by the V ampersand V team to employ each Particular method, the degree to which the methods should be applied, the performance measures that should be taken, and the decision criteria for accepting, conditionally accepting, or rejecting an evaluated system. In addition to the guideline packages, highly detailed step-by-step procedures are provided for 11 of the more important methods, to ensure that they Can be implemented correctly. The guidelines can apply to conventional procedural software systems as well as all kinds of AI systems

A feasible method for clinical delivery verification and dose reconstruction in tomotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapatoes, J.M.; Olivera, G.H.; Ruchala, K.J.; Smilowitz, J.B.; Reckwerdt, P.J.; Mackie, T.R.

2001-01-01

Delivery verification is the process in which the energy fluence delivered during a treatment is verified. This verified energy fluence can be used in conjunction with an image in the treatment position to reconstruct the full three-dimensional dose deposited. A method for delivery verification that utilizes a measured database of detector signal is described in this work. This database is a function of two parameters, radiological path-length and detector-to-phantom distance, both of which are computed from a CT image taken at the time of delivery. Such a database was generated and used to perform delivery verification and dose reconstruction. Two experiments were conducted: a simulated prostate delivery on an inhomogeneous abdominal phantom, and a nasopharyngeal delivery on a dog cadaver. For both cases, it was found that the verified fluence and dose results using the database approach agreed very well with those using previously developed and proven techniques. Delivery verification with a measured database and CT image at the time of treatment is an accurate procedure for tomotherapy. The database eliminates the need for any patient-specific, pre- or post-treatment measurements. Moreover, such an approach creates an opportunity for accurate, real-time delivery verification and dose reconstruction given fast image reconstruction and dose computation tools

The KNICS approach for verification and validation of safety software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cha, Kyung Ho; Sohn, Han Seong; Lee, Jang Soo; Kim, Jang Yeol; Cheon, Se Woo; Lee, Young Joon; Hwang, In Koo; Kwon, Kee Choon

2003-01-01

This paper presents verification and validation (VV) to be approached for safety software of POSAFE-Q Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) prototype and Plant Protection System (PPS) prototype, which consists of Reactor Protection System (RPS) and Engineered Safety Features-Component Control System (ESF-CCS) in development of Korea Nuclear Instrumentation and Control System (KNICS). The SVV criteria and requirements are selected from IEEE Std. 7-4.3.2, IEEE Std. 1012, IEEE Std. 1028 and BTP-14, and they have been considered for acceptance framework to be provided within SVV procedures. SVV techniques, including Review and Inspection (R and I), Formal Verification and Theorem Proving, and Automated Testing, are applied for safety software and automated SVV tools supports SVV tasks. Software Inspection Support and Requirement Traceability (SIS-RT) supports R and I and traceability analysis, a New Symbolic Model Verifier (NuSMV), Statemate MAGNUM (STM) ModelCertifier, and Prototype Verification System (PVS) are used for formal verification, and McCabe and Cantata++ are utilized for static and dynamic software testing. In addition, dedication of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software and firmware, Software Safety Analysis (SSA) and evaluation of Software Configuration Management (SCM) are being performed for the PPS prototype in the software requirements phase

Data verification and materials accountancy for two accounting periods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beedgen, R.

1985-01-01

In the framework of near-real-time accountancy for nuclear materials, safeguards statistical analysis based on the operator's data of a sequence of materials balance periods has been performed. Up to now, it is assumed that the operator's data are correct. A statistical model is presented that enables inspector verification measurements for a sequence of accounting periods to be included into a safeguards procedure. The analysis uses a two balance period and statistical concepts which are applied in the case of one accounting period. The interconnection of different safeguards measures shall be studied to get a basic idea about the procedure and it is shown that there might be fundamental differences to the one balance case

Verification of the cross-section and depletion chain processing module of DRAGON 3.06

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chambon, R.; Marleau, G.; Zkiek, A.

2008-01-01

In this paper we present a verification of the module of the lattice code DRAGON 3.06 used for processing microscopic cross-section libraries, including their associated depletion chain. This verification is performed by reprogramming the capabilities of DRAGON in another language (MATLAB) and testing them on different problems typical of the CANDU reactor. The verification procedure consists in first programming MATLAB m-files to read the different cross section libraries in ASCII format and to compute the reference cross-sections and depletion chains. The same information is also recovered from the output files of DRAGON (using different m-files) and the resulting cross sections and depletion chain are compared with the reference library, the differences being evaluated and tabulated. The results show that the cross-section calculations and the depletion chains are correctly processed in version 3.06 of DRAGON. (author)

Commitment to COT verification improves patient outcomes and financial performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Maggio, Paul M; Brundage, Susan I; Hernandez-Boussard, Tina; Spain, David A

2009-07-01

After an unsuccessful American College of Surgery Committee on Trauma visit, our level I trauma center initiated an improvement program that included (1) hiring new personnel (trauma director and surgeons, nurse coordinator, orthopedic trauma surgeon, and registry staff), (2) correcting deficiencies in trauma quality assurance and process improvement programs, and (3) development of an outreach program. Subsequently, our trauma center had two successful verifications. We examined the longitudinal effects of these efforts on volume, patient outcomes and finances. The Trauma Registry was used to derive data for all trauma patients evaluated in the emergency department from 2001 to 2007. Clinical data analyzed included number of admissions, interfacility transfers, injury severity scores (ISS), length of stay, and mortality for 2001 to 2007. Financial performance was assessed for fiscal years 2001 to 2007. Data were divided into patients discharged from the emergency department and those admitted to the hospital. Admissions increased 30%, representing a 7.6% annual increase (p = 0.004), mostly due to a nearly fivefold increase in interfacility transfers. Severe trauma patients (ISS >24) increased 106% and mortality rate for ISS >24 decreased by 47% to almost half the average of the National Trauma Database. There was a 78% increase in revenue and a sustained increase in hospital profitability. A major hospital commitment to Committee on Trauma verification had several salient outcomes; increased admissions, interfacility transfers, and acuity. Despite more seriously injured patients, there has been a major, sustained reduction in mortality and a trend toward decreased intensive care unit length of stay. This resulted in a substantial increase in contribution to margin (CTM), net profit, and revenues. With a high level of commitment and favorable payer mix, trauma center verification improves outcomes for both patients and the hospital.

DOE handbook: Integrated safety management systems (ISMS) verification. Team leader's handbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-06-01

The primary purpose of this handbook is to provide guidance to the ISMS verification Team Leader and the verification team in conducting ISMS verifications. The handbook describes methods and approaches for the review of the ISMS documentation (Phase I) and ISMS implementation (Phase II) and provides information useful to the Team Leader in preparing the review plan, selecting and training the team, coordinating the conduct of the verification, and documenting the results. The process and techniques described are based on the results of several pilot ISMS verifications that have been conducted across the DOE complex. A secondary purpose of this handbook is to provide information useful in developing DOE personnel to conduct these reviews. Specifically, this handbook describes methods and approaches to: (1) Develop the scope of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 review processes to be consistent with the history, hazards, and complexity of the site, facility, or activity; (2) Develop procedures for the conduct of the Phase 1 review, validating that the ISMS documentation satisfies the DEAR clause as amplified in DOE Policies 450.4, 450.5, 450.6 and associated guidance and that DOE can effectively execute responsibilities as described in the Functions, Responsibilities, and Authorities Manual (FRAM); (3) Develop procedures for the conduct of the Phase 2 review, validating that the description approved by the Approval Authority, following or concurrent with the Phase 1 review, has been implemented; and (4) Describe a methodology by which the DOE ISMS verification teams will be advised, trained, and/or mentored to conduct subsequent ISMS verifications. The handbook provides proven methods and approaches for verifying that commitments related to the DEAR, the FRAM, and associated amplifying guidance are in place and implemented in nuclear and high risk facilities. This handbook also contains useful guidance to line managers when preparing for a review of ISMS for radiological

Performance Assessment and Scooter Verification of Nano-Alumina Engine Oil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Feng Lue

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The performance assessment and vehicle verification of nano-alumina (Al2O3 engine oil (NAEO were conducted in this study. The NAEO was produced by mixing Al2O3 nanoparticles with engine oil using a two-step synthesis method. The weight fractions of the Al2O3 nanoparticles in the four test samples were 0 (base oil, 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 wt. %. The measurement of basic properties included: (1 density; (2 viscosity at various sample temperatures (20–80 °C. A rotary tribology testing machine with a pin-on-disk apparatus was used for the wear test. The measurement of the before-and-after difference of specimen (disk weight (wear test indicates that the NAEO with 1.5 wt. % Al2O3 nanoparticles (1.5 wt. % NAEO was the chosen candidate for further study. For the scooter verification on an auto-pilot dynamometer, there were three tests, including: (1 the European Driving Cycle (ECE40 driving cycle; (2 constant speed (50 km/h; and (3 constant throttle positions (20%, 40%, 60%, and 90%. For the ECE40 driving cycle and the constant speed tests, the fuel consumption was decreased on average by 2.75%, while it was decreased by 3.57% for the constant throttle case. The experimental results prove that the engine oil with added Al2O3 nanoparticles significantly decreased the fuel consumption. In the future, experiments with property tests of other nano-engine oils and a performance assessment of the nano-engine-fuel will be conducted.

Measurement and Verification of Energy Savings and Performance from Advanced Lighting Controls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

PNNL

2016-02-21

This document provides a framework for measurement and verification (M&V) of energy savings, performance, and user satisfaction from lighting retrofit projects involving occupancy-sensor-based, daylighting, and/or other types of automatic lighting. It was developed to provide site owners, contractors, and other involved organizations with the essential elements of a robust M&V plan for retrofit projects and to assist in developing specific project M&V plans.

Verification and validation benchmarks.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oberkampf, William Louis; Trucano, Timothy Guy

2007-02-01

Verification and validation (V&V) are the primary means to assess the accuracy and reliability of computational simulations. V&V methods and procedures have fundamentally improved the credibility of simulations in several high-consequence fields, such as nuclear reactor safety, underground nuclear waste storage, and nuclear weapon safety. Although the terminology is not uniform across engineering disciplines, code verification deals with assessing the reliability of the software coding, and solution verification deals with assessing the numerical accuracy of the solution to a computational model. Validation addresses the physics modeling accuracy of a computational simulation by comparing the computational results with experimental data. Code verification benchmarks and validation benchmarks have been constructed for a number of years in every field of computational simulation. However, no comprehensive guidelines have been proposed for the construction and use of V&V benchmarks. For example, the field of nuclear reactor safety has not focused on code verification benchmarks, but it has placed great emphasis on developing validation benchmarks. Many of these validation benchmarks are closely related to the operations of actual reactors at near-safety-critical conditions, as opposed to being more fundamental-physics benchmarks. This paper presents recommendations for the effective design and use of code verification benchmarks based on manufactured solutions, classical analytical solutions, and highly accurate numerical solutions. In addition, this paper presents recommendations for the design and use of validation benchmarks, highlighting the careful design of building-block experiments, the estimation of experimental measurement uncertainty for both inputs and outputs to the code, validation metrics, and the role of model calibration in validation. It is argued that the understanding of predictive capability of a computational model is built on the level of

Design Verification Report Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project Canister Storage Building (CSB)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PICKETT, W.W.

2000-01-01

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been addressed in the design; and ensure that the SSCs as installed will not adversely impact other SSCs. Because this sub-project is still in the construction/start-up phase, all verification activities have not yet been performed (e.g., canister cover cap and welding fixture system verification, MCO Internal Gas Sampling equipment verification, and As-built verification.). The verification activities identified in this report that still are to be performed will be added to the start-up punchlist and tracked to closure

Design Verification Report Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project Canister Storage Building (CSB)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

PICKETT, W.W.

2000-09-22

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been addressed in the design; and ensure that the SSCs as installed will not adversely impact other SSCs. Because this sub-project is still in the construction/start-up phase, all verification activities have not yet been performed (e.g., canister cover cap and welding fixture system verification, MCO Internal Gas Sampling equipment verification, and As-built verification.). The verification activities identified in this report that still are to be performed will be added to the start-up punchlist and tracked to closure.

47 CFR 54.410 - Certification and Verification of Consumer Qualification for Lifeline.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Certification and Verification of Consumer... § 54.410 Certification and Verification of Consumer Qualification for Lifeline. (a) Certification of... within that calendar year. (b) Self-certifications. After income certification procedures are implemented...

Compromises produced by the dialectic between self-verification and self-enhancement.

Science.gov (United States)

Morling, B; Epstein, S

1997-12-01

Three studies of people's reactions to evaluative feedback demonstrated that the dialectic between self-enhancement and self-verification results in compromises between these 2 motives, as hypothesized in cognitive-experiential self-theory. The demonstration was facilitated by 2 procedural improvements: Enhancement and verification were established by calibrating evaluative feedback against self appraisals, and degree of enhancement and of verification were varied along a continuum, rather than categorically. There was also support for the hypotheses that processing in an intuitive-experiential mode favors enhancement and processing in an analytical-rational mode favors verification in the kinds of situations investigated.

Formal Verification of Real-Time System Requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcin Szpyrka

2000-01-01

Full Text Available The methodology of system requirements verification presented in this paper is a proposition of a practical procedure for reducing some negatives of the specification of requirements. The main problem that is considered is to create a complete description of the system requirements without any negatives. Verification of the initially defined requirements is based on the coloured Petri nets. Those nets are useful for testing some properties of system requirements such as completeness, consistency and optimality. An example ofthe litt controller is presented.

Compositional verification of real-time systems using Ecdar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

David, Alexandre; Larsen, Kim Guldstrand; Legay, Axel

2012-01-01

We present a specification theory for timed systems implemented in the Ecdar tool. We illustrate the operations of the specification theory on a running example, showing the models and verification checks. To demonstrate the power of the compositional verification, we perform an in depth case study...... of a leader election protocol; Modeling it in Ecdar as Timed input/output automata Specifications and performing both monolithic and compositional verification of two interesting properties on it. We compare the execution time of the compositional to the classical verification showing a huge difference...

The verification of DRAGON: progress and lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marleau, G.

2002-01-01

The general requirements for the verification of the legacy code DRAGON are somewhat different from those used for new codes. For example, the absence of a design manual for DRAGON makes it difficult to confirm that the each part of the code performs as required since these requirements are not explicitly spelled out for most of the DRAGON modules. In fact, this conformance of the code can only be assessed, in most cases, by making sure that the contents of the DRAGON data structures, which correspond to the output generated by a module of the code, contains the adequate information. It is also possible in some cases to use the self-verification options in DRAGON to perform additional verification or to evaluate, using an independent software, the performance of specific functions in the code. Here, we will describe the global verification process that was considered in order to bring DRAGON to an industry standard tool-set (IST) status. We will also discuss some of the lessons we learned in performing this verification and present some of the modification to DRAGON that were implemented as a consequence of this verification. (author)

A saddle-point for data verification and materials accountancy to control nuclear material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beedgen, R.

1983-01-01

Materials accountancy is one of the main elements in international safeguards to determine whether or not nuclear material has been diverted in nuclear plants. The inspector makes independent measurements to verify the plant-operator's data before closing the materials balance with the operator's data. All inspection statements are in principle probability statements because of random errors in measuring the material and verification on a random sampling basis. Statistical test procedures help the inspector to decide under this uncertainty. In this paper a statistical test procedure representing a saddle-point is presented that leads to the highest guaranteed detection probability taking all concealing strategies into account. There are arguments favoring a separate statistical evaluation of data verification and materials accountancy. Following these considerations, a bivariate test procedure is explained that evaluates verification and accountancy separately. (orig.) [de

Expose : procedure and results of the joint experiment verification tests

Science.gov (United States)

Panitz, C.; Rettberg, P.; Horneck, G.; Rabbow, E.; Baglioni, P.

The International Space Station will carry the EXPOSE facility accommodated at the universal workplace URM-D located outside the Russian Service Module. The launch will be affected in 2005 and it is planned to stay in space for 1.5 years. The tray like structure will accomodate 2 chemical and 6 biological PI-experiments or experiment systems of the ROSE (Response of Organisms to Space Environment) consortium. EXPOSE will support long-term in situ studies of microbes in artificial meteorites, as well as of microbial communities from special ecological niches, such as endolithic and evaporitic ecosystems. The either vented or sealed experiment pockets will be covered by an optical filter system to control intensity and spectral range of solar UV irradiation. Control of sun exposure will be achieved by the use of individual shutters. To test the compatibility of the different biological systems and their adaptation to the opportunities and constraints of space conditions a profound ground support program has been developed. The procedure and first results of this joint Experiment Verification Tests (EVT) will be presented. The results will be essential for the success of the EXPOSE mission and have been done in parallel with the development and construction of the final hardware design of the facility. The results of the mission will contribute to the understanding of the organic chemistry processes in space, the biological adaptation strategies to extreme conditions, e.g. on early Earth and Mars, and the distribution of life beyond its planet of origin.

The research for the design verification of nuclear power plant based on VR dynamic plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Yong; Yu Xiao

2015-01-01

This paper studies a new method of design verification through the VR plant, in order to perform verification and validation the design of plant conform to the requirements of accident emergency. The VR dynamic plant is established by 3D design model and digital maps that composed of GIS system and indoor maps, and driven by the analyze data of design analyzer. The VR plant could present the operation conditions and accident conditions of power plant. This paper simulates the execution of accident procedures, the development of accidents, the evacuation planning of people and so on, based on VR dynamic plant, and ensure that the plant design will not cause bad effect. Besides design verification, simulated result also can be used for optimization of the accident emergency plan, the training of accident plan and emergency accident treatment. (author)

The use of the hybrid K-edge densitometer for routine analysis of safeguards verification samples of reprocessing input liquor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ottmar, H.; Eberle, H.

1991-01-01

Following successful tests of a hybrid K-edge instrument at TUI Karlsruhe and the routine use of a K-edge densitometer for safeguards verification at the same laboratory, the Euratom Safeguards Directorate of the Commission of the European Communities decided to install the first such instrument into a large industrial reprocessing plant for the routine verification of samples taken from the input accountancy tanks. This paper reports on the installation, calibration, sample handling procedure and the performance of this instrument after one year of routine operation

Verification of Space Weather Forecasts using Terrestrial Weather Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Henley, E.; Murray, S.; Pope, E.; Stephenson, D.; Sharpe, M.; Bingham, S.; Jackson, D.

2015-12-01

The Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC) provides a range of 24/7 operational space weather forecasts, alerts, and warnings, which provide valuable information on space weather that can degrade electricity grids, radio communications, and satellite electronics. Forecasts issued include arrival times of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and probabilistic forecasts for flares, geomagnetic storm indices, and energetic particle fluxes and fluences. These forecasts are produced twice daily using a combination of output from models such as Enlil, near-real-time observations, and forecaster experience. Verification of forecasts is crucial for users, researchers, and forecasters to understand the strengths and limitations of forecasters, and to assess forecaster added value. To this end, the Met Office (in collaboration with Exeter University) has been adapting verification techniques from terrestrial weather, and has been working closely with the International Space Environment Service (ISES) to standardise verification procedures. We will present the results of part of this work, analysing forecast and observed CME arrival times, assessing skill using 2x2 contingency tables. These MOSWOC forecasts can be objectively compared to those produced by the NASA Community Coordinated Modelling Center - a useful benchmark. This approach cannot be taken for the other forecasts, as they are probabilistic and categorical (e.g., geomagnetic storm forecasts give probabilities of exceeding levels from minor to extreme). We will present appropriate verification techniques being developed to address these forecasts, such as rank probability skill score, and comparing forecasts against climatology and persistence benchmarks. As part of this, we will outline the use of discrete time Markov chains to assess and improve the performance of our geomagnetic storm forecasts. We will also discuss work to adapt a terrestrial verification visualisation system to space weather, to help

Testing and verification of a novel single-channel IGBT driver circuit

OpenAIRE

Lukić, Milan; Ninković, Predrag

2016-01-01

This paper presents a novel single-channel IGBT driver circuit together with a procedure for testing and verification. It is based on a specialized integrated circuit with complete range of protective functions. Experiments are performed to test and verify its behaviour. Experimental results are presented in the form of oscilloscope recordings. It is concluded that the new driver circuit is compatible with modern IGBT transistors and power converter demands and that it can be applied in new d...

In-core Instrument Subcritical Verification (INCISV) - Core Design Verification Method - 358

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prible, M.C.; Heibel, M.D.; Conner, S.L.; Sebastiani, P.J.; Kistler, D.P.

2010-01-01

According to the standard on reload startup physics testing, ANSI/ANS 19.6.1, a plant must verify that the constructed core behaves sufficiently close to the designed core to confirm that the various safety analyses bound the actual behavior of the plant. A large portion of this verification must occur before the reactor operates at power. The INCISV Core Design Verification Method uses the unique characteristics of a Westinghouse Electric Company fixed in-core self powered detector design to perform core design verification after a core reload before power operation. A Vanadium self powered detector that spans the length of the active fuel region is capable of confirming the required core characteristics prior to power ascension; reactivity balance, shutdown margin, temperature coefficient and power distribution. Using a detector element that spans the length of the active fuel region inside the core provides a signal of total integrated flux. Measuring the integrated flux distributions and changes at various rodded conditions and plant temperatures, and comparing them to predicted flux levels, validates all core necessary core design characteristics. INCISV eliminates the dependence on various corrections and assumptions between the ex-core detectors and the core for traditional physics testing programs. This program also eliminates the need for special rod maneuvers which are infrequently performed by plant operators during typical core design verification testing and allows for safer startup activities. (authors)

Cloud computing platform for real-time measurement and verification of energy performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ke, Ming-Tsun; Yeh, Chia-Hung; Su, Cheng-Jie

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Application of PSO algorithm can improve the accuracy of the baseline model. • M&V cloud platform automatically calculates energy performance. • M&V cloud platform can be applied in all energy conservation measures. • Real-time operational performance can be monitored through the proposed platform. • M&V cloud platform facilitates the development of EE programs and ESCO industries. - Abstract: Nations worldwide are vigorously promoting policies to improve energy efficiency. The use of measurement and verification (M&V) procedures to quantify energy performance is an essential topic in this field. Currently, energy performance M&V is accomplished via a combination of short-term on-site measurements and engineering calculations. This requires extensive amounts of time and labor and can result in a discrepancy between actual energy savings and calculated results. In addition, the M&V period typically lasts for periods as long as several months or up to a year, the failure to immediately detect abnormal energy performance not only decreases energy performance, results in the inability to make timely correction, and misses the best opportunity to adjust or repair equipment and systems. In this study, a cloud computing platform for the real-time M&V of energy performance is developed. On this platform, particle swarm optimization and multivariate regression analysis are used to construct accurate baseline models. Instantaneous and automatic calculations of the energy performance and access to long-term, cumulative information about the energy performance are provided via a feature that allows direct uploads of the energy consumption data. Finally, the feasibility of this real-time M&V cloud platform is tested for a case study involving improvements to a cold storage system in a hypermarket. Cloud computing platform for real-time energy performance M&V is applicable to any industry and energy conservation measure. With the M&V cloud platform, real

Development of NSSS Control System Performance Verification Tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohn, Suk Whun; Song, Myung Jun

2007-01-01

Thanks to many control systems and control components, the nuclear power plant can be operated safely and efficiently under the transient condition as well as the steady state condition. If a fault or an error exists in control systems, the nuclear power plant should experience the unwanted and unexpected transient condition. Therefore, the performance of these control systems and control components should be completely verified through power ascension tests of startup period. However, there are many needs to replace control components or to modify control logic or to change its setpoint. It is important to verify the performance of changed control system without redoing power ascension tests in order to perform these changes. Up to now, a simulation method with computer codes which has been used for design of nuclear power plants was commonly used to verify its performance. But, if hardware characteristics of control system are changed or the software in control system has an unexpected fault or error, this simulation method is not effective to verify the performance of changed control system. Many tests related to V and V (Verification and Validation) are performed in the factory as well as in the plant to eliminate these errors which might be generated in hardware manufacturing or software coding. It reveals that these field tests and the simulation method are insufficient to guaranty the performance of changed control system. Two unexpected transients occurred in YGN 5 and 6 startup period are good examples to show this fact. One occurred at 50% reactor power and caused reactor trip. The other occurred during 70% loss of main feedwater pump test and caused the excess turbine runback

Improved Design of Crew Operation in Computerized Procedure System of APR1400

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seong, No Kyu; Jung, Yeon Sub; Sung, Chan Ho [KHNP, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The operators perform the paper-based procedures in analog-based conventional main control room (MCR) depending on only communications between operators except a procedure controller such as a Shift Supervisor (SS), however in digital-based MCR the operators can confirm the procedures simultaneously in own console when the procedure controller of computerized procedure (CP) opens the CP. The synchronization and a synchronization function between procedure controller and other operators has to be considered to support the function of crew operation. This paper suggests the improved design of crew operation in computerized procedure system of APR1400. This paper suggests the improved design of APR1400 CPS. These improvements can help operators perform the crew procedures more efficiently. And they reduce a burden of communication and misunderstanding of computerized procedures. These improvements can be applied to CPS after human factors engineering verification and validation.

Emotion Monitoring – Verification of Physiological Characteristics Measurement Procedures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Landowska Agnieszka

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper concerns measurement procedures on an emotion monitoring stand designed for tracking human emotions in the Human-Computer Interaction with physiological characteristics. The paper addresses the key problem of physiological measurements being disturbed by a motion typical for human-computer interaction such as keyboard typing or mouse movements. An original experiment is described, that aimed at practical evaluation of measurement procedures performed at the emotion monitoring stand constructed at GUT. Different locations of sensors were considered and evaluated for suitability and measurement precision in the Human- Computer Interaction monitoring. Alternative locations (ear lobes and forearms for skin conductance, blood volume pulse and temperature sensors were proposed and verified. Alternative locations proved correlation with traditional locations as well as lower sensitiveness to movements like typing or mouse moving, therefore they can make a better solution for monitoring the Human-Computer Interaction.

Profiled Deck Composite Slab Strength Verification: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Mohammed

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to present an overview on alternate profiled deck composite slab (PDCS strength verification devoid of the expensive and complex laboratory procedures in establishing its longitudinal shear capacity. Despite the several deterministic research findings leading to the development of proposals and modifications on the complex shear characteristics of PDCS that defines its strength behaviour, the laboratory performance testing stands to be the only accurate means for the PDCS strength assessment. The issue is critical and warrants much further thoughts from different perspective other than the deterministic approach that are rather expensive and time consuming. Hence, the development of a rational-based numerical test load function from longitudinal shear capacity consideration is a necessity in augmenting the previous futile attempts for strength determination of PDCS devoid of the costlier and expensive laboratory procedure.

Probabilistic Requirements (Partial) Verification Methods Best Practices Improvement. Variables Acceptance Sampling Calculators: Derivations and Verification of Plans. Volume 1

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Kenneth L.; White, K, Preston, Jr.

2012-01-01

The NASA Engineering and Safety Center was requested to improve on the Best Practices document produced for the NESC assessment, Verification of Probabilistic Requirements for the Constellation Program, by giving a recommended procedure for using acceptance sampling by variables techniques. This recommended procedure would be used as an alternative to the potentially resource-intensive acceptance sampling by attributes method given in the document. This document contains the outcome of the assessment.

Integrated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A). Performance Verification Reports: Final Comprehensive Performance Test Report, P/N: 1356006-1, S.N: 202/A2

Science.gov (United States)

Platt, R.

1998-01-01

This is the Performance Verification Report. the process specification establishes the requirements for the comprehensive performance test (CPT) and limited performance test (LPT) of the earth observing system advanced microwave sounding unit-A2 (EOS/AMSU-A2), referred to as the unit. The unit is defined on drawing 1356006.

Verification of Ceramic Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Behar-Lafenetre, Stephanie; Cornillon, Laurence; Rancurel, Michael; De Graaf, Dennis; Hartmann, Peter; Coe, Graham; Laine, Benoit

2012-07-01

In the framework of the “Mechanical Design and Verification Methodologies for Ceramic Structures” contract [1] awarded by ESA, Thales Alenia Space has investigated literature and practices in affiliated industries to propose a methodological guideline for verification of ceramic spacecraft and instrument structures. It has been written in order to be applicable to most types of ceramic or glass-ceramic materials - typically Cesic®, HBCesic®, Silicon Nitride, Silicon Carbide and ZERODUR®. The proposed guideline describes the activities to be performed at material level in order to cover all the specific aspects of ceramics (Weibull distribution, brittle behaviour, sub-critical crack growth). Elementary tests and their post-processing methods are described, and recommendations for optimization of the test plan are given in order to have a consistent database. The application of this method is shown on an example in a dedicated article [7]. Then the verification activities to be performed at system level are described. This includes classical verification activities based on relevant standard (ECSS Verification [4]), plus specific analytical, testing and inspection features. The analysis methodology takes into account the specific behaviour of ceramic materials, especially the statistical distribution of failures (Weibull) and the method to transfer it from elementary data to a full-scale structure. The demonstration of the efficiency of this method is described in a dedicated article [8]. The verification is completed by classical full-scale testing activities. Indications about proof testing, case of use and implementation are given and specific inspection and protection measures are described. These additional activities are necessary to ensure the required reliability. The aim of the guideline is to describe how to reach the same reliability level as for structures made of more classical materials (metals, composites).

Verification and validation benchmarks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberkampf, William Louis; Trucano, Timothy Guy

2007-01-01

Verification and validation (V and V) are the primary means to assess the accuracy and reliability of computational simulations. V and V methods and procedures have fundamentally improved the credibility of simulations in several high-consequence fields, such as nuclear reactor safety, underground nuclear waste storage, and nuclear weapon safety. Although the terminology is not uniform across engineering disciplines, code verification deals with assessing the reliability of the software coding, and solution verification deals with assessing the numerical accuracy of the solution to a computational model. Validation addresses the physics modeling accuracy of a computational simulation by comparing the computational results with experimental data. Code verification benchmarks and validation benchmarks have been constructed for a number of years in every field of computational simulation. However, no comprehensive guidelines have been proposed for the construction and use of V and V benchmarks. For example, the field of nuclear reactor safety has not focused on code verification benchmarks, but it has placed great emphasis on developing validation benchmarks. Many of these validation benchmarks are closely related to the operations of actual reactors at near-safety-critical conditions, as opposed to being more fundamental-physics benchmarks. This paper presents recommendations for the effective design and use of code verification benchmarks based on manufactured solutions, classical analytical solutions, and highly accurate numerical solutions. In addition, this paper presents recommendations for the design and use of validation benchmarks, highlighting the careful design of building-block experiments, the estimation of experimental measurement uncertainty for both inputs and outputs to the code, validation metrics, and the role of model calibration in validation. It is argued that the understanding of predictive capability of a computational model is built on the

Verification and validation benchmarks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oberkampf, William L.; Trucano, Timothy G.

2008-01-01

Verification and validation (V and V) are the primary means to assess the accuracy and reliability of computational simulations. V and V methods and procedures have fundamentally improved the credibility of simulations in several high-consequence fields, such as nuclear reactor safety, underground nuclear waste storage, and nuclear weapon safety. Although the terminology is not uniform across engineering disciplines, code verification deals with assessing the reliability of the software coding, and solution verification deals with assessing the numerical accuracy of the solution to a computational model. Validation addresses the physics modeling accuracy of a computational simulation by comparing the computational results with experimental data. Code verification benchmarks and validation benchmarks have been constructed for a number of years in every field of computational simulation. However, no comprehensive guidelines have been proposed for the construction and use of V and V benchmarks. For example, the field of nuclear reactor safety has not focused on code verification benchmarks, but it has placed great emphasis on developing validation benchmarks. Many of these validation benchmarks are closely related to the operations of actual reactors at near-safety-critical conditions, as opposed to being more fundamental-physics benchmarks. This paper presents recommendations for the effective design and use of code verification benchmarks based on manufactured solutions, classical analytical solutions, and highly accurate numerical solutions. In addition, this paper presents recommendations for the design and use of validation benchmarks, highlighting the careful design of building-block experiments, the estimation of experimental measurement uncertainty for both inputs and outputs to the code, validation metrics, and the role of model calibration in validation. It is argued that the understanding of predictive capability of a computational model is built on the

24 CFR 5.216 - Disclosure and verification of Social Security and Employer Identification Numbers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Social Security and Employer Identification Numbers. 5.216 Section 5.216 Housing and Urban Development...; WAIVERS Disclosure and Verification of Social Security Numbers and Employer Identification Numbers; Procedures for Obtaining Income Information Disclosure and Verification of Social Security Numbers and...

EQ3/6 software test and verification report 9/94

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kishi, T.

1996-02-01

This document is the Software Test and Verification Report (STVR) for the EQ3/6 suite of codes as stipulated in the Individual Software Plan for Initial Qualification of EQ3/6 (ISP-NF-07, Revision 1, 11/25/92). The software codes, EQPT, EQ3NR, EQ6, and the software library EQLIB constitute the EQ3/6 software package. This software test and verification project for EQ3/6 was started under the requirements of the LLNL Yucca Mountain Project Software Quality Assurance Plan (SQAP), Revision 0, December 14, 1989, but QP 3.2, Revision 2, June 21, 1994 is now the operative controlling procedure. This is a ''V and V'' report in the language of QP 3.2, Revision 2. Because the author of this report does not have a background in geochemistry, other technical sources were consulted in order to acquire some familiarity with geochemisty, the terminology minology involved, and to review comparable computational methods especially, geochemical aqueous speciation-solubility calculations. The software for the EQ3/6 package consists of approximately 47,000 lines of FORTRAN77 source code and nine on platforms ranging from workstations to supercomputers. The physical control of EQ3/6 software package and documentation is on a SUN SPARC station. Walkthroughs of each principal software packages, EQPT, EQ3NR, and EQ6 were conducted in order to understand the computational procedures involved, to determine any commonality in procedures, and then to establish a plan for the test and verification of EQ3/6. It became evident that all three phases depended upon solving an n x n matrix by the Newton-Raphson Method. Thus, a great deal of emphasis on the test and verification of this procedure was carried out on the first code in the software package EQPT

EQ3/6 software test and verification report 9/94

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kishi, T.

1996-02-01

This document is the Software Test and Verification Report (STVR) for the EQ3/6 suite of codes as stipulated in the Individual Software Plan for Initial Qualification of EQ3/6 (ISP-NF-07, Revision 1, 11/25/92). The software codes, EQPT, EQ3NR, EQ6, and the software library EQLIB constitute the EQ3/6 software package. This software test and verification project for EQ3/6 was started under the requirements of the LLNL Yucca Mountain Project Software Quality Assurance Plan (SQAP), Revision 0, December 14, 1989, but QP 3.2, Revision 2, June 21, 1994 is now the operative controlling procedure. This is a ``V and V`` report in the language of QP 3.2, Revision 2. Because the author of this report does not have a background in geochemistry, other technical sources were consulted in order to acquire some familiarity with geochemisty, the terminology minology involved, and to review comparable computational methods especially, geochemical aqueous speciation-solubility calculations. The software for the EQ3/6 package consists of approximately 47,000 lines of FORTRAN77 source code and nine on platforms ranging from workstations to supercomputers. The physical control of EQ3/6 software package and documentation is on a SUN SPARC station. Walkthroughs of each principal software packages, EQPT, EQ3NR, and EQ6 were conducted in order to understand the computational procedures involved, to determine any commonality in procedures, and then to establish a plan for the test and verification of EQ3/6. It became evident that all three phases depended upon solving an n x n matrix by the Newton-Raphson Method. Thus, a great deal of emphasis on the test and verification of this procedure was carried out on the first code in the software package EQPT.

Inspection and verification of waste packages for near surface disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

Extensive experience has been gained with various disposal options for low and intermediate level waste at or near surface disposal facilities. Near surface disposal is based on proven and well demonstrated technologies. To ensure the safety of near surface disposal facilities when available technologies are applied, it is necessary to control and assure the quality of the repository system's performance, which includes waste packages, engineered features and natural barriers, as well as siting, design, construction, operation, closure and institutional controls. Recognizing the importance of repository performance, the IAEA is producing a set of technical publications on quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) for waste disposal to provide Member States with technical guidance and current information. These publications cover issues on the application of QA/QC programmes to waste disposal, long term record management, and specific QA/QC aspects of waste packaging, repository design and R and D. Waste package QA/QC is especially important because the package is the primary barrier to radionuclide release from a disposal facility. Waste packaging also involves interface issues between the waste generator and the disposal facility operator. Waste should be packaged by generators to meet waste acceptance requirements set for a repository or disposal system. However, it is essential that the disposal facility operator ensure that waste packages conform with disposal facility acceptance requirements. Demonstration of conformance with disposal facility acceptance requirements can be achieved through the systematic inspection and verification of waste packages at both the waste generator's site and at the disposal facility, based on a waste package QA/QC programme established by the waste generator and approved by the disposal operator. However, strategies, approaches and the scope of inspection and verification will be somewhat different from country to country

Self-Verification of Ability through Biased Performance Memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Karabenick, Stuart A.; LeBlanc, Daniel

Evidence points to a pervasive tendency for persons to behave to maintain their existing cognitive structures. One strategy by which this self-verification is made more probable involves information processing. Through attention, encoding and retrieval, and the interpretation of events, persons process information so that self-confirmatory…

Subsea HIPPS design procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aaroe, R.; Lund, B.F.; Onshus, T.

1995-01-01

The paper is based on a feasibility study investigating the possibilities of using a HIPPS (High Integrity Pressure Protection System) to protect a subsea pipeline that is not rated for full wellhead shut-in pressure. The study was called the Subsea OPPS Feasibility Study, and was performed by SINTEF, Norway. Here, OPPS is an acronym for Overpressure Pipeline Protection System. A design procedure for a subsea HIPPS is described, based on the experience and knowledge gained through the ''Subsea OPPS Feasibility Study''. Before a subsea HIPPS can be applied, its technical feasibility, reliability and profitability must be demonstrated. The subsea HIPPS design procedure will help to organize and plan the design activities both with respect to development and verification of a subsea HIPPS. The paper also gives examples of how some of the discussed design steps were performed in the Subsea OPPS Feasibility Study. Finally, further work required to apply a subsea HIPPS is discussed

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE LASER SCANNER FOR GEOMETRICAL VERIFICATION OF METALLIC AND PLASTIC PARTS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carmignato, Simone; De Chiffre, Leonardo; Fisker, Rune

2008-01-01

and plastic parts. A first prototype of the novel measuring system has been developed, using laser triangulation. The system, besides ensuring the automatic reconstruction of complete surface models, has been designed to guarantee user-friendliness, versatility, reliability and speed. The paper focuses mainly...... on the metrological aspects of the system development. Details are given on procedures and artefacts developed for metrological performance verification and traceability establishment. Experimental results from measurements on metallic and plastic parts show that the system prototype is capable of performing...

The grout/glass performance assessment code system (GPACS) with verification and benchmarking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piepho, M.G.; Sutherland, W.H.; Rittmann, P.D.

