News – Page 2 – RES4NET

News

Biomedical Applications of Inkjet Printed Sensors

Inkjet printing (IJP) is an advanced and rapidly evolving technology that employs the deposition of ink droplets onto various types of substrates. This technique has found success with a plethora of substrates (e.g., paper, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, plastic, fiberglass, and ceramic) and different kinds of inks, including polymer, metal, and carbon. The remarkable versatility and widespread applicability of IJP enable it to stand out from the other prevalent technologies.

Recent literature has proposed various IJP-based devices for sensing purposes, including sensors for gas, fluid, strain, pressure, temperature, and humidity measurements. Moreover, IJP technology has proven effective in characterizing biological samples, such as cell cultures. In this context, the research group of Prof. Nicola Donato (Res4Net member) from the Department of Engineering, University of Messina, in collaboration with Prof. Cutroneo’s research group from the BIOMORF Department, have recently published their findings on the development of an inkjet printed microwave sensor designed for the contactless dielectric characterization of biological samples. The article is available as open access here.

In their interdisciplinary study, the researchers employed the IJP technique to develop a planar microwave sensor for dielectric characterization of biological samples. The sensor consists of two capacitively coupled split-ring resonators, fabricated using microstrip technology. The proposed prototype is fabricated by printing on an FR4 substrate a silver-based conductive ink. Experimental analysis involved a water-ethanol mixture as a test solution, with varying ethanol volume fractions to alter the mixture dielectric properties. The mixture was placed in a sample vial, arranged on the sensor’s surface, thus eliminating the need for direct contact between the microwave device and the test solution.

The sample permittivity change influences the capacitive coupling between the two split-ring resonators, altering the separation between two resonant frequencies. This unique design enables the sensor to perform differential measurements, thereby improving its robustness.

For the sake of completeness, a lumped-element equivalent-circuit model has been used to estimate and analyze the changes in the values of the lumped elements with ethanol concentration.

Future work will extend the experimental validation to additional liquid mixtures and biological samples, further exploring the sensor capabilities and emphasizing the promising role of inkjet printed sensors in evolving biomedical research.

Photograph of the LDPE sample vial containing the water–ethanol mixture placed over the microwave sensor.

News

Thermomechanical Analysis of a PFC Integrating W Lattice Armour…

A new scientific paper is published by the UNITUS Nuclear Fusion Research team, concerning a thermomechanical analysis of a plasma facing component (PFC) integrating tungsten lattice armour in response to different plasma scenarios predicted in the EU-DEMO Tokamak [1].
The effective and efficient management of power and particles produced within a tokamak is undoubtedly one of the fundamental steps towards the demonstration of nuclear fusion [2]. PFCs directly facing the plasma are subjected to harsh operating conditions characterised by intense thermal fluxes, erosion, neutron irradiation and sputtering phenomena, which worsen its thermos-structural resistance and deteriorate its functional integrity, ultimately [3]. The need of having sacrificial first wall limiters that are capable of mitigating the effects of such events is mandatory to provide solutions to prevent the excessive damage of the breeding blanket first wall modules in the EU-DEMO fusion reactor, in particular during harsh plasma transients. The integration of tungsten lattices into the architecture of these components can help in meeting their conflictual requirements: a proper morphology of the elementary cell combined with an optimisation of the component design can ensure the effective exhaust of nominal thermal power during normal operation and prompt vapour shielding formation during disruption when thermal decoupling between plasma and heat sink is required. Parametric analyses were conducted on the elementary cell [4] that lead to the identification of two optimised morphologies, (Types A and B). Parametric design analysis based on the use of a 2D model [5] proposed two optimised flat tile configurations in which the complexity of the geometry of the W lattice structure was simplified through a smeared approach: the first one was characterised by Type B W lattice armour, a CuCrZr heat sink and a circular cooling duct, and the second comprised Type A W lattice armour, a heat sink in EUROFER97 and a square duct. In the present work, a detailed 3D model of the two optimised component layouts was set-up, including the complex reticular geometry of the lattice structure, in order to analyse in detail the influence of the actual cellular morphology on the properties of the lattice layer and on the overall performance of the component. The 3D model allowed for performing coupled thermomechanical analyses with regard to the loading conditions that develop during different plasma scenarios and for verifying the structural integrity of the component through acceptance criteria established for ITER in-vessel components (SDC-IC). In particular, the two configurations considered in this study were able to effectively meet the requirements under normal reactor operating conditions (during which the nominal thermal load was in the order of 0.5–1.5 MW/m² in EU-DEMO), while some requirements were missed in the ramp-down case (when transient heat flux peaks up to 4 MW/m2 were expected). However, the first HHF (high heat flux) tests are about to be performed in order to benchmark the analyses, and dedicated experimental campaigns are ongoing to evaluate the performance of similar components and to allow for a more accurate assessment of their structural integrity under the expected operating conditions [6], [7].

