High-resolution ultrasonography (US) is a valuable tool in breast imaging. Nevertheless, US is an operator-dependent technique: to overcome this issue, the American College of Radiology (ACR) has ...developed the breast imaging-reporting and data system (BI-RADS) US lexicon. Despite this effort, the variability in the assessment of focal breast lesions (FBLs) with the use of BI-RADS US lexicon is still an issue. Within this framework, evidence shows that computer-aided image analysis may be effective in improving the radiologist’s assessment of FBLs. In particular, S-Detect is a newly developed image-analytic computer program that provides assistance in morphologic analysis of FBLs seen on US according to the BI-RADS US lexicon. This pictorial essay describes state-of-the-art of sonographic characterization of FBLs by using S-Detect.
To compare microvascular flow imaging (MVFI) to conventional Color-Doppler (CDI) and Power-Doppler (PDI) imaging in the detection of vascularity of Focal Breast Lesions (FBLs). A total of 180 solid ...FBLs (size: 3.5–45.2 mm) detected in 180 women (age: 21–87 years) were evaluated by means of CDI, PDI, and MVFI. Two blinded reviewers categorized lesion vascularity in absent or present, and vascularity pattern as (a) internal; (b) vessels in rim; (c) combined. The presence of a “penetrating vessel” was assessed separately. Differences in vascularization patterns (chi2 test) and intra- and inter-observer agreement (Fleiss method) were calculated. ROC analysis was performed to assess performance of each technique in differentiating benign from malignant lesions. About 103/180 (57.2%) FBLs were benign and 77/180 (42.8%) were malignant. A statistically significant (p < .001) increase in blood flow detection was observed for both readers with MVFI in comparison to either CDI or PDI. Benign FBLs showed mainly absence of vascularity (p = .02 and p = .01 for each reader, respectively), rim pattern (p < .001 for both readers) or combined pattern (p = .01 and p = .04). Malignant lesions showed a statistically significant higher prevalence of internal flow pattern (p < .001 for both readers). The prevalence of penetrating vessels was significantly higher with MVFI in comparison to either CDI or PDI (p < .001 for both readers) and in the malignant FBLs (p < .001). ROC analysis showed MVFI (AUC = 0.70, 95%CI = 0.64–0.77) more accurate than CDI (AUC = 0.67, 95%CI = 0.60–0.74) and PDI (AUC = 0.67, 95%CI = 0.60–0.74) though not significantly (p = .5436). Sensitivity/Specificity values for MVFI, PDI, and CDI were 76.6%/64.1%, 59.7%/73.8% and 58.4%/74.8%, respectively. Inter-reader agreement with MVFI was always very good (k-score 0.85–0.96), whereas with CDI and PDI evaluation ranged from good to very good. No differences in intra-observer agreement were noted. MVFI showed a statistically significant increase in the detection of the vascularization of FBLs in comparison to Color and Power-Doppler.
•An approach for modular platform based downhole tool development for harsh conditions is presented.•Advantages in terms of development time, quality and reusability of results are ...demonstrated.•Engineering solutions for pressure and corrosion resistant housing, heat management and data transfer are provided.•The platform is usable as basis for a wide range of downhole tools for different applications.
Operations in deep geothermal boreholes are a technical challenge due to harsh conditions such as high pressures, high temperatures, limited space and corrosive thermal water. Therefore the development of tools for inspection, investigation and maintenance for geothermal applications is a challenging and expensive task. In consequence the operations in most cases are limited to simple measurements of pressure (p), temperature (T) and diameter (caliper). Other restrictions are waving of real-time data transfer and a limitation of operation depths at above the open-hole.
The approach of ZWERG uses know-how from other industrial sectors for a modular design of downhole tools based on a system platform. This way it allows creating reproducible and reusable solutions for the main technical challenges: housing, sealing, compact interior design, heat management and data processing. It is supposed to build the basis for more widespread and more complex applications in deep boreholes and to support an economic development of new tools.
Reliable modular platform solutions for basic challenges support an enhanced quality management for geothermal systems which profits from suitable tools for measurement, inspection, sample recovery, maintenance and repair that can be used all the way from the surface to the open hole.
The dual-coolant lead-lithium (DCLL) blanket concept, which is considered as a candidate for fusion power plants and possibly for a demonstration reactor (DEMO), is being investigated within the ...framework of the European Power Plant Physics and Technology (PPPT) study. One of major issues of the DCLL concept development is the design of the flow channel inserts (FCIs), which are essential for the reduction of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) pressure losses. Due to the tight schedule for the short-term PPPT DEMO, a low-temperature DCLL concept with a liquid metal outlet temperature below 500 °C has been proposed. This allows the use of a simpler type of FCI (taking into account the LM corrosion issues), e.g. Eurofer-Alumina-Eurofer sandwich FCI, instead of the SiCf/SiC version for high temperature case, the production thereof is challenging. This paper discusses the technological study on manufacturing of some FCI design variants and post-examination of the samples.
The design of fusion plasma-facing components is challenging, as their materials have to meet rigorous requirements in terms of low activation and high-temperature strength. At the same time, ...sufficient ductility is required even in the low-temperature range. Unfortunately, these properties are not found in conventional materials. To solve this problem, a hybrid material that combines the high strength of one material with the high ductility of the other material was developed. This paper presents the hybrid material, which consists of thin tungsten and vanadium layers. This hybrid material was produced by means of diffusion bonding at relatively low temperature in a vacuum chamber. Microstructural investigations and nanoindentation tests indicated no cracks, no delamination, and no brittle intermetallic phases along the bond interfaces. Investigations of the mechanical properties of the hybrid material by instrumented Charpy impact tests revealed a relatively low ductile-to-brittle transition temperature (DBTT) at 124°C (compared to the DBTT of polycrystalline tungsten of >441°C) with an absorbed Charpy impact energy of 4.53 J kleinst (KLST)-specimen. Additionally, the tested Charpy impact specimens were found to be not fractured thoroughly even at room temperature.