1994-12-01

GPACS is a computer code system for calculating water flow (unsaturated or saturated), solute transport, and human doses due to the slow release of contaminants from a waste form (in particular grout or glass) through an engineered system and through a vadose zone to an aquifer, well and river. This dual-purpose document is intended to serve as a user's guide and verification/benchmark document for the Grout/Glass Performance Assessment Code system (GPACS). GPACS can be used for low-level-waste (LLW) Glass Performance Assessment and many other applications including other low-level-waste performance assessments and risk assessments. Based on all the cses presented, GPACS is adequate (verified) for calculating water flow and contaminant transport in unsaturated-zone sediments and for calculating human doses via the groundwater pathway

Verification and validation process for the safety software in KNICS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Kee-Choon; Lee, Jang-Soo; Kim, Jang-Yeol

2004-01-01

This paper describes the Verification and Validation (V and V ) process for safety software of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Digital Reactor Protection System (DRPS), and Engineered Safety Feature-Component Control System (ESF-CCS) that are being developed in Korea Nuclear Instrumentation and Control System (KNICS) projects. Specifically, it presents DRPS V and V experience according to the software development life cycle. The main activities of DRPS V and V process are preparation of software planning documentation, verification of Software Requirement Specification (SRS), Software Design Specification (SDS) and codes, and testing of the integrated software and the integrated system. In addition, they include software safety analysis and software configuration management. SRS V and V of DRPS are technical evaluation, licensing suitability evaluation, inspection and traceability analysis, formal verification, preparing integrated system test plan, software safety analysis, and software configuration management. Also, SDS V and V of RPS are technical evaluation, licensing suitability evaluation, inspection and traceability analysis, formal verification, preparing integrated software test plan, software safety analysis, and software configuration management. The code V and V of DRPS are traceability analysis, source code inspection, test case and test procedure generation, software safety analysis, and software configuration management. Testing is the major V and V activity of software integration and system integration phase. Software safety analysis at SRS phase uses Hazard Operability (HAZOP) method, at SDS phase it uses HAZOP and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and at implementation phase it uses FTA. Finally, software configuration management is performed using Nu-SCM (Nuclear Software Configuration Management) tool developed by KNICS project. Through these activities, we believe we can achieve the functionality, performance, reliability and safety that are V

Procedure automation: the effect of automated procedure execution on situation awareness and human performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andresen, Gisle; Svengren, Haakan; Heimdal, Jan O.; Nilsen, Svein; Hulsund, John-Einar; Bisio, Rossella; Debroise, Xavier

2004-04-01

As advised by the procedure workshop convened in Halden in 2000, the Halden Project conducted an experiment on the effect of automation of Computerised Procedure Systems (CPS) on situation awareness and human performance. The expected outcome of the study was to provide input for guidance on CPS design, and to support the Halden Project's ongoing research on human reliability analysis. The experiment was performed in HAMMLAB using the HAMBO BWR simulator and the COPMA-III CPS. Eight crews of operators from Forsmark 3 and Oskarshamn 3 participated. Three research questions were investigated: 1) Does procedure automation create Out-Of-The-Loop (OOTL) performance problems? 2) Does procedure automation affect situation awareness? 3) Does procedure automation affect crew performance? The independent variable, 'procedure configuration', had four levels: paper procedures, manual CPS, automation with breaks, and full automation. The results showed that the operators experienced OOTL problems in full automation, but that situation awareness and crew performance (response time) were not affected. One possible explanation for this is that the operators monitored the automated procedure execution conscientiously, something which may have prevented the OOTL problems from having negative effects on situation awareness and crew performance. In a debriefing session, the operators clearly expressed their dislike for the full automation condition, but that automation with breaks could be suitable for some tasks. The main reason why the operators did not like the full automation was that they did not feel being in control. A qualitative analysis addressing factors contributing to response time delays revealed that OOTL problems did not seem to cause delays, but that some delays could be explained by the operators having problems with the freeze function of the CPS. Also other factors such as teamwork and operator tendencies were of importance. Several design implications were drawn

Formal verification of algorithms for critical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Rushby, John M.; Von Henke, Friedrich

1993-01-01

We describe our experience with formal, machine-checked verification of algorithms for critical applications, concentrating on a Byzantine fault-tolerant algorithm for synchronizing the clocks in the replicated computers of a digital flight control system. First, we explain the problems encountered in unsynchronized systems and the necessity, and criticality, of fault-tolerant synchronization. We give an overview of one such algorithm, and of the arguments for its correctness. Next, we describe a verification of the algorithm that we performed using our EHDM system for formal specification and verification. We indicate the errors we found in the published analysis of the algorithm, and other benefits that we derived from the verification. Based on our experience, we derive some key requirements for a formal specification and verification system adequate to the task of verifying algorithms of the type considered. Finally, we summarize our conclusions regarding the benefits of formal verification in this domain, and the capabilities required of verification systems in order to realize those benefits.

GENERIC VERIFICATION PROTOCOL FOR AQUEOUS CLEANER RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

Science.gov (United States)

This generic verification protocol has been structured based on a format developed for ETV-MF projects. This document describes the intended approach and explain plans for testing with respect to areas such as test methodology, procedures, parameters, and instrumentation. Also ...

Quality verification at Arkansas Nuclear One using performance-based concepts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, R.M.

1990-01-01

Performance-based auditing is beginning to make an impact within the nuclear industry. Its use provides performance assessments of the operating plant. In the past, this company along with most other nuclear utilities, performed compliance-based audits. These audits focused on paper reviews of past activities that were completed in weeks or months. This type of audit did not provide a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of an activity's performance, nor was it able to identify any performance problems that may have occurred. To respond to this discrepancy, a comprehensive overhaul of quality assurance (QA) assessment programs was developed. The first major change was to develop a technical specification (tech spec) audit program, with the objective of auditing each tech spec line item every 5 yr. To achieve performance-based results within the tech spec audit program, a tech spec surveillance program was implemented whose goal is to observe 75% of the tech-spec required tests every 5 yr. The next major change was to develop a QA surveillance program that would provide surveillance coverage for the remainder of the plant not covered by the tech spec surveillance program. One other improvement was to merge the QA/quality control (QC) functions into one nuclear quality group. The final part of the quality verification effort is trending of the quality performance-based data (including US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) violations)

Electric and mechanical basic parameters to elaborate a process for a technical verification of safety related design modifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamuno Fernandez, Mercedes; La Roca Mallofre, GISEL; Bano Azcon, Alberto

2010-01-01

This paper presents a systematic process to check a design in order to achieve all the requirements that regulations demand. Nuclear engineers must verify that a design is done according to the safety requirements, and this paper presents how we have elaborated a process to improve the technical project verification. For a faster, better and easier verification process, here we summarize how to select the electric and mechanical basic parameters, which ensure the correct project verification of safety related design modifications. This process considers different aspects, which guarantee that the design preserves the availability, reliability and functional capability of the Structures, Systems and Components needed to operate the Nuclear Power Station with security. Electric and mechanical reference parameters are identified and discussed as well as others related ones, which are critical to safety. The implementation procedure to develop tasks performed in any company that has a quality plan is a requirement. On the engineering business, it is important not to use the personal criteria to do a technical analysis of a project; although, many times it is the checker's criteria and knowledge responsibility to ensure the correct development of a design modification. Then, the checker capabilities are the basis of the modification verification. This kind of procedure's development is not easy, because in an engineering project with important technical contents, there are multiple scenarios, but lots of them have a common basis. If we can identify the technical common basis of these projects, we will make good project verification but there are many difficulties we can encounter along this process. (authors)

Technical workshop on safeguards, verification technologies, and other related experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The aim of the Technical Workshop on safeguards was to encourage a clearer understanding of the IAEA Safeguards System, its origins and evolution and the present state of the art. Presentations held by the IAEA officials and outside experts examined as well other components of the non-proliferation regime, the current practices and procedures, and the future prospects. A series of presentations described the characteristics of the interaction between global and regional verification systems and described relevant past and present experience. Prominence given to such state of the art verification technologies as environmental sampling, satellite imaging and monitoring thorough remote and unattended techniques demonstrated, beyond any doubt, the essentially dynamic nature of verification. It is generally acknowledged that there have been major achievements in preventing spread of nuclear weapons, but no verification system can in itself prevent proliferation

Technical workshop on safeguards, verification technologies, and other related experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-12-31

The aim of the Technical Workshop on safeguards was to encourage a clearer understanding of the IAEA Safeguards System, its origins and evolution and the present state of the art. Presentations held by the IAEA officials and outside experts examined as well other components of the non-proliferation regime, the current practices and procedures, and the future prospects. A series of presentations described the characteristics of the interaction between global and regional verification systems and described relevant past and present experience. Prominence given to such state of the art verification technologies as environmental sampling, satellite imaging and monitoring thorough remote and unattended techniques demonstrated, beyond any doubt, the essentially dynamic nature of verification. It is generally acknowledged that there have been major achievements in preventing spread of nuclear weapons, but no verification system can in itself prevent proliferation Refs, figs, tabs

Quality Assurance in Environmental Technology Verification (ETV): Analysis and Impact on the EU ETV Pilot Programme Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Molenda, Michał; Ratman-Kłosińska, Izabela

2018-03-01

Many innovative environmental technologies never reach the market because they are new and cannot demonstrate a successful track record of previous applications. This fact is a serious obstacle on their way to the market. Lack of credible data on the performance of a technology causes mistrust of investors in innovations, especially from public sector, who seek effective solutions however without compromising the technical and financial risks associated with their implementation. Environmental technology verification (ETV) offers a credible, robust and transparent process that results in a third party confirmation of the claims made by the providers about the performance of the novel environmental technologies. Verifications of performance are supported by high quality, independent test data. In that way ETV as a tool helps establish vendor credibility and buyer confidence. Several countries across the world have implemented ETV in the form of national or regional programmes. ETV in the European Union was implemented as a voluntary scheme if a form of a pilot programme. The European Commission launched the Environmental Technology Pilot Programme of the European Union (EU ETV) in 2011. The paper describes the European model of ETV set up and put to operation under the Pilot Programme of Environmental Technologies Verification of the European Union. The goal, objectives, technological scope, involved entities are presented. An attempt has been made to summarise the results of the EU ETV scheme performance available for the period of 2012 when the programme has become fully operational until the first half of 2016. The study was aimed at analysing the overall organisation and efficiency of the EU ETV Pilot Programme. The study was based on the analysis of the documents the operation of the EU ETV system. For this purpose, a relevant statistical analysis of the data on the performance of the EU ETV system provided by the European Commission was carried out.

Verification and quality control of routine hematology analyzers.

Science.gov (United States)

Vis, J Y; Huisman, A

2016-05-01

Verification of hematology analyzers (automated blood cell counters) is mandatory before new hematology analyzers may be used in routine clinical care. The verification process consists of several items which comprise among others: precision, accuracy, comparability, carryover, background and linearity throughout the expected range of results. Yet, which standard should be met or which verification limit be used is at the discretion of the laboratory specialist. This paper offers practical guidance on verification and quality control of automated hematology analyzers and provides an expert opinion on the performance standard that should be met by the contemporary generation of hematology analyzers. Therefore (i) the state-of-the-art performance of hematology analyzers for complete blood count parameters is summarized, (ii) considerations, challenges, and pitfalls concerning the development of a verification plan are discussed, (iii) guidance is given regarding the establishment of reference intervals, and (iv) different methods on quality control of hematology analyzers are reviewed. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluation of DVH-based treatment plan verification in addition to gamma passing rates for head and neck IMRT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Visser, Ruurd; Wauben, David J.L.; Groot, Martijn de; Steenbakkers, Roel J.H.M.; Bijl, Henk P.; Godart, Jeremy; Veld, Aart A. van’t; Langendijk, Johannes A.; Korevaar, Erik W.

2014-01-01

Background and purpose: Treatment plan verification of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is generally performed with the gamma index (GI) evaluation method, which is difficult to extrapolate to clinical implications. Incorporating Dose Volume Histogram (DVH) information can compensate for this. The aim of this study was to evaluate DVH-based treatment plan verification in addition to the GI evaluation method for head and neck IMRT. Materials and methods: Dose verifications of 700 subsequent head and neck cancer IMRT treatment plans were categorised according to gamma and DVH-based action levels. Fractionation dependent absolute dose limits were chosen. The results of the gamma- and DVH-based evaluations were compared to the decision of the medical physicist and/or radiation oncologist for plan acceptance. Results: Nearly all treatment plans (99.7%) were accepted for treatment according to the GI evaluation combined with DVH-based verification. Two treatment plans were re-planned according to DVH-based verification, which would have been accepted using the evaluation alone. DVH-based verification increased insight into dose delivery to patient specific structures increasing confidence that the treatment plans were clinically acceptable. Moreover, DVH-based action levels clearly distinguished the role of the medical physicist and radiation oncologist within the Quality Assurance (QA) procedure. Conclusions: DVH-based treatment plan verification complements the GI evaluation method improving head and neck IMRT-QA

Testing and verification of a novel single-channel IGBT driver circuit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukić Milan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel single-channel IGBT driver circuit together with a procedure for testing and verification. It is based on a specialized integrated circuit with complete range of protective functions. Experiments are performed to test and verify its behaviour. Experimental results are presented in the form of oscilloscope recordings. It is concluded that the new driver circuit is compatible with modern IGBT transistors and power converter demands and that it can be applied in new designs. It is a part of new 20kW industrial-grade boost converter.

Spent fuel verification options for final repository safeguards in Finland. A study on verification methods, their feasibility and safety aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hautamaeki, J.; Tiitta, A.

2000-12-01

The verification possibilities of the spent fuel assemblies from the Olkiluoto and Loviisa NPPs and the fuel rods from the research reactor of VTT are contemplated in this report. The spent fuel assemblies have to be verified at the partial defect level before the final disposal into the geologic repository. The rods from the research reactor may be verified at the gross defect level. Developing a measurement system for partial defect verification is a complicated and time-consuming task. The Passive High Energy Gamma Emission Tomography and the Fork Detector combined with Gamma Spectrometry are the most potential measurement principles to be developed for this purpose. The whole verification process has to be planned to be as slick as possible. An early start in the planning of the verification and developing the measurement devices is important in order to enable a smooth integration of the verification measurements into the conditioning and disposal process. The IAEA and Euratom have not yet concluded the safeguards criteria for the final disposal. E.g. criteria connected to the selection of the best place to perform the verification. Measurements have not yet been concluded. Options for the verification places have been considered in this report. One option for a verification measurement place is the intermediate storage. The other option is the encapsulation plant. Crucial viewpoints are such as which one offers the best practical possibilities to perform the measurements effectively and which would be the better place in the safeguards point of view. Verification measurements may be needed both in the intermediate storages and in the encapsulation plant. In this report also the integrity of the fuel assemblies after wet intermediate storage period is assessed, because the assemblies have to stand the handling operations of the verification measurements. (orig.)

40 CFR 1065.342 - Sample dryer verification.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...-membrane dryer or thermal chiller. (d) Sample dryer verification procedure. Use the following method to... highest sample water content that you estimate during emission sampling. (3) Introduce the humidified gas... sampling system at a temperature at least 5 °C above the local humidified gas dewpoint. For dryers used in...

An Audit of Gynaecological Procedures Performed at Aminu Kano ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Audit of all gynecological procedures as one of the commonest operations performed in medical practice is not routinely done in developing countries, including Nigeria. Aim: The study was aimed at determining the rate of all gynecological procedures performed; the common gynecological procedures and ...

Methods and procedures for the verification and validation of artificial neural networks

CERN Document Server

Taylor, Brian J

2006-01-01

Neural networks are members of a class of software that have the potential to enable intelligent computational systems capable of simulating characteristics of biological thinking and learning. This volume introduces some of the methods and techniques used for the verification and validation of neural networks and adaptive systems.

Development of Out-pile Test Technology for Fuel Assembly Performance Verification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chun, Tae Hyun; In, W. K.; Oh, D. S. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)] (and others)

2007-03-15

Out-pile tests with full scale fuel assembly are to verify the design and to evaluate the performance of the final products. HTL for the hydraulic tests and FAMeCT for mechanical/structural tests were constructed in this project. The maximum operating conditions of HTL are 30 bar, 320 .deg. C, and 500 m3/hr. This facility can perform the pressure drop test, fuel assembly uplift test, and flow induced vibration test. FAMeCT can perform the bending and vibration tests. The verification of the developed facilities were carried out by comparing the reference data of the fuel assembly which was obtained at the Westinghouse Co. The compared data showed a good coincidence within uncertainties. FRETONUS was developed for high temperature and high pressure fretting wear simulator and performance test. A performance test was conducted for 500 hours to check the integrity, endurance, data acquisition capability of the simulator. The technology of turbulent flow analysis and finite element analysis by computation was developed. From the establishments of out-pile test facilities for full scale fuel assembly, the domestic infrastructure for PWR fuel development has been greatly upgraded.

Test/QA Plan for Verification of Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy Systems for Ammonia Monitoring in Stack Gas

Science.gov (United States)

The purpose of the cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) technology test and quality assurance plan is to specify procedures for a verification test applicable to commercial cavity ringdown spectroscopy technologies. The purpose of the verification test is to evaluate the performa...

40 CFR 63.309 - Performance tests and procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 9 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Performance tests and procedures. 63.309 Section 63.309 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... Standards for Coke Oven Batteries § 63.309 Performance tests and procedures. (a) Except as otherwise...

Verification and the safeguards legacy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perricos, Demetrius

2001-01-01

A number of inspection or monitoring systems throughout the world over the last decades have been structured drawing upon the IAEA experience of setting up and operating its safeguards system. The first global verification system was born with the creation of the IAEA safeguards system, about 35 years ago. With the conclusion of the NPT in 1968, inspections were to be performed under safeguards agreements, concluded directly between the IAEA and non-nuclear weapon states parties to the Treaty. The IAEA developed the safeguards system within the limitations reflected in the Blue Book (INFCIRC 153), such as limitations of routine access by the inspectors to 'strategic points', including 'key measurement points', and the focusing of verification on declared nuclear material in declared installations. The system, based as it was on nuclear material accountancy. It was expected to detect a diversion of nuclear material with a high probability and within a given time and therefore determine also that there had been no diversion of nuclear material from peaceful purposes. The most vital element of any verification system is the inspector. Technology can assist but cannot replace the inspector in the field. Their experience, knowledge, intuition and initiative are invaluable factors contributing to the success of any inspection regime. The IAEA inspectors are however not part of an international police force that will intervene to prevent a violation taking place. To be credible they should be technically qualified with substantial experience in industry or in research and development before they are recruited. An extensive training program has to make sure that the inspectors retain their professional capabilities and that it provides them with new skills. Over the years, the inspectors and through them the safeguards verification system gained experience in: organization and management of large teams; examination of records and evaluation of material balances

Calibration and Verification of the Hydraulic Model for Blue Nile River from Roseires Dam to Khartoum City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kamal edin ELsidig Bashar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This research represents a practical attempt applied to calibrate and verify a hydraulic model for the Blue Nile River. The calibration procedures are performed using the observed data for a previous period and comparing them with the calibration results while verification requirements are achieved with the application of the observed data for another future period and comparing them with the verification results. The study objective covered a relationship of the river terrain with the distance between the assumed points of the dam failures along the river length. The computed model values and the observed data should conform to the theoretical analysis and the overall verification performance of the model by comparing it with another set of data. The model was calibrated using data from gauging stations (Khartoum, Wad Medani, downstream Sennar, and downstream Roseires during the period from the 1st of May to 31 of October 1988 and the verification was done using the data of the same gauging stations for years 2003 and 2010 for the same period. The required available data from these stations were collected, processed and used in the model calibration. The geometry input files for the HEC-RAS models were created using a combination of ArcGIS and HEC-GeoRAS. The results revealed high correlation (R2 ˃ 0.9 between the observed and calibrated water levels in all gauging stations during 1988 and also high correlation between the observed and verification water levels was obtained in years 2003 and 2010. Verification results with the equation and degree of correlation can be used to predict future data of any expected data for the same stations.

On Demand Internal Short Circuit Device Enables Verification of Safer, Higher Performing Battery Designs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Darcy, Eric; Keyser, Matthew

2017-05-15

The Internal Short Circuit (ISC) device enables critical battery safety verification. With the aluminum interstitial heat sink between the cells, normal trigger cells cannot be driven into thermal runaway without excessive temperature bias of adjacent cells. With an implantable, on-demand ISC device, thermal runaway tests show that the conductive heat sinks protected adjacent cells from propagation. High heat dissipation and structural support of Al heat sinks show high promise for safer, higher performing batteries.

Standard Verification System (SVS)

Data.gov (United States)

Social Security Administration — SVS is a mainframe program that accesses the NUMIDENT to perform SSN verifications. This program is called by SSA Internal applications to verify SSNs. There is also...

A methodology for the rigorous verification of plasma simulation codes

Science.gov (United States)

Riva, Fabio

2016-10-01

The methodology used to assess the reliability of numerical simulation codes constitutes the Verification and Validation (V&V) procedure. V&V is composed by two separate tasks: the verification, which is a mathematical issue targeted to assess that the physical model is correctly solved, and the validation, which determines the consistency of the code results, and therefore of the physical model, with experimental data. In the present talk we focus our attention on the verification, which in turn is composed by the code verification, targeted to assess that a physical model is correctly implemented in a simulation code, and the solution verification, that quantifies the numerical error affecting a simulation. Bridging the gap between plasma physics and other scientific domains, we introduced for the first time in our domain a rigorous methodology for the code verification, based on the method of manufactured solutions, as well as a solution verification based on the Richardson extrapolation. This methodology was applied to GBS, a three-dimensional fluid code based on a finite difference scheme, used to investigate the plasma turbulence in basic plasma physics experiments and in the tokamak scrape-off layer. Overcoming the difficulty of dealing with a numerical method intrinsically affected by statistical noise, we have now generalized the rigorous verification methodology to simulation codes based on the particle-in-cell algorithm, which are employed to solve Vlasov equation in the investigation of a number of plasma physics phenomena.

Token-Aware Completion Functions for Elastic Processor Verification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudarshan K. Srinivasan

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We develop a formal verification procedure to check that elastic pipelined processor designs correctly implement their instruction set architecture (ISA specifications. The notion of correctness we use is based on refinement. Refinement proofs are based on refinement maps, which—in the context of this problem—are functions that map elastic processor states to states of the ISA specification model. Data flow in elastic architectures is complicated by the insertion of any number of buffers in any place in the design, making it hard to construct refinement maps for elastic systems in a systematic manner. We introduce token-aware completion functions, which incorporate a mechanism to track the flow of data in elastic pipelines, as a highly automated and systematic approach to construct refinement maps. We demonstrate the efficiency of the overall verification procedure based on token-aware completion functions using six elastic pipelined processor models based on the DLX architecture.

Verification-Based Interval-Passing Algorithm for Compressed Sensing

OpenAIRE

Wu, Xiaofu; Yang, Zhen

2013-01-01

We propose a verification-based Interval-Passing (IP) algorithm for iteratively reconstruction of nonnegative sparse signals using parity check matrices of low-density parity check (LDPC) codes as measurement matrices. The proposed algorithm can be considered as an improved IP algorithm by further incorporation of the mechanism of verification algorithm. It is proved that the proposed algorithm performs always better than either the IP algorithm or the verification algorithm. Simulation resul...

Model Validation and Verification of Data Mining from the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Michael Horsfall

In this paper, we seek to present a hybrid method for Model Validation and Verification of Data Mining from the ... This model generally states the numerical value of knowledge .... procedures found in the field of software engineering should be ...

VEG-01: Veggie Hardware Verification Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Massa, Gioia; Newsham, Gary; Hummerick, Mary; Morrow, Robert; Wheeler, Raymond

2013-01-01

The Veggie plant/vegetable production system is scheduled to fly on ISS at the end of2013. Since much of the technology associated with Veggie has not been previously tested in microgravity, a hardware validation flight was initiated. This test will allow data to be collected about Veggie hardware functionality on ISS, allow crew interactions to be vetted for future improvements, validate the ability of the hardware to grow and sustain plants, and collect data that will be helpful to future Veggie investigators as they develop their payloads. Additionally, food safety data on the lettuce plants grown will be collected to help support the development of a pathway for the crew to safely consume produce grown on orbit. Significant background research has been performed on the Veggie plant growth system, with early tests focusing on the development of the rooting pillow concept, and the selection of fertilizer, rooting medium and plant species. More recent testing has been conducted to integrate the pillow concept into the Veggie hardware and to ensure that adequate water is provided throughout the growth cycle. Seed sanitation protocols have been established for flight, and hardware sanitation between experiments has been studied. Methods for shipping and storage of rooting pillows and the development of crew procedures and crew training videos for plant activities on-orbit have been established. Science verification testing was conducted and lettuce plants were successfully grown in prototype Veggie hardware, microbial samples were taken, plant were harvested, frozen, stored and later analyzed for microbial growth, nutrients, and A TP levels. An additional verification test, prior to the final payload verification testing, is desired to demonstrate similar growth in the flight hardware and also to test a second set of pillows containing zinnia seeds. Issues with root mat water supply are being resolved, with final testing and flight scheduled for later in 2013.

MCNP5 development, verification, and performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forrest B, Brown

2003-01-01

MCNP is a well-known and widely used Monte Carlo code for neutron, photon, and electron transport simulations. During the past 18 months, MCNP was completely reworked to provide MCNP5, a modernized version with many new features, including plotting enhancements, photon Doppler broadening, radiography image tallies, enhancements to source definitions, improved variance reduction, improved random number generator, tallies on a superimposed mesh, and edits of criticality safety parameters. Significant improvements in software engineering and adherence to standards have been made. Over 100 verification problems have been used to ensure that MCNP5 produces the same results as before and that all capabilities have been preserved. Testing on large parallel systems shows excellent parallel scaling. (author)

MCNP5 development, verification, and performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forrest B, Brown [Los Alamos National Laboratory (United States)

2003-07-01

MCNP is a well-known and widely used Monte Carlo code for neutron, photon, and electron transport simulations. During the past 18 months, MCNP was completely reworked to provide MCNP5, a modernized version with many new features, including plotting enhancements, photon Doppler broadening, radiography image tallies, enhancements to source definitions, improved variance reduction, improved random number generator, tallies on a superimposed mesh, and edits of criticality safety parameters. Significant improvements in software engineering and adherence to standards have been made. Over 100 verification problems have been used to ensure that MCNP5 produces the same results as before and that all capabilities have been preserved. Testing on large parallel systems shows excellent parallel scaling. (author)

The role of the United Nations in the field of verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

By resolution 43/81 B of 7 December 1988, the General Assembly requested the Secretary General to undertake, with the assistance of a group of qualified governmental experts, an in-depth study of the role of the United Nations in the field of verification. In August 1990, the Secretary-General transmitted to the General Assembly the unanimously approved report of the experts. The report is structured in six chapters and contains a bibliographic appendix on technical aspects of verification. The Introduction provides a brief historical background on the development of the question of verification in the United Nations context, culminating with the adoption by the General Assembly of resolution 43/81 B, which requested the study. Chapters II and III address the definition and functions of verification and the various approaches, methods, procedures and techniques used in the process of verification. Chapters IV and V examine the existing activities of the United Nations in the field of verification, possibilities for improvements in those activities as well as possible additional activities, while addressing the organizational, technical, legal, operational and financial implications of each of the possibilities discussed. Chapter VI presents the conclusions and recommendations of the Group

Procedure for Measuring and Reporting Commercial Building Energy Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barley, D.; Deru, M.; Pless, S.; Torcellini, P.

2005-10-01

This procedure is intended to provide a standard method for measuring and characterizing the energy performance of commercial buildings. The procedure determines the energy consumption, electrical energy demand, and on-site energy production in existing commercial buildings of all types. The performance metrics determined here may be compared against benchmarks to evaluate performance and verify that performance targets have been achieved.

VERIFICATION TESTING OF AIR POLLUTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGY QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN

Science.gov (United States)

This document is the basis for quality assurance for the Air Pollution Control Technology Verification Center (APCT Center) operated under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It describes the policies, organizational structure, responsibilities, procedures, and qualit...

Verification of the LWRARC code for light-water-reactor afterheat rate calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, B.D.

1998-02-01

This report describes verification studies carried out on the LWRARC (Light-Water-Reactor Afterheat Rate Calculations) computer code. The LWRARC code is proposed for automating the implementation of procedures specified in Draft Revision 1 of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Regulatory Guide 3.54, open-quotes Spent-Fuel Heat Generation in an Independent Spent-Fuel Storage Installation,close quotes which gives guidelines on the calculation of decay heat for spent nuclear fuel. Draft Regulatory Guide 3.54 allows one to estimate decay-heat values by means of a table lookup procedure with interpolation performed between table-entry values. The tabulated values of the relevant parameters span ranges that are appropriate for spent fuel from a boiling-water reactor (BWR) or a pressurized-water reactor (PWR), as the case may be, and decay-heat rates are obtained for spent fuel whose properties are within those parameter limits. In some instances, where these limits are either exceeded or where they approach critical regions, adjustments are invoked following table lookup. The LWRARC computer code is intended to replicate the manual process just described. In the code, the table lookup is done by entering a database and carrying out interpolations. The code then determines if adjustments apply, and, if this is the case, adjustment factors are calculated separately. The manual procedures in the Draft Regulatory Guide have been validated (i.e., they produce results that are good estimates of reality). The work reported in this document verifies that the LWRARC code replicates the manual procedures of the Draft Regulatory Guide, and that the code, taken together with the Draft Regulatory Guide, can support both verification and validation processes

A Framework for Performing Verification and Validation in Reuse Based Software Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Addy, Edward A.

1997-01-01

Verification and Validation (V&V) is currently performed during application development for many systems, especially safety-critical and mission- critical systems. The V&V process is intended to discover errors, especially errors related to critical processing, as early as possible during the development process. The system application provides the context under which the software artifacts are validated. This paper describes a framework that extends V&V from an individual application system to a product line of systems that are developed within an architecture-based software engineering environment. This framework includes the activities of traditional application-level V&V, and extends these activities into domain engineering and into the transition between domain engineering and application engineering. The framework includes descriptions of the types of activities to be performed during each of the life-cycle phases, and provides motivation for the activities.

Performance evaluation and dose verification of the low dose rate permanent prostrate brachytherapy system at the korle-bu Teaching Hospital

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asenso, Y.A.

2015-07-01

Low dose rate prostate brachytherapy equipment that is newly acquired or substantially upgraded requires acceptance testing before being put into clinical service as well as Quality control after installation and when in use. Thus, quality control tests typically are periodic repetitions, partial or full, of acceptance and commissioning tests. The ultrasound system is the most important equipment used in LDR prostate brachytherapy. The AAPM TG 128 provides a set of instructions for quality control testing of an ultrasound system with a specific focus on those tests applicable to image guidance during a prostate implant procedure. Following the AAPM TG 128 protocol and CIRS 045 brachytherapy QA phantom as well as other protocols, eight experiments were performed to evaluate the performance of the system. The overall average axial distance in the B and F columns were found to be 10.12 ± 0.1 mm and 10.10 ± 0.11 mm respectively deviating by approximately 1.2 % and 1.0 % respectively from a standard inter- target distance of 10 mm. Also the lateral distance measured along the rows 1, 2, 3 and 4 resulted in an average distance of 10.07 ± 0.06 mm along rows B4 – C4, deviating from the standard inter- target distance of 10 mm by approximately 0.07 mm or ± 0.7 %, that of B3 – D3 also was 20.01 ± 0.07, deviating from 20 mm standard inter- target distance by 0.01 mm or 0.05 %, targets along B2 – E2 recorded an average distance of 29.56 ± 0.33 mm deviating from 30 mm standard inter- target distance by approximately -0.44 mm or -1.47 % and the last which is B1 – F1 also recorded an average distance of 39.54 ± 0.38 mm deviating from 40 mm standard inter- target distance by approximately -0.46 mm or – 1.15 %. Volume measurement accuracy of the three standard volumes, 4 cm 3 , 9 cm 3 and 20 cm 3 produced average measurements of 3.97 ± 0.16 cm 3 , 8.86 ± 0.29 cm 3 and 20.11 ± 1.04 cm 3 resulting in approximate deviations of -0.75 %, -1.56 % and 0

Methods for testing the logical structure of plant procedure documents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horne, C.P.; Colley, R.; Fahley, J.M.

1990-01-01

This paper describes an ongoing EPRI project to investigate computer based methods to improve the development, maintenance, and verification of plant operating procedures. This project began as an evaluation of the applicability of structured software analysis methods to operating procedures. It was found that these methods offer benefits, if procedures are transformed to a structured representation to make them amenable to computer analysis. The next task was to investigate methods to transform procedures into a structured representation. The use of natural language techniques to read and compile the procedure documents appears to be viable for this purpose and supports conformity to guidelines. The final task was to consider possibilities of automated verification methods for procedures. Methods to help verify procedures were defined and information requirements specified. These methods take the structured representation of procedures as input. The software system being constructed in this project is called PASS, standing for Procedures Analysis Software System

Future of monitoring and verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagenmakers, H.

1991-01-01

The organized verification entrusted to IAEA for the implementation of the NPT, of the Treaty of Tlatelolco and of the Treaty of Rarotonga, reaches reasonable standards. The current dispute with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea about the conclusion of a safeguards agreement with IAEA, by its exceptional nature, underscores rather than undermines the positive judgement to be passed on IAEA's overall performance. The additional task given to the Director General of IAEA under Security Council resolution 687 (1991) regarding Iraq's nuclear-weapons-usable material is particularly challenging. For the purposes of this paper, verification is defined as the process for establishing whether the States parties are complying with an agreement. In the final stage verification may lead into consideration of how to respond to non-compliance. Monitoring is perceived as the first level in the verification system. It is one generic form of collecting information on objects, activities or events and it involves a variety of instruments ranging from communications satellites to television cameras or human inspectors. Monitoring may also be used as a confidence-building measure

Verification of the safety communication protocol in train control system using colored Petri net

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Lijie; Tang Tao; Zhao Xianqiong; Schnieder, Eckehard

2012-01-01

This paper deals with formal and simulation-based verification of the safety communication protocol in ETCS (European Train Control System). The safety communication protocol controls the establishment of safety connection between train and trackside. Because of its graphical user interface and modeling flexibility upon the changes in the system conditions, this paper proposes a composition Colored Petri Net (CPN) representation for both the logic and the timed model. The logic of the protocol is proved to be safe by means of state space analysis: the dead markings are correct; there are no dead transitions; being fair. Further analysis results have been obtained using formal and simulation-based verification approach. The timed models for the open transmit system and the application process are created for the purpose of performance analysis of the safety communication protocol. The models describe the procedure of data transmission and processing, and also provide relevant timed and stochastic factors, as well as time delay and lost packet, which may influence the time for establishment of safety connection of the protocol. Time for establishment of safety connection of the protocol in normal state is verified by formal verification, and then time for establishment of safety connection with different probability of lost packet is simulated. After verification it is found that the time for establishment of safety connection of the safety communication protocol satisfies the safety requirements.

Hierarchical Representation Learning for Kinship Verification.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohli, Naman; Vatsa, Mayank; Singh, Richa; Noore, Afzel; Majumdar, Angshul

2017-01-01

Kinship verification has a number of applications such as organizing large collections of images and recognizing resemblances among humans. In this paper, first, a human study is conducted to understand the capabilities of human mind and to identify the discriminatory areas of a face that facilitate kinship-cues. The visual stimuli presented to the participants determine their ability to recognize kin relationship using the whole face as well as specific facial regions. The effect of participant gender and age and kin-relation pair of the stimulus is analyzed using quantitative measures such as accuracy, discriminability index d' , and perceptual information entropy. Utilizing the information obtained from the human study, a hierarchical kinship verification via representation learning (KVRL) framework is utilized to learn the representation of different face regions in an unsupervised manner. We propose a novel approach for feature representation termed as filtered contractive deep belief networks (fcDBN). The proposed feature representation encodes relational information present in images using filters and contractive regularization penalty. A compact representation of facial images of kin is extracted as an output from the learned model and a multi-layer neural network is utilized to verify the kin accurately. A new WVU kinship database is created, which consists of multiple images per subject to facilitate kinship verification. The results show that the proposed deep learning framework (KVRL-fcDBN) yields the state-of-the-art kinship verification accuracy on the WVU kinship database and on four existing benchmark data sets. Furthermore, kinship information is used as a soft biometric modality to boost the performance of face verification via product of likelihood ratio and support vector machine based approaches. Using the proposed KVRL-fcDBN framework, an improvement of over 20% is observed in the performance of face verification.

K Basins Field Verification Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Booth, H.W.

1994-01-01

The Field Verification Program establishes a uniform and systematic process to ensure that technical information depicted on selected engineering drawings accurately reflects the actual existing physical configuration. This document defines the Field Verification Program necessary to perform the field walkdown and inspection process that identifies the physical configuration of the systems required to support the mission objectives of K Basins. This program is intended to provide an accurate accounting of the actual field configuration by documenting the as-found information on a controlled drawing

In-Field Performance Testing of the Fork Detector for Quantitative Spent Fuel Verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauld, Ian C.; Hu, Jianwei; De Baere, P.; Tobin, Stephen

2015-01-01

Expanding spent fuel dry storage activities worldwide are increasing demands on safeguards authorities that perform inspections. The European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) require measurements to verify declarations when spent fuel is transferred to difficult-to-access locations, such as dry storage casks and the repositories planned in Finland and Sweden. EURATOM makes routine use of the Fork detector to obtain gross gamma and total neutron measurements during spent fuel inspections. Data analysis is performed by modules in the integrated Review and Analysis Program (iRAP) software, developed jointly by EURATOM and the IAEA. Under the framework of the US Department of Energy-EURATOM cooperation agreement, a module for automated Fork detector data analysis has been developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) using the ORIGEN code from the SCALE code system and implemented in iRAP. EURATOM and ORNL recently performed measurements on 30 spent fuel assemblies at the Swedish Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel (Clab), operated by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB). The measured assemblies represent a broad range of fuel characteristics. Neutron count rates for 15 measured pressurized water reactor assemblies are predicted with an average relative standard deviation of 4.6%, and gamma signals are predicted on average within 2.6% of the measurement. The 15 measured boiling water reactor assemblies exhibit slightly larger deviations of 5.2% for the gamma signals and 5.7% for the neutron count rates, compared to measurements. These findings suggest that with improved analysis of the measurement data, existing instruments can provide increased verification of operator declarations of the spent fuel and thereby also provide greater ability to confirm integrity of an assembly. These results support the application of the Fork detector as a fully quantitative spent fuel

In-Field Performance Testing of the Fork Detector for Quantitative Spent Fuel Verification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gauld, Ian C. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Hu, Jianwei [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); De Baere, P. [European Commission (Luxembourg). DG Energy, Directorate Nuclear Safeguards; Vaccaro, S. [European Commission (Luxembourg). DG Energy, Directorate Nuclear Safeguards; Schwalbach, P. [European Commission (Luxembourg). DG Energy, Directorate Nuclear Safeguards; Liljenfeldt, Henrik [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (Sweden); Tobin, Stephen [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-01-01

Expanding spent fuel dry storage activities worldwide are increasing demands on safeguards authorities that perform inspections. The European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) require measurements to verify declarations when spent fuel is transferred to difficult-to-access locations, such as dry storage casks and the repositories planned in Finland and Sweden. EURATOM makes routine use of the Fork detector to obtain gross gamma and total neutron measurements during spent fuel inspections. Data analysis is performed by modules in the integrated Review and Analysis Program (iRAP) software, developed jointly by EURATOM and the IAEA. Under the framework of the US Department of Energy–EURATOM cooperation agreement, a module for automated Fork detector data analysis has been developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) using the ORIGEN code from the SCALE code system and implemented in iRAP. EURATOM and ORNL recently performed measurements on 30 spent fuel assemblies at the Swedish Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel (Clab), operated by the Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB). The measured assemblies represent a broad range of fuel characteristics. Neutron count rates for 15 measured pressurized water reactor assemblies are predicted with an average relative standard deviation of 4.6%, and gamma signals are predicted on average within 2.6% of the measurement. The 15 measured boiling water reactor assemblies exhibit slightly larger deviations of 5.2% for the gamma signals and 5.7% for the neutron count rates, compared to measurements. These findings suggest that with improved analysis of the measurement data, existing instruments can provide increased verification of operator declarations of the spent fuel and thereby also provide greater ability to confirm integrity of an assembly. These results support the application of the Fork detector as a fully quantitative spent fuel

Verification of RESRAD-build computer code, version 3.1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

RESRAD-BUILD is a computer model for analyzing the radiological doses resulting from the remediation and occupancy of buildings contaminated with radioactive material. It is part of a family of codes that includes RESRAD, RESRAD-CHEM, RESRAD-RECYCLE, RESRAD-BASELINE, and RESRAD-ECORISK. The RESRAD-BUILD models were developed and codified by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL); version 1.5 of the code and the user's manual were publicly released in 1994. The original version of the code was written for the Microsoft DOS operating system. However, subsequent versions of the code were written for the Microsoft Windows operating system. The purpose of the present verification task (which includes validation as defined in the standard) is to provide an independent review of the latest version of RESRAD-BUILD under the guidance provided by ANSI/ANS-10.4 for verification and validation of existing computer programs. This approach consists of a posteriori V and V review which takes advantage of available program development products as well as user experience. The purpose, as specified in ANSI/ANS-10.4, is to determine whether the program produces valid responses when used to analyze problems within a specific domain of applications, and to document the level of verification. The culmination of these efforts is the production of this formal Verification Report. The first step in performing the verification of an existing program was the preparation of a Verification Review Plan. The review plan consisted of identifying: Reason(s) why a posteriori verification is to be performed; Scope and objectives for the level of verification selected; Development products to be used for the review; Availability and use of user experience; and Actions to be taken to supplement missing or unavailable development products. The purpose, scope and objectives for the level of verification selected are described in this section of the Verification Report. The development products that were used

Standard practice for verification and classification of extensometer systems

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2010-01-01

1.1 This practice covers procedures for the verification and classification of extensometer systems, but it is not intended to be a complete purchase specification. The practice is applicable only to instruments that indicate or record values that are proportional to changes in length corresponding to either tensile or compressive strain. Extensometer systems are classified on the basis of the magnitude of their errors. 1.2 Because strain is a dimensionless quantity, this document can be used for extensometers based on either SI or US customary units of displacement. Note 1—Bonded resistance strain gauges directly bonded to a specimen cannot be calibrated or verified with the apparatus described in this practice for the verification of extensometers having definite gauge points. (See procedures as described in Test Methods E251.) 1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish app...