Paoletti et al., “Thermomechanical Analysis of a PFC Integrating W Lattice Armour in Response to Different Plasma Scenarios Predicted in the EU-DEMO Tokamak”, Nuclear Engineering 2022, 3, 421-434;
J. H. Donné, “The European roadmap towards fusion electricity,” in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Royal Society Publishing, Mar. 2019.
R. Barrett et al., “Progress in the engineering design and assessment of the European DEMO first wall and divertor plasma facing components,” Fusion Engineering and Design, vol. 109, no. 111, pp. 917–924, 2016.
de Luca et al., “Parametric design study of a substrate material for a DEMO sacrificial limiter,” Fusion Engineering and Design, vol. 158, no. May, p. 111721, 2020.
Stefanini et al., “Parametric FE model for the thermal optimization of a Plasma Facing Component equipped with sacrificial lattice armours for First Wall limiter application in EU-DEMO fusion reactor,” 2022.
H. You et al., “Limiters for DEMO wall protection: Initial design concepts & technology options,” Fusion Engineering and Design, vol. 174, Jan. 2022.
Mantel et al., “Development and testing of an additively manufactured lattice for DEMO limiters,” Nuclear Fusion, vol. 62, no. 3, Mar. 2022.

News

First experimental tests on the prototype of a capacitive…

Methodology: In order to design a novel CLS, a first look is given at the conventional cylindrical probe. This is indeed similar to a capacitor with cylindrical armatures, and its capacitance is given by the equation:

where C₀is the dry capacitance, h is the height of the liquid, L is the length of the probe and ε is the dielectric constant of the liquid. From here, the capacitance per unit of length is:

where ε₀ is the vacuum/air permittivity, r_e is the inner radius of the external electrode, R_i is the outer radius of the internal electrode and w is the gap between the electrodes.

It is clear that a way to improve the sensitivity of the sensor is narrowing the gap w. Thus, as explained in [2], narrowing the gap between the two electrodes can make capillarity rise and the communicating vessels phenomenon to happen. The capillarity effect can be numerically modelled and addressed by engraving slits into at least one of the concentric probes so that no column above the bath level can build up in the channel. Two kinds of contour have been considered for the slits: helicoidal and straight. Both were carefully modelled and studied in COMSOL Multiphysics® to calculate the physical characteristics, in particular their sensitivities (Table 1). A third probe, with helicoidal slit on the external probe and the internal probe with no slits was tested too. This will be referred as “mixed”.

The conditioning circuit described in [1] is used for the readout of the prototypes of the probes. It consists in an Integrated Circuit by Texas Instruments that can be interfaced with an Arduino Uno. The sampled data is then processed in MATLAB.

To simulate the oil level change, a stepper motor was used to move the probes with high precision inside and outside of a cylinder full of lubricant oil by Viskoil.

For each sensor, sensitivity, hysteresis, rise time, and root mean square non-linearity error (RMSE) have been studied and evaluated to carry out a comparison.

Hysteresis experiments were done with three immersion and extraction cycles of the probes with increasing pause times between the moving and the sampling phase. The experiments were performed over a full run of 400 mm in 10 mm steps. For each step, after a delay time (if added), 100 samples were taken in a time interval of about 2 s. The mean absolute hysteresis is calculated as the mean of the differences between the immersion and extraction measures. The sensitivity is calculated by fitting the 10 s cycle data with a first-grade polynomial function.

The rise time experiments were performed by measuring the sensor’s output capacitance for a minimum of 20 s, after rapidly dipping or extracting the probe into/from the oil. The time constant 𝜏₆₃ was calculated as 63 % of the time from the moment the sensor stopped to the moment its output capacitance reached its settled value. Settling time was then assumed to be 𝑡_𝑟=5∙𝜏63.

The same sampled data were also used to calculate the sensitivity of the sensor and the RMSE, both for the immersion and for the extraction movements.