At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), a He-cooled divertor design for future fusion power plants has been developed. This concept is based on the use of modular cooling fingers made from ...tungsten and tungsten alloy, which are presently considered the most promising divertor materials to withstand the specific heat load of 10
MW/m
2. Since a large number of the finger modules (
n
>
250,000) are needed for the whole reactor, developing a mass-oriented manufacturing method is indispensable. In this regard, an innovative manufacturing technology, Powder Injection Molding (PIM), has been adapted to W processing at KIT since a couple of years. This production method is deemed promising in view of large-scale production of tungsten parts with high near-net-shape precision, hence, offering an advantage of cost-saving process compared to conventional machining.
The complete technological PIM process for tungsten materials and its application on manufacturing of real divertor components, including the design of a new PIM tool is outlined and, results of the examination of the finished product after heat-treatment are discussed. A binary tungsten powder feedstock with a solid load of 50
vol.% was developed and successfully tested in molding experiments. After design, simulation and manufacturing of a new PIM tool, real divertor parts are produced. After heat-treatment (pre-sintering and HIP) the successful finished samples showed a sintered density of approximately 99%, a hardness of 457 HV0.1, a grain size of approximately 5
μm and a microstructure without cracks and porosity.
The presented study covers concepts for residential heat grids, including power-to-heat solutions and shared storage approach, based on a realistic large scale infrastructure. It targets the ...investigation of advanced solutions for a heat revolution within the frame of energy revolution and climate targets 2050. Multivalent heating systems are implemented and compared in a fully automated neighborhood grid, consisting of residential buildings, a switchable local heat grid matrix and instrumentation for widespread energy and climate measurements. The neighborhood grid is built within the project Living Lab Energy Campus is connected to the large project Energy Lab 2.0 infrastructure, which allows upscaling of data in the range of several MW via physical simulations and serves as fully controllable supply grid.
A helium-cooled divertor concept for DEMO has been continuously developed over the past decade at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology within the framework of the former European Fusion Power Plant ...Conceptual Study. Over the years, research results and progress of the divertor development with numerous earnings representations have been continually reported. This paper first gives a retrospect of the past results achieved so far and then reports on recent progress of the divertor development. In the course of developing the conceptual design with the goal of reaching a divertor heat flux performance of 10 MW/m
2
, the He-cooled modular divertor with jet cooling (HEMJ) was selected in the early 2000s as the reference concept out of a series of conceptual design studies. For verification of the design principle, a combined high-heat-flux (HHF) test facility with helium loop was built in 2004 at the Efremov Institute for the divertor experiments under specified DEMO conditions. There, the cooling performance of the divertor finger with helium under the heat load of 10 MW/m
2
was confirmed already at an early stage. In parallel, the HEMJ divertor design was successively improved in terms of its robustness and quality of production in order to achieve a long service life against thermocyclic loading. A breakthrough was achieved in 2010 when an optimized HEMJ cooling finger survived more than 1000 HHF cycles at 10 MW/m
2
without damage. In the context of long-term planning for DEMO divertor development, research and development work on the development of larger divertor components has been started, particularly focusing on certain fabrication techniques covering, e.g., high-temperature brazing and mass production of the divertor components. Recent progress-a part of this paper-was achieved in the HHF experiment of the tungsten nine-finger module in Efremov, development of nondestructive testing methods for testing multifinger modules in collaboration with CEA, and a study on the integration of multifinger modules on the target plate.
•SATIR tests on DEMO divertor fingers (integrating or not He cooling system).•Millimeter size artificial defects were manufactured.•Detectability of millimeter size artificial defects was ...evaluated.•SATIR can detect defect in DEMO divertor fingers.•Simulations are well correlated to SATIR tests.
Plasma facing components (PFCs) with tungsten (W) armor materials for DEMO divertor require a high heat flux removal capability (at least 10MW/m2 in steady-state conditions). The reference divertor PFC concept is a finger with a tungsten tile as a protection and sacrificial layer brazed to a thimble made of tungsten alloy W – 1% La2O3 (WL10). Defects may be located at the W thimble to W tile interface. As the number of fingers is considerable (>250,000), it is then a major issue to develop a reliable control procedure in order to control with a non-destructive examination the fabrication processes. The feasibility for detecting defect with infrared thermography SATIR test bed is presented. SATIR is based on the heat transient method and is used as an inspection tool in order to assess component heat transfer capability. SATIR tests were performed on fingers integrating or not the complex He cooling system (steel cartridge with jet holes). Millimeter size artificial defects were manufactured and their detectability was evaluated. Results of this study demonstrate that the SATIR method can be considered as a relevant non-destructive technique examination for the defect detection of DEMO divertor fingers.
A modular He-cooled divertor concept for DEMO has been developed at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The design goal is to achieve a DEMO-relevant high heat flux of 10MW/m2. The reference design ...HEMJ (He-cooled modular divertor with multiple-jet cooling) uses small finger modules, which consist of a tungsten tile and a thimble made of tungsten alloy. Both components are connected by soldering. They are cooled by helium gas (10MPa, 634°C) impinging directly onto the inner heated surface of the thimble.
One of the most difficult to predict incident events is the disruption that may damage the divertor structure by an extraordinary impact loading. This danger is particularly acute by the brittle property of the tungsten material, which is generally characterized by the DBTT. In this paper an estimate of the mechanical impact loading induced by electro-magnetic forces during a disruption and an appropriate experimental setup are outlined, and the test results discussed.
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