Verification test report on a solar heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

Information is provided on the development, qualification and acceptance verification of commercial solar heating and hot water systems and components. The verification includes the performances, the efficiences and the various methods used, such as similarity, analysis, inspection, test, etc., that are applicable to satisfying the verification requirements.

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION: TEST/QA PLAN FOR THE VERIFICATION TESTING OF SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FOR HIGHWAY, NONROAD, AND STATIONARY USE DIESEL ENGINES

Science.gov (United States)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the Environmental Technology Verification Program to accelerate the development and commercialization of improved environmental technology through third party verification and reporting of product performance. Research Triangl...

Verification and validation in computational fluid dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Oberkampf, William L.; Trucano, Timothy G.

2002-04-01

Verification and validation (V&V) are the primary means to assess accuracy and reliability in computational simulations. This paper presents an extensive review of the literature in V&V in computational fluid dynamics (CFD), discusses methods and procedures for assessing V&V, and develops a number of extensions to existing ideas. The review of the development of V&V terminology and methodology points out the contributions from members of the operations research, statistics, and CFD communities. Fundamental issues in V&V are addressed, such as code verification versus solution verification, model validation versus solution validation, the distinction between error and uncertainty, conceptual sources of error and uncertainty, and the relationship between validation and prediction. The fundamental strategy of verification is the identification and quantification of errors in the computational model and its solution. In verification activities, the accuracy of a computational solution is primarily measured relative to two types of highly accurate solutions: analytical solutions and highly accurate numerical solutions. Methods for determining the accuracy of numerical solutions are presented and the importance of software testing during verification activities is emphasized. The fundamental strategy of validation is to assess how accurately the computational results compare with the experimental data, with quantified error and uncertainty estimates for both. This strategy employs a hierarchical methodology that segregates and simplifies the physical and coupling phenomena involved in the complex engineering system of interest. A hypersonic cruise missile is used as an example of how this hierarchical structure is formulated. The discussion of validation assessment also encompasses a number of other important topics. A set of guidelines is proposed for designing and conducting validation experiments, supported by an explanation of how validation experiments are different

Efficiency of performing pulmonary procedures in a shared endoscopy unit: procedure time, turnaround time, delays, and procedure waiting time.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Akash; Lee, Mui Yok; Wang, Chunhong; Hussein, Nurmalah B M; Selvi, Kalai; Tee, Augustine

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficiency of performing pulmonary procedures in the endoscopy unit in a large teaching hospital. A prospective study from May 20 to July 19, 2013, was designed. The main outcome measures were procedure delays and their reasons, duration of procedural steps starting from patient's arrival to endoscopy unit, turnaround time, total case durations, and procedure wait time. A total of 65 procedures were observed. The most common procedure was BAL (61%) followed by TBLB (31%). Overall procedures for 35 (53.8%) of 65 patients were delayed by ≥ 30 minutes, 21/35 (60%) because of "spillover" of the gastrointestinal and surgical cases into the time block of pulmonary procedure. Time elapsed between end of pulmonary procedure and start of the next procedure was ≥ 30 minutes in 8/51 (16%) of cases. In 18/51 (35%) patients there was no next case in the room after completion of the pulmonary procedure. The average idle time of the room after the end of pulmonary procedure and start of next case or end of shift at 5:00 PM if no next case was 58 ± 53 minutes. In 17/51 (33%) patients the room's idle time was >60 minutes. A total of 52.3% of patients had the wait time >2 days and 11% had it ≥ 6 days, reason in 15/21 (71%) being unavailability of the slot. Most pulmonary procedures were delayed due to spillover of the gastrointestinal and surgical cases into the block time allocated to pulmonary procedures. The most common reason for difficulty encountered in scheduling the pulmonary procedure was slot unavailability. This caused increased procedure waiting time. The strategies to reduce procedure delays and turnaround times, along with improved scheduling methods, may have a favorable impact on the volume of procedures performed in the unit thereby optimizing the existing resources.

Inspection system performance test procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, C.E.

1995-01-01

This procedure establishes requirements to administer a performance demonstration test. The test is to demonstrate that the double-shell tank inspection system (DSTIS) supplied by the contractor performs in accordance with the WHC-S-4108, Double-Shell Tank Ultrasonic Inspection Performance Specification, Rev. 2-A, January, 1995. The inspection system is intended to provide ultrasonic (UT) and visual data to determine integrity of the Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) site underground waste tanks. The robotic inspection system consists of the following major sub-systems (modules) and components: Mobile control center; Deployment module; Cable management assembly; Robot mechanism; Ultrasonic testing system; Visual testing system; Pneumatic system; Electrical system; and Control system

Verification and Examination Management of Complex Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stian Ruud

2014-10-01

Full Text Available As ship systems become more complex, with an increasing number of safety-critical functions, many interconnected subsystems, tight integration to other systems, and a large amount of potential failure modes, several industry parties have identified the need for improved methods for managing the verification and examination efforts of such complex systems. Such needs are even more prominent now that the marine and offshore industries are targeting more activities and operations in the Arctic environment. In this paper, a set of requirements and a method for verification and examination management are proposed for allocating examination efforts to selected subsystems. The method is based on a definition of a verification risk function for a given system topology and given requirements. The marginal verification risks for the subsystems may then be evaluated, so that examination efforts for the subsystem can be allocated. Two cases of requirements and systems are used to demonstrate the proposed method. The method establishes a systematic relationship between the verification loss, the logic system topology, verification method performance, examination stop criterion, the required examination effort, and a proposed sequence of examinations to reach the examination stop criterion.

HDM/PASCAL Verification System User's Manual

Science.gov (United States)

Hare, D.

1983-01-01

The HDM/Pascal verification system is a tool for proving the correctness of programs written in PASCAL and specified in the Hierarchical Development Methodology (HDM). This document assumes an understanding of PASCAL, HDM, program verification, and the STP system. The steps toward verification which this tool provides are parsing programs and specifications, checking the static semantics, and generating verification conditions. Some support functions are provided such as maintaining a data base, status management, and editing. The system runs under the TOPS-20 and TENEX operating systems and is written in INTERLISP. However, no knowledge is assumed of these operating systems or of INTERLISP. The system requires three executable files, HDMVCG, PARSE, and STP. Optionally, the editor EMACS should be on the system in order for the editor to work. The file HDMVCG is invoked to run the system. The files PARSE and STP are used as lower forks to perform the functions of parsing and proving.

Independent verification in operations at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donderi, D.C.; Smiley, A.; Ostry, D.J.; Moray, N.P.

1995-09-01

A critical review of approaches to independent verification in operations used in nuclear power plant quality assurance programs in other countries, was conducted for this study. This report identifies the uses of independent verification and provides an assessment of the effectiveness of the various approaches. The findings indicate that at Canadian nuclear power plants as much, if not more, independent verification is performed than at power plants in the other countries included in the study. Additional requirements in this area are not proposed for Canadian stations. (author)

Software engineering and automatic continuous verification of scientific software

Science.gov (United States)

Piggott, M. D.; Hill, J.; Farrell, P. E.; Kramer, S. C.; Wilson, C. R.; Ham, D.; Gorman, G. J.; Bond, T.

2011-12-01

Software engineering of scientific code is challenging for a number of reasons including pressure to publish and a lack of awareness of the pitfalls of software engineering by scientists. The Applied Modelling and Computation Group at Imperial College is a diverse group of researchers that employ best practice software engineering methods whilst developing open source scientific software. Our main code is Fluidity - a multi-purpose computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code that can be used for a wide range of scientific applications from earth-scale mantle convection, through basin-scale ocean dynamics, to laboratory-scale classic CFD problems, and is coupled to a number of other codes including nuclear radiation and solid modelling. Our software development infrastructure consists of a number of free tools that could be employed by any group that develops scientific code and has been developed over a number of years with many lessons learnt. A single code base is developed by over 30 people for which we use bazaar for revision control, making good use of the strong branching and merging capabilities. Using features of Canonical's Launchpad platform, such as code review, blueprints for designing features and bug reporting gives the group, partners and other Fluidity uers an easy-to-use platform to collaborate and allows the induction of new members of the group into an environment where software development forms a central part of their work. The code repositoriy are coupled to an automated test and verification system which performs over 20,000 tests, including unit tests, short regression tests, code verification and large parallel tests. Included in these tests are build tests on HPC systems, including local and UK National HPC services. The testing of code in this manner leads to a continuous verification process; not a discrete event performed once development has ceased. Much of the code verification is done via the "gold standard" of comparisons to analytical

Property-driven functional verification technique for high-speed vision system-on-chip processor

Science.gov (United States)

Nshunguyimfura, Victor; Yang, Jie; Liu, Liyuan; Wu, Nanjian

2017-04-01

The implementation of functional verification in a fast, reliable, and effective manner is a challenging task in a vision chip verification process. The main reason for this challenge is the stepwise nature of existing functional verification techniques. This vision chip verification complexity is also related to the fact that in most vision chip design cycles, extensive efforts are focused on how to optimize chip metrics such as performance, power, and area. Design functional verification is not explicitly considered at an earlier stage at which the most sound decisions are made. In this paper, we propose a semi-automatic property-driven verification technique. The implementation of all verification components is based on design properties. We introduce a low-dimension property space between the specification space and the implementation space. The aim of this technique is to speed up the verification process for high-performance parallel processing vision chips. Our experimentation results show that the proposed technique can effectively improve the verification effort up to 20% for the complex vision chip design while reducing the simulation and debugging overheads.

Advanced verification topics

CERN Document Server

Bhattacharya, Bishnupriya; Hall, Gary; Heaton, Nick; Kashai, Yaron; Khan Neyaz; Kirshenbaum, Zeev; Shneydor, Efrat

2011-01-01

The Accellera Universal Verification Methodology (UVM) standard is architected to scale, but verification is growing and in more than just the digital design dimension. It is growing in the SoC dimension to include low-power and mixed-signal and the system integration dimension to include multi-language support and acceleration. These items and others all contribute to the quality of the SOC so the Metric-Driven Verification (MDV) methodology is needed to unify it all into a coherent verification plan. This book is for verification engineers and managers familiar with the UVM and the benefits it brings to digital verification but who also need to tackle specialized tasks. It is also written for the SoC project manager that is tasked with building an efficient worldwide team. While the task continues to become more complex, Advanced Verification Topics describes methodologies outside of the Accellera UVM standard, but that build on it, to provide a way for SoC teams to stay productive and profitable.

Numident Online Verification Utility (NOVU)

Data.gov (United States)

Social Security Administration — NOVU is a mainframe application that accesses the NUMIDENT to perform real-time SSN verifications. This program is called by other SSA online programs that serve as...

The appropriateness of the systematic framework to develop diagnosis procedures of nuclear power plants-an experimental verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea

2006-01-01

It has been well recognized that a diagnosis procedure that allows operators to successfully identify the nature of an on-going event is inevitable for an effective and appropriate recovery. Unfortunately, studies for a framework that can suggest a unified and consistent process in constructing a serviceable diagnosis procedure seem to be scant. Thus, Park et al. have suggested a systematic framework that can be used to construct a useful diagnosis procedure. In addition, the diagnosis procedure that is currently in use at the reference nuclear power plant (NPP) is reformed in order to demonstrate the appropriateness of the suggested framework. However, the necessity of a well-designed experiment is proposed to confirm the appropriateness of the suggested framework. In this regard, in this study, an experiment is conducted using a full-scope simulator of the reference NPP. From the experiment, two sets of operators' diagnosis performance data are collected, and then they are compared to investigate the change of an operator's diagnosis performance with respect to two types of diagnosis procedures. As a result, it is shown that an operator's diagnosis performance is improved when the revised diagnosis procedure is used. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the suggested framework is useful in constructing an effective diagnosis procedure

Monte Carlo simulations to replace film dosimetry in IMRT verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goetzfried, Thomas; Trautwein, Marius; Koelbi, Oliver; Bogner, Ludwig; Rickhey, Mark

2011-01-01

Patient-specific verification of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans can be done by dosimetric measurements or by independent dose or monitor unit calculations. The aim of this study was the clinical evaluation of IMRT verification based on a fast Monte Carlo (MC) program with regard to possible benefits compared to commonly used film dosimetry. 25 head-and-neck IMRT plans were recalculated by a pencil beam based treatment planning system (TPS) using an appropriate quality assurance (QA) phantom. All plans were verified both by film and diode dosimetry and compared to MC simulations. The irradiated films, the results of diode measurements and the computed dose distributions were evaluated, and the data were compared on the basis of gamma maps and dose-difference histograms. Average deviations in the high-dose region between diode measurements and point dose calculations performed with the TPS and MC program were 0.7 ± 2.7% and 1.2 ± 3.1%, respectively. For film measurements, the mean gamma values with 3% dose difference and 3 mm distance-to-agreement were 0.74 ± 0.28 (TPS as reference) with dose deviations up to 10%. Corresponding values were significantly reduced to 0.34 ± 0.09 for MC dose calculation. The total time needed for both verification procedures is comparable, however, by far less labor intensive in the case of MC simulations. The presented study showed that independent dose calculation verification of IMRT plans with a fast MC program has the potential to eclipse film dosimetry more and more in the near future. Thus, the linac-specific QA part will necessarily become more important. In combination with MC simulations and due to the simple set-up, point-dose measurements for dosimetric plausibility checks are recommended at least in the IMRT introduction phase. (orig.)

Entanglement verification and its applications in quantum communication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haeseler, Hauke

2010-01-01

In this thesis, we investigate the uses of entanglement and its verification in quantum communication. The main object here is to develop a verification procedure which is adaptable to a wide range of applications, and whose implementation has low requirements on experimental resources. We present such a procedure in the form of the Expectation Value Matrix. The structure of this thesis is as follows: Chapters 1 and 2 give a short introduction and background information on quantum theory and the quantum states of light. In particular, we discuss the basic postulates of quantum mechanics, quantum state discrimination, the description of quantum light and the homodyne detector. Chapter 3 gives a brief introduction to quantum information and in particular to entanglement, and we discuss the basics of quantum key distribution and teleportation. The general framework of the Expectation Value Matrix is introduced. The main matter of this thesis is contained in the subsequent three chapters, which describe different quantum communication protocols and the corresponding adaptation of the entanglement verification method. The subject of Chapter 4 is quantum key distribution, where the detection of entanglement is a means of excluding intercept-resend attacks, and the presence of quantum correlations in the raw data is a necessary precondition for the generation of secret key. We investigate a continuous-variable version of the two-state protocol and develop the Expectation Value Matrix method for such qubit-mode systems. Furthermore, we analyse the role of the phase reference with respect to the security of the protocol and raise awareness of a corresponding security threat. For this, we adapt the verification method to different settings of Stokes operator measurements. In Chapter 5, we investigate quantum memory channels and propose a fundamental benchmark for these based on the verification of entanglement. After describing some physical effects which can be used for the

Performance characteristics of an independent dose verification program for helical tomotherapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isaac C. F. Chang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Helical tomotherapy with its advanced method of intensity-modulated radiation therapy delivery has been used clinically for over 20 years. The standard delivery quality assurance procedure to measure the accuracy of delivered radiation dose from each treatment plan to a phantom is time-consuming. RadCalc®, a radiotherapy dose verification software, has released specifically for beta testing a module for tomotherapy plan dose calculations. RadCalc®'s accuracy for tomotherapy dose calculations was evaluated through examination of point doses in ten lung and ten prostate clinical plans. Doses calculated by the TomoHDA™ tomotherapy treatment planning system were used as the baseline. For lung cases, RadCalc® overestimated point doses in the lung by an average of 13%. Doses within the spinal cord and esophagus were overestimated by 10%. Prostate plans showed better agreement, with overestimations of 6% in the prostate, bladder, and rectum. The systematic overestimation likely resulted from limitations of the pencil beam dose calculation algorithm implemented by RadCalc®. Limitations were more severe in areas of greater inhomogeneity and less prominent in regions of homogeneity with densities closer to 1 g/cm3. Recommendations for RadCalc® dose calculation algorithms and anatomical representation were provided based on the results of the study.

RESRAD-BUILD verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamboj, S.; Yu, C.; Biwer, B. M.; Klett, T.

2002-01-01

The results generated by the RESRAD-BUILD code (version 3.0) were verified with hand or spreadsheet calculations using equations given in the RESRAD-BUILD manual for different pathways. For verification purposes, different radionuclides--H-3, C-14, Na-22, Al-26, Cl-36, Mn-54, Co-60, Au-195, Ra-226, Ra-228, Th-228, and U-238--were chosen to test all pathways and models. Tritium, Ra-226, and Th-228 were chosen because of the special tritium and radon models in the RESRAD-BUILD code. Other radionuclides were selected to represent a spectrum of radiation types and energies. Verification of the RESRAD-BUILD code was conducted with an initial check of all the input parameters for correctness against their original source documents. Verification of the calculations was performed external to the RESRAD-BUILD code with Microsoft Excel to verify all the major portions of the code. In some cases, RESRAD-BUILD results were compared with those of external codes, such as MCNP (Monte Carlo N-particle) and RESRAD. The verification was conducted on a step-by-step basis and used different test cases as templates. The following types of calculations were investigated: (1) source injection rate, (2) air concentration in the room, (3) air particulate deposition, (4) radon pathway model, (5) tritium model for volume source, (6) external exposure model, (7) different pathway doses, and (8) time dependence of dose. Some minor errors were identified in version 3.0; these errors have been corrected in later versions of the code. Some possible improvements in the code were also identified

Experience in non-proliferation verification: The Treaty of Raratonga

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, R.A.

1998-01-01

The verification provisions of the Treaty of Raratonga are subdivided into two categories: those performed by IAEA and those performed by other entities. A final provision of the Treaty of Raratonga is relevant to IAEA safeguards according to support of the continued effectiveness of the international non-proliferation system based on the Non-proliferation Treaty and the IAEA safeguards system. The non-IAEA verification process is described as well

Integrated Java Bytecode Verification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gal, Andreas; Probst, Christian; Franz, Michael

2005-01-01

Existing Java verifiers perform an iterative data-flow analysis to discover the unambiguous type of values stored on the stack or in registers. Our novel verification algorithm uses abstract interpretation to obtain definition/use information for each register and stack location in the program...

Proposal for an Evaluation Method for the Performance of Work Procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Mouda; Mébarek, Djebabra; Wafa, Boulagouas; Makhlouf, Chati

2016-12-01

Noncompliance of operators with work procedures is a recurrent problem. This human behavior has been said to be situational and studied by many different approaches (ergonomic and others), which consider the noncompliance with work procedures to be obvious and seek to analyze its causes as well as consequences. The object of the proposed method is to solve this problem by focusing on the performance of work procedures and ensuring improved performance on a continuous basis. This study has multiple results: (1) assessment of the work procedures' performance by a multicriteria approach; (2) the use of a continuous improvement approach as a framework for the sustainability of the assessment method of work procedures' performance; and (3) adaptation of the Stop-Card as a facilitator support for continuous improvement of work procedures. The proposed method emphasizes to put in value the inputs of continuous improvement of the work procedures in relation with the conventional approaches which adopt the obvious evidence of the noncompliance to the working procedures and seek to analyze the cause-effect relationships related to this unacceptable phenomenon, especially in strategic industry.

Performance verification and system parameter identification of spacecraft tape recorder control servo

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhopadhyay, A. K.

1979-01-01

Design adequacy of the lead-lag compensator of the frequency loop, accuracy checking of the analytical expression for the electrical motor transfer function, and performance evaluation of the speed control servo of the digital tape recorder used on-board the 1976 Viking Mars Orbiters and Voyager 1977 Jupiter-Saturn flyby spacecraft are analyzed. The transfer functions of the most important parts of a simplified frequency loop used for test simulation are described and ten simulation cases are reported. The first four of these cases illustrate the method of selecting the most suitable transfer function for the hysteresis synchronous motor, while the rest verify and determine the servo performance parameters and alternative servo compensation schemes. It is concluded that the linear methods provide a starting point for the final verification/refinement of servo design by nonlinear time response simulation and that the variation of the parameters of the static/dynamic Coulomb friction is as expected in a long-life space mission environment.

Multi-canister overpack project - verification and validation, MCNP 4A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldmann, L.H.

1997-01-01

This supporting document contains the software verification and validation (V and V) package used for Phase 2 design of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Multi-Canister Overpack. V and V packages for both ANSYS and MCNP are included. Description of Verification Run(s): This software requires that it be compiled specifically for the machine it is to be used on. Therefore to facilitate ease in the verification process the software automatically runs 25 sample problems to ensure proper installation and compilation. Once the runs are completed the software checks for verification by performing a file comparison on the new output file and the old output file. Any differences between any of the files will cause a verification error. Due to the manner in which the verification is completed a verification error does not necessarily indicate a problem. This indicates that a closer look at the output files is needed to determine the cause of the error

CFD code verification and the method of manufactured solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pelletier, D.; Roache, P.J.

2002-01-01

This paper presents the Method of Manufactured Solutions (MMS) for CFD code verification. The MMS provides benchmark solutions for direct evaluation of the solution error. The best benchmarks are exact analytical solutions with sufficiently complex solution structure to ensure that all terms of the differential equations are exercised in the simulation. The MMS provides a straight forward and general procedure for generating such solutions. When used with systematic grid refinement studies, which are remarkably sensitive, the MMS provides strong code verification with a theorem-like quality. The MMS is first presented on simple 1-D examples. Manufactured solutions for more complex problems are then presented with sample results from grid convergence studies. (author)

Study on the role of the United Nations in the field of verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The present report has been prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 43/81 B. The Group of Governmental Experts, while taking fully into account the mandate of the resolution, that is, to prepare a study that addresses the role of the United Nations in the field of verification of arms limitation and disarmament, has also taken into consideration approaches, methods, procedures and techniques relating to other arrangements in the area of international peace and security which might otherwise be useful to the process of verification of arms limitation and disarmament agreements. A selected bibliography on technical aspects of verification is given. However, materials published in languages other than English are not adequately reflected. Refs

Online monitoring for proton therapy: A real-time procedure using a planar PET system

Science.gov (United States)

Kraan, A. C.; Battistoni, G.; Belcari, N.; Camarlinghi, N.; Ciocca, M.; Ferrari, A.; Ferretti, S.; Mairani, A.; Molinelli, S.; Pullia, M.; Sala, P.; Sportelli, G.; Del Guerra, A.; Rosso, V.

2015-06-01

In this study a procedure for range verification in proton therapy by means of a planar in-beam PET system is presented. The procedure consists of two steps: the measurement of the β+-activity induced in the irradiated body by the proton beam and the comparison of these distributions with simulations. The experimental data taking was performed at the CNAO center in Pavia, Italy, irradiating plastic phantoms. For two different cases we demonstrate how a real-time feedback of the delivered treatment plan can be obtained with in-beam PET imaging.

Online monitoring for proton therapy: A real-time procedure using a planar PET system

CERN Document Server

Kraan, A C; Belcari, N; Camarlinghi, N; Ciocca, M; Ferrari, A; Ferretti, S; Mairani, A; Molinelli, S; Pullia, M; Sala, P; Sportelli, G; Del Guerra, A; Rosso, V

2015-01-01

In this study a procedure for range verification in proton therapy by means of a planar in-beam PET system is presented. The procedure consists of two steps: the measurement of the β+-activity induced in the irradiated body by the proton beam and the comparison of these distributions with simulations. The experimental data taking was performed at the CNAO center in Pavia, Italy, irradiating plastic phantoms. For two different cases we demonstrate how a real-time feedback of the delivered treatment plan can be obtained with in-beam PET imaging.

Environmental Technology Verification Report for Abraxis Ecologenia® 17β-Estradiol (E2) Microplate Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Test Kits

Science.gov (United States)

This verification test was conducted according to procedures specifiedin the Test/QA Planfor Verification of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) Test Kis for the Quantitative Determination of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) in Aqueous Phase Samples. Deviations to the...

Very fast road database verification using textured 3D city models obtained from airborne imagery

Science.gov (United States)

Bulatov, Dimitri; Ziems, Marcel; Rottensteiner, Franz; Pohl, Melanie

2014-10-01

Road databases are known to be an important part of any geodata infrastructure, e.g. as the basis for urban planning or emergency services. Updating road databases for crisis events must be performed quickly and with the highest possible degree of automation. We present a semi-automatic algorithm for road verification using textured 3D city models, starting from aerial or even UAV-images. This algorithm contains two processes, which exchange input and output, but basically run independently from each other. These processes are textured urban terrain reconstruction and road verification. The first process contains a dense photogrammetric reconstruction of 3D geometry of the scene using depth maps. The second process is our core procedure, since it contains various methods for road verification. Each method represents a unique road model and a specific strategy, and thus is able to deal with a specific type of roads. Each method is designed to provide two probability distributions, where the first describes the state of a road object (correct, incorrect), and the second describes the state of its underlying road model (applicable, not applicable). Based on the Dempster-Shafer Theory, both distributions are mapped to a single distribution that refers to three states: correct, incorrect, and unknown. With respect to the interaction of both processes, the normalized elevation map and the digital orthophoto generated during 3D reconstruction are the necessary input - together with initial road database entries - for the road verification process. If the entries of the database are too obsolete or not available at all, sensor data evaluation enables classification of the road pixels of the elevation map followed by road map extraction by means of vectorization and filtering of the geometrically and topologically inconsistent objects. Depending on the time issue and availability of a geo-database for buildings, the urban terrain reconstruction procedure has semantic models

Procedure for field axes measurement, beam indication adjustment, and figure of convergence determination within performance tests for radiation therapy equipment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quast, U; Krause, K; Rassow, J [Essen Univ. (Gesamthochschule) (Germany, F.R.). Abt. fuer Klinische Strahlenphysik

1976-09-01

A routine measuring procedure for the verification of radiation field axes and figure of convergence within a spatial resolution of +- 0.5 mm is described. Measurements are done in two parallel planes in a certain distance before and behind the presumed isocentre. The used test arrangement permits rapid check and controlled adjustment of the alignment of beam or isocentre indicating devices for all isocentric radiation therapy equipment.

Calibration of laboratory equipment and its intermediate verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remedi, Jorge O.

2011-01-01

When a laboratory wants to prove that he has technical competence to carry out tests or calibrations must demonstrate that it has complied with certain requirements that establish , among others, the mandatory : calibrate or verify equipment before putting it into service in order to ensure that it meets to the specifications of laboratory equipment to keep records evidencing the checks that equipment complies with the specification ; perform intermediate checks for maintain confidence in the calibration status of the equipment , ensure that the operation is checked and calibration status of equipment when the equipment goes outside the direct control of the laboratory , before be returned to service, establish a program and procedure for the calibration of equipment; show how determined the calibration periods of their equipment as well as evidence that intermediate checks are suitable for the calibration periods. However, some confusion is observed as to the meaning of the terms 'calibration' and 'verification' of a computer. This paper analyzes applicable documentation and suggests that the differences are generated in part by translations and by characterization concepts upon its usage, that is, if it is legal metrology or assessment conformity. Therefore, this study aims to characterize both concepts , fundamentals to zoom distinguish , outline appropriate strategies for calibration and verification activities to ensure the compliance with regulatory requirements [es

Experimental quantum verification in the presence of temporally correlated noise

Science.gov (United States)

Mavadia, S.; Edmunds, C. L.; Hempel, C.; Ball, H.; Roy, F.; Stace, T. M.; Biercuk, M. J.

2018-02-01

Growth in the capabilities of quantum information hardware mandates access to techniques for performance verification that function under realistic laboratory conditions. Here we experimentally characterise the impact of common temporally correlated noise processes on both randomised benchmarking (RB) and gate-set tomography (GST). Our analysis highlights the role of sequence structure in enhancing or suppressing the sensitivity of quantum verification protocols to either slowly or rapidly varying noise, which we treat in the limiting cases of quasi-DC miscalibration and white noise power spectra. We perform experiments with a single trapped 171Yb+ ion-qubit and inject engineered noise (" separators="∝σ^ z ) to probe protocol performance. Experiments on RB validate predictions that measured fidelities over sequences are described by a gamma distribution varying between approximately Gaussian, and a broad, highly skewed distribution for rapidly and slowly varying noise, respectively. Similarly we find a strong gate set dependence of default experimental GST procedures in the presence of correlated errors, leading to significant deviations between estimated and calculated diamond distances in the presence of correlated σ^ z errors. Numerical simulations demonstrate that expansion of the gate set to include negative rotations can suppress these discrepancies and increase reported diamond distances by orders of magnitude for the same error processes. Similar effects do not occur for correlated σ^ x or σ^ y errors or depolarising noise processes, highlighting the impact of the critical interplay of selected gate set and the gauge optimisation process on the meaning of the reported diamond norm in correlated noise environments.

Standard Verification System Lite (SVS Lite)

Data.gov (United States)

Social Security Administration — SVS Lite is a mainframe program used exclusively by the Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to perform batch SSN verifications. This process is exactly the...

ON-LINE MONITORING OF I&C TRANSMITTERS AND SENSORS FOR CALIBRATION VERIFICATION AND RESPONSE TIME TESTING WAS SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENTED AT ATR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erickson, Phillip A.; O' Hagan, Ryan; Shumaker, Brent; Hashemian, H. M.

2017-03-01

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) has always had a comprehensive procedure to verify the performance of its critical transmitters and sensors, including RTDs, and pressure, level, and flow transmitters. These transmitters and sensors have been periodically tested for response time and calibration verification to ensure accuracy. With implementation of online monitoring techniques at ATR, the calibration verification and response time testing of these transmitters and sensors are verified remotely, automatically, hands off, include more portions of the system, and can be performed at almost any time during process operations. The work was done under a DOE funded SBIR project carried out by AMS. As a result, ATR is now able to save the manpower that has been spent over the years on manual calibration verification and response time testing of its temperature and pressure sensors and refocus those resources towards more equipment reliability needs. More importantly, implementation of OLM will help enhance the overall availability, safety, and efficiency. Together with equipment reliability programs of ATR, the integration of OLM will also help with I&C aging management goals of the Department of Energy and long-time operation of ATR.

Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Waste Integrated Performance and Safety Codes (NEAMS Waste IPSC) verification and validation plan. version 1.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartlett, Roscoe Ainsworth; Arguello, Jose Guadalupe, Jr.; Urbina, Angel; Bouchard, Julie F.; Edwards, Harold Carter; Freeze, Geoffrey A.; Knupp, Patrick Michael; Wang, Yifeng; Schultz, Peter Andrew; Howard, Robert (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN); McCornack, Marjorie Turner

2011-01-01

The objective of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation Waste Integrated Performance and Safety Codes (NEAMS Waste IPSC) is to provide an integrated suite of computational modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities to quantitatively assess the long-term performance of waste forms in the engineered and geologic environments of a radioactive-waste storage facility or disposal repository. To meet this objective, NEAMS Waste IPSC M&S capabilities will be applied to challenging spatial domains, temporal domains, multiphysics couplings, and multiscale couplings. A strategic verification and validation (V&V) goal is to establish evidence-based metrics for the level of confidence in M&S codes and capabilities. Because it is economically impractical to apply the maximum V&V rigor to each and every M&S capability, M&S capabilities will be ranked for their impact on the performance assessments of various components of the repository systems. Those M&S capabilities with greater impact will require a greater level of confidence and a correspondingly greater investment in V&V. This report includes five major components: (1) a background summary of the NEAMS Waste IPSC to emphasize M&S challenges; (2) the conceptual foundation for verification, validation, and confidence assessment of NEAMS Waste IPSC M&S capabilities; (3) specifications for the planned verification, validation, and confidence-assessment practices; (4) specifications for the planned evidence information management system; and (5) a path forward for the incremental implementation of this V&V plan.

Dosimetric pre-treatment verification of IMRT using an EPID; clinical experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zijtveld, Mathilda van; Dirkx, Maarten L.P.; Boer, Hans C.J. de; Heijmen, Ben J.M.

2006-01-01

Background and purpose: In our clinic a QA program for IMRT verification, fully based on dosimetric measurements with electronic portal imaging devices (EPID), has been running for over 3 years. The program includes a pre-treatment dosimetric check of all IMRT fields. During a complete treatment simulation at the linac, a portal dose image (PDI) is acquired with the EPID for each patient field and compared with a predicted PDI. In this paper, the results of this pre-treatment procedure are analysed, and intercepted errors are reported. An automated image analysis procedure is proposed to limit the number of fields that need human intervention in PDI comparison. Materials and methods: Most of our analyses are performed using the γ index with 3% local dose difference and 3 mm distance to agreement as reference values. Scalar parameters are derived from the γ values to summarize the agreement between measured and predicted 2D PDIs. Areas with all pixels having γ values larger than one are evaluated, making decisions based on clinically relevant criteria more straightforward. Results: In 270 patients, the pre-treatment checks revealed four clinically relevant errors. Calculation of statistics for a group of 75 patients showed that the patient-averaged mean γ value inside the field was 0.43 ± 0.13 (1 SD) and only 6.1 ± 6.8% of pixels had a γ value larger than one. With the proposed automated image analysis scheme, visual inspection of images can be avoided in 2/3 of the cases. Conclusion: EPIDs may be used for high accuracy and high resolution routine verification of IMRT fields to intercept clinically relevant dosimetric errors prior to the start of treatment. For the majority of fields, PDI comparison can fully rely on an automated procedure, avoiding excessive workload

46 CFR 2.75-70 - Welding procedure and performance qualifications.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Welding procedure and performance qualifications. 2.75... for Construction Personnel § 2.75-70 Welding procedure and performance qualifications. (a) Welding... requirements for the welding of pressure piping, boilers, pressure vessels, and nonpressure vessel type tanks...

Procedure for estimating permanent total enclosure costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukey, M.E.; Prasad, C.; Toothman, D.A.; Kaplan, N.

1999-07-01

Industries that use add-on control devices must adequately capture emissions before delivering them to the control device. One way to capture emissions is to use permanent total enclosures (PTEs). By definition, an enclosure which meets the US Environmental Protection Agency's five-point criteria is a PTE and has a capture efficiency of 100%. Since costs play an important role in regulatory development, in selection of control equipment, and in control technology evaluations for permitting purposes, EPA has developed a Control Cost Manual for estimating costs of various items of control equipment. EPA's Manual does not contain any methodology for estimating PTE costs. In order to assist environmental regulators and potential users of PTEs, a methodology for estimating PTE costs was developed under contract with EPA, by Pacific Environmental Services, Inc. (PES) and is the subject of this paper. The methodology for estimating PTE costs follows the approach used for other control devices in the Manual. It includes procedures for sizing various components of a PTE and for estimating capital as well as annual costs. It contains verification procedures for demonstrating compliance with EPA's five-point criteria. In addition, procedures are included to determine compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Meeting these standards is an important factor in properly designing PTEs. The methodology is encoded in Microsoft Exel spreadsheets to facilitate cost estimation and PTE verification. Examples are given throughout the methodology development and in the spreadsheets to illustrate the PTE design, verification, and cost estimation procedures.

Procedure for estimating permanent total enclosure costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukey, M E; Prasad, C; Toothman, D A; Kaplan, N

1999-07-01

Industries that use add-on control devices must adequately capture emissions before delivering them to the control device. One way to capture emissions is to use permanent total enclosures (PTEs). By definition, an enclosure which meets the US Environmental Protection Agency's five-point criteria is a PTE and has a capture efficiency of 100%. Since costs play an important role in regulatory development, in selection of control equipment, and in control technology evaluations for permitting purposes, EPA has developed a Control Cost Manual for estimating costs of various items of control equipment. EPA's Manual does not contain any methodology for estimating PTE costs. In order to assist environmental regulators and potential users of PTEs, a methodology for estimating PTE costs was developed under contract with EPA, by Pacific Environmental Services, Inc. (PES) and is the subject of this paper. The methodology for estimating PTE costs follows the approach used for other control devices in the Manual. It includes procedures for sizing various components of a PTE and for estimating capital as well as annual costs. It contains verification procedures for demonstrating compliance with EPA's five-point criteria. In addition, procedures are included to determine compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Meeting these standards is an important factor in properly designing PTEs. The methodology is encoded in Microsoft Exel spreadsheets to facilitate cost estimation and PTE verification. Examples are given throughout the methodology development and in the spreadsheets to illustrate the PTE design, verification, and cost estimation procedures.

Multilateral disarmament verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persbo, A.

2013-01-01

Non-governmental organisations, such as VERTIC (Verification Research, Training and Information Centre), can play an important role in the promotion of multilateral verification. Parties involved in negotiating nuclear arms accords are for the most part keen that such agreements include suitable and robust provisions for monitoring and verification. Generally progress in multilateral arms control verification is often painstakingly slow, but from time to time 'windows of opportunity' - that is, moments where ideas, technical feasibility and political interests are aligned at both domestic and international levels - may occur and we have to be ready, so the preparatory work is very important. In the context of nuclear disarmament, verification (whether bilateral or multilateral) entails an array of challenges, hurdles and potential pitfalls relating to national security, health, safety and even non-proliferation, so preparatory work is complex and time-greedy. A UK-Norway Initiative was established in order to investigate the role that a non-nuclear-weapon state such as Norway could potentially play in the field of nuclear arms control verification. (A.C.)

Numerical verification of equilibrium chemistry software within nuclear fuel performance codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piro, M.H.; Lewis, B.J.; Thompson, W.T.; Simunovic, S.; Besmann, T.M.

2010-01-01

A numerical tool is in an advanced state of development to compute the equilibrium compositions of phases and their proportions in multi-component systems of importance to the nuclear industry. The resulting software is being conceived for direct integration into large multi-physics fuel performance codes, particularly for providing transport source terms, material properties, and boundary conditions in heat and mass transport modules. Consequently, any numerical errors produced in equilibrium chemistry computations will be propagated in subsequent heat and mass transport calculations, thus falsely predicting nuclear fuel behaviour. The necessity for a reliable method to numerically verify chemical equilibrium computations is emphasized by the requirement to handle the very large number of elements necessary to capture the entire fission product inventory. A simple, reliable and comprehensive numerical verification method called the Gibbs Criteria is presented which can be invoked by any equilibrium chemistry solver for quality assurance purposes. (author)

Generalized procedures for determining inspection sample sizes (related to quantitative measurements). Vol. 1: Detailed explanations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaech, J.L.; Lemaire, R.J.

1986-11-01

Generalized procedures have been developed to determine sample sizes in connection with the planning of inspection activities. These procedures are based on different measurement methods. They are applied mainly to Bulk Handling Facilities and Physical Inventory Verifications. The present report attempts (i) to assign to appropriate statistical testers (viz. testers for gross, partial and small defects) the measurement methods to be used, and (ii) to associate the measurement uncertainties with the sample sizes required for verification. Working papers are also provided to assist in the application of the procedures. This volume contains the detailed explanations concerning the above mentioned procedures

Integrated knowledge base tool for acquisition and verification of NPP alarm systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Joo Hyun; Seong, Poong Hyun

1998-01-01

Knowledge acquisition and knowledge base verification are important activities in developing knowledge-based systems such as alarm processing systems. In this work, we developed the integrated tool, for knowledge acquisition and verification of NPP alarm processing systems, by using G2 tool. The tool integrates document analysis method and ECPN matrix analysis method, for knowledge acquisition and knowledge verification, respectively. This tool enables knowledge engineers to perform their tasks from knowledge acquisition to knowledge verification consistently

Cognition and procedure representational requirements for predictive human performance models

Science.gov (United States)

Corker, K.