Results: Table 2 and Figure 1 show some of the obtained results. According to the hysteresis experiment, the sensor with mixed electrodes showed overall the least residual non-linearity. With respect to the rise time evaluation experiments, the main issues arose with the helicoidal probe; in fact, in this case, we observed a very high time constant since i) the gap between the two electrodes is very narrow and this increases the time needed for the oil to rise and fall in the gap, and ii) the slits are narrow too, allowing a thin membrane of oil to form in them. In this case, the vertical slit electrodes performed best, even though the results are comparable to the mixed electrodes ones. Finally, a preliminary look was given at the dynamic performance of the sensors. The residual non-linearity RMSE is comparable for all three probes. Results for the immersion and extraction are similar too. However, when fitting the sampled data and calculating the sensitivity, a clear difference between the extraction and immersion characteristics arises, with the sensitivity for the immersion being lower than the extraction.

Conclusions: The probes have been prototyped and tested using an in-house developed PC-based mechatronic system and readout electronic. Concerning the sensitivity, the proposed sensor showed an improvement of more than three times with respect to other commercial CLSs. Furthermore, the issue of the second-order response in response to a step change in the oil level was overcome, with an improvement in the settling time too.

References:

[1] Adamo, F.; Attivissimo, F.; de Gioia, S.; Di Nisio, A.; Lotano, D.; Savino, M. “Development and Prototyping of a Capacitive Oil Level Sensor for Aeronautical Applications”, 25th IMEKO TC-4 International Symposium on Measurement of Electrical Quantities, 2022, IMEKO TC-4 2022 and 23rd International Workshop on ADC and DAC Modelling and Testing, IWADC 2022, pp. 330 – 334.

[2] Adamo, F.; Attivissimo, F.; de Gioia, S.; Lotano, D.; Di Nisio, A. “A design strategy for performance improvement of capacitive sensors for in-flight oil-level monitoring aboard helicopters”, Measurement, 2023, 112476, ISSN 0263-2241, DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2023.112476.

[3] Adamo, F.; Attivissimo, F.; De Palma, L.; Lotano, D.; Di Nisio, A. “First experimental tests on the prototype of a capacitive oil level sensor for aeronautical applications”, Acta IMEKO, 2023, ISSN 2221-870X, DOI: 10.21014/actaimeko.v12i1.1474

News

An optimized power conversion system for a stellarator-based nuclear…

A new scientific paper is published by the UNITUS Nuclear Fusion Research team, concerning the optimization of the power conversion system for a stellarator-based nuclear fusion power plant [1].

Unlike all other fusion devices, which are pulsed, the stellarator is inherently steady-state. Thus, it requires a different downstream power conversion system compared to tokamaks. Notably, the authors conceive and optimize such a system for a stellarator power plant, equipped with plasma-facing liquid metal walls in high temperature range (700-900°C). This allows to reach a high power conversion efficiency, due to possible coupling with a CO2 Brayton-Rankine Combined Cycle [2]. Notably, the use of supercritical CO2 for the topping cycle is recommended for high efficiency and low system volume. Following the experience of large scale CC plants, the bottoming cycle is a three pressure superheated steam cycle, with optional re-heating. The system is described through a custom lumped parameter model implemented within MATLAB/Simscape® physical modelling environment. Such a model is preparatory for the optimization via genetic algorithm of the relevant system parameters: the compression ratio of the Brayton cycle and the high, intermediate, and low pressures of the steam turbines.

The efficiency of the power conversion system results 51% and net electrical efficiency of the complete plant (including electrical consumption of reactor auxiliary systems) is 34%. Such figures are remarkably higher compared to the state-of-the-art designs in the field of thermo-nuclear fusion plants, considering that the most optimistic and recent estimate foresee a heat-to-power conversion efficiency of about 34% for tokamak-like reactors. Once the model is validated thanks to the comparison with the results available in the literature for similar systems [2-3], the engineering feasibility, despite the critical components not being market-ready, is discussed. Indeed, the preliminary design of the large-scale supercritical CO2 Gas Turbine and of the compact heat exchanger for the Brayton cycle is successfully carried out.

[1] F. R. Famà et al., “An optimized power conversion system for a stellarator-based nuclear fusion power plant”, Energy Conversion and Management, 276, 116572, 2023.
[2] S. Segantin et al., “Exploration of power conversion thermodynamic cycles for arc fusion reactor”, Fusion Engineering and Design, 155, 111645, 2020.
[3] B. Zohuri et al., “Advanced nuclear open air-Brayton cycles for highly efficient power conversion”, Nuclear Technology, 192, 1, 48–60, 2015.