1992-01-01

Models and modeling environments for human performance are becoming significant contributors to early system design and analysis procedures. Issues of levels of automation, physical environment, informational environment, and manning requirements are being addressed by such man/machine analysis systems. The research reported here investigates the close interaction between models of human cognition and models that described procedural performance. We describe a methodology for the decomposition of aircrew procedures that supports interaction with models of cognition on the basis of procedures observed; that serves to identify cockpit/avionics information sources and crew information requirements; and that provides the structure to support methods for function allocation among crew and aiding systems. Our approach is to develop an object-oriented, modular, executable software representation of the aircrew, the aircraft, and the procedures necessary to satisfy flight-phase goals. We then encode in a time-based language, taxonomies of the conceptual, relational, and procedural constraints among the cockpit avionics and control system and the aircrew. We have designed and implemented a goals/procedures hierarchic representation sufficient to describe procedural flow in the cockpit. We then execute the procedural representation in simulation software and calculate the values of the flight instruments, aircraft state variables and crew resources using the constraints available from the relationship taxonomies. The system provides a flexible, extensible, manipulative and executable representation of aircrew and procedures that is generally applicable to crew/procedure task-analysis. The representation supports developed methods of intent inference, and is extensible to include issues of information requirements and functional allocation. We are attempting to link the procedural representation to models of cognitive functions to establish several intent inference methods

Verification of a CT scanner using a miniature step gauge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cantatore, Angela; Andreasen, J.L.; Carmignato, S.

2011-01-01

The work deals with performance verification of a CT scanner using a 42mm miniature replica step gauge developed for optical scanner verification. Errors quantification and optimization of CT system set-up in terms of resolution and measurement accuracy are fundamental for use of CT scanning...

Embedded software verification and debugging

CERN Document Server

Winterholer, Markus

2017-01-01

This book provides comprehensive coverage of verification and debugging techniques for embedded software, which is frequently used in safety critical applications (e.g., automotive), where failures are unacceptable. Since the verification of complex systems needs to encompass the verification of both hardware and embedded software modules, this book focuses on verification and debugging approaches for embedded software with hardware dependencies. Coverage includes the entire flow of design, verification and debugging of embedded software and all key approaches to debugging, dynamic, static, and hybrid verification. This book discusses the current, industrial embedded software verification flow, as well as emerging trends with focus on formal and hybrid verification and debugging approaches. Includes in a single source the entire flow of design, verification and debugging of embedded software; Addresses the main techniques that are currently being used in the industry for assuring the quality of embedded softw...

Software verification for nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilburn, N.P.

1985-08-01

Why verification of software products throughout the software life cycle is necessary is considered. Concepts of verification, software verification planning, and some verification methodologies for products generated throughout the software life cycle are then discussed

The design of verification regimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallagher, N.W.

1991-01-01

Verification of a nuclear agreement requires more than knowledge of relevant technologies and institutional arrangements. It also demands thorough understanding of the nature of verification and the politics of verification design. Arms control efforts have been stymied in the past because key players agreed to verification in principle, only to disagree radically over verification in practice. In this chapter, it is shown that the success and stability of arms control endeavors can be undermined by verification designs which promote unilateral rather than cooperative approaches to security, and which may reduce, rather than enhance, the security of both sides. Drawing on logical analysis and practical lessons from previous superpower verification experience, this chapter summarizes the logic and politics of verification and suggests implications for South Asia. The discussion begins by determining what properties all forms of verification have in common, regardless of the participants or the substance and form of their agreement. Viewing verification as the political process of making decisions regarding the occurrence of cooperation points to four critical components: (1) determination of principles, (2) information gathering, (3) analysis and (4) projection. It is shown that verification arrangements differ primarily in regards to how effectively and by whom these four stages are carried out

Automatic Verification of Railway Interlocking Systems: A Case Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Jakob Lyng

1998-01-01

This paper presents experiences in applying formal verification to a large industrial piece of software. The are of application is railway interlocking systems. We try to prove requirements of the program controlling the Swedish railway Station Alingsås by using the decision procedure which...... express thoughts on what is needed in order to be able to successfully verify large real-life systems....

RISKIND verification and benchmark comparisons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biwer, B.M.; Arnish, J.J.; Chen, S.Y.; Kamboj, S.

1997-08-01

This report presents verification calculations and benchmark comparisons for RISKIND, a computer code designed to estimate potential radiological consequences and health risks to individuals and the population from exposures associated with the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials. Spreadsheet calculations were performed to verify the proper operation of the major options and calculational steps in RISKIND. The program is unique in that it combines a variety of well-established models into a comprehensive treatment for assessing risks from the transportation of radioactive materials. Benchmark comparisons with other validated codes that incorporate similar models were also performed. For instance, the external gamma and neutron dose rate curves for a shipping package estimated by RISKIND were compared with those estimated by using the RADTRAN 4 code and NUREG-0170 methodology. Atmospheric dispersion of released material and dose estimates from the GENII and CAP88-PC codes. Verification results have shown the program to be performing its intended function correctly. The benchmark results indicate that the predictions made by RISKIND are within acceptable limits when compared with predictions from similar existing models.

RISKIND verification and benchmark comparisons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biwer, B.M.; Arnish, J.J.; Chen, S.Y.; Kamboj, S.

1997-08-01

This report presents verification calculations and benchmark comparisons for RISKIND, a computer code designed to estimate potential radiological consequences and health risks to individuals and the population from exposures associated with the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive materials. Spreadsheet calculations were performed to verify the proper operation of the major options and calculational steps in RISKIND. The program is unique in that it combines a variety of well-established models into a comprehensive treatment for assessing risks from the transportation of radioactive materials. Benchmark comparisons with other validated codes that incorporate similar models were also performed. For instance, the external gamma and neutron dose rate curves for a shipping package estimated by RISKIND were compared with those estimated by using the RADTRAN 4 code and NUREG-0170 methodology. Atmospheric dispersion of released material and dose estimates from the GENII and CAP88-PC codes. Verification results have shown the program to be performing its intended function correctly. The benchmark results indicate that the predictions made by RISKIND are within acceptable limits when compared with predictions from similar existing models

Mathematical calibration procedure of a capacitive sensor-based indexed metrology platform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brau-Avila, A; Valenzuela-Galvan, M; Herrera-Jimenez, V M; Santolaria, J; Aguilar, J J; Acero, R

2017-01-01

The demand for faster and more reliable measuring tasks for the control and quality assurance of modern production systems has created new challenges for the field of coordinate metrology. Thus, the search for new solutions in coordinate metrology systems and the need for the development of existing ones still persists. One example of such a system is the portable coordinate measuring machine (PCMM), the use of which in industry has considerably increased in recent years, mostly due to its flexibility for accomplishing in-line measuring tasks as well as its reduced cost and operational advantages compared to traditional coordinate measuring machines. Nevertheless, PCMMs have a significant drawback derived from the techniques applied in the verification and optimization procedures of their kinematic parameters. These techniques are based on the capture of data with the measuring instrument from a calibrated gauge object, fixed successively in various positions so that most of the instrument measuring volume is covered, which results in time-consuming, tedious and expensive verification and optimization procedures. In this work the mathematical calibration procedure of a capacitive sensor-based indexed metrology platform (IMP) is presented. This calibration procedure is based on the readings and geometric features of six capacitive sensors and their targets with nanometer resolution. The final goal of the IMP calibration procedure is to optimize the geometric features of the capacitive sensors and their targets in order to use the optimized data in the verification procedures of PCMMs. (paper)

Mathematical calibration procedure of a capacitive sensor-based indexed metrology platform

Science.gov (United States)

Brau-Avila, A.; Santolaria, J.; Acero, R.; Valenzuela-Galvan, M.; Herrera-Jimenez, V. M.; Aguilar, J. J.

2017-03-01

The demand for faster and more reliable measuring tasks for the control and quality assurance of modern production systems has created new challenges for the field of coordinate metrology. Thus, the search for new solutions in coordinate metrology systems and the need for the development of existing ones still persists. One example of such a system is the portable coordinate measuring machine (PCMM), the use of which in industry has considerably increased in recent years, mostly due to its flexibility for accomplishing in-line measuring tasks as well as its reduced cost and operational advantages compared to traditional coordinate measuring machines. Nevertheless, PCMMs have a significant drawback derived from the techniques applied in the verification and optimization procedures of their kinematic parameters. These techniques are based on the capture of data with the measuring instrument from a calibrated gauge object, fixed successively in various positions so that most of the instrument measuring volume is covered, which results in time-consuming, tedious and expensive verification and optimization procedures. In this work the mathematical calibration procedure of a capacitive sensor-based indexed metrology platform (IMP) is presented. This calibration procedure is based on the readings and geometric features of six capacitive sensors and their targets with nanometer resolution. The final goal of the IMP calibration procedure is to optimize the geometric features of the capacitive sensors and their targets in order to use the optimized data in the verification procedures of PCMMs.

The verification basis of the PM-ALPHA code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Theofanous, T.G.; Yuen, W.W.; Angelini, S. [California Univ., Santa Barbara, CA (United States). Center for Risk Studies and Safety

1998-01-01

An overall verification approach for the PM-ALPHA code is presented and implemented. The approach consists of a stepwise testing procedure focused principally on the multifield aspects of the premixing phenomenon. Breakup is treated empirically, but it is shown that, through reasonable choices of the breakup parameters, consistent interpretations of existing integral premixing experiments can be obtained. The present capability is deemed adequate for bounding energetics evaluations. (author)

Improved verification methods for safeguards verifications at enrichment plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebrun, A.; Kane, S. C.; Bourva, L.; Poirier, S.; Loghin, N. E.; Langlands, D.

2009-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has initiated a coordinated research and development programme to improve its verification methods and equipment applicable to enrichment plants. The programme entails several individual projects to meet the objectives of the IAEA Safeguards Model Approach for Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants updated in 2006. Upgrades of verification methods to confirm the absence of HEU (highly enriched uranium) production have been initiated and, in particular, the Cascade Header Enrichment Monitor (CHEM) has been redesigned to reduce its weight and incorporate an electrically cooled germanium detector. Such detectors are also introduced to improve the attended verification of UF 6 cylinders for the verification of the material balance. Data sharing of authenticated operator weighing systems such as accountancy scales and process load cells is also investigated as a cost efficient and an effective safeguards measure combined with unannounced inspections, surveillance and non-destructive assay (NDA) measurement. (authors)

Improved verification methods for safeguards verifications at enrichment plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lebrun, A.; Kane, S. C.; Bourva, L.; Poirier, S.; Loghin, N. E.; Langlands, D. [Department of Safeguards, International Atomic Energy Agency, Wagramer Strasse 5, A1400 Vienna (Austria)

2009-07-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has initiated a coordinated research and development programme to improve its verification methods and equipment applicable to enrichment plants. The programme entails several individual projects to meet the objectives of the IAEA Safeguards Model Approach for Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants updated in 2006. Upgrades of verification methods to confirm the absence of HEU (highly enriched uranium) production have been initiated and, in particular, the Cascade Header Enrichment Monitor (CHEM) has been redesigned to reduce its weight and incorporate an electrically cooled germanium detector. Such detectors are also introduced to improve the attended verification of UF{sub 6} cylinders for the verification of the material balance. Data sharing of authenticated operator weighing systems such as accountancy scales and process load cells is also investigated as a cost efficient and an effective safeguards measure combined with unannounced inspections, surveillance and non-destructive assay (NDA) measurement. (authors)

Verification test for on-line diagnosis algorithm based on noise analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamaoki, T.; Naito, N.; Tsunoda, T.; Sato, M.; Kameda, A.

1980-01-01

An on-line diagnosis algorithm was developed and its verification test was performed using a minicomputer. This algorithm identifies the plant state by analyzing various system noise patterns, such as power spectral densities, coherence functions etc., in three procedure steps. Each obtained noise pattern is examined by using the distances from its reference patterns prepared for various plant states. Then, the plant state is identified by synthesizing each result with an evaluation weight. This weight is determined automatically from the reference noise patterns prior to on-line diagnosis. The test was performed with 50 MW (th) Steam Generator noise data recorded under various controller parameter values. The algorithm performance was evaluated based on a newly devised index. The results obtained with one kind of weight showed the algorithm efficiency under the proper selection of noise patterns. Results for another kind of weight showed the robustness of the algorithm to this selection. (orig.)

Verification in Referral-Based Crowdsourcing

Science.gov (United States)

Naroditskiy, Victor; Rahwan, Iyad; Cebrian, Manuel; Jennings, Nicholas R.

2012-01-01

Online social networks offer unprecedented potential for rallying a large number of people to accomplish a given task. Here we focus on information gathering tasks where rare information is sought through “referral-based crowdsourcing”: the information request is propagated recursively through invitations among members of a social network. Whereas previous work analyzed incentives for the referral process in a setting with only correct reports, misreporting is known to be both pervasive in crowdsourcing applications, and difficult/costly to filter out. A motivating example for our work is the DARPA Red Balloon Challenge where the level of misreporting was very high. In order to undertake a formal study of verification, we introduce a model where agents can exert costly effort to perform verification and false reports can be penalized. This is the first model of verification and it provides many directions for future research, which we point out. Our main theoretical result is the compensation scheme that minimizes the cost of retrieving the correct answer. Notably, this optimal compensation scheme coincides with the winning strategy of the Red Balloon Challenge. PMID:23071530

Interpolant tree automata and their application in Horn clause verification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kafle, Bishoksan; Gallagher, John Patrick

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the combination of abstract interpretation over the domain of convex polyhedra with interpolant tree automata, in an abstraction-refinement scheme for Horn clause verification. These techniques have been previously applied separately, but are combined in a new way in this ......This paper investigates the combination of abstract interpretation over the domain of convex polyhedra with interpolant tree automata, in an abstraction-refinement scheme for Horn clause verification. These techniques have been previously applied separately, but are combined in a new way...... clause verification problems indicates that the combination of interpolant tree automaton with abstract interpretation gives some increase in the power of the verification tool, while sometimes incurring a performance overhead....

Physics Verification Overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doebling, Scott William [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-09-12

The purpose of the verification project is to establish, through rigorous convergence analysis, that each ASC computational physics code correctly implements a set of physics models and algorithms (code verification); Evaluate and analyze the uncertainties of code outputs associated with the choice of temporal and spatial discretization (solution or calculation verification); and Develop and maintain the capability to expand and update these analyses on demand. This presentation describes project milestones.

Complex-Wide Waste Flow Analysis V1.0 verification and validation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, K.M.; Lundeen, A.S.; Oswald, K.B.; Shropshire, D.E.; Robinson, J.M.; West, W.H.

1997-01-01

The complex-wide waste flow analysis model (CWWFA) was developed to assist the Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) Office of Science and Technology (EM-50) to evaluate waste management scenarios with emphasis on identifying and prioritizing technology development opportunities to reduce waste flows and public risk. In addition, the model was intended to support the needs of the Complex-Wide Environmental Integration (EMI) team supporting the DOE's Accelerating Cleanup: 2006 Plan. CWWFA represents an integrated environmental modeling system that covers the life cycle of waste management activities including waste generation, interim process storage, retrieval, characterization and sorting, waste preparation and processing, packaging, final interim storage, transport, and disposal at a final repository. The CWWFA shows waste flows through actual site-specific and facility-specific conditions. The system requirements for CWWFA are documented in the Technical Requirements Document (TRD). The TRD is intended to be a living document that will be modified over the course of the execution of CWWFA development. Thus, it is anticipated that CWWFA will continue to evolve as new requirements are identified (i.e., transportation, small sites, new streams, etc.). This report provides a documented basis for system verification of CWWFA requirements. System verification is accomplished through formal testing and evaluation to ensure that all performance requirements as specified in the TRD have been satisfied. A Requirement Verification Matrix (RVM) was used to map the technical requirements to the test procedures. The RVM is attached as Appendix A. Since February of 1997, substantial progress has been made toward development of the CWWFA to meet the system requirements. This system verification activity provides a baseline on system compliance to requirements and also an opportunity to reevaluate what requirements need to be satisfied in FY-98

Formal verification of complex properties on PLC programs

CERN Document Server

Darvas, D; Voros, A; Bartha, T; Blanco Vinuela, E; Gonzalez Suarez, V M

2014-01-01

Formal verification has become a recommended practice in the safety-critical application areas. However, due to the complexity of practical control and safety systems, the state space explosion often prevents the use of formal analysis. In this paper we extend our former verification methodology with effective property preserving reduction techniques. For this purpose we developed general rule-based reductions and a customized version of the Cone of Influence (COI) reduction. Using these methods, the verification of complex requirements formalised with temporal logics (e.g. CTL, LTL) can be orders of magnitude faster. We use the NuSMV model checker on a real-life PLC program from CERN to demonstrate the performance of our reduction techniques.

In-flight calibration and verification of the Planck-LFI instrument

OpenAIRE

Gregorio, Anna; Cuttaia, Francesco; Mennella, Aniello; Bersanelli, Marco; Maris, Michele; Meinhold, Peter; Sandri, Maura; Terenzi, Luca; Tomasi, Maurizio; Villa, Fabrizio; Frailis, Marco; Morgante, Gianluca; Pearson, Dave; Zacchei, Andrea; Battaglia, Paola

2013-01-01

In this paper we discuss the Planck-LFI in-flight calibration campaign. After a brief overview of the ground test campaigns, we describe in detail the calibration and performance verification (CPV) phase, carried out in space during and just after the cool-down of LFI. We discuss in detail the functionality verification, the tuning of the front-end and warm electronics, the preliminary performance assessment and the thermal susceptibility tests. The logic, sequence, goals and results of the i...

Film based verification of calculation algorithms used for brachytherapy planning-getting ready for upcoming challenges of MBDCA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grzegorz Zwierzchowski

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Well-known defect of TG-43 based algorithms used in brachytherapy is a lack of information about interaction cross-sections, which are determined not only by electron density but also by atomic number. TG-186 recommendations with using of MBDCA (model-based dose calculation algorithm, accurate tissues segmentation, and the structure’s elemental composition continue to create difficulties in brachytherapy dosimetry. For the clinical use of new algorithms, it is necessary to introduce reliable and repeatable methods of treatment planning systems (TPS verification. The aim of this study is the verification of calculation algorithm used in TPS for shielded vaginal applicators as well as developing verification procedures for current and further use, based on the film dosimetry method. Material and methods : Calibration data was collected by separately irradiating 14 sheets of Gafchromic® EBT films with the doses from 0.25 Gy to 8.0 Gy using HDR 192Ir source. Standard vaginal cylinders of three diameters were used in the water phantom. Measurements were performed without any shields and with three shields combination. Gamma analyses were performed using the VeriSoft® package. Results : Calibration curve was determined as third-degree polynomial type. For all used diameters of unshielded cylinder and for all shields combinations, Gamma analysis were performed and showed that over 90% of analyzed points meets Gamma criteria (3%, 3 mm. Conclusions : Gamma analysis showed good agreement between dose distributions calculated using TPS and measured by Gafchromic films, thus showing the viability of using film dosimetry in brachytherapy.

Seriacion: Un Procedimiento De Aprendizaje (Seriation: A Learning Procedure.)

Science.gov (United States)

Mejia, Mercedes; And Others

The development and application of a learning procedure for the seriation structure of children in the oscilatory state are described. The procedure was based on the structural genetic theory of learning. A study consisting of design and verification stages was carried out in Cali, Colombia. In the design stage six seriation treatments involving…

Verification and Validation of Tropospheric Model/Database

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Junho, choi

1998-01-01

A verification and validation of tropospheric models and databases has been performed based on ray tracing algorithm, statistical analysis, test on real time system operation, and other technical evaluation process...

The data requirements for the verification and validation of a fuel performance code - the transuranus perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schubert, A.; Di Marcello, V.; Rondinella, V.; Van De Laar, J.; Van Uffelen, P.

2013-01-01

In general, the verification and validation (V and V) of a fuel performance code like TRANSURANUS consists of three basic steps: a) verifying the correctness and numerical stability of the sub-models; b) comparing the sub-models with experimental data; c) comparing the results of the integral fuel performance code with experimental data Only the second and third steps of the V and V rely on experimental information. This scheme can be further detailed according to the physical origin of the data: on one hand, in-reactor ('in-pile') experimental data are generated in the course of the irradiation; on the other hand ex-reactor ('out-of-pile') experimental data are obtained for instance from various postirradiation examinations (PIE) or dedicated experiments with fresh samples. For both categories, we will first discuss the V and V of sub-models of TRANSURANUS related to separate aspects of the fuel behaviour: this includes the radial variation of the composition and fissile isotopes, the thermal properties of the fuel (e.g. thermal conductivity, melting temperature, etc.), the mechanical properties of fuel and cladding (e.g. elastic constants, creep properties), as well as the models for the fission product behaviour. Secondly, the integral code verification will be addressed as it treats various aspects of the fuel behaviour, including the geometrical changes in the fuel and the gas pressure and composition of the free volume in the rod. (authors)

Determination of Solution Accuracy of Numerical Schemes as Part of Code and Calculation Verification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blottner, F.G.; Lopez, A.R.

1998-10-01

This investigation is concerned with the accuracy of numerical schemes for solving partial differential equations used in science and engineering simulation codes. Richardson extrapolation methods for steady and unsteady problems with structured meshes are presented as part of the verification procedure to determine code and calculation accuracy. The local truncation error de- termination of a numerical difference scheme is shown to be a significant component of the veri- fication procedure as it determines the consistency of the numerical scheme, the order of the numerical scheme, and the restrictions on the mesh variation with a non-uniform mesh. Genera- tion of a series of co-located, refined meshes with the appropriate variation of mesh cell size is in- vestigated and is another important component of the verification procedure. The importance of mesh refinement studies is shown to be more significant than just a procedure to determine solu- tion accuracy. It is suggested that mesh refinement techniques can be developed to determine con- sistency of numerical schemes and to determine if governing equations are well posed. The present investigation provides further insight into the conditions and procedures required to effec- tively use Richardson extrapolation with mesh refinement studies to achieve confidence that sim- ulation codes are producing accurate numerical solutions.

Patients setup verification tool for RT (PSVTs): DRR, simulation, portal and digital images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Suk; Seong, Jin Sil; Chu, Sung Sil; Lee, Chang Geol; Suh, Chang Ok; Kwon, Soo Il

2003-01-01

To develop a patients' setup verification tool (PSVT) to verify the alignment of the machine and the target isocenters, and the reproducibility of patients' setup for three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) and intensity modulated radiotherapy (MRT). The utilization of this system is evaluated through phantom and patient case studies. We developed and clinically tested a new method for patients' setup verification, using digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR), simulation, portal and digital images. The PSVT system was networked to a Pentium PC for the transmission of the acquired images to the PC for analysis. To verify the alignment of the machine and target isocenters, orthogonal pairs of simulation images were used as verification images. Errors in the isocenter alignment were measured by comparing the verification images with DRR of CT images. Orthogonal films were taken of all the patients once a week. These verification films were compared with the DRR were used for the treatment setup. By performing this procedure every treatment, using humanoid phantom and patient cases, the errors of localization can be analyzed, with adjustments made from the translation. The reproducibility of the patients' setup was verified using portal and digital images. The PSVT system was developed to verify the alignment of the machine and the target isocenters, and the reproducibility of the patients' setup for 3DCRT and IMRT The results show that the localization errors are 0.8±0.2 mm (AP) and 1.0±0.3 mm (Lateral) in the cases relating to the brain and 1.1± 0.5 mm (AP) and 1.0±0.6 mm (Lateral) in the cases relating to the pelvis. The reproducibility of the patients' setup was verified by visualization, using real-time image acquisition, leading to the practical utilization of our software. A PSVT system was developed for the verification of the alignment between machine and the target isocenters, and the reproducibility of the patients' setup in 3DCRT and IMRT

Stepwise Procedure for Development and Validation of a Multipesticide Method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ambrus, A. [Hungarian Food Safety Office, Budapest (Hungary)

2009-07-15

The stepwise procedure for development and the validation of so called multi-pesticide methods are described. Principles, preliminary actions, criteria for the selection of chromatographic separation, detection and performance verification of multi-pesticide methods are outlined. Also the long term repeatability and reproducibility, as well as the necessity for the documentation of laboratory work are highlighted. Appendix I hereof describes in detail the calculation of calibration parameters, whereas Appendix II focuses on the calculation of the significance of differences of concentrations obtained on two different separation columns. (author)

Development and verification of the CATHENA GUI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chin, T.

2008-01-01

This paper presents the development and verification of a graphical user interface for CATHENA MOD-3.5d. The thermalhydraulic computer code CATHENA has been developed to simulate the physical behaviour of the hydraulic components in nuclear reactors and experimental facilities. A representation of the facility is developed as an ASCII text file and used by CATHENA to perform the simulation. The existing method of manual generation of idealizations of a physical system for performing thermal hydraulic analysis is complex, time-consuming and prone to errors. An overview is presented of the CATHENA GUI and its depiction of a CATHENA idealization through the manipulation of a visual collection of objects. The methodologies and rigour involved in the verification of the CATHENA GUI will be discussed. (author)

GRIMHX verification and validation action matrix summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trumble, E.F.

1991-12-01

WSRC-RP-90-026, Certification Plan for Reactor Analysis Computer Codes, describes a series of action items to be completed for certification of reactor analysis computer codes used in Technical Specifications development and for other safety and production support calculations. Validation and verification of the code is an integral part of this process. This document identifies the work performed and documentation generated to satisfy these action items for the Reactor Physics computer code GRIMHX. Each action item is discussed with the justification for its completion. Specific details of the work performed are not included in this document but are found in the references. The publication of this document signals the validation and verification effort for the GRIMHX code is completed

Impact of streamflow data assimilation and length of the verification period on the quality of short-term ensemble hydrologic forecasts

Science.gov (United States)

Randrianasolo, A.; Thirel, G.; Ramos, M. H.; Martin, E.

2014-11-01

Data assimilation has gained wide recognition in hydrologic forecasting due mainly to its capacity to improve the quality of short-term forecasts. In this study, a comparative analysis is conducted to assess the impact of discharge data assimilation on the quality of streamflow forecasts issued by two different modeling conceptualizations of catchment response. The sensitivity of the performance metrics to the length of the verification period is also investigated. The hydrological modeling approaches are: the coupled physically-based hydro-meteorological model SAFRAN-ISBA-MODCOU, a distributed model with a data assimilation procedure that uses streamflow measurements to assess the initial state of soil water content that optimizes discharge simulations, and the lumped soil moisture-accounting type rainfall-runoff model GRP, which assimilates directly the last observed discharge to update the state of the routing store. The models are driven by the weather ensemble prediction system PEARP of Météo-France, which is based on the global spectral ARPEGE model zoomed over France. It runs 11 perturbed members for a forecast range of 60 h. Forecast and observed data are available for 86 catchments over a 17-month period (March 2005-July 2006) for both models and for 82 catchments over a 52-month period (April 2005-July 2009) for the GRP model. The first dataset is used to investigate the impact of streamflow data assimilation on forecast quality, while the second is used to evaluate the impact of the length of the verification period on the assessment of forecast quality. Forecasts are compared to daily observed discharges and scores are computed for lead times 24 h and 48 h. Results indicate an overall good performance of both hydrological models forced by the PEARP ensemble predictions when the models are run with their data assimilation procedures. In general, when data assimilation is performed, the quality of the forecasts increases: median differences between

Verification and testing of the RTOS for safety-critical embedded systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Na Young [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jin Hyun; Choi, Jin Young [Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Sung, Ah Young; Choi, Byung Ju [Ewha Womans University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jang Soo [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2003-07-01

Development in Instrumentation and Control (I and C) technology provides more convenience and better performance, thus, adopted in many fields. To adopt newly developed technology, nuclear industry requires rigorous V and V procedure and tests to assure reliable operation. Adoption of digital system requires verification and testing of the OS for licensing. Commercial real-time operating system (RTOS) is targeted to apply to various, unpredictable needs, which makes it difficult to verify. For this reason, simple, application-oriented realtime OS is developed for the nuclear application. In this work, we show how to verify the developed RTOS at each development lifecycle. Commercial formal tool is used in specification and verification of the system. Based on the developed model, software in C language is automatically generated. Tests are performed for two purposes; one is to identify consistency between the verified model and the generated code, the other is to find errors in the generated code. The former assumes that the verified model is correct, and the latter incorrect. Test data are generated separately to satisfy each purpose. After we test the RTOS software, we implement the test board embedded with the developed RTOS and the application software, which simulates the safety critical plant protection function. Testing to identify whether the reliability criteria is satisfied or not is also designed in this work. It results in that the developed RTOS software works well when it is embedded in the system.

Verification and testing of the RTOS for safety-critical embedded systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Na Young; Kim, Jin Hyun; Choi, Jin Young; Sung, Ah Young; Choi, Byung Ju; Lee, Jang Soo

2003-01-01

Development in Instrumentation and Control (I and C) technology provides more convenience and better performance, thus, adopted in many fields. To adopt newly developed technology, nuclear industry requires rigorous V and V procedure and tests to assure reliable operation. Adoption of digital system requires verification and testing of the OS for licensing. Commercial real-time operating system (RTOS) is targeted to apply to various, unpredictable needs, which makes it difficult to verify. For this reason, simple, application-oriented realtime OS is developed for the nuclear application. In this work, we show how to verify the developed RTOS at each development lifecycle. Commercial formal tool is used in specification and verification of the system. Based on the developed model, software in C language is automatically generated. Tests are performed for two purposes; one is to identify consistency between the verified model and the generated code, the other is to find errors in the generated code. The former assumes that the verified model is correct, and the latter incorrect. Test data are generated separately to satisfy each purpose. After we test the RTOS software, we implement the test board embedded with the developed RTOS and the application software, which simulates the safety critical plant protection function. Testing to identify whether the reliability criteria is satisfied or not is also designed in this work. It results in that the developed RTOS software works well when it is embedded in the system

Verification of different forecasts of Hungarian Meteorological Service

Science.gov (United States)

Feher, B.

2009-09-01

In this paper I show the results of the forecasts made by the Hungarian Meteorological Service. I focus on the general short- and medium-range forecasts, which contains cloudiness, precipitation, wind speed and temperature for six regions of Hungary. I would like to show the results of some special forecasts as well, such as precipitation predictions which are made for the catchment area of Danube and Tisza rivers, and daily mean temperature predictions used by Hungarian energy companies. The product received by the user is made by the general forecaster, but these predictions are based on the ALADIN and ECMWF outputs. Because of these, the product of the forecaster and the models were also verified. Method like this is able to show us, which weather elements are more difficult to forecast or which regions have higher errors. During the verification procedure the basic errors (mean error, mean absolute error) are calculated. Precipitation amount is classified into five categories, and scores like POD, TS, PC,…etc. were defined by contingency table determined by these categories. The procedure runs fully automatically, all the things forecasters have to do is to print the daily result each morning. Beside the daily result, verification is also made for longer periods like week, month or year. Analyzing the results of longer periods we can say that the best predictions are made for the first few days, and precipitation forecasts are less good for mountainous areas, even, the scores of the forecasters sometimes are higher than the errors of the models. Since forecaster receive results next day, it can helps him/her to reduce mistakes and learn the weakness of the models. This paper contains the verification scores, their trends, the method by which these scores are calculated, and some case studies on worse forecasts.

Verification Testing of Air Pollution Control Technology Quality Management Plan Revision 2.3

Science.gov (United States)

The Air Pollution Control Technology Verification Center was established in 1995 as part of the EPA’s Environmental Technology Verification Program to accelerate the development and commercialization of improved environmental technologies’ performance.

49 CFR Appendix D to Part 236 - Independent Review of Verification and Validation

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... standards. (f) The reviewer shall analyze all Fault Tree Analyses (FTA), Failure Mode and Effects... for each product vulnerability cited by the reviewer; (4) Identification of any documentation or... not properly followed; (6) Identification of the software verification and validation procedures, as...

Land Surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) - A Generalized Framework for Land Surface Model Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Sujay V.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Santanello, Joseph; Harrison, Ken; Liu, Yuqiong; Shaw, Michael

2011-01-01

Model evaluation and verification are key in improving the usage and applicability of simulation models for real-world applications. In this article, the development and capabilities of a formal system for land surface model evaluation called the Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) is described. LVT is designed to provide an integrated environment for systematic land model evaluation and facilitates a range of verification approaches and analysis capabilities. LVT operates across multiple temporal and spatial scales and employs a large suite of in-situ, remotely sensed and other model and reanalysis datasets in their native formats. In addition to the traditional accuracy-based measures, LVT also includes uncertainty and ensemble diagnostics, information theory measures, spatial similarity metrics and scale decomposition techniques that provide novel ways for performing diagnostic model evaluations. Though LVT was originally designed to support the land surface modeling and data assimilation framework known as the Land Information System (LIS), it also supports hydrological data products from other, non-LIS environments. In addition, the analysis of diagnostics from various computational subsystems of LIS including data assimilation, optimization and uncertainty estimation are supported within LVT. Together, LIS and LVT provide a robust end-to-end environment for enabling the concepts of model data fusion for hydrological applications. The evolving capabilities of LVT framework are expected to facilitate rapid model evaluation efforts and aid the definition and refinement of formal evaluation procedures for the land surface modeling community.

Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) - a generalized framework for land surface model evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, S. V.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.; Santanello, J.; Harrison, K.; Liu, Y.; Shaw, M.

2012-06-01

Model evaluation and verification are key in improving the usage and applicability of simulation models for real-world applications. In this article, the development and capabilities of a formal system for land surface model evaluation called the Land surface Verification Toolkit (LVT) is described. LVT is designed to provide an integrated environment for systematic land model evaluation and facilitates a range of verification approaches and analysis capabilities. LVT operates across multiple temporal and spatial scales and employs a large suite of in-situ, remotely sensed and other model and reanalysis datasets in their native formats. In addition to the traditional accuracy-based measures, LVT also includes uncertainty and ensemble diagnostics, information theory measures, spatial similarity metrics and scale decomposition techniques that provide novel ways for performing diagnostic model evaluations. Though LVT was originally designed to support the land surface modeling and data assimilation framework known as the Land Information System (LIS), it supports hydrological data products from non-LIS environments as well. In addition, the analysis of diagnostics from various computational subsystems of LIS including data assimilation, optimization and uncertainty estimation are supported within LVT. Together, LIS and LVT provide a robust end-to-end environment for enabling the concepts of model data fusion for hydrological applications. The evolving capabilities of LVT framework are expected to facilitate rapid model evaluation efforts and aid the definition and refinement of formal evaluation procedures for the land surface modeling community.

FMCT verification: Case studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hui Zhang

2001-01-01

Full text: How to manage the trade-off between the need for transparency and the concern about the disclosure of sensitive information would be a key issue during the negotiations of FMCT verification provision. This paper will explore the general concerns on FMCT verification; and demonstrate what verification measures might be applied to those reprocessing and enrichment plants. A primary goal of an FMCT will be to have the five declared nuclear weapon states and the three that operate unsafeguarded nuclear facilities become parties. One focus in negotiating the FMCT will be verification. Appropriate verification measures should be applied in each case. Most importantly, FMCT verification would focus, in the first instance, on these states' fissile material production facilities. After the FMCT enters into force, all these facilities should be declared. Some would continue operating to produce civil nuclear power or to produce fissile material for non- explosive military uses. The verification measures necessary for these operating facilities would be essentially IAEA safeguards, as currently being applied to non-nuclear weapon states under the NPT. However, some production facilities would be declared and shut down. Thus, one important task of the FMCT verifications will be to confirm the status of these closed facilities. As case studies, this paper will focus on the verification of those shutdown facilities. The FMCT verification system for former military facilities would have to differ in some ways from traditional IAEA safeguards. For example, there could be concerns about the potential loss of sensitive information at these facilities or at collocated facilities. Eventually, some safeguards measures such as environmental sampling might be seen as too intrusive. Thus, effective but less intrusive verification measures may be needed. Some sensitive nuclear facilities would be subject for the first time to international inspections, which could raise concerns

Commissioning Procedures for Mechanical Precision and Accuracy in a Dedicated LINAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballesteros-Zebadua, P.; Larrga-Gutierrez, J. M.; Garcia-Garduno, O. A.; Juarez, J.; Prieto, I.; Moreno-Jimenez, S.; Celis, M. A.

2008-01-01

Mechanical precision measurements are fundamental procedures for the commissioning of a dedicated LINAC. At our Radioneurosurgery Unit, these procedures can be suitable as quality assurance routines that allow the verification of the equipment geometrical accuracy and precision. In this work mechanical tests were performed for gantry and table rotation, obtaining mean associated uncertainties of 0.3 mm and 0.71 mm, respectively. Using an anthropomorphic phantom and a series of localized surface markers, isocenter accuracy showed to be smaller than 0.86 mm for radiosurgery procedures and 0.95 mm for fractionated treatments with mask. All uncertainties were below tolerances. The highest contribution to mechanical variations is due to table rotation, so it is important to correct variations using a localization frame with printed overlays. Mechanical precision knowledge would allow to consider the statistical errors in the treatment planning volume margins

Development and verification of symptom based emergency procedure support system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saijou, Nobuyuki; Sakuma, Akira; Takizawa, Yoji; Tamagawa, Naoko; Kubota, Ryuji; Satou, Hiroyuki; Ikeda, Koji; Taminami, Tatsuya

1998-01-01

A Computerized Emergency Procedure Guideline (EPG) Support System has been developed for BWR and evaluated using training simulator. It aims to enhance the effective utilization of EPG. The system identifies suitable symptom-based operating procedures for present plant status automatically. It has two functions : one is plant status identification function, and the other is man-machine interface function. For the realization of the former function, a method which identifies and prioritize suitable symptom-based operational procedures against present plant status has been developed. As man-machine interface, operation flow chart display has been developed. It express the flow of the identified operating procedures graphically. For easy understanding of the display, important information such as plant status change, priority of operating procedures and completion/uncompletion of the operation is displayed on the operation flow display by different colors. As evaluation test, the response of the system to the design based accidents was evaluated by actual plant operators, using training simulator at BWR Training Center. Through the analysis of interviews and questionnaires to operators, it was shown that the system is effective and can be utilized for a real plant. (author)

Verification and disarmament

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blix, H. [IAEA, Vienna (Austria)

1998-07-01

The main features are described of the IAEA safeguards verification system that non-nuclear weapon states parties of the NPT are obliged to accept. Verification activities/problems in Iraq and North Korea are discussed.

Verification and disarmament

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blix, H.

1998-01-01

The main features are described of the IAEA safeguards verification system that non-nuclear weapon states parties of the NPT are obliged to accept. Verification activities/problems in Iraq and North Korea are discussed

Comparison of measurement methods with a mixed effects procedure accounting for replicated evaluations (COM3PARE): method comparison algorithm implementation for head and neck IGRT positional verification.