News

A Combined Approach Using Lorentzian Fitting and ANNs for…

Modeling techniques are crucial in designing microwave devices and help to gain a comprehensive understanding of their operation. In recent years, artificial neural networks (ANNs) have proven successful in modeling the frequency-dependent behavior of various microwave devices such as antennas, sensors, and transistors. ANNs are capable of learning from device behavior through a defined training process and can be used as a fast and accurate model for the description of the device under test. In addition to ANN modeling, the Lorentzian fitting procedure is often used to accurately determine the resonant parameters of microwave resonators. The accurate determination of the resonant frequency and quality factor is desirable regardless of the type of resonator or its application (e.g., filter, sensor). Literature reports suggest that the most accurate estimation of these resonant parameters is obtained by measuring the scattering parameters of the device under test using a vector network analyzer (VNA), followed by fitting a Lorentzian function. This approach compensates for resonator non-idealities, which may affect the accurate determination of both resonant frequency and Q-factor.

In a recent study, the University of Messina (Italy), in collaboration with the University of Niš (Serbia), has developed a new and more reliable modeling tool for studying microwave resonators by combining the Lorentzian fitting method and the ANN-based modeling approach. This approach combines the benefits of both methods and has been successfully applied to model a microwave sensor for relative humidity measurements.

The research, which was co-authored by Prof. Zlatica Marinković from the University of Niš, Dr. Giovanni Gugliandolo, Prof. Giuseppe Campobello, Prof. Giovanni Crupi, and Prof. Nicola Donato (Res4Net member) from the University of Messina, was presented at the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Metrology for eXended Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Neural Engineering (IEEE MetroXRAINE 2022) and was recognized with the “Best Paper Presented by a Young Researcher” award.

For a more detailed description of the research, please refer to the conference proceeding webpage.

News

Science and communication: the Res4Net experience

Today disciplinary knowledge is fragmented from one another because years and years of sectoral study has led to making each discipline independent.

Everything stems from the crisis that occurred after the Second World War both at a political-economic and cultural level. The goals achieved in all fields ushered in an era of crisis. Society, in an era that was perceived as advanced compared to the modern one, found itself in a climate of insecurity, indifference and the fall of ideals and traditions. Society is in constant motion governed by technological progress which imposes new adaptations every time and leaves behind those who fail to adapt. And it is in this climate that the term “post-modern” is introduced into cultural debates, defining it as something not completely definitive and stable. With the typical urgency of the postmodern age to make the disciplinary fields autonomous and independent, the result of the scientific-cultural and institutional developments of modernity, it has made specialist scientific research necessary and interdisciplinary research almost useless.

The knowledge thus described, however, fails to give an adequate explanation to the phenomena that are studied as the communication between the different disciplines is almost nil due to a forced division and a lack of communication between them. The problem is the language used within each discipline: a specific and technical language functional only to it. The aim that is achieved is a progress of the discipline concerned with scientific rigor, but prevents dialogue with the other areas, which in turn follow the same internal codification. The result is, therefore, an internal coherence, but problematic with the outside. Scientific communication, therefore, must be interdisciplinary to define and contextualize the object of study in reality using a clear language shared by all the disciplines involved in the research and must be transdisciplinary to expand scientific knowledge to a meta-disciplinary level that opens up to the different dimensions of reality through a simple and understandable language also for public opinion in order to legitimize the motivation, the methodological and technological choices and the purpose of the research proposed for the purpose to promote science as a common good necessary for everyone’s life.

In a globalized world, the scientist advertises his work from the beginning, in progress and at the end for two fundamental reasons: to spread scientific knowledge to share and legitimize his work and to seek funding to sponsor his research in order to participate in the construction of a common good, scientific knowledge. Here a paradox emerges: science understood as a common good is forced to promote itself in order to survive in the market of funded projects.

In Italy, for example, the situation is currently fragmented and without any coordination due to the lack of a common data sharing policy. Laws and decrees have regulated state funding for research and education, always resulting insufficient to meet the needs of the scientific world which, where possible, relied on private funding. Even today, scientists and the academic world are asking for more resources to invest in the research needed for new emerging phenomena.

Beyond the choice of strategies, techniques or channels to be used for the dissemination of scientific knowledge or, simply, scientific communication, it is necessary to remember that the information transmitted must have constructive and educational foundations in order to guarantee true emancipation of society because science must be a continuous discovery that helps to resolve and enrich emerging issues by building knowledge that becomes a common good and as such must convey security to those who read and internalize it.