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Anuradha; Fuller, Clifton D; Rosenthal, David I; Thomas, Charles R

2015-08-28

Comparison of imaging measurement devices in the absence of a gold-standard comparator remains a vexing problem; especially in scenarios where multiple, non-paired, replicated measurements occur, as in image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). As the number of commercially available IGRT presents a challenge to determine whether different IGRT methods may be used interchangeably, an unmet need conceptually parsimonious and statistically robust method to evaluate the agreement between two methods with replicated observations. Consequently, we sought to determine, using an previously reported head and neck positional verification dataset, the feasibility and utility of a Comparison of Measurement Methods with the Mixed Effects Procedure Accounting for Replicated Evaluations (COM3PARE), a unified conceptual schema and analytic algorithm based upon Roy's linear mixed effects (LME) model with Kronecker product covariance structure in a doubly multivariate set-up, for IGRT method comparison. An anonymized dataset consisting of 100 paired coordinate (X/ measurements from a sequential series of head and neck cancer patients imaged near-simultaneously with cone beam CT (CBCT) and kilovoltage X-ray (KVX) imaging was used for model implementation. Software-suggested CBCT and KVX shifts for the lateral (X), vertical (Y) and longitudinal (Z) dimensions were evaluated for bias, inter-method (between-subject variation), intra-method (within-subject variation), and overall agreement using with a script implementing COM3PARE with the MIXED procedure of the statistical software package SAS (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). COM3PARE showed statistically significant bias agreement and difference in inter-method between CBCT and KVX was observed in the Z-axis (both p - value<0.01). Intra-method and overall agreement differences were noted as statistically significant for both the X- and Z-axes (all p - value<0.01). Using pre-specified criteria, based on intra-method agreement, CBCT was deemed

The Challenge for Arms Control Verification in the Post-New START World

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wuest, C R

2012-05-24

Nuclear weapon arms control treaty verification is a key aspect of any agreement between signatories to establish that the terms and conditions spelled out in the treaty are being met. Historically, arms control negotiations have focused more on the rules and protocols for reducing the numbers of warheads and delivery systems - sometimes resorting to complex and arcane procedures for counting forces - in an attempt to address perceived or real imbalances in a nation's strategic posture that could lead to instability. Verification procedures are generally defined in arms control treaties and supporting documents and tend to focus on technical means and measures designed to ensure that a country is following the terms of the treaty and that it is not liable to engage in deception or outright cheating in an attempt to circumvent the spirit and the letter of the agreement. As the Obama Administration implements the articles, terms, and conditions of the recently ratified and entered-into-force New START treaty, there are already efforts within and outside of government to move well below the specified New START levels of 1550 warheads, 700 deployed strategic delivery vehicles, and 800 deployed and nondeployed strategic launchers (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) silos, Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) tubes on submarines, and bombers). A number of articles and opinion pieces have appeared that advocate for significantly deeper cuts in the U.S. nuclear stockpile, with some suggesting that unilateral reductions on the part of the U.S. would help coax Russia and others to follow our lead. Papers and studies prepared for the U.S. Department of Defense and at the U.S. Air War College have also been published, suggesting that nuclear forces totaling no more than about 300 warheads would be sufficient to meet U.S. national security and deterrence needs. (Davis 2011, Schaub and Forsyth 2010) Recent articles by James M. Acton and others suggest that

Towards measurement and verification of energy performance under the framework of the European directive for energy performance of buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burman, Esfand; Mumovic, Dejan; Kimpian, Judit

2014-01-01

Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and Council on the Energy Performance of Buildings has led to major developments in energy policies followed by the EU Member States. The national energy performance targets for the built environment are mostly rooted in the Building Regulations that are shaped by this Directive. Article 3 of this Directive requires a methodology to calculate energy performance of buildings under standardised operating conditions. Overwhelming evidence suggests that actual energy performance is often significantly higher than this standardised and theoretical performance. The risk is national energy saving targets may not be achieved in practice. The UK evidence for the education and office sectors is presented in this paper. A measurement and verification plan is proposed to compare actual energy performance of a building with its theoretical performance using calibrated thermal modelling. Consequently, the intended vs. actual energy performance can be established under identical operating conditions. This can help identify the shortcomings of construction process and building procurement. Once energy performance gap is determined with reasonable accuracy and root causes identified, effective measures could be adopted to remedy or offset this gap. - Highlights: • Building energy performance gap is a negative externality that must be addressed. • A method is proposed to link actual performance to building compliance calculation. • Energy performance gap is divided into procurement and operational gaps. • This framework enables policy makers to measure and address procurement gap. • Building fine-tuning by construction teams could also narrow operational gap

RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan - Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) Part 2: Code Assessment Strategy, Procedure, and RTM Update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Jun Soo [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Choi, Yong Joon [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Smith, Curtis Lee [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2016-09-01

This document addresses two subjects involved with the RELAP-7 Software Verification and Validation Plan (SVVP): (i) the principles and plan to assure the independence of RELAP-7 assessment through the code development process, and (ii) the work performed to establish the RELAP-7 assessment plan, i.e., the assessment strategy, literature review, and identification of RELAP-7 requirements. Then, the Requirements Traceability Matrices (RTMs) proposed in previous document (INL-EXT-15-36684) are updated. These RTMs provide an efficient way to evaluate the RELAP-7 development status as well as the maturity of RELAP-7 assessment through the development process.

Predictive Simulation of Material Failure Using Peridynamics -- Advanced Constitutive Modeling, Verification and Validation

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-31

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0309 Predictive simulation of material failure using peridynamics- advanced constitutive modeling, verification , and validation... Self -explanatory. 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER. Enter all unique alphanumeric report numbers assigned by the performing organization, e.g...for public release. Predictive simulation of material failure using peridynamics-advanced constitutive modeling, verification , and validation John T

Procedures for Determining the Performance of Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Systems; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeBlasio, R.; Durand, S.; Hansen, R.; Hutchinson, P.; Kroposki, B.; McNutt, P.; Rosenthal, A.; Thomas, M.

1999-01-01

This document provides the procedures for determining the performance of stand-alone PV systems. The procedures in this document provide a common approach for evaluating whether a given PV system is suitable to perform the function for which it was designed and manufactured to accomplish, and whether it will provide adequate power to run the load. These procedures cover small stand-alone PV systems. They cover complete outdoor system testing. Test results are valid only for the system that is tested

More on fatigue verification of Class 1 nuclear power piping according to ASME BPV III NB-3600

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Lingfu; Dahlström, Lars; Jansson, Lennart G.

2011-01-01

In this paper, fatigue verification of Class 1 nuclear power piping according to ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, NB-3600, and relevant issues that are often discussed in connection to the power uprate of several Swedish BWR reactors in recent years, are dealt with. Key parameters involved in the fatigue verification, i.e. the alternating stress intensity S alt , the penalty factor K e and the cumulative damage factor U, and relevant computational procedures applicable for the assessment of low-cycle fatigue failure using strain-controlled data, are particularly addressed. A so-called simplified elastic-plastic discontinuity analysis for alternative verification when basic fatigue requirements found unsatisfactory, and the procedures provided in NB-3600 for evaluating the alternating stress intensity S alt , are reviewed in detail. Our emphasis is placed on other procedures alternative to the simplified elastic-plastic discontinuity analysis. A more in-depth discussion is given to an alternative suggested earlier by the authors using nonlinear finite element analyses. This paper is a continuation of our work presented in ICONE16/17/18, which attempted to categorize design rules in the code into linear design rules and non-linear design rules and to clarify corresponding design requirements and finite element analyses, in particular, those non-linear ones. (author)

Software verification in on-line systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehrenberger, W.

1980-01-01

Operator assistance is more and more provided by computers. Computers contain programs, whose quality should be above a certain level, before they are allowed to be used in reactor control rooms. Several possibilities for gaining software reliability figures are discussed in this paper. By supervising the testing procedure of a program, one can estimate the number of remaining programming errors. Such an estimation, however, is not very accurate. With mathematical proving procedures one can gain some knowledge on program properties. Such proving procedures are important for the verification of general WHILE-loops, which tend to be error prone. The program analysis decomposes a program into its parts. First the program structure is made visible, which includes the data movements and the control flow. From this analysis test cases can be derived that lead to a complete test. Program analysis can be done by hand or automatically. A statistical program test normally requires a large number of test runs. This number is diminished if details concerning both the program to be tested or its use are known in advance. (orig.)

Verification study of the FORE-2M nuclear/thermal-hydraulilc analysis computer code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coffield, R.D.; Tang, Y.S.; Markley, R.A.

1982-01-01

The verification of the LMFBR core transient performance code, FORE-2M, was performed in two steps. Different components of the computation (individual models) were verified by comparing with analytical solutions and with results obtained from other conventionally accepted computer codes (e.g., TRUMP, LIFE, etc.). For verification of the integral computation method of the code, experimental data in TREAT, SEFOR and natural circulation experiments in EBR-II were compared with the code calculations. Good agreement was obtained for both of these steps. Confirmation of the code verification for undercooling transients is provided by comparisons with the recent FFTF natural circulation experiments. (orig.)

HDL to verification logic translator

Science.gov (United States)

Gambles, J. W.; Windley, P. J.

1992-01-01

The increasingly higher number of transistors possible in VLSI circuits compounds the difficulty in insuring correct designs. As the number of possible test cases required to exhaustively simulate a circuit design explodes, a better method is required to confirm the absence of design faults. Formal verification methods provide a way to prove, using logic, that a circuit structure correctly implements its specification. Before verification is accepted by VLSI design engineers, the stand alone verification tools that are in use in the research community must be integrated with the CAD tools used by the designers. One problem facing the acceptance of formal verification into circuit design methodology is that the structural circuit descriptions used by the designers are not appropriate for verification work and those required for verification lack some of the features needed for design. We offer a solution to this dilemma: an automatic translation from the designers' HDL models into definitions for the higher-ordered logic (HOL) verification system. The translated definitions become the low level basis of circuit verification which in turn increases the designer's confidence in the correctness of higher level behavioral models.

An automated portal verification system for the tangential breast portal field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, F.-F.; Lai, W.; Chen, C. W.; Nelson, D. F.

1995-01-01

Purpose/Objective: In order to ensure the treatment is delivered as planned, a portal image is acquired in the accelerator and is compared to the reference image. At present, this comparison is performed by radiation oncologists based on the manually-identified features, which is both time-consuming and potentially error-prone. With the introduction of various electronic portal imaging devices, real-time patient positioning correction is becoming clinically feasible to replace time-delayed analysis using films. However, this procedure requires present of radiation oncologists during patient treatment which is not cost-effective and practically not realistic. Therefore, the efficiency and quality of radiation therapy could be substantially improved if this procedure can be automated. The purpose of this study is to develop a fully computerized verification system for the radiation therapy of breast cancer for which a similar treatment setup is generally employed. Materials/Methods: The automated verification system involves image acquisition, image feature extraction, feature correlation between reference and portal images, and quantitative evaluation of patient setup. In this study, a matrix liquid ion-chamber EPID was used to acquire digital portal images which is directly attached to Varian CL2100C accelerator. For effective use of computation memory, the 12-bit gray levels in original portal images were quantized to form a range of 8-bit gray levels. A typical breast portal image includes three important components: breast and lung tissues in the treatment field, air space within the treatment field, and non-irradiated region. A hierarchical region processing technique was developed to separate these regions sequentially. The inherent hierarchical features were formulated based on different radiation attenuation for different regions as: treatment field edge -- breast skin line -- chest wall. Initially, a combination of a Canny edge detector and a constrained

Independent Verification Final Summary Report for the David Witherspoon, Inc. 1630 Site Knoxville, Tennessee

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

P.C. Weaver

2009-04-29

The primary objective of the independent verification was to determine if BJC performed the appropriate actions to meet the specified “hot spot” cleanup criteria of 500 picocuries per gram (pCi/g) uranium-238 (U-238) in surface soil. Specific tasks performed by the independent verification team (IVT) to satisfy this objective included: 1) performing radiological walkover surveys, and 2) collecting soil samples for independent analyses. The independent verification (IV) efforts were designed to evaluate radioactive contaminants (specifically U-238) in the exposed surfaces below one foot of the original site grade, given that the top one foot layer of soil on the site was removed in its entirety.

Independent Verification Final Summary Report for the David Witherspoon, Inc. 1630 Site Knoxville, Tennessee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weaver, P.C.

2009-01-01

The primary objective of the independent verification was to determine if BJC performed the appropriate actions to meet the specified 'hot spot' cleanup criteria of 500 picocuries per gram (pCi/g) uranium-238 (U-238) in surface soil. Specific tasks performed by the independent verification team (IVT) to satisfy this objective included: (1) performing radiological walkover surveys, and (2) collecting soil samples for independent analyses. The independent verification (IV) efforts were designed to evaluate radioactive contaminants (specifically U-238) in the exposed surfaces below one foot of the original site grade, given that the top one foot layer of soil on the site was removed in its entirety.

A virtual linear accelerator for verification of treatment planning systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wieslander, Elinore

2000-01-01

A virtual linear accelerator is implemented into a commercial pencil-beam-based treatment planning system (TPS) with the purpose of investigating the possibility of verifying the system using a Monte Carlo method. The characterization set for the TPS includes depth doses, profiles and output factors, which is generated by Monte Carlo simulations. The advantage of this method over conventional measurements is that variations in accelerator output are eliminated and more complicated geometries can be used to study the performance of a TPS. The difference between Monte Carlo simulated and TPS calculated profiles and depth doses in the characterization geometry is less than ±2% except for the build-up region. This is of the same order as previously reported results based on measurements. In an inhomogeneous, mediastinum-like case, the deviations between TPS and simulations are small in the unit-density regions. In low-density regions, the TPS overestimates the dose, and the overestimation increases with increasing energy from 3.5% for 6 MV to 9.5% for 18 MV. This result points out the widely known fact that the pencil beam concept does not handle changes in lateral electron transport, nor changes in scatter due to lateral inhomogeneities. It is concluded that verification of a pencil-beam-based TPS with a Monte Carlo based virtual accelerator is possible, which facilitates the verification procedure. (author)

TWRS system drawings and field verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shepard, D.G.

1995-01-01

The Configuration Management Program combines the TWRS Labeling and O and M drawing and drawing verification programs. The combined program will produce system drawings for systems that are normally operated or have maintenance performed on the system, label individual pieces of equipment for proper identification, even if system drawings are not warranted, and perform verification of drawings that are identified as essential in Tank Farm Essential Drawing Plans. During fiscal year 1994, work was begun to label Tank Farm components and provide user friendly system based drawings for Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) operations and maintenance. During the first half of fiscal 1995, the field verification program continued to convert TWRS drawings into CAD format and verify the accuracy based on visual inspections. During the remainder of fiscal year 1995 these efforts will be combined into a single program providing system based drawings and field verification of TWRS equipment and facilities. This combined program for TWRS will include all active systems for tank farms. Operations will determine the extent of drawing and labeling requirements for single shell tanks, i.e. the electrical distribution, HVAC, leak detection, and the radiation monitoring system. The tasks required to meet these objectives, include the following: identify system boundaries or scope for drawing being verified; label equipment/components in the process systems with a unique Equipment Identification Number (EIN) per the TWRS Data Standard; develop system drawings that are coordinated by ''smart'' drawing numbers and/or drawing references as identified on H-14-020000; develop a Master Equipment List (MEL) multi-user data base application which will contain key information about equipment identified in the field; and field verify and release TWRS Operation and Maintenance (O and M) drawings

Developing Performance Measures for Manned-Unmanned Teaming Skills

Science.gov (United States)

2015-02-01

Moves aircraft to safe area Utilize standardized radio communication and signal operating procedures Perform BDA Utilize Standard report formats...UAS does not conduct BDA ; assumes target is destroyed without verification UAS evaluates target; reports BDA to engaging aircraft (or...ground unit) after prompting UAS evaluates target; proactively reports BDA to engaging aircraft (or ground unit) 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 B

Material integrity verification radar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koppenjan, S.K.

1999-01-01

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has the need for verification of 'as-built' spent fuel-dry storage containers and other concrete structures. The IAEA has tasked the Special Technologies Laboratory (STL) to fabricate, test, and deploy a stepped-frequency Material Integrity Verification Radar (MIVR) system to nondestructively verify the internal construction of these containers. The MIVR system is based on previously deployed high-frequency, ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems that have been developed by STL for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Whereas GPR technology utilizes microwave radio frequency energy to create subsurface images, MTVR is a variation for which the medium is concrete instead of soil. The purpose is to nondestructively verify the placement of concrete-reinforcing materials, pipes, inner liners, and other attributes of the internal construction. The MIVR system underwent an initial field test on CANDU reactor spent fuel storage canisters at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), Chalk River Laboratories, Ontario, Canada, in October 1995. A second field test at the Embalse Nuclear Power Plant in Embalse, Argentina, was completed in May 1996. The DOE GPR also was demonstrated at the site. Data collection and analysis were performed for the Argentine National Board of Nuclear Regulation (ENREN). IAEA and the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for the Control and Accounting of Nuclear Material (ABACC) personnel were present as observers during the test. Reinforcing materials were evident in the color, two-dimensional images produced by the MIVR system. A continuous pattern of reinforcing bars was evident and accurate estimates on the spacing, depth, and size were made. The potential uses for safeguard applications were jointly discussed. The MIVR system, as successfully demonstrated in the two field tests, can be used as a design verification tool for IAEA safeguards. A deployment of MIVR for Design Information Questionnaire (DIQ

Performing Verification and Validation in Reuse-Based Software Engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Addy, Edward A.

1999-01-01

The implementation of reuse-based software engineering not only introduces new activities to the software development process, such as domain analysis and domain modeling, it also impacts other aspects of software engineering. Other areas of software engineering that are affected include Configuration Management, Testing, Quality Control, and Verification and Validation (V&V). Activities in each of these areas must be adapted to address the entire domain or product line rather than a specific application system. This paper discusses changes and enhancements to the V&V process, in order to adapt V&V to reuse-based software engineering.

A cadaveric procedural anatomy simulation course improves video-based assessment of operative performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Gaurav; Aycart, Mario A; O'Mara, Lynne; Havens, Joaquim; Nehs, Matthew; Shimizu, Naomi; Smink, Douglas S; Gravereaux, Edwin; Gates, Jonathan D; Askari, Reza

2018-03-01

Inadequate anatomic knowledge has been cited as a major contributor to declining surgical resident operative competence. We analyzed the impact of a comprehensive, procedurally oriented cadaveric procedural anatomy dissection laboratory on the operative performance of surgery residents, hypothesizing that trainees' performance of surgical procedures would improve after such a dissection course. Midlevel general surgery residents (n = 9) participated in an 8 wk, 16-h surgery faculty-led procedurally oriented cadaver simulation course. Both before and after completion of the course, residents participated in a practical examination, in which they were randomized to perform one of nine Surgical Council on Resident Education-designated "essential" procedures. The procedures were recorded using wearable video technology. Videos were deidentified before evaluation by six faculty raters blinded to examinee and whether performances occurred before or after an examinee had taken the course. Raters used the validated Operative Performance Rating System and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill scales. After the course residents had higher procedure-specific scores (median, 4.0 versus 2.4, P 4.0 versus 3.0, P = 0.006), respect for tissue (4.0 versus 3.0, P = 0.0004), time and motion (3.0 versus 2.0, P = 0.0007), operation flow (3.0 versus 2.0, P = 0.0005), procedural knowledge (4.0 versus 2.0, P = 0.0001), and overall performance scores (4.0 versus 2.0, P < 0.0001). Operative Performance Rating System and Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill scales averaged by number of items in each were also higher (3.2 versus 2.0, P = 0.0002 and 3.1 versus 2.2, P = 0.002, respectively). A cadaveric procedural anatomy simulation course covering a broad range of open general surgery procedures was associated with significant improvements in trainees' operative performance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Active Mirror Predictive and Requirements Verification Software (AMP-ReVS)

Science.gov (United States)

Basinger, Scott A.

2012-01-01

This software is designed to predict large active mirror performance at various stages in the fabrication lifecycle of the mirror. It was developed for 1-meter class powered mirrors for astronomical purposes, but is extensible to other geometries. The package accepts finite element model (FEM) inputs and laboratory measured data for large optical-quality mirrors with active figure control. It computes phenomenological contributions to the surface figure error using several built-in optimization techniques. These phenomena include stresses induced in the mirror by the manufacturing process and the support structure, the test procedure, high spatial frequency errors introduced by the polishing process, and other process-dependent deleterious effects due to light-weighting of the mirror. Then, depending on the maturity of the mirror, it either predicts the best surface figure error that the mirror will attain, or it verifies that the requirements for the error sources have been met once the best surface figure error has been measured. The unique feature of this software is that it ties together physical phenomenology with wavefront sensing and control techniques and various optimization methods including convex optimization, Kalman filtering, and quadratic programming to both generate predictive models and to do requirements verification. This software combines three distinct disciplines: wavefront control, predictive models based on FEM, and requirements verification using measured data in a robust, reusable code that is applicable to any large optics for ground and space telescopes. The software also includes state-of-the-art wavefront control algorithms that allow closed-loop performance to be computed. It allows for quantitative trade studies to be performed for optical systems engineering, including computing the best surface figure error under various testing and operating conditions. After the mirror manufacturing process and testing have been completed, the

Investigation of a Verification and Validation Tool with a Turbofan Aircraft Engine Application

Science.gov (United States)

Uth, Peter; Narang-Siddarth, Anshu; Wong, Edmond

2018-01-01

The development of more advanced control architectures for turbofan aircraft engines can yield gains in performance and efficiency over the lifetime of an engine. However, the implementation of these increasingly complex controllers is contingent on their ability to provide safe, reliable engine operation. Therefore, having the means to verify the safety of new control algorithms is crucial. As a step towards this goal, CoCoSim, a publicly available verification tool for Simulink, is used to analyze C-MAPSS40k, a 40,000 lbf class turbo-fan engine model developed at NASA for testing new control algorithms. Due to current limitations of the verification software, several modifications are made to C-MAPSS40k to achieve compatibility with CoCoSim. Some of these modifications sacrifice fidelity to the original model. Several safety and performance requirements typical for turbofan engines are identified and constructed into a verification framework. Preliminary results using an industry standard baseline controller for these requirements are presented. While verification capabilities are demonstrated, a truly comprehensive analysis will require further development of the verification tool.

Managers’ Perception on Budget Participation, Procedural Justice and Managerial Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sady Mazzioni

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is analyzing the influence of budget participation on the relationship between procedural justice and managerial performance in organizations in Santa Catarina. In order to achieve the objective, a descriptive quantitative research was carried out, based on a questionnaire, with 5 and 7-pont Likert scale, answered by 44 managers. For data treatment, it was used the statistical package Smart PLS to determine, by regression technique, the contribution of each variable (participation and procedural justice on the dependent variable (performance. Descriptive statistics points to a greater awareness regarding the possibility of participation in budgeting process and a less meaningful feeling regarding superiors’ procedural justice, leaving the assessment of managerial performance in an intermediate condition. Initially, it was found that the correlations between independent (procedural justice and intervening (budget participation variables, and between intervening and dependent (managerial performance variables are statistically meaningful. However, the correlation between independent and dependent variables was not statistically meaningful. The results of using structural equation (path analysis indicated that one of the assumptions of the indirect effect was not confirmed, that is, the relationship between independent and dependent variables should diminish after being controlled by the intervening variable. In the present study, the reverse situation was observed, starting from a non-significant correlation and reaching a significant negative correlation, after the effect of the intervening variable.

Selection and verification of safety parameters in safety parameter display system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yuangfang

1992-02-01

The method and results for safety parameter selection and its verification in safety parameter display system of nuclear power plants are introduced. According to safety analysis, the overall safety is divided into six critical safety functions, and a certain amount of safety parameters which can represent the integrity degree of each function and the causes of change are strictly selected. The verification of safety parameter selection is carried out from the view of applying the plant emergency procedures and in the accident man oeuvres on a full scale nuclear power plant simulator

Verification of space weather forecasts at the UK Met Office

Science.gov (United States)

Bingham, S.; Sharpe, M.; Jackson, D.; Murray, S.

2017-12-01

The UK Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC) has produced space weather guidance twice a day since its official opening in 2014. Guidance includes 4-day probabilistic forecasts of X-ray flares, geomagnetic storms, high-energy electron events and high-energy proton events. Evaluation of such forecasts is important to forecasters, stakeholders, model developers and users to understand the performance of these forecasts and also strengths and weaknesses to enable further development. Met Office terrestrial near real-time verification systems have been adapted to provide verification of X-ray flare and geomagnetic storm forecasts. Verification is updated daily to produce Relative Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and Reliability diagrams, and rolling Ranked Probability Skill Scores (RPSSs) thus providing understanding of forecast performance and skill. Results suggest that the MOSWOC issued X-ray flare forecasts are usually not statistically significantly better than a benchmark climatological forecast (where the climatology is based on observations from the previous few months). By contrast, the issued geomagnetic storm activity forecast typically performs better against this climatological benchmark.

Wavelet-based verification of the quantitative precipitation forecast

Science.gov (United States)

Yano, Jun-Ichi; Jakubiak, Bogumil

2016-06-01

This paper explores the use of wavelets for spatial verification of quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF), and especially the capacity of wavelets to provide both localization and scale information. Two 24-h forecast experiments using the two versions of the Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) on 22 August 2010 over Poland are used to illustrate the method. Strong spatial localizations and associated intermittency of the precipitation field make verification of QPF difficult using standard statistical methods. The wavelet becomes an attractive alternative, because it is specifically designed to extract spatially localized features. The wavelet modes are characterized by the two indices for the scale and the localization. Thus, these indices can simply be employed for characterizing the performance of QPF in scale and localization without any further elaboration or tunable parameters. Furthermore, spatially-localized features can be extracted in wavelet space in a relatively straightforward manner with only a weak dependence on a threshold. Such a feature may be considered an advantage of the wavelet-based method over more conventional "object" oriented verification methods, as the latter tend to represent strong threshold sensitivities. The present paper also points out limits of the so-called "scale separation" methods based on wavelets. Our study demonstrates how these wavelet-based QPF verifications can be performed straightforwardly. Possibilities for further developments of the wavelet-based methods, especially towards a goal of identifying a weak physical process contributing to forecast error, are also pointed out.

Performance and Health Test Procedure for Grid Energy Storage Systems: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baggu, Murali M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Smith, Kandler A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Friedl, Andrew [San Diego Gas and Electric; Bialek, Thomas [San Diego Gas and Electric; Schimpe, Michael Robert [Technical University of Munich

2017-07-27

A test procedure to evaluate the performance and health of field installations of grid-connected battery energy storage systems (BESS) is described. Performance and health metrics captured in the procedures are: Round-trip efficiency, Standby losses, Response time/accuracy, and Useable Energy/ State of Charge at different discharge/charge rates over the system's lifetime. The procedures are divided into Reference Performance Tests, which require the system to be put in a test mode and are to be conducted in intervals, and Real-time Monitoring tests, which collect data during normal operation without interruption. The procedures can be applied on a wide array of BESS with little modifications and can thus support BESS operators in the management of BESS field installations with minimal interruption and expenditures.can be applied on a wide array of BESS with little modifications and can thus support BESS operators in the management of BESS field installations with minimal interruption and expenditures.

Developing a NASA strategy for the verification of large space telescope observatories

Science.gov (United States)

Crooke, Julie A.; Gunderson, Johanna A.; Hagopian, John G.; Levine, Marie

2006-06-01

In July 2005, the Office of Program Analysis and Evaluation (PA&E) at NASA Headquarters was directed to develop a strategy for verification of the performance of large space telescope observatories, which occurs predominantly in a thermal vacuum test facility. A mission model of the expected astronomical observatory missions over the next 20 years was identified along with performance, facility and resource requirements. Ground testing versus alternatives was analyzed to determine the pros, cons and break points in the verification process. Existing facilities and their capabilities were examined across NASA, industry and other government agencies as well as the future demand for these facilities across NASA's Mission Directorates. Options were developed to meet the full suite of mission verification requirements, and performance, cost, risk and other analyses were performed. Findings and recommendations from the study were presented to the NASA Administrator and the NASA Strategic Management Council (SMC) in February 2006. This paper details the analysis, results, and findings from this study.

FMEF Electrical single line diagram and panel schedule verification process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fong, S.K.

1998-01-01

Since the FMEF did not have a mission, a formal drawing verification program was not developed, however, a verification process on essential electrical single line drawings and panel schedules was established to benefit the operations lock and tag program and to enhance the electrical safety culture of the facility. The purpose of this document is to provide a basis by which future landlords and cognizant personnel can understand the degree of verification performed on the electrical single lines and panel schedules. It is the intent that this document be revised or replaced by a more formal requirements document if a mission is identified for the FMEF

Distorted Fingerprint Verification System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Divya KARTHIKAESHWARAN

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Fingerprint verification is one of the most reliable personal identification methods. Fingerprint matching is affected by non-linear distortion introduced in fingerprint impression during the image acquisition process. This non-linear deformation changes both the position and orientation of minutiae. The proposed system operates in three stages: alignment based fingerprint matching, fuzzy clustering and classifier framework. First, an enhanced input fingerprint image has been aligned with the template fingerprint image and matching score is computed. To improve the performance of the system, a fuzzy clustering based on distance and density has been used to cluster the feature set obtained from the fingerprint matcher. Finally a classifier framework has been developed and found that cost sensitive classifier produces better results. The system has been evaluated on fingerprint database and the experimental result shows that system produces a verification rate of 96%. This system plays an important role in forensic and civilian applications.

Structural performance evaluation on aging underground reinforced concrete structures. Part 6. An estimation method of threshold value in performance verification taking reinforcing steel corrosion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuo, Toyofumi; Matsumura, Takuro; Miyagawa, Yoshinori

2009-01-01

This paper discusses applicability of material degradation model due to reinforcing steel corrosion for RC box-culverts with corroded reinforcement and an estimation method for threshold value in performance verification reflecting reinforcing steel corrosion. First, in FEM analyses, loss of reinforcement section area and initial tension strain arising from reinforcing steel corrosion, and deteriorated bond characteristics between reinforcement and concrete were considered. The full-scale loading tests using corroded RC box-culverts were numerically analyzed. As a result, the analyzed crack patterns and load-strain relationships were in close agreement with the experimental results within the maximum corrosion ratio 15% of primary reinforcement. Then, we showed that this modeling could estimate the load carrying capacity of corroded RC box-culverts. Second, a parametric study was carried out for corroded RC box culverts with various sizes, reinforcement ratios and levels of steel corrosion, etc. Furthermore, as an application of analytical results and various experimental investigations, we suggested allowable degradation ratios for a modification of the threshold value, which corresponds to the chloride induced deterioration progress that is widely accepted in maintenance practice for civil engineering reinforced concrete structures. Finally, based on these findings, we developed two estimation methods for threshold value in performance verification: 1) a structural analysis method using nonlinear FEM included modeling of material degradation, 2) a practical method using a threshold value, which is determined by structural analyses of RC box-culverts in sound condition, is multiplied by the allowable degradation ratio. (author)

Building a Simulated Environment for the Study of Multilateral Approaches to Nuclear Materials Verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moul, R.; Persbo, A.; Keir, D.

2015-01-01

Verification research can be resource-intensive, particularly when it relies on practical or field exercises. These exercises can also involve substantial logistical preparations and are difficult to run in an iterative manner to produce data sets that can be later utilized in verification research. This paper presents the conceptual framework, methodology and preliminary findings from part of a multi-year research project, led by VERTIC. The multi-component simulated environment that we have generated, using existing computer models for nuclear reactors and other components of fuel cycles, can be used to investigate options for future multilateral nuclear verification, at a variety of locations and time points in a nuclear complex. We have constructed detailed fuel cycle simulations for two fictional, and very different, states. In addition to these mass-flow models, a 3-dimensional, avatarbased simulation of a nuclear facility is under development. We have also developed accompanying scenarios-that provide legal and procedural assumptions that will control the process of our fictional verification solutions. These tools have all been produced using open source information and software. While these tools are valuable for research purposes, they can also play an important role in support of training and education in the field of nuclear materials verification, in a variety of settings and circumstances. (author)

Likelihood-ratio-based biometric verification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bazen, A.M.; Veldhuis, Raymond N.J.

2002-01-01

This paper presents results on optimal similarity measures for biometric verification based on fixed-length feature vectors. First, we show that the verification of a single user is equivalent to the detection problem, which implies that for single-user verification the likelihood ratio is optimal.

Likelihood Ratio-Based Biometric Verification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bazen, A.M.; Veldhuis, Raymond N.J.

The paper presents results on optimal similarity measures for biometric verification based on fixed-length feature vectors. First, we show that the verification of a single user is equivalent to the detection problem, which implies that, for single-user verification, the likelihood ratio is optimal.

Physics acceptance and QA procedures for IMRT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LoSasso, T.; Ling, C.

2001-01-01

Full text: Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) may improve tumor control without compromising normal tissues by facilitating higher, more conformal tumor doses relative to 3D CRT. Intensity modulation (IM) is now possible with inverse planning and radiation delivery using dynamic multileaf collimation. Compared to 3D CRT, certain components in the IMRT process are more obscure to the user. Thus, special quality assurance procedures are required. Hardware and software are still relatively new to many users, and the potential for error is unknown. The relationship between monitor unit (MU) setting and radiation dose for IM beams is much more complex than for non-IM fields. The leaf sequence computer files, which control the MLC position as a function of MU, are large and do not lend themselves to simple manual verification. The 'verification' port film for each IM treatment field, usually obtained with the MLC set at the extreme leaf positions for that field to outline the entire irradiated area, does not verify the intensity modulation pattern. Finally, in IMRT using DMLC (the so-called sliding window technique), a small error in the window (or gap) width will lead to a significant dose error. In earlier papers, we provided an evaluation of the mechanical and dosimetric aspects in the use of a MLC in the dynamic mode. Mechanical tolerances are significantly tighter for DMLC than for static MLC treatments. Transmission through the leaves and through rounded leaf ends and head scatter were shown to be significant to the accuracy of radiation dose delivery using DMLC. With these considerations, we concluded that the present DMLC hardware and software are effective for routine clinical implementation, provided that a carefully designed routine QA procedure is followed to assure the normality of operation. In our earlier studies, an evaluation of the long-term stability of DMLC operation had not yet been performed. This paper describes the current status of our

Acceptance test procedure, 241-SY-101/241-C-106 shot loading system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ostrom, M.J.

1994-01-01

This Acceptance Test Procedure is for the 241-SY-101/241-C-106 Shot Loading System. The procedure will test the components of the Shot Loading System and its capability of adequately loading shot into the annular space of the Container. The loaded shot will provide shielding as required for transporting and storage of a contaminated pump after removal from the tank. This test serves as verification that the SLS is acceptable for use in the pump removal operations for Tanks 241-SY-101, 241-C-106 and 241-AY-102. The pump removal operation for these three tanks will be performed by two different organizations with different equipment, but the Shot Loading System will be compatible between the two operations

Development of the clearance level verification evaluation system. 2. Construction of the clearance data management system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubota, Shintaro; Usui, Hideo; Kawagoshi, Hiroshi

2014-06-01

Clearance is defined as the removal of radioactive materials or radioactive objects within authorized practices from any further regulatory control by the regulatory body. In Japan, clearance level and a procedure for its verification has been introduced under the Laws and Regulations, and solid clearance wastes inspected by the national authority can be handled and recycled as normal wastes. The most prevalent type of wastes have generated from the dismantling of nuclear facilities, so the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been developing the Clearance Level Verification Evaluation System (CLEVES) as a convenient tool. The Clearance Data Management System (CDMS), which is a part of CLEVES, has been developed to support measurement, evaluation, making and recording documents with clearance level verification. In addition, validation of the evaluation result of the CDMS was carried out by inputting the data of actual clearance activities in the JAEA. Clearance level verification is easily applied by using the CDMS for the clearance activities. (author)

Online 3D EPID-based dose verification: Proof of concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spreeuw, Hanno; Rozendaal, Roel, E-mail: r.rozendaal@nki.nl; Olaciregui-Ruiz, Igor; González, Patrick; Mans, Anton; Mijnheer, Ben [Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam 1066 CX (Netherlands); Herk, Marcel van [University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester M20 4BX (United Kingdom)

2016-07-15

Purpose: Delivery errors during radiotherapy may lead to medical harm and reduced life expectancy for patients. Such serious incidents can be avoided by performing dose verification online, i.e., while the patient is being irradiated, creating the possibility of halting the linac in case of a large overdosage or underdosage. The offline EPID-based 3D in vivo dosimetry system clinically employed at our institute is in principle suited for online treatment verification, provided the system is able to complete 3D dose reconstruction and verification within 420 ms, the present acquisition time of a single EPID frame. It is the aim of this study to show that our EPID-based dosimetry system can be made fast enough to achieve online 3D in vivo dose verification. Methods: The current dose verification system was sped up in two ways. First, a new software package was developed to perform all computations that are not dependent on portal image acquisition separately, thus removing the need for doing these calculations in real time. Second, the 3D dose reconstruction algorithm was sped up via a new, multithreaded implementation. Dose verification was implemented by comparing planned with reconstructed 3D dose distributions delivered to two regions in a patient: the target volume and the nontarget volume receiving at least 10 cGy. In both volumes, the mean dose is compared, while in the nontarget volume, the near-maximum dose (D2) is compared as well. The real-time dosimetry system was tested by irradiating an anthropomorphic phantom with three VMAT plans: a 6 MV head-and-neck treatment plan, a 10 MV rectum treatment plan, and a 10 MV prostate treatment plan. In all plans, two types of serious delivery errors were introduced. The functionality of automatically halting the linac was also implemented and tested. Results: The precomputation time per treatment was ∼180 s/treatment arc, depending on gantry angle resolution. The complete processing of a single portal frame

Online 3D EPID-based dose verification: Proof of concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spreeuw, Hanno; Rozendaal, Roel; Olaciregui-Ruiz, Igor; González, Patrick; Mans, Anton; Mijnheer, Ben; Herk, Marcel van

2016-01-01

Purpose: Delivery errors during radiotherapy may lead to medical harm and reduced life expectancy for patients. Such serious incidents can be avoided by performing dose verification online, i.e., while the patient is being irradiated, creating the possibility of halting the linac in case of a large overdosage or underdosage. The offline EPID-based 3D in vivo dosimetry system clinically employed at our institute is in principle suited for online treatment verification, provided the system is able to complete 3D dose reconstruction and verification within 420 ms, the present acquisition time of a single EPID frame. It is the aim of this study to show that our EPID-based dosimetry system can be made fast enough to achieve online 3D in vivo dose verification. Methods: The current dose verification system was sped up in two ways. First, a new software package was developed to perform all computations that are not dependent on portal image acquisition separately, thus removing the need for doing these calculations in real time. Second, the 3D dose reconstruction algorithm was sped up via a new, multithreaded implementation. Dose verification was implemented by comparing planned with reconstructed 3D dose distributions delivered to two regions in a patient: the target volume and the nontarget volume receiving at least 10 cGy. In both volumes, the mean dose is compared, while in the nontarget volume, the near-maximum dose (D2) is compared as well. The real-time dosimetry system was tested by irradiating an anthropomorphic phantom with three VMAT plans: a 6 MV head-and-neck treatment plan, a 10 MV rectum treatment plan, and a 10 MV prostate treatment plan. In all plans, two types of serious delivery errors were introduced. The functionality of automatically halting the linac was also implemented and tested. Results: The precomputation time per treatment was ∼180 s/treatment arc, depending on gantry angle resolution. The complete processing of a single portal frame

Online 3D EPID-based dose verification: Proof of concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Spreeuw, Hanno; Rozendaal, Roel; Olaciregui-Ruiz, Igor; González, Patrick; Mans, Anton; Mijnheer, Ben; van Herk, Marcel

2016-07-01

Delivery errors during radiotherapy may lead to medical harm and reduced life expectancy for patients. Such serious incidents can be avoided by performing dose verification online, i.e., while the patient is being irradiated, creating the possibility of halting the linac in case of a large overdosage or underdosage. The offline EPID-based 3D in vivo dosimetry system clinically employed at our institute is in principle suited for online treatment verification, provided the system is able to complete 3D dose reconstruction and verification within 420 ms, the present acquisition time of a single EPID frame. It is the aim of this study to show that our EPID-based dosimetry system can be made fast enough to achieve online 3D in vivo dose verification. The current dose verification system was sped up in two ways. First, a new software package was developed to perform all computations that are not dependent on portal image acquisition separately, thus removing the need for doing these calculations in real time. Second, the 3D dose reconstruction algorithm was sped up via a new, multithreaded implementation. Dose verification was implemented by comparing planned with reconstructed 3D dose distributions delivered to two regions in a patient: the target volume and the nontarget volume receiving at least 10 cGy. In both volumes, the mean dose is compared, while in the nontarget volume, the near-maximum dose (D2) is compared as well. The real-time dosimetry system was tested by irradiating an anthropomorphic phantom with three VMAT plans: a 6 MV head-and-neck treatment plan, a 10 MV rectum treatment plan, and a 10 MV prostate treatment plan. In all plans, two types of serious delivery errors were introduced. The functionality of automatically halting the linac was also implemented and tested. The precomputation time per treatment was ∼180 s/treatment arc, depending on gantry angle resolution. The complete processing of a single portal frame, including dose verification, took

Environmental Technology Verification: Baghouse Filtration Products--TDC Filter Manufacturing, Inc., SB025 Filtration Media

Science.gov (United States)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. ETV seeks to ach...

Design Verification Report Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project Canister Storage Building (CSB)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BAZINET, G.D.

2001-05-15

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been addressed in the design; and ensure that the SSCs as installed will not adversely impact other SSCs. The original version of this document was prepared by Vista Engineering for the SNF Project. Revision 1 documented verification actions that were pending at the time the initial report was prepared. Verification activities for the installed and operational SSCs have been completed. Verification of future additions to the CSB related to the canister cover cap and welding fixture system and MCO Internal Gas Sampling equipment will be completed as appropriate for those components. The open items related to verification of those requirements are noted in section 3

Design Verification Report Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project Canister Storage Building (CSB)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BAZINET, G.D.

2000-11-03

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been addressed in the design; and ensure that the SSCs as installed will not adversely impact other SSCs. The original version of this document was prepared by Vista Engineering for the SNF Project. The purpose of this revision is to document completion of verification actions that were pending at the time the initial report was prepared. Verification activities for the installed and operational SSCs have been completed. Verification of future additions to the CSB related to the canister cover cap and welding fixture system and MCO Internal Gas Sampling equipment will be completed as appropriate for those components. The open items related to verification of those

Design Verification Report Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project Canister Storage Building (CSB)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BAZINET, G.D.

2001-01-01

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been addressed in the design; and ensure that the SSCs as installed will not adversely impact other SSCs. The original version of this document was prepared by Vista Engineering for the SNF Project. Revision 1 documented verification actions that were pending at the time the initial report was prepared. Verification activities for the installed and operational SSCs have been completed. Verification of future additions to the CSB related to the canister cover cap and welding fixture system and MCO Internal Gas Sampling equipment will be completed as appropriate for those components. The open items related to verification of those requirements are noted in section 3.1.5 and will be

Design Verification Report Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project Canister Storage Building (CSB)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BAZINET, G.D.

2000-01-01

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been addressed in the design; and ensure that the SSCs as installed will not adversely impact other SSCs. The original version of this document was prepared by Vista Engineering for the SNF Project. The purpose of this revision is to document completion of verification actions that were pending at the time the initial report was prepared. Verification activities for the installed and operational SSCs have been completed. Verification of future additions to the CSB related to the canister cover cap and welding fixture system and MCO Internal Gas Sampling equipment will be completed as appropriate for those components. The open items related to verification of those requirements are noted

Scalable Techniques for Formal Verification

CERN Document Server

Ray, Sandip

2010-01-01

This book presents state-of-the-art approaches to formal verification techniques to seamlessly integrate different formal verification methods within a single logical foundation. It should benefit researchers and practitioners looking to get a broad overview of the spectrum of formal verification techniques, as well as approaches to combining such techniques within a single framework. Coverage includes a range of case studies showing how such combination is fruitful in developing a scalable verification methodology for industrial designs. This book outlines both theoretical and practical issue

Design verification for reactor head replacement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwivedy, K.K.; Whitt, M.S.; Lee, R.

2005-01-01

This paper outlines the challenges of design verification for reactor head replacement for PWR plants and the program for qualification from the prospective of the utility design engineering group. This paper is based on the experience with the design confirmation of four reactor head replacements for two plants, and their interfacing components, parts, appurtenances, and support structures. The reactor head replacement falls under the jurisdiction of the applicable edition of the ASME Section XI code, with particular reference to repair/replacement activities. Under any repair/replacement activities, demands may be encountered in the development of program and plan for replacement due to the vintage of the original design/construction Code and the design reports governing the component qualifications. Because of the obvious importance of the reactor vessel, these challenges take on an added significance. Additional complexities are introduced to the project, when the replacement components are fabricated by vendors different from the original vendor. Specific attention is needed with respect to compatibility with the original design and construction of the part and interfacing components. The program for reactor head replacement requires evaluation of welding procedures, applicable examination, test, and acceptance criteria for material, welds, and the components. Also, the design needs to take into consideration the life of the replacement components with respect to the extended period of operation of the plant after license renewal and other plant improvements. Thus, the verification of acceptability of reactor head replacement provides challenges for development and maintenance of a program and plan, design specification, design report, manufacturer's data report and material certification, and a report of reconciliation. The technical need may also be compounded by other challenges such as widely scattered global activities and organizational barriers, which

DESIGN VERIFICATION REPORT SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL (SNF) PROJECT CANISTER STORAGE BUILDING (CSB)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BAZINET, G.D.

2003-01-01

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been addressed in the design; and ensure that the SSCs as installed will not adversely impact other SSCs. The original version of this document was prepared by Vista Engineering for the SNF Project. Revision 1 documented verification actions that were pending at the time the initial report was prepared. Revision 3 of this document incorporates MCO Cover Cap Assembly welding verification activities. Verification activities for the installed and operational SSCs have been completed

High Performance Electrical Modeling and Simulation Software Normal Environment Verification and Validation Plan, Version 1.0; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

WIX, STEVEN D.; BOGDAN, CAROLYN W.; MARCHIONDO JR., JULIO P.; DEVENEY, MICHAEL F.; NUNEZ, ALBERT V.

2002-01-01

The requirements in modeling and simulation are driven by two fundamental changes in the nuclear weapons landscape: (1) The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and (2) The Stockpile Life Extension Program which extends weapon lifetimes well beyond their originally anticipated field lifetimes. The move from confidence based on nuclear testing to confidence based on predictive simulation forces a profound change in the performance asked of codes. The scope of this document is to improve the confidence in the computational results by demonstration and documentation of the predictive capability of electrical circuit codes and the underlying conceptual, mathematical and numerical models as applied to a specific stockpile driver. This document describes the High Performance Electrical Modeling and Simulation software normal environment Verification and Validation Plan

Verification of RESRAD-RDD. (Version 2.01)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, Jing-Jy [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Flood, Paul E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); LePoire, David [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Kamboj, Sunita [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Yu, Charley [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2015-09-01

In this report, the results generated by RESRAD-RDD version 2.01 are compared with those produced by RESRAD-RDD version 1.7 for different scenarios with different sets of input parameters. RESRAD-RDD version 1.7 is spreadsheet-driven, performing calculations with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. RESRAD-RDD version 2.01 revamped version 1.7 by using command-driven programs designed with Visual Basic.NET to direct calculations with data saved in Microsoft Access database, and re-facing the graphical user interface (GUI) to provide more flexibility and choices in guideline derivation. Because version 1.7 and version 2.01 perform the same calculations, the comparison of their results serves as verification of both versions. The verification covered calculation results for 11 radionuclides included in both versions: Am-241, Cf-252, Cm-244, Co-60, Cs-137, Ir-192, Po-210, Pu-238, Pu-239, Ra-226, and Sr-90. At first, all nuclidespecific data used in both versions were compared to ensure that they are identical. Then generic operational guidelines and measurement-based radiation doses or stay times associated with a specific operational guideline group were calculated with both versions using different sets of input parameters, and the results obtained with the same set of input parameters were compared. A total of 12 sets of input parameters were used for the verification, and the comparison was performed for each operational guideline group, from A to G, sequentially. The verification shows that RESRAD-RDD version 1.7 and RESRAD-RDD version 2.01 generate almost identical results; the slight differences could be attributed to differences in numerical precision with Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic.NET. RESRAD-RDD version 2.01 allows the selection of different units for use in reporting calculation results. The results of SI units were obtained and compared with the base results (in traditional units) used for comparison with version 1.7. The comparison shows that RESRAD

Automated Installation Verification of COMSOL via LiveLink for MATLAB

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowell, Michael W

2015-01-01

Verifying that a local software installation performs as the developer intends is a potentially time-consuming but necessary step for nuclear safety-related codes. Automating this process not only saves time, but can increase reliability and scope of verification compared to ''hand'' comparisons. While COMSOL does not include automatic installation verification as many commercial codes do, it does provide tools such as LiveLink"T"M for MATLAB® and the COMSOL API for use with Java® through which the user can automate the process. Here we present a successful automated verification example of a local COMSOL 5.0 installation for nuclear safety-related calculations at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR).

Automated Installation Verification of COMSOL via LiveLink for MATLAB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crowell, Michael W [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-01-01

Verifying that a local software installation performs as the developer intends is a potentially time-consuming but necessary step for nuclear safety-related codes. Automating this process not only saves time, but can increase reliability and scope of verification compared to ‘hand’ comparisons. While COMSOL does not include automatic installation verification as many commercial codes do, it does provide tools such as LiveLink™ for MATLAB® and the COMSOL API for use with Java® through which the user can automate the process. Here we present a successful automated verification example of a local COMSOL 5.0 installation for nuclear safety-related calculations at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR).

Optimal trajectories for flexible-link manipulator slewing using recursive quadratic programming: Experimental verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, G.G.; Eisler, G.R.; Feddema, J.T.

1994-01-01

Procedures for trajectory planning and control of flexible link robots are becoming increasingly important to satisfy performance requirements of hazardous waste removal efforts. It has been shown that utilizing link flexibility in designing open loop joint commands can result in improved performance as opposed to damping vibration throughout a trajectory. The efficient use of link compliance is exploited in this work. Specifically, experimental verification of minimum time, straight line tracking using a two-link planar flexible robot is presented. A numerical optimization process, using an experimentally verified modal model, is used for obtaining minimum time joint torque and angle histories. The optimal joint states are used as commands to the proportional-derivative servo actuated joints. These commands are precompensated for the nonnegligible joint servo actuator dynamics. Using the precompensated joint commands, the optimal joint angles are tracked with such fidelity that the tip tracking error is less than 2.5 cm

Shield verification and validation action matrix summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boman, C.

1992-02-01

WSRC-RP-90-26, Certification Plan for Reactor Analysis Computer Codes, describes a series of action items to be completed for certification of reactor analysis computer codes used in Technical Specifications development and for other safety and production support calculations. Validation and verification are integral part of the certification process. This document identifies the work performed and documentation generated to satisfy these action items for the SHIELD, SHLDED, GEDIT, GENPRT, FIPROD, FPCALC, and PROCES modules of the SHIELD system, it is not certification of the complete SHIELD system. Complete certification will follow at a later date. Each action item is discussed with the justification for its completion. Specific details of the work performed are not included in this document but can be found in the references. The validation and verification effort for the SHIELD, SHLDED, GEDIT, GENPRT, FIPROD, FPCALC, and PROCES modules of the SHIELD system computer code is completed

Secure stand alone positive personnel identity verification system (SSA-PPIV)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merillat, P.D.

1979-03-01

The properties of a secure stand-alone positive personnel identity verification system are detailed. The system is designed to operate without the aid of a central computing facility and the verification function is performed in the absence of security personnel. Security is primarily achieved by means of data encryption on a magnetic stripe badge. Several operational configurations are discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of this system compared to a central computer driven system are detailed

Standard practice for verification of constant amplitude dynamic forces in an axial fatigue testing system

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2008-01-01

1.1 This practice covers procedures for the dynamic verification of cyclic force amplitude control or measurement accuracy during constant amplitude testing in an axial fatigue testing system. It is based on the premise that force verification can be done with the use of a strain gaged elastic element. Use of this practice gives assurance that the accuracies of forces applied by the machine or dynamic force readings from the test machine, at the time of the test, after any user applied correction factors, fall within the limits recommended in Section 9. It does not address static accuracy which must first be addressed using Practices E 4 or equivalent. 1.2 Verification is specific to a particular test machine configuration and specimen. This standard is recommended to be used for each configuration of testing machine and specimen. Where dynamic correction factors are to be applied to test machine force readings in order to meet the accuracy recommended in Section 9, the verification is also specific to the c...

Can self-verification strivings fully transcend the self-other barrier? Seeking verification of ingroup identities.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, Angel; Seyle, D Conor; Huici, Carmen; Swann, William B

2009-12-01

Recent research has demonstrated self-verification strivings in groups, such that people strive to verify collective identities, which are personal self-views (e.g., "sensitive") associated with group membership (e.g., "women"). Such demonstrations stop short of showing that the desire for self-verification can fully transcend the self-other barrier, as in people working to verify ingroup identities (e.g., "Americans are loud") even when such identities are not self-descriptive ("I am quiet and unassuming"). Five studies focus on such ingroup verification strivings. Results indicate that people prefer to interact with individuals who verify their ingroup identities over those who enhance these identities (Experiments 1-5). Strivings for ingroup identity verification were independent of the extent to which the identities were self-descriptive but were stronger among participants who were highly invested in their ingroup identities, as reflected in high certainty of these identities (Experiments 1-4) and high identification with the group (Experiments 1-5). In addition, whereas past demonstrations of self-verification strivings have been limited to efforts to verify the content of identities (Experiments 1 to 3), the findings also show that they strive to verify the valence of their identities (i.e., the extent to which the identities are valued; Experiments 4 and 5). Self-verification strivings, rather than self-enhancement strivings, appeared to motivate participants' strivings for ingroup identity verification. Links to collective self-verification strivings and social identity theory are discussed.

A Correctness Verification Technique for Commercial FPGA Synthesis Tools

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eui Sub; Yoo, Jun Beom; Choi, Jong Gyun; Kim, Jang Yeol; Lee, Jang Soo

2014-01-01

Once the FPGA (Filed-Programmable Gate Array) designers designs Verilog programs, the commercial synthesis tools automatically translate the Verilog programs into EDIF programs so that the designers can have largely focused on HDL designs for correctness of functionality. Nuclear regulation authorities, however, require more considerate demonstration of the correctness and safety of mechanical synthesis processes of FPGA synthesis tools, even if the FPGA industry have acknowledged them empirically as correct and safe processes and tools. In order to assure of the safety, the industry standards for the safety of electronic/electrical devices, such as IEC 61508 and IEC 60880, recommend using the formal verification technique. There are several formal verification tools (i.e., 'FormalPro' 'Conformal' 'Formality' and so on) to verify the correctness of translation from Verilog into EDIF programs, but it is too expensive to use and hard to apply them to the works of 3rd-party developers. This paper proposes a formal verification technique which can contribute to the correctness demonstration in part. It formally checks the behavioral equivalence between Verilog and subsequently synthesized Net list with the VIS verification system. A Net list is an intermediate output of FPGA synthesis process, and EDIF is used as a standard format of Net lists. If the formal verification succeeds, then we can assure that the synthesis process from Verilog into Net list worked correctly at least for the Verilog used. In order to support the formal verification, we developed the mechanical translator 'EDIFtoBLIFMV,' which translates EDIF into BLIF-MV as an input front-end of VIS system, while preserving their behavior equivalence.. We performed the case study with an example of a preliminary version of RPS in a Korean nuclear power plant in order to provide the efficiency of the proposed formal verification technique and implemented translator. It

A Correctness Verification Technique for Commercial FPGA Synthesis Tools

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Eui Sub; Yoo, Jun Beom [Konkuk University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jong Gyun; Kim, Jang Yeol; Lee, Jang Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

Once the FPGA (Filed-Programmable Gate Array) designers designs Verilog programs, the commercial synthesis tools automatically translate the Verilog programs into EDIF programs so that the designers can have largely focused on HDL designs for correctness of functionality. Nuclear regulation authorities, however, require more considerate demonstration of the correctness and safety of mechanical synthesis processes of FPGA synthesis tools, even if the FPGA industry have acknowledged them empirically as correct and safe processes and tools. In order to assure of the safety, the industry standards for the safety of electronic/electrical devices, such as IEC 61508 and IEC 60880, recommend using the formal verification technique. There are several formal verification tools (i.e., 'FormalPro' 'Conformal' 'Formality' and so on) to verify the correctness of translation from Verilog into EDIF programs, but it is too expensive to use and hard to apply them to the works of 3rd-party developers. This paper proposes a formal verification technique which can contribute to the correctness demonstration in part. It formally checks the behavioral equivalence between Verilog and subsequently synthesized Net list with the VIS verification system. A Net list is an intermediate output of FPGA synthesis process, and EDIF is used as a standard format of Net lists. If the formal verification succeeds, then we can assure that the synthesis process from Verilog into Net list worked correctly at least for the Verilog used. In order to support the formal verification, we developed the mechanical translator 'EDIFtoBLIFMV,' which translates EDIF into BLIF-MV as an input front-end of VIS system, while preserving their behavior equivalence.. We performed the case study with an example of a preliminary version of RPS in a Korean nuclear power plant in order to provide the efficiency of the proposed formal verification technique and implemented translator. It

Environmental Testing Campaign and Verification of Satellite Deimos-2 at INTA

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Daniel; Vazquez, Mercedes; Anon, Manuel; Olivo, Esperanza; Gallego, Pablo; Morillo, Pablo; Parra, Javier; Capraro; Luengo, Mar; Garcia, Beatriz; Villacorta, Pablo

2014-06-01

In this paper the environmental test campaign and verification of the DEIMOS-2 (DM2) satellite will be presented and described. DM2 will be ready for launch in 2014.Firstly, a short description of the satellite is presented, including its physical characteristics and intended optical performances. DEIMOS-2 is a LEO satellite for earth observation that will provide high resolution imaging services for agriculture, civil protection, environmental issues, disasters monitoring, climate change, urban planning, cartography, security and intelligence.Then, the verification and test campaign carried out on the SM and FM models at INTA is described; including Mechanical test for the SM and Climatic, Mechanical and Electromagnetic Compatibility tests for the FM. In addition, this paper includes Centre of Gravity and Moment of Inertia measurements for both models, and other verification activities carried out in order to ensure satellite's health during launch and its in orbit performance.

Environmental Technology Verification Report - Electric Power and Heat Production Using Renewable Biogas at Patterson Farms

Science.gov (United States)

The U.S. EPA operates the Environmental Technology Verification program to facilitate the deployment of innovative technologies through performance verification and information dissemination. A technology area of interest is distributed electrical power generation, particularly w...

A bimodal verification cryptosystem as a framework against spoofing attacks

OpenAIRE

Toli, Christina-Angeliki; Preneel, Bart

2015-01-01

The exponential growth of immigration crisis and the recent terrorism cases revealed the increase of fraud occurrences, cloning and identity theft with numerous social, economic and political consequences. The trustworthiness of biometrics during verification processes has been compromised by spoofing attackers sprang up to exploit the security gaps. Additionally, the cryptography’s role in the area is highly important as it may promote fair assessment procedures and foster public trust by se...

Calibrations and verifications performed in view of the ILA reinstatement at JET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dumortier, P., E-mail: pierre.dumortier@rma.ac.be; Durodié, F. [LPP-ERM-KMS, TEC partner, Brussels (Belgium); Helou, W. [CEA, IRFM, F-13108 St-Paul-Lez-Durance (France); Monakhov, I.; Noble, C.; Wooldridge, E.; Blackman, T.; Graham, M. [CCFE, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon (United Kingdom); Collaboration: EUROfusion Consortium

2015-12-10

The calibrations and verifications that are performed in preparation of the ITER-Like antenna (ILA) reinstatement at JET are reviewed. A brief reminder of the ILA system layout is given. The different calibration methods and results are then discussed. They encompass the calibrations of the directional couplers present in the system, the determination of the relation between the capacitor position readings and the capacitance value, the voltage probes calibration inside the antenna housing, the RF cables characterization and the acquisition electronics circuit calibration. Earlier experience with the ILA has shown that accurate calibrations are essential for the control of the full ILA close-packed antenna array, its protection through the S-Matrix Arc Detection and the new second stage matching algorithm to be implemented. Finally the voltage stand-off of the capacitors is checked and the phase range achievable with the system is verified. The system layout is modified as to allow dipole operation over the whole operating frequency range when operating with the 3dB combiner-splitters.

Utterance Verification for Text-Dependent Speaker Recognition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kinnunen, Tomi; Sahidullah, Md; Kukanov, Ivan

2016-01-01

Text-dependent automatic speaker verification naturally calls for the simultaneous verification of speaker identity and spoken content. These two tasks can be achieved with automatic speaker verification (ASV) and utterance verification (UV) technologies. While both have been addressed previously...

Methodology and applicability of a safety and demonstration concept for a HAW final repository on clays. Safety concept and verification strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruebel, Andre; Meleshyn, Artur

2014-08-01

The report describes the site independent frame for a safety concept and verification strategy for a final repository for heat generating wastes in clay rock. In the safety concept planning specifications and technical measures are summarized that are supposed to allow a safe inclusion of radionuclides in the host rock. The verification strategy defines the systematic procedures for the development of fundamentals and scenarios as basis for the demonstration of the safety case and to allow the prognosis of appropriateness. The report includes the boundary conditions, the safety concept for the post-closure phase and the verification strategy for the post-closure phase.

EOPs at NPP Temelin: Analytical support for EOPs verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bica, M.

1999-01-01

The process of implementation of symptom-based emergency operating procedures (EOPs) started at the NPP Temelin in 1993. The process has the following phases: development of symptom-based EOPs; EOPs verification; EOPs validation; operating personnel training; EOPs control and experience feedback. The development of Temelin specific EOPs was based on technology and know-how transfer using the Emergency Response Guidelines Methodology developed by the Westinghouse Owner Group. In this lecture the implementation of symptom-based EOPs in the the NPP Temelin is described

Impact of operator fatigue on endoscopy performance: implications for procedure scheduling.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Harewood, Gavin C

2009-08-01

With increasing volumes of endoscopic procedures, endoscopists\\' workload has had to increase to meet this escalating demand. The aim of this study was to characterize the impact of endoscopist fatigue on quality of endoscopy performance by comparing outcomes based on chronological procedure order.

Advances in the Processing of VHR Optical Imagery in Support of Safeguards Verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niemeyer, I.; Listner, C.; Canty, M.

2015-01-01

Under the Additional Protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) complementing the safeguards agreements between States and the International Atomic Energy Agency, commercial satellite imagery, preferably acquired by very high-resolution (VHR) satellite sensors, is an important source of safeguards-relevant information. Satellite imagery can assist in the evaluation of site declarations, design information verification, the detection of undeclared nuclear facilities, and the preparation of inspections or other visits. With the IAEA's Geospatial Exploitation System (GES), satellite imagery and other geospatial information such as site plans of nuclear facilities are available for a broad range of inspectors, analysts and country officers. The demand for spatial information and new tools to analyze this data is growing, together with the rising number of nuclear facilities under safeguards worldwide. Automated computer-driven processing of satellite imagery could therefore add a big value in the safeguards verification process. These could be, for example, satellite imagery pre-processing algorithms specially developed for new sensors, tools for pixel or object-based image analysis, or geoprocessing tools that generate additional safeguards-relevant information. In the last decade procedures for automated (pre-) processing of satellite imagery have considerably evolved. This paper aims at testing some pixel-based and object-based procedures for automated change detection and classification in support of safeguards verification. Taking different nuclear sites as examples, these methods will be evaluated and compared with regard to their suitability to (semi-) automatically extract safeguards-relevant information. (author)

Image Processing Based Signature Verification Technique to Reduce Fraud in Financial Institutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hussein Walid

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Handwritten signature is broadly utilized as personal verification in financial institutions ensures the necessity for a robust automatic signature verification tool. This tool aims to reduce fraud in all related financial transactions’ sectors. This paper proposes an online, robust, and automatic signature verification technique using the recent advances in image processing and machine learning. Once the image of a handwritten signature for a customer is captured, several pre-processing steps are performed on it including filtration and detection of the signature edges. Afterwards, a feature extraction process is applied on the image to extract Speeded up Robust Features (SURF and Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT features. Finally, a verification process is developed and applied to compare the extracted image features with those stored in the database for the specified customer. Results indicate high accuracy, simplicity, and rapidity of the developed technique, which are the main criteria to judge a signature verification tool in banking and other financial institutions.

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION (ETV) PROGRAM: GREEN BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES

Science.gov (United States)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program evaluates the performance of innovative air, water, pollution prevention and monitoring technologies that have the potential to improve human health and the environment. This techno...

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION PROGRAM: PROTOCOL FOR THE VERIFICATION OF GROUTING MATERIALS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE REHABILITATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON - CIGMAT

Science.gov (United States)

This protocol was developed under the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program, and is intended to be used as a guide in preparing laboratory test plans for the purpose of verifying the performance of grouting materials used for infra...

A Self-Instructional Course in Student Financial Aid Administration. Module 13: Verification. Second Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Washington Consulting Group, Inc., Washington, DC.

Module 13 of the 17-module self-instructional course on student financial aid administration (designed for novice financial aid administrators and other institutional personnel) focuses on the verification procedure for checking the accuracy of applicant data used in making financial aid awards. The full course provides an introduction to the…

Verification and validation of computer based systems for PFBR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thirugnanamurthy, D.

2017-01-01

Verification and Validation (V and V) process is essential to build quality into system. Verification is the process of evaluating a system to determine whether the products of each development phase satisfies the requirements imposed by the previous phase. Validation is the process of evaluating a system at the end of the development process to ensure compliance with the functional, performance and interface requirements. This presentation elaborates the V and V process followed, documents submission requirements in each stage, V and V activities, check list used for reviews in each stage and reports

Speaker-dependent Dictionary-based Speech Enhancement for Text-Dependent Speaker Verification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomsen, Nicolai Bæk; Thomsen, Dennis Alexander Lehmann; Tan, Zheng-Hua

2016-01-01

not perform well in this setting. In this work we compare the performance of different noise reduction methods under different noise conditions in terms of speaker verification when the text is known and the system is trained on clean data (mis-matched conditions). We furthermore propose a new approach based......The problem of text-dependent speaker verification under noisy conditions is becoming ever more relevant, due to increased usage for authentication in real-world applications. Classical methods for noise reduction such as spectral subtraction and Wiener filtering introduce distortion and do...... on dictionary-based noise reduction and compare it to the baseline methods....

Design of verification platform for wireless vision sensor networks

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Juanjuan; Shang, Fei; Yu, Chuang

2017-08-01

At present, the majority of research for wireless vision sensor networks (WVSNs) still remains in the software simulation stage, and the verification platforms of WVSNs that available for use are very few. This situation seriously restricts the transformation from theory research of WVSNs to practical application. Therefore, it is necessary to study the construction of verification platform of WVSNs. This paper combines wireless transceiver module, visual information acquisition module and power acquisition module, designs a high-performance wireless vision sensor node whose core is ARM11 microprocessor and selects AODV as the routing protocol to set up a verification platform called AdvanWorks for WVSNs. Experiments show that the AdvanWorks can successfully achieve functions of image acquisition, coding, wireless transmission, and obtain the effective distance parameters between nodes, which lays a good foundation for the follow-up application of WVSNs.

A Practitioners Perspective on Verification

Science.gov (United States)

Steenburgh, R. A.

2017-12-01

NOAAs Space Weather Prediction Center offers a wide range of products and services to meet the needs of an equally wide range of customers. A robust verification program is essential to the informed use of model guidance and other tools by both forecasters and end users alike. In this talk, we present current SWPC practices and results, and examine emerging requirements and potential approaches to satisfy them. We explore the varying verification needs of forecasters and end users, as well as the role of subjective and objective verification. Finally, we describe a vehicle used in the meteorological community to unify approaches to model verification and facilitate intercomparison.

A knowledge-base verification of NPP expert systems using extended Petri nets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Il Won; Seong, Poong Hyun

1995-01-01

The verification phase of knowledge base is an important part for developing reliable expert systems, especially in nuclear industry. Although several strategies or tools have been developed to perform potential error checking, they often neglect the reliability of verification methods. Because a Petri net provides a uniform mathematical formalization of knowledge base, it has been employed for knowledge base verification. In this work, we devise and suggest an automated tool, called COKEP (Checker Of Knowledge base using Extended Petri net), for detecting incorrectness, inconsistency, and incompleteness in a knowledge base. The scope of the verification problem is expanded to chained errors, unlike previous studies that assumed error incidence to be limited to rule pairs only. In addition, we consider certainty factor in checking, because most of knowledge bases have certainty factors

Standard practices for verification of displacement measuring systems and devices used in material testing machines

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2005-01-01

1.1 These practices cover procedures and requirements for the calibration and verification of displacement measuring systems by means of standard calibration devices for static and quasi-static testing machines. This practice is not intended to be complete purchase specifications for testing machines or displacement measuring systems. Displacement measuring systems are not intended to be used for the determination of strain. See Practice E83. 1.2 These procedures apply to the verification of the displacement measuring systems associated with the testing machine, such as a scale, dial, marked or unmarked recorder chart, digital display, etc. In all cases the buyer/owner/user must designate the displacement-measuring system(s) to be verified. 1.3 The values stated in either SI units or inch-pound units are to be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system may not be exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently of the other. Combining values from the two systems m...

Procedure for taking physical inventories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

This session is intended to apprise one of the various aspects of procedures and routines that Exxon Nuclear uses with respect to its nuclear materials physical inventory program. The presentation describes how plant physical inventories are planned and taken. The description includes the planning and preparation for taking the inventory, the clean-out procedures for converting in-process material to measurable items, the administrative procedures for establishing independent inventory teams and for inventorying each inventory area, the verification procedures used to include previously measured tamper-safed items in the inventory, and lastly, procedures used to reconcile the inventory and calculate MUF (materials unaccounted for). The purpose of the session is to enable participants to: (1) understand the planning and pre-inventorty procedures and their importance; (2) understand the need for and the required intensity of clean-out procedures; (3) understand how inventory teams are formed, and how the inventory is conducted; (4) understand the distinction between inventory previously measured tamper-safed items and other materials not so characterized; (5) understand the reconciliation procedures; and (6) calculate a MUF given the book and inventory results

Stability and Concentration Verification of Ammonium Perchlorate Dosing Solutions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tsui, David

1998-01-01

Stability and concentration verification was performed for the ammonium perchlorate dosing solutions used in the on-going 90-Day Oral Toxicity Study conducted by Springborn Laboratories, Inc. (SLI Study No. 3433.1...

Development of procedures for calculating stiffness and damping properties of elastomers in engineering applications. Part 1: Verification of basic methods

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, T.; Tessarzik, J. M.; Badgley, R. H.

1972-01-01

The primary aim of this investigation was verification of basic methods which are to be used in cataloging elastomer dynamic properties (stiffness and damping) in terms of viscoelastic model constants. These constants may then be used to predict dynamic properties for general elastomer shapes and operating conditions, thereby permitting optimum application of elastomers as energy absorption and/or energy storage devices in the control of vibrations in a broad variety of applications. The efforts reported involved: (1) literature search; (2) the design, fabrication and use of a test rig for obtaining elastomer dynamic test data over a wide range of frequencies, amplitudes, and preloads; and (3) the reduction of the test data, by means of a selected three-element elastomer model and specialized curve fitting techniques, to material properties. Material constants thus obtained have been used to calculate stiffness and damping for comparison with measured test data. These comparisons are excellent for a number of test conditions and only fair to poor for others. The results confirm the validity of the basic approach of the overall program and the mechanics of the cataloging procedure, and at the same time suggest areas in which refinements should be made.

Expert system verification and validation for nuclear power industry applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naser, J.A.

1990-01-01

The potential for the use of expert systems in the nuclear power industry is widely recognized. The benefits of such systems include consistency of reasoning during off-normal situations when humans are under great stress, the reduction of times required to perform certain functions, the prevention of equipment failures through predictive diagnostics, and the retention of human expertise in performing specialized functions. The increased use of expert systems brings with it concerns about their reliability. Difficulties arising from software problems can affect plant safety, reliability, and availability. A joint project between EPRI and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is being initiated to develop a methodology for verification and validation of expert systems for nuclear power applications. This methodology will be tested on existing and developing expert systems. This effort will explore the applicability of conventional verification and validation methodologies to expert systems. The major area of concern will be certification of the knowledge base. This is expected to require new types of verification and validation techniques. A methodology for developing validation scenarios will also be studied

Comparison of the effect of paper and computerized procedures on operator error rate and speed of performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Converse, S.A.; Perez, P.B.; Meyer, S.; Crabtree, W.

1994-01-01

The Computerized Procedures Manual (COPMA-II) is an advanced procedure manual that can be used to select and execute procedures, to monitor the state of plant parameters, and to help operators track their progress through plant procedures. COPMA-II was evaluated in a study that compared the speed and accuracy of operators' performance when they performed with COPMA-II and traditional paper procedures. Sixteen licensed reactor operators worked in teams of two to operate the Scales Pressurized Water Reactor Facility at North Carolina State University. Each team performed one change of power with each type of procedure to simulate performance under normal operating conditions. Teams then performed one accident scenario with COPMA-II and one with paper procedures. Error rates, performance times, and subjective estimates of workload were collected, and were evaluated for each combination of procedure type and scenario type. For the change of power task, accuracy and response time were not different for COPMA-II and paper procedures. Operators did initiate responses to both accident scenarios fastest with paper procedures. However, procedure type did not moderate response completion time for either accident scenario. For accuracy, performance with paper procedures resulted in twice as many errors as did performance with COPMA-II. Subjective measures of mental workload for the accident scenarios were not affected by procedure type

Verification Account Management System (VAMS)

Data.gov (United States)

Social Security Administration — The Verification Account Management System (VAMS) is the centralized location for maintaining SSA's verification and data exchange accounts. VAMS account management...

Determination of the performance of the Kaplan hydraulic turbines through simplified procedure

Science.gov (United States)

Pădureanu, I.; Jurcu, M.; Campian, C. V.; Haţiegan, C.

2018-01-01

A simplified procedure has been developed, compared to the complex one recommended by IEC 60041 (i.e. index samples), for measurement of the performance of the hydraulic turbines. The simplified procedure determines the minimum and maximum powers, the efficiency at maximum power, the evolution of powers by head and flow and to determine the correct relationship between runner/impeller blade angle and guide vane opening for most efficient operation of double-regulated machines. The simplified procedure can be used for a rapid and partial estimation of the performance of hydraulic turbines for repair and maintenance work.

How Does Procedural Fairness Affect Performance Evaluation System Satisfaction? (Evidence from a UK Police Force

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sholihin Mahfud

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates whether, and if so, how procedural fairness affects performance evaluation system satisfaction in a UK Police Force. Employing a survey method with samples of detective inspectors and detective chief inspectors with significant managerial responsibilities in a UK Police Force, this study finds that procedural fairness affects performance evaluation system satisfaction. Further analysis reveals that the effect of procedural fairness on performance evaluation system satisfaction is mediated by trust. This study provides empirical evidence on how procedural fairness affects performance evaluation system satisfaction. The results of this study may benefit the designer of performance evaluation systems in police organizations.

DESIGN VERIFICATION REPORT SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL (SNF) PROJECT CANISTER STORAGE BUILDING (CSB)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BAZINET, G.D.

2003-02-12

The Sub-project W379, ''Spent Nuclear Fuel Canister Storage Building (CSB),'' was established as part of the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project. The primary mission of the CSB is to safely store spent nuclear fuel removed from the K Basins in dry storage until such time that it can be transferred to the national geological repository at Yucca Mountain Nevada. This sub-project was initiated in late 1994 by a series of studies and conceptual designs. These studies determined that the partially constructed storage building, originally built as part of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, could be redesigned to safely store the spent nuclear fuel. The scope of the CSB facility initially included a receiving station, a hot conditioning system, a storage vault, and a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) Handling Machine (MHM). Because of evolution of the project technical strategy, the hot conditioning system was deleted from the scope and MCO welding and sampling stations were added in its place. This report outlines the methods, procedures, and outputs developed by Project W379 to verify that the provided Structures, Systems, and Components (SSCs): satisfy the design requirements and acceptance criteria; perform their intended function; ensure that failure modes and hazards have been addressed in the design; and ensure that the SSCs as installed will not adversely impact other SSCs. The original version of this document was prepared by Vista Engineering for the SNF Project. Revision 1 documented verification actions that were pending at the time the initial report was prepared. Revision 3 of this document incorporates MCO Cover Cap Assembly welding verification activities. Verification activities for the installed and operational SSCs have been completed.

Quantum money with classical verification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gavinsky, Dmitry [NEC Laboratories America, Princeton, NJ (United States)

2014-12-04

We propose and construct a quantum money scheme that allows verification through classical communication with a bank. This is the first demonstration that a secure quantum money scheme exists that does not require quantum communication for coin verification. Our scheme is secure against adaptive adversaries - this property is not directly related to the possibility of classical verification, nevertheless none of the earlier quantum money constructions is known to possess it.

Quantum money with classical verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavinsky, Dmitry

2014-01-01

We propose and construct a quantum money scheme that allows verification through classical communication with a bank. This is the first demonstration that a secure quantum money scheme exists that does not require quantum communication for coin verification. Our scheme is secure against adaptive adversaries - this property is not directly related to the possibility of classical verification, nevertheless none of the earlier quantum money constructions is known to possess it

Patient set-up verification by infrared optical localization and body surface sensing in breast radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spadea, Maria Francesca; Baroni, Guido; Riboldi, Marco; Orecchia, Roberto; Pedotti, Antonio; Tagaste, Barbara; Garibaldi, Cristina

2006-01-01

Background and purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical application of a technique for patient set-up verification in breast cancer radiotherapy, based on the 3D localization of a hybrid configuration of surface control points. Materials and methods: An infrared optical tracker provided the 3D position of two passive markers and 10 laser spots placed around and within the irradiation field on nine patients. A fast iterative constrained minimization procedure was applied to detect and compensate patient set-up errors, through the control points registration with reference data coming from treatment plan (markers reference position, CT-based surface model). Results: The application of the corrective spatial transformation estimated by the registration procedure led to significant improvement of patient set-up. Median value of 3D errors affecting three additional verification markers within the irradiation field decreased from 5.7 to 3.5 mm. Errors variability (25-75%) decreased from 3.2 to 2.1 mm. Laser spots registration on the reference surface model was documented to contribute substantially to set-up errors compensation. Conclusions: Patient set-up verification through a hybrid set of control points and constrained surface minimization algorithm was confirmed to be feasible in clinical practice and to provide valuable information for the improvement of the quality of patient set-up, with minimal requirement of operator-dependant procedures. The technique combines conveniently the advantages of passive markers based methods and surface registration techniques, by featuring immediate and robust estimation of the set-up accuracy from a redundant dataset

Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program: Computer-based procedure for field activities: results from three evaluations at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Nearly all activities that involve human interaction with the systems of a nuclear power plant are guided by procedures. The paper-based procedures (PBPs) currently used by industry have a demonstrated history of ensuring safety; however, improving procedure use could yield tremendous savings in increased efficiency and safety. One potential way to improve procedure-based activities is through the use of computer-based procedures (CBPs). Computer-based procedures provide the opportunity to incorporate context driven job aids, such as drawings, photos, just-in-time training, etc into CBP system. One obvious advantage of this capability is reducing the time spent tracking down the applicable documentation. Additionally, human performance tools can be integrated in the CBP system in such way that helps the worker focus on the task rather than the tools. Some tools can be completely incorporated into the CBP system, such as pre-job briefs, placekeeping, correct component verification, and peer checks. Other tools can be partly integrated in a fashion that reduces the time and labor required, such as concurrent and independent verification. Another benefit of CBPs compared to PBPs is dynamic procedure presentation. PBPs are static documents which limits the degree to which the information presented can be tailored to the task and conditions when the procedure is executed. The CBP system could be configured to display only the relevant steps based on operating mode, plant status, and the task at hand. A dynamic presentation of the procedure (also known as context-sensitive procedures) will guide the user down the path of relevant steps based on the current conditions. This feature will reduce the user's workload and inherently reduce the risk of incorrectly marking a step as not applicable and the risk of incorrectly performing a step that should be marked as not applicable. As part of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Light Water Reactors Sustainability Program

Development of critical digital review procedure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Huiwen; Liao Benching; Tseng Maosheng; Chung Hsianghan; Cheng Tsungchieh; Chen Minghuei

2011-01-01

This paper describes the critical digital review (CDR) procedure, which was developed by Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER), and sponsored by Taiwan Power Company (TPC). A preliminary CDR application experience which was performed by INER, is also described in this paper. Currently, CDR becomes one of the policies for digital Instrumentation and Control (I and C) system replacement in TPC. The contents of this CDR procedure include: Scope, Responsibility, Operation Procedure, Operation Flow Chart, CDR review items. The 'CDR Review Items' chapter proposes optional review items, including the comparison of the design change, Software Verification and Validation (SV and V), Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Evaluation of Watchdog Timer, Evaluation of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Evaluation of Grounding for System/Component, Seismic Evaluation, HFE Evaluation, Witness and Inspection, Lessons Learnt from the Digital I and C Failure Events. Since CDR has become a TPC policy, Chin Shan Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) performed the CDR practice of Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) digital I and C replacement, even though the project had been on the half way. The major review items of this CDR were: the comparison of the design change, SV and V, FMEA, Evaluation of Watchdog Timer, Evaluation of Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Evaluation of Grounding for System/ Component, Witness and Inspection, Lessons Learnt from the Digital I and C Failure Events. The experience of the CDR showed the importance of preparation of the documents by the vendor. This means the communication with the vendors for the bid preparation is crucial. (author)

Particularities of Verification Processes for Distributed Informatics Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion IVAN

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents distributed informatics applications and characteristics of their development cycle. It defines the concept of verification and there are identified the differences from software testing. Particularities of the software testing and software verification processes are described. The verification steps and necessary conditions are presented and there are established influence factors of quality verification. Software optimality verification is analyzed and some metrics are defined for the verification process.

Sensor-fusion-based biometric identity verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, J.J.; Bouchard, A.M.; Osbourn, G.C.; Martinez, R.F.; Bartholomew, J.W.; Jordan, J.B.; Flachs, G.M.; Bao, Z.; Zhu, L.

1998-02-01

Future generation automated human biometric identification and verification will require multiple features/sensors together with internal and external information sources to achieve high performance, accuracy, and reliability in uncontrolled environments. The primary objective of the proposed research is to develop a theoretical and practical basis for identifying and verifying people using standoff biometric features that can be obtained with minimal inconvenience during the verification process. The basic problem involves selecting sensors and discovering features that provide sufficient information to reliably verify a person's identity under the uncertainties caused by measurement errors and tactics of uncooperative subjects. A system was developed for discovering hand, face, ear, and voice features and fusing them to verify the identity of people. The system obtains its robustness and reliability by fusing many coarse and easily measured features into a near minimal probability of error decision algorithm

Nuclear test ban verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chun, Kin-Yip

1991-07-01

This report describes verification and its rationale, the basic tasks of seismic verification, the physical basis for earthquake/explosion source discrimination and explosion yield determination, the technical problems pertaining to seismic monitoring of underground nuclear tests, the basic problem-solving strategy deployed by the forensic seismology resarch team at the University of Toronto, and the scientific significance of the team's research. The research carried out at the Univeristy of Toronto has two components: teleseismic verification using P wave recordings from the Yellowknife Seismic Array (YKA), and regional (close-in) verification using high-frequency L g and P n recordings from the Eastern Canada Telemetered Network. Major differences have been found in P was attenuation among the propagation paths connecting the YKA listening post with seven active nuclear explosion testing areas in the world. Significant revisions have been made to previously published P wave attenuation results, leading to more interpretable nuclear explosion source functions. (11 refs., 12 figs.)

Dosimetric verification of stereotactic radiosurgery/stereotactic radiotherapy dose distributions using Gafchromic EBT3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cusumano, Davide, E-mail: davide.cusumano@unimi.it [School of Medical Physics, University of Milan, Milan (Italy); Fumagalli, Maria L. [Health Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan (Italy); Marchetti, Marcello; Fariselli, Laura [Department of Neurosurgery, Radiotherapy Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan (Italy); De Martin, Elena [Health Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan (Italy)

2015-10-01

Aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of using the new Gafchromic EBT3 film in a high-dose stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy quality assurance procedure. Owing to the reduced dimensions of the involved lesions, the feasibility of scanning plan verification films on the scanner plate area with the best uniformity rather than using a correction mask was evaluated. For this purpose, signal values dispersion and reproducibility of film scans were investigated. Uniformity was then quantified in the selected area and was found to be within 1.5% for doses up to 8 Gy. A high-dose threshold level for analyses using this procedure was established evaluating the sensitivity of the irradiated films. Sensitivity was found to be of the order of centiGray for doses up to 6.2 Gy and decreasing for higher doses. The obtained results were used to implement a procedure comparing dose distributions delivered with a CyberKnife system to planned ones. The procedure was validated through single beam irradiation on a Gafchromic film. The agreement between dose distributions was then evaluated for 13 patients (brain lesions, 5 Gy/die prescription isodose ~80%) using gamma analysis. Results obtained using Gamma test criteria of 5%/1 mm show a pass rate of 94.3%. Gamma frequency parameters calculation for EBT3 films showed to strongly depend on subtraction of unexposed film pixel values from irradiated ones. In the framework of the described dosimetric procedure, EBT3 films proved to be effective in the verification of high doses delivered to lesions with complex shapes and adjacent to organs at risk.

Recent trends on Software Verification and Validation Testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyungtae; Jeong, Choongheui

2013-01-01

Verification and Validation (V and V) include the analysis, evaluation, review, inspection, assessment, and testing of products. Especially testing is an important method to verify and validate software. Software V and V testing covers test planning to execution. IEEE Std. 1012 is a standard on the software V and V. Recently, IEEE Std. 1012-2012 was published. This standard is a major revision to IEEE Std. 1012-2004 which defines only software V and V. It expands the scope of the V and V processes to include system and hardware as well as software. This standard describes the scope of V and V testing according to integrity level. In addition, independent V and V requirement related to software V and V testing in IEEE 7-4.3.2-2010 have been revised. This paper provides a recent trend of software V and V testing by reviewing of IEEE Std. 1012-2012 and IEEE 7-4.3.2-2010. There are no major changes of software V and V testing activities and tasks in IEEE 1012-2012 compared with IEEE 1012-2004. But the positions on the responsibility to perform software V and V testing are changed. In addition IEEE 7-4.3.2-2010 newly describes the positions on responsibility to perform Software V and V Testing. However, the positions of these standards on the V and V testing are different. For integrity level 3 and 4, IEEE 1012-2012 basically requires that V and V organization shall conduct all of V and V testing tasks such as test plan, test design, test case, and test procedure except test execution. If V and V testing is conducted by not V and V but another organization, the results of that testing shall be analyzed by the V and V organization. For safety-related software, IEEE 7-4.3.2-2010 requires that test procedures and reports shall be independently verified by the alternate organization regardless of who writes the procedures and/or conducts the tests

The US National Resources Defense Council/Soviet Academy of Sciences Nuclear Test Ban Verification Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cochran, T.B.

1989-01-01

The first week in September 1987 was an extraordinary one for arms control verification. As part of the co-operative Test Ban Verification Project of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Soviet Academy of Sciences, fourteen American scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (at the University of California- San Diego), University of Nevada-Reno and the University of Colorado went to the region of the Soviet's principal nuclear test site near Semipalatinsk. Together with their Soviet counterparts from the Institute of Physics of the Earth (IPE) in Moscow, they fired off three large chemical explosions. The purpose of these explosions was to demonstrate the sensitivity of the three seismic stations surrounding the test site, to study the efficiency with which high-frequency seismic waves propagate in the region, and to study differences between chemical explosions, nuclear explosions and earthquakes in order more firmly to establish procedures for verification of a nuclear test ban. This paper presents a review of the results of these experiments, an update on the status of the joint project, and a review of the significance of high frequency seismic data to test ban verification

Guidelines for the verification and validation of expert system software and conventional software: Rationale and description of V ampersand V guideline packages and procedures. Volume 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirsky, S.M.; Hayes, J.E.; Miller, L.A.

1995-03-01

This report is the fifth volume in a series of reports describing the results of the Expert System Verification C, and Validation (V ampersand V) project which is jointly funded by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Electric Power Research Institute toward the objective of formulating Guidelines for the V ampersand V of expert systems for use in nuclear power applications. This report provides the rationale for and description of those guidelines. The actual guidelines themselves are presented in Volume 7, open-quotes User's Manual.close quotes Three factors determine what V ampersand V is needed: (1) the stage of the development life cycle (requirements, design, or implementation); (2) whether the overall system or a specialized component needs to be tested (knowledge base component, inference engine or other highly reusable element, or a component involving conventional software); and (3) the stringency of V ampersand V that is needed (as judged from an assessment of the system's complexity and the requirement for its integrity to form three Classes). A V ampersand V Guideline package is provided for each of the combinations of these three variables. The package specifies the V ampersand V methods recommended and the order in which they should be administered, the assurances each method provides, the qualifications needed by the V ampersand V team to employ each particular method, the degree to which the methods should be applied, the performance measures that should be taken, and the decision criteria for accepting, conditionally accepting, or rejecting an evaluated system. In addition to the Guideline packages, highly detailed step-by-step procedures are provided for 11 of the more important methods, to ensure that they can be implemented correctly. The Guidelines can apply to conventional procedural software systems as well as all kinds of Al systems

The appropriateness of TACOM for a task complexity measure for emergency operating procedures of nuclear power plants - A comparison with OPAS scores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Jinkyun; Jung, Wondea

2007-01-01

It is well known that complicated procedures frequently cause human performance related problems that can result in a serious consequence. Unfortunately a systematic framework to evaluate the complexity of procedures is very rare. For this reason Park et al. suggested a measure called TACOM (Task Complexity) which is able to quantify the complexity of tasks stipulated in procedures. In addition, it was observed that there is a significant correlation between averaged task performance time data and estimated TACOM scores. In this study, for an additional verification activity, TACOM scores are compared with operators' performance data that are measured by Operator Performance Assessment System (OPAS). As a result, it is believed that TACOM scores seem to be meaningfully correlated with OPAS scores. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that the result of this study can be regarded as a supplementary evidence for supporting the fact that TACOM measure is applicable for quantifying the complexity of tasks to be done by operators

KNGR core proection calculator, software, verification and validation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jang Yeol; Park, Jong Kyun; Lee, Ki Young; Lee, Jang Soo; Cheon, Se Woo

2001-05-01

This document describes the Software Verification and Validation Plan(SVVP) Guidance to be used in reviewing the Software Program Manual(SPM) in Korean Next Generation Reactor(KNGR) projects. This document is intended for a verifier or reviewer who is involved with performing of software verification and validation task activity in KNGR projects. This document includeds the basic philosophy, performing V and V effort, software testing techniques, criteria of review and audit on the safety software V and V activity. Major review topics on safety software addresses three kinds of characteristics based on Standard Review Plan(SRP) Chapter 7, Branch Technical Position(BTP)-14 : management characteristics, implementation characteristics and resources characteristics when reviewing on SVVP. Based on major topics of this document, we have produced the evaluation items list such as checklist in Appendix A

Psychomotor skills assessment in practicing surgeons experienced in performing advanced laparoscopic procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallagher, Anthony G; Smith, C Daniel; Bowers, Steven P; Seymour, Neal E; Pearson, Adam; McNatt, Steven; Hananel, David; Satava, Richard M

2003-09-01

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has introduced a new and unique set of psychomotor skills for a surgeon to acquire and master. Although assessment technologies have been proposed, precise and objective psychomotor skills assessment of surgeons performing laparoscopic procedures has not been detailed. Two hundred ten surgeons attending the 2001 annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons in New Orleans who reported having completed more than 50 laparoscopic procedures participated. Subjects were required to complete one box-trainer laparoscopic cutting task and a similar virtual reality task. These tasks were specifically designed to test only psychomotor and not cognitive skills. Both tasks were completed twice. Performance of tasks was assessed and analyzed. Demographic and laparoscopic experience data were also collected. Complete data were available on 195 surgeons. In this group, surgeons performed the box-trainer task better with their dominant hand (p psychomotor skills is now possible. Surgeons who had performed more than 50 laparoscopic procedures showed considerable variability in their performance on a simple laparoscopic and virtual reality task. Approximately 10% of surgeons tested performed the task significantly worse than the group's average performance. Studies such as this may form the methodology for establishing criteria levels and performance objectives in objective assessment of the technical skills component of determining surgical competence.

Dosimetric verification of IMRT plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulski, W.; Cheimicski, K.; Rostkowska, J.

2012-01-01

Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is a complex procedure requiring proper dosimetric verification. IMRT dose distributions are characterized by steep dose gradients which enable to spare organs at risk and allow for an escalation of the dose to the tumor. They require large number of radiation beams (sometimes over 10). The fluence measurements for individual beams are not sufficient for evaluation of the total dose distribution and to assure patient safety. The methods used at the Centre of Oncology in Warsaw are presented. In order to measure dose distributions in various cross-sections the film dosimeters were used (radiographic Kodak EDR2 films and radiochromic Gafchromic EBT films). The film characteristics were carefully examined. Several types of tissue equivalent phantoms were developed. A methodology of comparing measured dose distributions against the distributions calculated by treatment planning systems (TPS) was developed and tested. The tolerance level for this comparison was set at 3% difference in dose and 3 mm in distance to agreement. The so called gamma formalism was used. The results of these comparisons for a group of over 600 patients are presented. Agreement was found in 87 % of cases. This film dosimetry methodology was used as a benchmark to test and validate the performance of commercially available 2D and 3D matrices of detectors (ionization chambers or diodes). The results of these validations are also presented. (authors)

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION REPORT: EXEL INDUSTRIAL AIRMIX SPRAY GUN

Science.gov (United States)

The Environmental Technology Verification Program has partnered with Concurrent Technologies Corp. to verify innovative coatings and coating equipment technologies for reducing air emissions. This report describes the performance of EXEL Industrial's Kremlin Airmix high transfer ...

Sample representativeness verification of the FADN CZ farm business sample

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Prášilová

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Sample representativeness verification is one of the key stages of statistical work. After having joined the European Union the Czech Republic joined also the Farm Accountancy Data Network system of the Union. This is a sample of bodies and companies doing business in agriculture. Detailed production and economic data on the results of farming business are collected from that sample annually and results for the entire population of the country´s farms are then estimated and assessed. It is important hence, that the sample be representative. Representativeness is to be assessed as to the number of farms included in the survey and also as to the degree of accordance of the measures and indices as related to the population. The paper deals with the special statistical techniques and methods of the FADN CZ sample representativeness verification including the necessary sample size statement procedure. The Czech farm population data have been obtained from the Czech Statistical Office data bank.

How to Find a Bug in Ten Thousand Lines Transport Solver? Outline of Experiences from AN Advection-Diffusion Code Verification

Science.gov (United States)

Zamani, K.; Bombardelli, F.

2011-12-01

Almost all natural phenomena on Earth are highly nonlinear. Even simplifications to the equations describing nature usually end up being nonlinear partial differential equations. Transport (ADR) equation is a pivotal equation in atmospheric sciences and water quality. This nonlinear equation needs to be solved numerically for practical purposes so academicians and engineers thoroughly rely on the assistance of numerical codes. Thus, numerical codes require verification before they are utilized for multiple applications in science and engineering. Model verification is a mathematical procedure whereby a numerical code is checked to assure the governing equation is properly solved as it is described in the design document. CFD verification is not a straightforward and well-defined course. Only a complete test suite can uncover all the limitations and bugs. Results are needed to be assessed to make a distinction between bug-induced-defect and innate limitation of a numerical scheme. As Roache (2009) said, numerical verification is a state-of-the-art procedure. Sometimes novel tricks work out. This study conveys the synopsis of the experiences we gained during a comprehensive verification process which was done for a transport solver. A test suite was designed including unit tests and algorithmic tests. Tests were layered in complexity in several dimensions from simple to complex. Acceptance criteria defined for the desirable capabilities of the transport code such as order of accuracy, mass conservation, handling stiff source term, spurious oscillation, and initial shape preservation. At the begining, mesh convergence study which is the main craft of the verification is performed. To that end, analytical solution of ADR equation gathered. Also a new solution was derived. In the more general cases, lack of analytical solution could be overcome through Richardson Extrapolation and Manufactured Solution. Then, two bugs which were concealed during the mesh convergence

NPP Temelin instrumentation and control system upgrade and verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ubra, O.; Petrlik, J.

1998-01-01

Two units of Ver 1000 type of the Czech nuclear power plant Temelin, which are under construction are being upgraded with the latest instrumentation and control system delivered by WEC. To confirm that the functional design of the new Reactor Control and Limitation System, Turbine Control System and Plant Control System are in compliance with the Czech customer requirements and that these requirements are compatible with NPP Temelin upgraded technology, the verification of the control systems has been performed. The method of transient analysis has been applied. Some details of the NPP Temelin Reactor Control and Limitation System verification are presented.(author)

The verification basis of the ESPROSE.m code

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Theofanous, T.G.; Yuen, W.W.; Freeman, K.; Chen, X. [California Univ., Santa Barbara, CA (United States). Center for Risk Studies and Safety

1998-01-01

An overall verification approach for the ESPROSE.m code is presented and implemented. The approach consists of a stepwise testing procedure from wave dynamics aspects to explosion coupling at the local level, and culminates with the consideration of propagating explosive events. Each step in turn consists of an array of analytical and experimental tests. The results indicate that, given the premixture composition, the prediction of energetics of large scale explosions in multidimensional geometries is within reach. The main need identified is for constitutive laws for microinteractions with reactor materials; however, reasonably conservative assessments are presently possible. (author)

Verification of chemistry reference ranges using a simple method in sub-Saharan Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irith De Baetselier

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Chemistry safety assessments are interpreted by using chemistry reference ranges (CRRs. Verification of CRRs is time consuming and often requires a statistical background. Objectives: We report on an easy and cost-saving method to verify CRRs. Methods: Using a former method introduced by Sigma Diagnostics, three study sites in sub- Saharan Africa, Bondo, Kenya, and Pretoria and Bloemfontein, South Africa, verified the CRRs for hepatic and renal biochemistry assays performed during a clinical trial of HIV antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis. The aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase, creatinine and phosphorus results from 10 clinically-healthy participants at the screening visit were used. In the event the CRRs did not pass the verification, new CRRs had to be calculated based on 40 clinically-healthy participants. Results: Within a few weeks, the study sites accomplished verification of the CRRs without additional costs. The aspartate aminotransferase reference ranges for the Bondo, Kenya site and the alanine aminotransferase reference ranges for the Pretoria, South Africa site required adjustment. The phosphorus CRR passed verification and the creatinine CRR required adjustment at every site. The newly-established CRR intervals were narrower than the CRRs used previously at these study sites due to decreases in the upper limits of the reference ranges. As a result, more toxicities were detected. Conclusion: To ensure the safety of clinical trial participants, verification of CRRs should be standard practice in clinical trials conducted in settings where the CRR has not been validated for the local population. This verification method is simple, inexpensive, and can be performed by any medical laboratory.

Verification of chemistry reference ranges using a simple method in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

De Baetselier, Irith; Taylor, Douglas; Mandala, Justin; Nanda, Kavita; Van Campenhout, Christel; Agingu, Walter; Madurai, Lorna; Barsch, Eva-Maria; Deese, Jennifer; Van Damme, Lut; Crucitti, Tania

2016-01-01

Chemistry safety assessments are interpreted by using chemistry reference ranges (CRRs). Verification of CRRs is time consuming and often requires a statistical background. We report on an easy and cost-saving method to verify CRRs. Using a former method introduced by Sigma Diagnostics, three study sites in sub-Saharan Africa, Bondo, Kenya, and Pretoria and Bloemfontein, South Africa, verified the CRRs for hepatic and renal biochemistry assays performed during a clinical trial of HIV antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis. The aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase, creatinine and phosphorus results from 10 clinically-healthy participants at the screening visit were used. In the event the CRRs did not pass the verification, new CRRs had to be calculated based on 40 clinically-healthy participants. Within a few weeks, the study sites accomplished verification of the CRRs without additional costs. The aspartate aminotransferase reference ranges for the Bondo, Kenya site and the alanine aminotransferase reference ranges for the Pretoria, South Africa site required adjustment. The phosphorus CRR passed verification and the creatinine CRR required adjustment at every site. The newly-established CRR intervals were narrower than the CRRs used previously at these study sites due to decreases in the upper limits of the reference ranges. As a result, more toxicities were detected. To ensure the safety of clinical trial participants, verification of CRRs should be standard practice in clinical trials conducted in settings where the CRR has not been validated for the local population. This verification method is simple, inexpensive, and can be performed by any medical laboratory.

Source position verification and dosimetry in HDR brachytherapy using an EPID

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, R. L.; Taylor, M. L.; McDermott, L. N.; Franich, R. D.; Haworth, A.; Millar, J. L.

2013-01-01

Purpose: Accurate treatment delivery in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy requires correct source dwell positions and dwell times to be administered relative to each other and to the surrounding anatomy. Treatment delivery inaccuracies predominantly occur for two reasons: (i) anatomical movement or (ii) as a result of human errors that are usually related to incorrect implementation of the planned treatment. Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) were originally developed for patient position verification in external beam radiotherapy and their application has been extended to provide dosimetric information. The authors have characterized the response of an EPID for use with an 192 Ir brachytherapy source to demonstrate its use as a verification device, providing both source position and dosimetric information.Methods: Characterization of the EPID response using an 192 Ir brachytherapy source included investigations of reproducibility, linearity with dose rate, photon energy dependence, and charge build-up effects associated with exposure time and image acquisition time. Source position resolution in three dimensions was determined. To illustrate treatment verification, a simple treatment plan was delivered to a phantom and the measured EPID dose distribution compared with the planned dose.Results: The mean absolute source position error in the plane parallel to the EPID, for dwells measured at 50, 100, and 150 mm source to detector distances (SDD), was determined to be 0.26 mm. The resolution of the z coordinate (perpendicular distance from detector plane) is SDD dependent with 95% confidence intervals of ±0.1, ±0.5, and ±2.0 mm at SDDs of 50, 100, and 150 mm, respectively. The response of the EPID is highly linear to dose rate. The EPID exhibits an over-response to low energy incident photons and this nonlinearity is incorporated into the dose calibration procedure. A distance (spectral) dependent dose rate calibration procedure has been developed. The

An Unattended Verification Station for UF6 Cylinders: Development Status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, E.; McDonald, B.; Miller, K.; Garner, J.; March-Leuba, J.; Poland, R.

2015-01-01

In recent years, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has pursued innovative techniques and an integrated suite of safeguards measures to address the verification challenges posed by advanced centrifuge technologies and the growth in separative work unit capacity at modern centrifuge enrichment plants. These measures would include permanently installed, unattended instruments capable of performing the routine and repetitive measurements previously performed by inspectors. Among the unattended instruments currently being explored by the IAEA is an Unattended Cylinder Verification Stations (UCVS) that could provide independent verification of the declared relative enrichment, U-235 mass and total uranium mass of all declared cylinders moving through the plant, as well as the application and verification of a ''Non-destructive Assay Fingerprint'' to preserve verification knowledge on the contents of each cylinder throughout its life in the facility. As IAEA's vision for a UCVS has evolved, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Los Alamos National Laboratory have been developing and testing candidate non-destructive assay (NDA) methods for inclusion in a UCVS. Modeling and multiple field campaigns have indicated that these methods are capable of assaying relative cylinder enrichment with a precision comparable to or substantially better than today's high-resolution handheld devices, without the need for manual wall-thickness corrections. In addition, the methods interrogate the full volume of the cylinder, thereby offering the IAEA a new capability to assay the absolute U-235 mass in the cylinder, and much-improved sensitivity to substituted or removed material. Building on this prior work, and under the auspices of the United States Support Programme to the IAEA, a UCVS field prototype is being developed and tested. This paper provides an overview of: a) hardware and software design of the prototypes, b) preparation

Design, Implementation, and Verification of the Reliable Multicast Protocol. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Todd L.

1995-01-01

This document describes the Reliable Multicast Protocol (RMP) design, first implementation, and formal verification. RMP provides a totally ordered, reliable, atomic multicast service on top of an unreliable multicast datagram service. RMP is fully and symmetrically distributed so that no site bears an undue portion of the communications load. RMP provides a wide range of guarantees, from unreliable delivery to totally ordered delivery, to K-resilient, majority resilient, and totally resilient atomic delivery. These guarantees are selectable on a per message basis. RMP provides many communication options, including virtual synchrony, a publisher/subscriber model of message delivery, a client/server model of delivery, mutually exclusive handlers for messages, and mutually exclusive locks. It has been commonly believed that total ordering of messages can only be achieved at great performance expense. RMP discounts this. The first implementation of RMP has been shown to provide high throughput performance on Local Area Networks (LAN). For two or more destinations a single LAN, RMP provides higher throughput than any other protocol that does not use multicast or broadcast technology. The design, implementation, and verification activities of RMP have occurred concurrently. This has allowed the verification to maintain a high fidelity between design model, implementation model, and the verification model. The restrictions of implementation have influenced the design earlier than in normal sequential approaches. The protocol as a whole has matured smoother by the inclusion of several different perspectives into the product development.

Guidance and Control Software Project Data - Volume 3: Verification Documents

Science.gov (United States)

Hayhurst, Kelly J. (Editor)

2008-01-01

The Guidance and Control Software (GCS) project was the last in a series of software reliability studies conducted at Langley Research Center between 1977 and 1994. The technical results of the GCS project were recorded after the experiment was completed. Some of the support documentation produced as part of the experiment, however, is serving an unexpected role far beyond its original project context. Some of the software used as part of the GCS project was developed to conform to the RTCA/DO-178B software standard, "Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification," used in the civil aviation industry. That standard requires extensive documentation throughout the software development life cycle, including plans, software requirements, design and source code, verification cases and results, and configuration management and quality control data. The project documentation that includes this information is open for public scrutiny without the legal or safety implications associated with comparable data from an avionics manufacturer. This public availability has afforded an opportunity to use the GCS project documents for DO-178B training. This report provides a brief overview of the GCS project, describes the 4-volume set of documents and the role they are playing in training, and includes the verification documents from the GCS project. Volume 3 contains four appendices: A. Software Verification Cases and Procedures for the Guidance and Control Software Project; B. Software Verification Results for the Pluto Implementation of the Guidance and Control Software; C. Review Records for the Pluto Implementation of the Guidance and Control Software; and D. Test Results Logs for the Pluto Implementation of the Guidance and Control Software.

The Effect of Mystery Shopper Reports on Age Verification for Tobacco Purchases

Science.gov (United States)

KREVOR, BRAD S.; PONICKI, WILLIAM R.; GRUBE, JOEL W.; DeJONG, WILLIAM

2011-01-01

Mystery shops (MS) involving attempted tobacco purchases by young buyers have been employed to monitor retail stores’ performance in refusing underage sales. Anecdotal evidence suggests that MS visits with immediate feedback to store personnel can improve age verification. This study investigated the impact of monthly and twice-monthly MS reports on age verification. Forty-five Walgreens stores were each visited 20 times by mystery shoppers. The stores were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. Control group stores received no feedback, whereas two treatment groups received feedback communications every visit (twice monthly) or every second visit (monthly) after baseline. Logit regression models tested whether each treatment group improved verification rates relative to the control group. Post-baseline verification rates were higher in both treatment groups than in the control group, but only the stores receiving monthly communications had a significantly greater improvement than control group stores. Verification rates increased significantly during the study period for all three groups, with delayed improvement among control group stores. Communication between managers regarding the MS program may account for the delayed age-verification improvements observed in the control group stores. Encouraging inter-store communication might extend the benefits of MS programs beyond those stores that receive this intervention. PMID:21541874

Organics Verification Study for Sinclair and Dyes Inlets, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kohn, Nancy P.; Brandenberger, Jill M.; Niewolny, Laurie A.; Johnston, Robert K.

2006-09-28

Sinclair and Dyes Inlets near Bremerton, Washington, are on the State of Washington 1998 303(d) list of impaired waters because of fecal coliform contamination in marine water, metals in sediment and fish tissue, and organics in sediment and fish tissue. Because significant cleanup and source control activities have been conducted in the inlets since the data supporting the 1998 303(d) listings were collected, two verification studies were performed to address the 303(d) segments that were listed for metal and organic contaminants in marine sediment. The Metals Verification Study (MVS) was conducted in 2003; the final report, Metals Verification Study for Sinclair and Dyes Inlets, Washington, was published in March 2004 (Kohn et al. 2004). This report describes the Organics Verification Study that was conducted in 2005. The study approach was similar to the MVS in that many surface sediment samples were screened for the major classes of organic contaminants, and then the screening results and other available data were used to select a subset of samples for quantitative chemical analysis. Because the MVS was designed to obtain representative data on concentrations of contaminants in surface sediment throughout Sinclair Inlet, Dyes Inlet, Port Orchard Passage, and Rich Passage, aliquots of the 160 MVS sediment samples were used in the analysis for the Organics Verification Study. However, unlike metals screening methods, organics screening methods are not specific to individual organic compounds, and are not available for some target organics. Therefore, only the quantitative analytical results were used in the organics verification evaluation. The results of the Organics Verification Study showed that sediment quality outside of Sinclair Inlet is unlikely to be impaired because of organic contaminants. Similar to the results for metals, in Sinclair Inlet, the distribution of residual organic contaminants is generally limited to nearshore areas already within the

Design and implementation of embedded hardware accelerator for diagnosing HDL-CODE in assertion-based verification environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. U. Ngene

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The use of assertions for monitoring the designer’s intention in hardware description language (HDL model is gaining popularity as it helps the designer to observe internal errors at the output ports of the device under verification. During verification assertions are synthesised and the generated data are represented in a tabular forms. The amount of data generated can be enormous depending on the size of the code and the number of modules that constitute the code. Furthermore, to manually inspect these data and diagnose the module with functional violation is a time consuming process which negatively affects the overall product development time. To locate the module with functional violation within acceptable diagnostic time, the data processing and analysis procedure must be accelerated. In this paper a multi-array processor (hardware accelerator was designed and implemented in Virtex6 field programmable gate array (FPGA and it can be integrated into verification environment. The design was captured in very high speed integrated circuit HDL (VHDL. The design was synthesised with Xilinx design suite ISE 13.1 and simulated with Xilinx ISIM. The multi-array processor (MAP executes three logical operations (AND, OR, XOR and a one’s compaction operation on array of data in parallel. An improvement in processing and analysis time was recorded as compared to the manual procedure after the multi-array processor was integrated into the verification environment. It was also found that the multi-array processor which was developed as an Intellectual Property (IP core can also be used in applications where output responses and golden model that are represented in the form of matrices can be compared for searching, recognition and decision-making.

Is flow verification necessary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beetle, T.M.

1986-01-01

Safeguards test statistics are used in an attempt to detect diversion of special nuclear material. Under assumptions concerning possible manipulation (falsification) of safeguards accounting data, the effects on the statistics due to diversion and data manipulation are described algebraically. A comprehensive set of statistics that is capable of detecting any diversion of material is defined in terms of the algebraic properties of the effects. When the assumptions exclude collusion between persons in two material balance areas, then three sets of accounting statistics are shown to be comprehensive. Two of the sets contain widely known accountancy statistics. One of them does not require physical flow verification - comparisons of operator and inspector data for receipts and shipments. The third set contains a single statistic which does not require physical flow verification. In addition to not requiring technically difficult and expensive flow verification, this single statistic has several advantages over other comprehensive sets of statistics. This algebraic approach as an alternative to flow verification for safeguards accountancy is discussed in this paper

Entanglement verification and its applications in quantum communication; Verschraenkungsnachweise mit Anwendungen in der Quantenkommunikation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haeseler, Hauke

2010-02-16

In this thesis, we investigate the uses of entanglement and its verification in quantum communication. The main object here is to develop a verification procedure which is adaptable to a wide range of applications, and whose implementation has low requirements on experimental resources. We present such a procedure in the form of the Expectation Value Matrix. The structure of this thesis is as follows: Chapters 1 and 2 give a short introduction and background information on quantum theory and the quantum states of light. In particular, we discuss the basic postulates of quantum mechanics, quantum state discrimination, the description of quantum light and the homodyne detector. Chapter 3 gives a brief introduction to quantum information and in particular to entanglement, and we discuss the basics of quantum key distribution and teleportation. The general framework of the Expectation Value Matrix is introduced. The main matter of this thesis is contained in the subsequent three chapters, which describe different quantum communication protocols and the corresponding adaptation of the entanglement verification method. The subject of Chapter 4 is quantum key distribution, where the detection of entanglement is a means of excluding intercept-resend attacks, and the presence of quantum correlations in the raw data is a necessary precondition for the generation of secret key. We investigate a continuous-variable version of the two-state protocol and develop the Expectation Value Matrix method for such qubit-mode systems. Furthermore, we analyse the role of the phase reference with respect to the security of the protocol and raise awareness of a corresponding security threat. For this, we adapt the verification method to different settings of Stokes operator measurements. In Chapter 5, we investigate quantum memory channels and propose a fundamental benchmark for these based on the verification of entanglement. After describing some physical effects which can be used for the

Verification test for three WindCube WLS7 LiDARs at the Høvsøre test site

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gottschall, Julia; Courtney, Michael

The report describes the procedure of testing ground-based WindCube lidars (manufactured by the French company Leosphere) at the Høvsøre test site in comparison to reference sensors mounted at a meteorological mast. Results are presented for three tested units – in detail for unit WLS7-0062, and ......-0062, and in a summary for units WLS7-0064 and WLS7-0066. The verification test covers the evaluation of measured mean wind speeds, wind directions and wind speed standard deviations. The data analysis is basically performed in terms of different kinds of regression analyses.......The report describes the procedure of testing ground-based WindCube lidars (manufactured by the French company Leosphere) at the Høvsøre test site in comparison to reference sensors mounted at a meteorological mast. Results are presented for three tested units – in detail for unit WLS7...

The use of analytical procedures in the internal audit of the restaurant business expenses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T.Yu. Kopotienko

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The important task of carrying out the internal audit of expenses is to get the sufficient and reliable audit evidence. This can be achieved by using the analytical procedures in the audit process. The identification of the analytical procedures with the financial analysis of the business activities prevents from the efficient usage of them in the internal audit of the restaurant business expenses. The knowledge of internal auditors about the instructional techniques of analytical procedures and their tasks, depending on the verification steps are insufficient. The purpose of the article is the developing the methods of the internal audit of the restaurant business expenses based on an integrated application of analytical procedures. The nature and purpose of analytical procedures have been investigated in the article. It have been identified the factors influencing on auditor’s decision about the choice of analytical procedures complex. It was recommended to identify among them the purpose of analytical procedures, the type and structure of the enterprise, the source of the available information, the existence of financial and non-financial information, reliability and comparability of the available information. It have been identified the tasks of analytical procedures, depending on the verification steps. It was offered the analytical procedures complex as a part of internal audit of the restaurant business expenses. This complex contains a list of the analytical procedures, instructional techniques of analysis that are used in the appropriate procedure and the brief overview of the content of procedure.

Seismic verification methods for structures and equipment of VVER-type and RBMK-type NPPs (summary of experiences)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masopust, R.

2003-01-01

The main verification methods for structures and equipment of already existing VVER-type and RBMK-type NPPs are briefly described. The following aspects are discussed: fundamental seismic safety assessment principles for VVER/RBMK-type NPPs (seismic safety assessment procedure, typical work plan for seismic safety assessment of existing NPPs, SMA (HCLPF) calculations, modified GIP (GIP-VVER) procedure, similarity of VVER/RBMK equipment to that included in the SQUG databases and seismic interactions

A Scalable Approach for Hardware Semiformal Verification

OpenAIRE

Grimm, Tomas; Lettnin, Djones; Hübner, Michael

2018-01-01

The current verification flow of complex systems uses different engines synergistically: virtual prototyping, formal verification, simulation, emulation and FPGA prototyping. However, none is able to verify a complete architecture. Furthermore, hybrid approaches aiming at complete verification use techniques that lower the overall complexity by increasing the abstraction level. This work focuses on the verification of complex systems at the RT level to handle the hardware peculiarities. Our r...

Enrichment Assay Methods Development for the Integrated Cylinder Verification System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Leon E.; Misner, Alex C.; Hatchell, Brian K.; Curtis, Michael M.

2009-10-22

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors currently perform periodic inspections at uranium enrichment plants to verify UF6 cylinder enrichment declarations. Measurements are typically performed with handheld high-resolution sensors on a sampling of cylinders taken to be representative of the facility's entire product-cylinder inventory. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing a concept to automate the verification of enrichment plant cylinders to enable 100 percent product-cylinder verification and potentially, mass-balance calculations on the facility as a whole (by also measuring feed and tails cylinders). The Integrated Cylinder Verification System (ICVS) could be located at key measurement points to positively identify each cylinder, measure its mass and enrichment, store the collected data in a secure database, and maintain continuity of knowledge on measured cylinders until IAEA inspector arrival. The three main objectives of this FY09 project are summarized here and described in more detail in the report: (1) Develop a preliminary design for a prototype NDA system, (2) Refine PNNL's MCNP models of the NDA system, and (3) Procure and test key pulse-processing components. Progress against these tasks to date, and next steps, are discussed.

Enrichment Assay Methods Development for the Integrated Cylinder Verification System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Leon E.; Misner, Alex C.; Hatchell, Brian K.; Curtis, Michael M.

2009-01-01

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors currently perform periodic inspections at uranium enrichment plants to verify UF6 cylinder enrichment declarations. Measurements are typically performed with handheld high-resolution sensors on a sampling of cylinders taken to be representative of the facility's entire product-cylinder inventory. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing a concept to automate the verification of enrichment plant cylinders to enable 100 percent product-cylinder verification and potentially, mass-balance calculations on the facility as a whole (by also measuring feed and tails cylinders). The Integrated Cylinder Verification System (ICVS) could be located at key measurement points to positively identify each cylinder, measure its mass and enrichment, store the collected data in a secure database, and maintain continuity of knowledge on measured cylinders until IAEA inspector arrival. The three main objectives of this FY09 project are summarized here and described in more detail in the report: (1) Develop a preliminary design for a prototype NDA system, (2) Refine PNNL's MCNP models of the NDA system, and (3) Procure and test key pulse-processing components. Progress against these tasks to date, and next steps, are discussed.

Remote sensing and geoinformation technologies in support of nuclear non-proliferation and arms control verification regimes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niemeyer, Irmgard [Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Institut fuer Energie- und Klimaforschung, IEK-6: Nukleare Entsorgung und Reaktorsicherheit (Germany)

2013-07-01

A number of international agreements and export control regimes have been concluded in order to reduce the risk and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In order to provide confidence that Member States are complying with the agreed commitments, most of the treaties and agreements include verification provisions. Different types of verification measures exist, e.g. cooperative measures; national technical means; technical monitoring or measurement devices placed at or near sites; on-site inspections; intelligence information; open-source information, such as commercial internet data and satellite imagery. The study reviews the technical progress in the field of satellite imaging sensors and explores the recent advances in satellite imagery processing and geoinformation technologies as to the extraction of significant observables and signatures. Moreover, it discusses how satellite data and geoinformation technologies could be used complementary for confirming information gathered from other systems or sources. The study also aims at presenting the legal and political aspects and the cost benefits of using imagery from both national and commercial satellites in the verification procedure. The study concludes that satellite imagery and geoinformation technologies are expected to enhance the verification efficiency and effectiveness.

Survey on Offline Finger Print Verification System

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Suman, R.; Kaur, R.

2012-01-01

The fingerprint verification, means where "verification" implies a user matching a fingerprint against a single fingerprint associated with the identity that the user claims. Biometrics can be classified into two types Behavioral (signature verification, keystroke dynamics, etc.) And Physiological

Z-2 Architecture Description and Requirements Verification Results

Science.gov (United States)

Graziosi, Dave; Jones, Bobby; Ferl, Jinny; Scarborough, Steve; Hewes, Linda; Ross, Amy; Rhodes, Richard

2016-01-01

, partial pressure relief valve, purge valve, donning stand and ISS Body Restraint Tether (BRT). Examples of manned requirements include verification of anthropometric range, suit self-don/doff, secondary suit exit method, donning stand self-ingress/egress and manned mobility covering eight functional tasks. The eight functional tasks include kneeling with object pick-up, standing toe touch, cross-body reach, walking, reach to the SIP and helmet visor. This paper will provide an overview of the Z-2 design. Z-2 requirements verification testing was performed with NASA at the ILC Houston test facility. This paper will also discuss pre-delivery manned and unmanned test results as well as analysis performed in support of requirements verification.

Large - scale Rectangular Ruler Automated Verification Device

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hao; Chang, Luping; Xing, Minjian; Xie, Xie

2018-03-01

This paper introduces a large-scale rectangular ruler automated verification device, which consists of photoelectric autocollimator and self-designed mechanical drive car and data automatic acquisition system. The design of mechanical structure part of the device refer to optical axis design, drive part, fixture device and wheel design. The design of control system of the device refer to hardware design and software design, and the hardware mainly uses singlechip system, and the software design is the process of the photoelectric autocollimator and the automatic data acquisition process. This devices can automated achieve vertical measurement data. The reliability of the device is verified by experimental comparison. The conclusion meets the requirement of the right angle test procedure.

Code Verification Capabilities and Assessments in Support of ASC V&V Level 2 Milestone #6035

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doebling, Scott William [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Budzien, Joanne Louise [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Ferguson, Jim Michael [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Harwell, Megan Louise [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hickmann, Kyle Scott [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Israel, Daniel M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Magrogan, William Richard III [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Singleton, Jr., Robert [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Srinivasan, Gowri [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Walter, Jr, John William [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Woods, Charles Nathan [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-09-26

This document provides a summary of the code verification activities supporting the FY17 Level 2 V&V milestone entitled “Deliver a Capability for V&V Assessments of Code Implementations of Physics Models and Numerical Algorithms in Support of Future Predictive Capability Framework Pegposts.” The physics validation activities supporting this milestone are documented separately. The objectives of this portion of the milestone are: 1) Develop software tools to support code verification analysis; 2) Document standard definitions of code verification test problems; and 3) Perform code verification assessments (focusing on error behavior of algorithms). This report and a set of additional standalone documents serve as the compilation of results demonstrating accomplishment of these objectives.

Recommended procedures for performance testing of radiobioassay laboratories: Volume 1, Quality assurance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fenrick, H.W.; MacLellan, J.A.

1988-11-01

Draft American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard N13.30 (Performance Criteria for Radiobioassay) was developed in response to a concern expressed by the US Department of Energy and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to help ensure that bioassay laboratories provide accurate and consistent results. The draft standard specifies the criteria for defining the procedures necessary to establish a bioassay performance-testing laboratory and program. The testing laboratory will conduct tests to evaluate the performance of service laboratories. Pacific Northwest Laboratory helped define responsibilities and develop procedures as part of an effort to evaluate the draft ANSI N13.30 performance criteria for quality assurance at bioassay laboratories. This report recommends elements of quality assurance and quality control responsibilities for the bioassay performance-testing laboratory program, including the qualification and performance of personnel and the calibration, certification, and performance of equipment. The data base and recommended records system for documenting radiobioassay performance at the service laboratories are also presented. 15 refs

[Determinants of task preferences when performance is indicative of individual characteristics: self-assessment motivation and self-verification motivation].

Science.gov (United States)

Numazaki, M; Kudo, E

1995-04-01

The present study was conducted to examine determinants of information-gathering behavior with regard to one's own characteristics. Four tasks with different self-congruent and incongruent diagnosticity were presented to subjects. As self-assessment theory predicted, high diagnostic tasks were preferred to low tasks. And as self-verification theory predicted, self-congruent diagnosticity had a stronger effect on task preference than self-incongruent diagnosticity. In addition, subjects who perceived the relevant characteristics important inclined to choose self-assessment behavior more than who did not. Also, subjects who were certain of their self-concept inclined to choose self-verification behavior more than who were not. These results suggest that both self-assessment and self-verification motivations play important roles in information-gathering behavior regarding one's characteristics, and strength of the motivations is determined by the importance of relevant characteristics or the certainty of self-concept.

Design of Service Net based Correctness Verification Approach for Multimedia Conferencing Service Orchestration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheng Bo

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Multimedia conferencing is increasingly becoming a very important and popular application over Internet. Due to the complexity of asynchronous communications and handle large and dynamically concurrent processes for multimedia conferencing, which confront relevant challenge to achieve sufficient correctness guarantees, and supporting the effective verification methods for multimedia conferencing services orchestration is an extremely difficult and challenging problem. In this paper, we firstly present the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL based conferencing service orchestration, and mainly focus on the service net based correction verification approach for multimedia conferencing services orchestration, which can automatically translated the BPEL based service orchestration into a corresponding Petri net model with the Petri Net Markup Language (PNML, and also present the BPEL service net reduction rules and multimedia conferencing service orchestration correction verification algorithms. We perform the correctness analysis and verification using the service net properties as safeness, reachability and deadlocks, and also provide an automated support tool for the formal analysis and soundness verification for the multimedia conferencing services orchestration scenarios. Finally, we give the comparison and evaluations.

Internal qualification and credentialing of radiation oncology physicists to perform patient special procedures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael D Mills

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In the arena of radiation oncology special procedures, medical physicists are often the focus professionals for implementation and administration of advanced and complex technologies. One of the most vexing and challenging aspects of managing complexity concerns the ongoing internal qualification and credentialing of radiation oncology physicists to perform patient special procedures. To demonstrate ongoing qualification, a physicist must a document initial training and successful completion of competencies to implement and perform this procedure, b demonstrate familiarity with all aspects of the commissioning and quality assurance process, c demonstrate continuing education respecting this procedure, d demonstrate the peer-reviewed completion of a minimum number of patient special procedures during a specified time span, and e demonstrate satisfactory overall progress toward maintenance of specialty board certification. In many respects, this information complement is similar to that required by an accredited residency program in therapy physics. In this investigation, we report on the design of a management tool to qualify staff radiation oncology physicists to deliver patient procedures.

Face Verification using MLP and SVM

OpenAIRE

Cardinaux, Fabien; Marcel, Sébastien

2002-01-01

The performance of machine learning algorithms has steadily improved over the past few years, such as MLP or more recently SVM. In this paper, we compare two successful discriminant machine learning algorithms apply to the problem of face verification: MLP and SVM. These two algorithms are tested on a benchmark database, namely XM2VTS. Results show that a MLP is better than a SVM on this particular task.

Procedures for calibration of brachytherapy sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alfonso Laguardia, R.; Alonso Samper, J.L.; Morales Lopez, J.L.; Saez Nunez, D.G.

1997-01-01

Brachytherapy source strength verification is a responsibility of the user of these source, in fact of the Medical Physicists in charge of this issue in a Radiotherapy Service. The calibration procedures in the users conditions are shown. Specifics methods for source strength determination are recommended, both for High Dose Rate (HDR) sources with Remote Afterloading equipment and for Low Dose Rate sources. The The results of the calibration of HDR Remote After loaders are indicated

Fingerprint verification prediction model in hand dermatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chew K; Chang, Choong C; Johor, Asmah; Othman, Puwira; Baba, Roshidah

2015-07-01

Hand dermatitis associated fingerprint changes is a significant problem and affects fingerprint verification processes. This study was done to develop a clinically useful prediction model for fingerprint verification in patients with hand dermatitis. A case-control study involving 100 patients with hand dermatitis. All patients verified their thumbprints against their identity card. Registered fingerprints were randomized into a model derivation and model validation group. Predictive model was derived using multiple logistic regression. Validation was done using the goodness-of-fit test. The fingerprint verification prediction model consists of a major criterion (fingerprint dystrophy area of ≥ 25%) and two minor criteria (long horizontal lines and long vertical lines). The presence of the major criterion predicts it will almost always fail verification, while presence of both minor criteria and presence of one minor criterion predict high and low risk of fingerprint verification failure, respectively. When none of the criteria are met, the fingerprint almost always passes the verification. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.937, and the goodness-of-fit test showed agreement between the observed and expected number (P = 0.26). The derived fingerprint verification failure prediction model is validated and highly discriminatory in predicting risk of fingerprint verification in patients with hand dermatitis. © 2014 The International Society of Dermatology.

Multi-centre audit of VMAT planning and pre-treatment verification.

Science.gov (United States)

Jurado-Bruggeman, Diego; Hernández, Victor; Sáez, Jordi; Navarro, David; Pino, Francisco; Martínez, Tatiana; Alayrach, Maria-Elena; Ailleres, Norbert; Melero, Alejandro; Jornet, Núria

2017-08-01

We performed a multi-centre intercomparison of VMAT dose planning and pre-treatment verification. The aims were to analyse the dose plans in terms of dosimetric quality and deliverability, and to validate whether in-house pre-treatment verification results agreed with those of an external audit. The nine participating centres encompassed different machines, equipment, and methodologies. Two mock cases (prostate and head and neck) were planned using one and two arcs. A plan quality index was defined to compare the plans and different complexity indices were calculated to check their deliverability. We compared gamma index pass rates using the centre's equipment and methodology to those of an external audit (global 3D gamma, absolute dose differences, 10% of maximum dose threshold). Log-file analysis was performed to look for delivery errors. All centres fulfilled the dosimetric goals but plan quality and delivery complexity were heterogeneous and uncorrelated, depending on the manufacturer and the planner's methodology. Pre-treatment verifications results were within tolerance in all cases for gamma 3%-3mm evaluation. Nevertheless, differences between the external audit and in-house measurements arose due to different equipment or methodology, especially for 2%-2mm criteria with differences up to 20%. No correlation was found between complexity indices and verification results amongst centres. All plans fulfilled dosimetric constraints, but plan quality and complexity did not correlate and were strongly dependent on the planner and the vendor. In-house measurements cannot completely replace external audits for credentialing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A rule-based verification and control framework in ATLAS Trigger-DAQ

CERN Document Server

Kazarov, A; Lehmann-Miotto, G; Sloper, J E; Ryabov, Yu; Computing In High Energy and Nuclear Physics

2007-01-01

In order to meet the requirements of ATLAS data taking, the ATLAS Trigger-DAQ system is composed of O(1000) of applications running on more than 2600 computers in a network. With such system size, s/w and h/w failures are quite often. To minimize system downtime, the Trigger-DAQ control system shall include advanced verification and diagnostics facilities. The operator should use tests and expertise of the TDAQ and detectors developers in order to diagnose and recover from errors, if possible automatically. The TDAQ control system is built as a distributed tree of controllers, where behavior of each controller is defined in a rule-based language allowing easy customization. The control system also includes verification framework which allow users to develop and configure tests for any component in the system with different levels of complexity. It can be used as a stand-alone test facility for a small detector installation, as part of the general TDAQ initialization procedure, and for diagnosing the problems ...

Advanced Technologies for Design Information Verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, Michael L.; Sheen, David M.; Rose, Joseph L.; Cumblidge, Stephen E.

2009-01-01

This paper discusses several technologies that have the potential to enhance facilities design verification. These approaches have shown promise in addressing the challenges associated with the verification of sub-component geometry and material composition for structures that are not directly accessible for physical inspection. A simple example is a pipe that extends into or through a wall or foundation. Both advanced electromagnetic and acoustic modalities will be discussed. These include advanced radar imaging, transient thermographic imaging, and guided acoustic wave imaging. Examples of current applications are provided. The basic principles and mechanisms of these inspection techniques are presented along with the salient practical features, advantages, and disadvantages of each technique. Other important considerations, such as component geometries, materials, and degree of access are also treated. The importance of, and strategies for, developing valid inspection models are also discussed. Beyond these basic technology adaptation and evaluation issues, important user interface considerations are outlined, along with approaches to quantify the overall performance reliability of the various inspection methods.

Fast, daily linac verification for segmented IMRT using electronic portal imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieira, Sandra C.; Bolt, Rene A.; Dirkx, Maarten L.P.; Visser, Andries G.; Heijmen, Ben J.M.

2006-01-01

Purpose: Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) requires dedicated quality assurance (QA). Recently, we have published a method for fast (1-2 min) and accurate linac quality control for dynamic multileaf collimation, using a portal imaging device. This method is in routine use for daily leaf motion verification. The purpose of the present study was to develop an equivalent procedure for QA of IMRT with segmented (static) multileaf collimation (SMLC). Materials and methods: The QA procedure is based on measurements performed during 3- to 8-month periods at Elekta, Siemens and Varian accelerators. On each measurement day, images were acquired for a field consisting of five 3 x 22 cm 2 segments. These 10 monitor unit (MU) segments were delivered in SMLC mode, moving the leaves from left to right. Deviations of realized leaf gap widths from the prescribed width were analysed to study the leaf positioning accuracy. To assess hysteresis in leaf positioning, the sequential delivery of the SMLC segments was also inverted. A static 20 x 20 cm 2 field was delivered with exposures between 1 and 50 MU to study the beam output and beam profile at low exposures. Comparisons with an ionisation chamber were made to verify the EPID dose measurements at low MU. Dedicated software was developed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and to correct for image distortion. Results and conclusions: The observed long-term leaf gap reproducibility (1 standard deviation) was 0.1 mm for the Varian, and 0.2 mm for the Siemens and the Elekta accelerators. In all cases the hysteresis was negligible. Down to the lowest MU, beam output measurements performed with the EPID agreed within 1 ± 1% (1SD) with ionisation chamber measurements. These findings led to a fast (3-4 min) procedure for accurate, daily linac quality control for SMLC

Computer software review procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mauck, J.L.

1993-01-01

This article reviews the procedures which are used to review software written for computer based instrumentation and control functions in nuclear facilities. The utilization of computer based control systems is becoming much more prevalent in such installations, in addition to being retrofit into existing systems. Currently, the Nuclear Regulatory System uses Regulatory Guide 1.152, open-quotes Criteria for Programmable Digital Computer System Software in Safety-Related Systems of Nuclear Power Plantsclose quotes and ANSI/IEEE-ANS-7-4.3.2-1982, open-quotes Application Criteria for Programmable Digital Computer Systems in Safety Systems of Nuclear Power Generating Stationsclose quotes for guidance when performing reviews of digital systems. There is great concern about the process of verification and validation of these codes, so when inspections are done of such systems, inspectors examine very closely the processes which were followed in developing the codes, the errors which were detected, how they were found, and the analysis which went into tracing down the causes behind the errors to insure such errors were not propagated again in the future

MR image-guided portal verification for brain treatment field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, F.-F.; Gao, Q.H.; Xie, H.; Nelson, D.F.; Yu, Y.; Kwok, W.E.; Totterman, S.; Schell, M.C.; Rubin, P.

1996-01-01

Purpose/Objective: Although MR images have been extensively used for the treatment planning of radiation therapy of cancers, especially for brain cancers, they are not effectively used for the portal verification due to lack of bone/air information in MR images and geometric distortions. Typically, MR images are utilized through correlation with CT images, and this procedure is usually very labor and time consuming. For many brain cancer patients to be treated using conventional external beam radiation, MR images with proper distortion correction provide sufficient information for treatment planning and dose calculation, and a projection images may be generated for each specific treatment port and to be used as a reference image for treatment verification. The question is how to transfer anatomical features in MR images to the projection image as landmarks which could be correlated automatically to those in the portal image. The goal of this study is to generate digitally reconstructed projection images from MR brain images with some important anatomical features (brain contour, skull and gross tumor) as well as their relative locations to be used as references for the development of computerized portal verification scheme. Materials/Methods: Compared to conventional digital reconstructed radiograph from CT images, generation of digitally reconstructed projection images from MR images is heavily involved with pixel manipulation of MR images to correlate information from two types of images (MR, portal x-ray images) which are produced based on totally different imaging principles. Initially a wavelet based multi-resolution adaptive thresholding method is used to segment the skull slice-by-slice in MR brain axial images, and identified skull pixels are re-assigned to relatively higher intensities so that projection images will have comparable grey-level information as that in typical brain portal images. Both T1- and T2-weighted images are utilized to eliminate fat

Algebraic Verification Method for SEREs Properties via Groebner Bases Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning Zhou

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This work presents an efficient solution using computer algebra system to perform linear temporal properties verification for synchronous digital systems. The method is essentially based on both Groebner bases approaches and symbolic simulation. A mechanism for constructing canonical polynomial set based symbolic representations for both circuit descriptions and assertions is studied. We then present a complete checking algorithm framework based on these algebraic representations by using Groebner bases. The computational experience result in this work shows that the algebraic approach is a quite competitive checking method and will be a useful supplement to the existent verification methods based on simulation.

Seismic verification of nuclear plant equipment anchorage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lepiece, M.; Van Vyve, J.

1991-01-01

More than 60% of the electrical power of Belgium is generated by seven PWR nuclear power plants. For three of them, the electro-mechanical equipment had to be reassessed after ten years of operation, because the seismic requirements were upgraded from 0.1 g to 0.17 g free field ground acceleration. The seismic requalification of the active equipment was a critical problem as the classical methods were too conservative. The approach based on the use of the past experience on the seismic behavior of nonnuclear equipment, chosen and developed by the SQUG, had to be transposed to the Belgian N.P.P. The decision of the accept-ability of equipment relies heavily on the aseismatic capacity of anchorage. The Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI) developed the procedure and guideline for the demonstration of the aseismatic adequacy of equipment anchorage in a cost-effective and consistent manner, to support the decision by Seismic Review Team. The field inspection procedure to identify the type of fasteners and detect their possible defects and the verification procedure developed to calculate the aseismatic capacity of equipment anchorage on the strength of fasteners, the aseismatic capacity of anchorage and the comparison of the capacity with the demand are reported. (K.I.)

Development and performance validation of a cryogenic linear stage for SPICA-SAFARI verification

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrari, Lorenza; Smit, H. P.; Eggens, M.; Keizer, G.; de Jonge, A. W.; Detrain, A.; de Jonge, C.; Laauwen, W. M.; Dieleman, P.

2014-07-01

In the context of the SAFARI instrument (SpicA FAR-infrared Instrument) SRON is developing a test environment to verify the SAFARI performance. The characterization of the detector focal plane will be performed with a backilluminated pinhole over a reimaged SAFARI focal plane by an XYZ scanning mechanism that consists of three linear stages stacked together. In order to reduce background radiation that can couple into the high sensitivity cryogenic detectors (goal NEP of 2•10-19 W/√Hz and saturation power of few femtoWatts) the scanner is mounted inside the cryostat in the 4K environment. The required readout accuracy is 3 μm and reproducibility of 1 μm along the total travel of 32 mm. The stage will be operated in "on the fly" mode to prevent vibrations of the scanner mechanism and will move with a constant speed varying from 60 μm/s to 400 μm/s. In order to meet the requirements of large stroke, low dissipation (low friction) and high accuracy a DC motor plus spindle stage solution has been chosen. In this paper we will present the stage design and stage characterization, describing also the measurements setup. The room temperature performance has been measured with a 3D measuring machine cross calibrated with a laser interferometer and a 2-axis tilt sensor. The low temperature verification has been performed in a wet 4K cryostat using a laser interferometer for measuring the linear displacements and a theodolite for measuring the angular displacements. The angular displacements can be calibrated with a precision of 4 arcsec and the position could be determined with high accuracy. The presence of friction caused higher values of torque than predicted and consequently higher dissipation. The thermal model of the stage has also been verified at 4K.

High-Resolution Fast-Neutron Spectrometry for Arms Control and Treaty Verification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David L. Chichester; James T. Johnson; Edward H. Seabury

2012-07-01

Many nondestructive nuclear analysis techniques have been developed to support the measurement needs of arms control and treaty verification, including gross photon and neutron counting, low- and high-resolution gamma spectrometry, time-correlated neutron measurements, and photon and neutron imaging. One notable measurement technique that has not been extensively studied to date for these applications is high-resolution fast-neutron spectrometry (HRFNS). Applied for arms control and treaty verification, HRFNS has the potential to serve as a complimentary measurement approach to these other techniques by providing a means to either qualitatively or quantitatively determine the composition and thickness of non-nuclear materials surrounding neutron-emitting materials. The technique uses the normally-occurring neutrons present in arms control and treaty verification objects of interest as an internal source of neutrons for performing active-interrogation transmission measurements. Most low-Z nuclei of interest for arms control and treaty verification, including 9Be, 12C, 14N, and 16O, possess fast-neutron resonance features in their absorption cross sections in the 0.5- to 5-MeV energy range. Measuring the selective removal of source neutrons over this energy range, assuming for example a fission-spectrum starting distribution, may be used to estimate the stoichiometric composition of intervening materials between the neutron source and detector. At a simpler level, determination of the emitted fast-neutron spectrum may be used for fingerprinting 'known' assemblies for later use in template-matching tests. As with photon spectrometry, automated analysis of fast-neutron spectra may be performed to support decision making and reporting systems protected behind information barriers. This paper will report recent work at Idaho National Laboratory to explore the feasibility of using HRFNS for arms control and treaty verification applications, including simulations

Exploring implementation practices in results-based financing: the case of the verification in Benin.

Science.gov (United States)

Antony, Matthieu; Bertone, Maria Paola; Barthes, Olivier

2017-03-14

Results-based financing (RBF) has been introduced in many countries across Africa and a growing literature is building around the assessment of their impact. These studies are usually quantitative and often silent on the paths and processes through which results are achieved and on the wider health system effects of RBF. To address this gap, our study aims at exploring the implementation of an RBF pilot in Benin, focusing on the verification of results. The study is based on action research carried out by authors involved in the pilot as part of the agency supporting the RBF implementation in Benin. While our participant observation and operational collaboration with project's stakeholders informed the study, the analysis is mostly based on quantitative and qualitative secondary data, collected throughout the project's implementation and documentation processes. Data include project documents, reports and budgets, RBF data on service outputs and on the outcome of the verification, daily activity timesheets of the technical assistants in the districts, as well as focus groups with Community-based Organizations and informal interviews with technical assistants and district medical officers. Our analysis focuses on the actual practices of quantitative, qualitative and community verification. Results show that the verification processes are complex, costly and time-consuming, and in practice they end up differing from what designed originally. We explore the consequences of this on the operation of the scheme, on its potential to generate the envisaged change. We find, for example, that the time taken up by verification procedures limits the time available for data analysis and feedback to facility staff, thus limiting the potential to improve service delivery. Verification challenges also result in delays in bonus payment, which delink effort and reward. Additionally, the limited integration of the verification activities of district teams with their routine tasks

Good governance: Performance values and procedural values in conflict

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Graaf, G.; Paanakker, H.L.

2015-01-01

Good governance codes usually end with a list of public values no one could oppose. A recurrent issue is that not all of these values—however desirable they are—can be achieved at the same time. With its focus on performance and procedural values of governance, this article zooms in on the conflict

Standard Guidelines of Care: Performing Procedures in Patients on or Recently Administered with Isotretinoin.

Science.gov (United States)

Mysore, Venkataram; Mahadevappa, Omprakash H; Barua, Shyamanta; Majid, Imran; Viswanath, Vishalakshi; Bhat, Ramesh M; Talwar, Suresh; Thurakkal, Salim; Aurangabadkar, Sanjeev J; Chatterjee, Manas; Ganjoo, Anil

2017-01-01

Currently, the standard protocol regarding the performance of procedures on patients receiving or having recently received isotretinoin (13- cis -retinoic acid) states that the procedures should not be performed. The recommendations in standard books and drug insert require discontinuation of isotretinoin for 6 months before performing cosmetic procedures, including waxing, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser procedures, or incisional and excisional cold-steel surgery. These recommendations have been followed for over two decades despite little evidence for the stated increased risk of scarring. The Association of Cutaneous Surgeons (I) constituted a task force to review the evidence and to recommend consensus guidelines regarding the safety of skin procedures, including resurfacing, energy-device treatments, and dermatosurgical procedures in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration. Data were extracted from the literature through a PubMed search using the keywords "isotretinoin," "safety," "scarring," "keloids," "hypertrophic scarring," and "pigmentation." The evidence was then labeled and circulated to all members of task force for review. The task force is of the opinion that there is insufficient evidence to support the current protocol of avoiding and delaying treatments in the patient group under consideration and recommends that the current practice should be discontinued. The task force concludes that performing procedures such as laser hair removal, fractional lasers for aging and acne scarring, lasers for pigmented skin lesions, fractional radio-frequency microneedling, superficial and medium-depth peels, microdermabrasion, dermaroller, biopsies, radio-frequency ablation, and superficial excisions is safe in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration.

EC verifications of the infrastructure subsystem; EG-Pruefungen im Teilsystem Infrastruktur

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koeppel, M. [EISENBAHN-CERT, Bonn (Germany)

2006-07-15

With the entry into force of the TSIs (technical specifications for the interoperability) of the high-speed railway system, a new procedure has been created in Germany for authorizing railway infrastructures to enter service. It involves the nominated body for interoperability, Eisenbahn-Cert (EBC), in a role which inserts it ahead of the Federal Railway Authority (EBA). This article discusses the EC verification procedure on the basis of the experience already accumulated with it and the cases pending at present. It also deals with substantive rules concerning the infrastructure TSIs, comparing them with the national equivalents, and takes a look into the future as regards the rules that are going to be necessary for attaining interoperability for both high-speed railway systems and conventional ones. (orig.)

A system for deduction-based formal verification of workflow-oriented software models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klimek Radosław

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The work concerns formal verification of workflow-oriented software models using the deductive approach. The formal correctness of a model’s behaviour is considered. Manually building logical specifications, which are regarded as a set of temporal logic formulas, seems to be a significant obstacle for an inexperienced user when applying the deductive approach. A system, along with its architecture, for deduction-based verification of workflow-oriented models is proposed. The process inference is based on the semantic tableaux method, which has some advantages when compared with traditional deduction strategies. The algorithm for automatic generation of logical specifications is proposed. The generation procedure is based on predefined workflow patterns for BPMN, which is a standard and dominant notation for the modeling of business processes. The main idea behind the approach is to consider patterns, defined in terms of temporal logic, as a kind of (logical primitives which enable the transformation of models to temporal logic formulas constituting a logical specification. Automation of the generation process is crucial for bridging the gap between the intuitiveness of deductive reasoning and the difficulty of its practical application when logical specifications are built manually. This approach has gone some way towards supporting, hopefully enhancing, our understanding of deduction-based formal verification of workflow-oriented models.

Post-silicon and runtime verification for modern processors

CERN Document Server

Wagner, Ilya

2010-01-01

The purpose of this book is to survey the state of the art and evolving directions in post-silicon and runtime verification. The authors start by giving an overview of the state of the art in verification, particularly current post-silicon methodologies in use in the industry, both for the domain of processor pipeline design and for memory subsystems. They then dive into the presentation of several new post-silicon verification solutions aimed at boosting the verification coverage of modern processors, dedicating several chapters to this topic. The presentation of runtime verification solution

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY VERIFICATION, TEST REPORT OF CONTROL OF BIOAEROSOLS IN HVAC SYSTEMS, COLUMBUS INDUSTRIES HIGH EFFICIENCY MINI PLEAT

Science.gov (United States)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program to facilitate the deployment of innovative or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of the...

Functional verification of a safety class controller for NPPs using a UVM register Model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kyu Chull [Dept. of Applied Computer Engineering, Dankook University, Cheonan (Korea, Republic of)

2014-06-15

A highly reliable safety class controller for NPPs (Nuclear Power Plants) is mandatory as even a minor malfunction can lead to disastrous consequences for people, the environment or the facility. In order to enhance the reliability of a safety class digital controller for NPPs, we employed a diversity approach, in which a PLC-type controller and a PLD-type controller are to be operated in parallel. We built and used structured testbenches based on the classes supported by UVM for functional verification of the PLD-type controller designed for NPPs. We incorporated a UVM register model into the testbenches in order to increase the controllability and the observability of the DUT(Device Under Test). With the increased testability, we could easily verify the datapaths between I/O ports and the register sets of the DUT, otherwise we had to perform black box tests for the datapaths, which is very cumbersome and time consuming. We were also able to perform constrained random verification very easily and systematically. From the study, we confirmed the various advantages of using the UVM register model in verification such as scalability, reusability and interoperability, and set some design guidelines for verification of the NPP controllers.

Verification of HYDRASTAR - A code for stochastic continuum simulation of groundwater flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norman, S.

1991-07-01

HYDRASTAR is a code developed at Starprog AB for use in the SKB 91 performance assessment project with the following principal function: - Reads the actual conductivity measurements from a file created from the data base GEOTAB. - Regularizes the measurements to a user chosen calculation scale. - Generates three dimensional unconditional realizations of the conductivity field by using a supplied model of the conductivity field as a stochastic function. - Conditions the simulated conductivity field on the actual regularized measurements. - Reads the boundary conditions from a regional deterministic NAMMU computation. - Calculates the hydraulic head field, Darcy velocity field, stream lines and water travel times by solving the stationary hydrology equation and the streamline equation obtained with the velocities calculated from Darcy's law. - Generates visualizations of the realizations if desired. - Calculates statistics such as semivariograms and expectation values of the output fields by repeating the above procedure by iterations of the Monte Carlo type. When using computer codes for safety assessment purpose validation and verification of the codes are important. Thus this report describes a work performed with the goal of verifying parts of HYDRASTAR. The verification described in this report uses comparisons with two other solutions of related examples: A. Comparison with a so called perturbation solution of the stochastical stationary hydrology equation. This as an analytical approximation of the stochastical stationary hydrology equation valid in the case of small variability of the unconditional random conductivity field. B. Comparison with the (Hydrocoin, 1988), case 2. This is a classical example of a hydrology problem with a deterministic conductivity field. The principal feature of the problem is the presence of narrow fracture zones with high conductivity. the compared output are the hydraulic head field and a number of stream lines originating from a

Passive Tomography for Spent Fuel Verification: Analysis Framework and Instrument Design Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, Timothy A.; Svard, Staffan J.; Smith, Leon E.; Mozin, Vladimir V.; Jansson, Peter; Davour, Anna; Grape, Sophie; Trellue, H.; Deshmukh, Nikhil S.; Wittman, Richard S.; Honkamaa, Tapani; Vaccaro, Stefano; Ely, James

2015-05-18

The potential for gamma emission tomography (GET) to detect partial defects within a spent nuclear fuel assembly is being assessed through a collaboration of Support Programs to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In the first phase of this study, two safeguards verification objectives have been identified. The first is the independent determination of the number of active pins that are present in the assembly, in the absence of a priori information. The second objective is to provide quantitative measures of pin-by-pin properties, e.g. activity of key isotopes or pin attributes such as cooling time and relative burnup, for the detection of anomalies and/or verification of operator-declared data. The efficacy of GET to meet these two verification objectives will be evaluated across a range of fuel types, burnups, and cooling times, and with a target interrogation time of less than 60 minutes. The evaluation of GET viability for safeguards applications is founded on a modelling and analysis framework applied to existing and emerging GET instrument designs. Monte Carlo models of different fuel types are used to produce simulated tomographer responses to large populations of “virtual” fuel assemblies. Instrument response data are processed by a variety of tomographic-reconstruction and image-processing methods, and scoring metrics specific to each of the verification objectives are defined and used to evaluate the performance of the methods. This paper will provide a description of the analysis framework and evaluation metrics, example performance-prediction results, and describe the design of a “universal” GET instrument intended to support the full range of verification scenarios envisioned by the IAEA.

Verification testing of the compression performance of the HEVC screen content coding extensions

Science.gov (United States)

Sullivan, Gary J.; Baroncini, Vittorio A.; Yu, Haoping; Joshi, Rajan L.; Liu, Shan; Xiu, Xiaoyu; Xu, Jizheng

2017-09-01

This paper reports on verification testing of the coding performance of the screen content coding (SCC) extensions of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard (Rec. ITU-T H.265 | ISO/IEC 23008-2 MPEG-H Part 2). The coding performance of HEVC screen content model (SCM) reference software is compared with that of the HEVC test model (HM) without the SCC extensions, as well as with the Advanced Video Coding (AVC) joint model (JM) reference software, for both lossy and mathematically lossless compression using All-Intra (AI), Random Access (RA), and Lowdelay B (LB) encoding structures and using similar encoding techniques. Video test sequences in 1920×1080 RGB 4:4:4, YCbCr 4:4:4, and YCbCr 4:2:0 colour sampling formats with 8 bits per sample are tested in two categories: "text and graphics with motion" (TGM) and "mixed" content. For lossless coding, the encodings are evaluated in terms of relative bit-rate savings. For lossy compression, subjective testing was conducted at 4 quality levels for each coding case, and the test results are presented through mean opinion score (MOS) curves. The relative coding performance is also evaluated in terms of Bjøntegaard-delta (BD) bit-rate savings for equal PSNR quality. The perceptual tests and objective metric measurements show a very substantial benefit in coding efficiency for the SCC extensions, and provided consistent results with a high degree of confidence. For TGM video, the estimated bit-rate savings ranged from 60-90% relative to the JM and 40-80% relative to the HM, depending on the AI/RA/LB configuration category and colour sampling format.

Verification Results of Safety-grade Optical Modem for Core Protection Calculator (CPC) in Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant (KSNP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Jangyeol; Son, Kwangseop; Lee, Youngjun; Cheon, Sewoo; Cha, Kyoungho; Lee, Jangsoo; Kwon, Keechoon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-05-15

We confirmed that the coverage criteria for a safety-grade optical modem of a Core Protection Calculator is satisfactory using a traceability analysis matrix between high-level requirements and lower-level system test case data set. This paper describes the test environment, test components and items, a traceability analysis, and system tests as a result of system verification and validation based on Software Requirement Specifications (SRS) for a safety-grade optical modem of a Core Protection Calculator (CPC) in a Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant (KSNP), and Software Design Specifications (SDS) for a safety-grade optical modem of a CPC in a KSNP. All tests were performed according to the test plan and test procedures. Functional testing, performance testing, event testing, and scenario based testing for a safety-grade optical modem of a Core Protection Calculator in a Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plant as a thirty-party verifier were successfully performed.

Validation of EOPs/FRGs Procedures Using LOHS Scenario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bajs, T.; Konjarek, D.; Vukovic, J.

2012-01-01

Validation of EOPs (Emergency Operating Procedures) and FRGs (Function Restoration Guidelines) can be achieved either through plant full scope simulator or on desk top exercises. The desk top exercise is conducted when for the given scenario plant full scope simulator is not suitable. In either verification cases predefined scenario should be evaluated and possible branching foreseen. The scenario presented is LOHS, with bleed and feed procedure initiated. Best estimate light water reactor transient analysis code RELAP5/mod3.3 was used in calculation. Standardized detailed plant model was used. Operator actions were modelled from beginning of the scenario to its termination.(author).

Swarm Verification

Science.gov (United States)

Holzmann, Gerard J.; Joshi, Rajeev; Groce, Alex

2008-01-01

Reportedly, supercomputer designer Seymour Cray once said that he would sooner use two strong oxen to plow a field than a thousand chickens. Although this is undoubtedly wise when it comes to plowing a field, it is not so clear for other types of tasks. Model checking problems are of the proverbial "search the needle in a haystack" type. Such problems can often be parallelized easily. Alas, none of the usual divide and conquer methods can be used to parallelize the working of a model checker. Given that it has become easier than ever to gain access to large numbers of computers to perform even routine tasks it is becoming more and more attractive to find alternate ways to use these resources to speed up model checking tasks. This paper describes one such method, called swarm verification.

Safety analysis procedures for PHWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, Byung Joo; Kim, Hyoung Tae; Yoo, Kun Joong

2004-03-01

The methodology of safety analyses for CANDU reactors in Canada, a vendor country, uses a combination of best-estimate physical models and conservative input parameters so as to minimize the uncertainty of the plant behavior predictions. As using the conservative input parameters, the results of the safety analyses are assured the regulatory requirements such as the public dose, the integrity of fuel and fuel channel, the integrity of containment and reactor structures, etc. However, there is not the comprehensive and systematic procedures for safety analyses for CANDU reactors in Korea. In this regard, the development of the safety analyses procedures for CANDU reactors is being conducted not only to establish the safety analyses system, but also to enhance the quality assurance of the safety assessment. In the first phase of this study, the general procedures of the deterministic safety analyses are developed. The general safety procedures are covered the specification of the initial event, selection of the methodology and accident sequences, computer codes, safety analysis procedures, verification of errors and uncertainties, etc. Finally, These general procedures of the safety analyses are applied to the Large Break Loss Of Coolant Accident (LBLOCA) in Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) for Wolsong units 2, 3, 4

Standard Guidelines of Care: Performing Procedures in Patients on or Recently Administered with Isotretinoin

Science.gov (United States)

Mysore, Venkataram; Mahadevappa, Omprakash H.; Barua, Shyamanta; Majid, Imran; Viswanath, Vishalakshi; Bhat, Ramesh M.; Talwar, Suresh; Thurakkal, Salim; Aurangabadkar, Sanjeev J.; Chatterjee, Manas; Ganjoo, Anil

2017-01-01

Background: Currently, the standard protocol regarding the performance of procedures on patients receiving or having recently received isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid) states that the procedures should not be performed. The recommendations in standard books and drug insert require discontinuation of isotretinoin for 6 months before performing cosmetic procedures, including waxing, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser procedures, or incisional and excisional cold-steel surgery. These recommendations have been followed for over two decades despite little evidence for the stated increased risk of scarring. Objective: The Association of Cutaneous Surgeons (I) constituted a task force to review the evidence and to recommend consensus guidelines regarding the safety of skin procedures, including resurfacing, energy-device treatments, and dermatosurgical procedures in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration. Materials and Methods: Data were extracted from the literature through a PubMed search using the keywords “isotretinoin,” “safety,” “scarring,” “keloids,” “hypertrophic scarring,” and “pigmentation.” The evidence was then labeled and circulated to all members of task force for review. Results: The task force is of the opinion that there is insufficient evidence to support the current protocol of avoiding and delaying treatments in the patient group under consideration and recommends that the current practice should be discontinued. The task force concludes that performing procedures such as laser hair removal, fractional lasers for aging and acne scarring, lasers for pigmented skin lesions, fractional radio-frequency microneedling, superficial and medium-depth peels, microdermabrasion, dermaroller, biopsies, radio-frequency ablation, and superficial excisions is safe in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration. PMID:29491653

Standard guidelines of care: Performing procedures in patients on or recently administered with isotretinoin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Venkataram Mysore

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Currently, the standard protocol regarding the performance of procedures on patients receiving or having recently received isotretinoin (13-cis-retinoic acid states that the procedures should not be performed. The recommendations in standard books and drug insert require discontinuation of isotretinoin for 6 months before performing cosmetic procedures, including waxing, dermabrasion, chemical peels, laser procedures, or incisional and excisional cold-steel surgery. These recommendations have been followed for over two decades despite little evidence for the stated increased risk of scarring. Objective: The Association of Cutaneous Surgeons (I constituted a task force to review the evidence and to recommend consensus guidelines regarding the safety of skin procedures, including resurfacing, energy-device treatments, and dermatosurgical procedures in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration. Materials and Methods: Data were extracted from the literature through a PubMed search using the keywords “isotretinoin,” “safety,” “scarring,” “keloids,” “hypertrophic scarring,” and “pigmentation.” The evidence was then labeled and circulated to all members of task force for review. Results: The task force is of the opinion that there is insufficient evidence to support the current protocol of avoiding and delaying treatments in the patient group under consideration and recommends that the current practice should be discontinued.The task force concludes that performing procedures such as laser hair removal, fractional lasers for aging and acne scarring, lasers for pigmented skin lesions, fractional radio-frequency microneedling, superficial and medium-depth peels, microdermabrasion, dermaroller, biopsies, radio-frequency ablation, and superficial excisions is safe in patients with concurrent or recent isotretinoin administration.

Verification techniques and dose distribution for computed tomographic planned supine craniospinal radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Eric L.; Wong Peifong; Forster, Kenneth M.; Petru, Mark D.; Kowalski, Alexander V.; Maor, Moshe H.

2003-01-01

A modified 3-field technique was designed with opposed cranial fields and a single spinal field encompassing the entire spinal axis. Two methods of plan verifications were performed before the first treatment. First, a system of orthogonal rulers plus the thermoplastic head holder was used to visualize the light fields at the craniospinal junction. Second, film phantom measurements were taken to visualize the gap between the fields at the level of the spinal cord. Treatment verification entailed use of a posterior-anterior (PA) portal film and placement of radiopaque wire on the inferior border of the cranial field. More rigorous verification required a custom-fabricated orthogonal film holder. The isocenter positions of both fields when they matched were recorded using a record-and-verify system. A single extended distance spinal field collimated at 42 degree sign encompassed the entire spinal neuraxis. Data were collected from 40 fractions of craniospinal irradiation (CSI). The systematic error observed for the actual daily treatments was -0.5 mm (underlap), while the stochastic error was represented by a standard deviation of 5.39 mm. Measured data across the gapped craniospinal junction with junction shifts included revealed a dose ranging from 89.3% to 108%. CSI can be performed without direct visualization of the craniospinal junction by using the verification methods described. While the use of rigorous film verification for supine technique may have reduced the systematic error, the inability to visualize the supine craniospinal junction on skin appears to have increased the stochastic error compared to published data on such errors associated with prone craniospinal irradiation

An Evaluation of the Use of Statistical Procedures in Soil Science