The dissemination of science must become the heritage of everyone, but above all of the new generations.

The Res4Net laboratory network is a concrete example of this new reality in which the main Italian universities and research centers adhere. It proposes itself as a group to think, practice and promote the new scientific communication with particular attention to collaboration and interdisciplinary integration. Members are offered support services for the development of multimedia products and guidance on the effective use of new media. A space on dedicated blogs and social channels is also offered. Res4Net promotes seminars and public debates to stimulate reflection on the theme of new forms of scientific communication. I had the opportunity and the fortune to participate in the realization of this project as an intern at the Politecnico di Milano. My contribution was to offer consultancy on the communicative and digital aspects and the creation of some multimedia materials to be published online on the platform and on the social media involved. My collaboration began in October of the previous year and ended at the end of the academic year. As a person who is growing professionally in the world of communication, I have been able to verify and witness the results of the changes inherent in the ways, times and research objects of today’s science. A sector which, through initiatives such as Res4net, is changing the face of discovery and the goals that man can and must achieve. The involvement of non-experts in the era of globalization is a must and requires an effort of openness and comparison with scientists. The new communication, if used in compliance with the values and social rules that characterize civil societies, can become an invaluable tool for comparison, interdisciplinarity, collaboration and culture.

The greatest result of this project is that it has made the enthusiasm for discovery, interdisciplinarity, collaboration and comparison between experts and not a style of work and life. The process is still in its infancy, the tools and methods of scientific dissemination are still being tested: the communication strategies and the models to be inspired by are constantly changing and, therefore, a constant object of study. The aspiration is to approach a real dialogue. Scientists and the public participate equally in discussions and debates on science and technology topics which can be conducted in different dissemination forms, such as conferences and public forums. A first step has already been taken. On October 27 Res4net participated in the IEEE MetroXRAINE 2022 conference where it was presented and it was possible to compare with other projects in the field of communication. It was possible to observe and learn from those who know more than us.

The results achieved to date are those expected, but certainly in the climate and working style proposed by the Res4net project, the goals to be achieved, even at an international level, will not be long in coming.

In recent months, posts have been published on the site and on social media maintaining common characteristics. Simple texts have been used in the use of semantics and syntax. The terminology used, in fact, is that specific to the sector, but can also be used by less experienced users. The language used is always English to facilitate the international dissemination of information. The choice of layout, images and videos has been studied so that it is captivating and exhaustive to capture the user’s curiosity.

The Res4Net project was born a little over two years ago and is at the beginning of its journey which is in continuous evolution and relationship with the new social and scientific needs that are highlighted in the succession of the passage of time. The universities and research centers involved observe, experiment and verify ever new hypotheses to solve or improve man’s lifestyle.

News

A new dataset of satellite images for deep learning-based…

Methodology: The usage of coastline data published in scientific projects is explored for the generation of a dataset of labelled satellite images for sea-land segmentation/coastline detection tasks. Sentinel-2 Level-1C images are considered for the dataset. The Sentinel-2 mission provides high-resolution satellite images with 13 spectral bands [2]. Four bands have spatial resolution of 10 m, six bands have resolution of 20 m, and three bands have resolution of 60 m. All continental land and coastal waters up to 20 km from the shore are covered by the mission, with a revisit time of 5 days.

The coastline data used for labelling satellite images is taken from the NOAA Continually Updated Shoreline Product (CUSP) project [3]. This dataset contains the coastline of the USA and is continually updated. The coastline is split in short segments annotated with additional information such as the date and type (e.g., satellite or aerial) of data used for the coastline extraction and the type of coast. Given the availability of these additional information and the high resolution of coastlines, this dataset has been chosen for our work.

CUSP data must be filtered to obtain valid samples for the task at hand. Coastline of Alaska are excluded, since it contains regions covered by ice (we focus on exposed land). Only observations made later than December 2016 are considered, (Sentinel-2 Level-1C products availability). Only the following types of coasts are considered (CUSP nomenclature):

“Man-made.Rip Rap” + “Natural.Great Lake Or Lake Or Pond” + “Natural.Mean High Water”

Excluded types of coasts were e.g., rivers and jetties, that would have led to images containing most of the Sentinel-2 pixels of a single class.

The Sentinel-2 tiles containing the selected coastline segments has been identified by querying the PEPS CNES platform. Only results of the query characterized by a cloud cover lesser than 3% are considered, and, among them, that with the nearest date to the observation date of the segment are chosen. The maximum allowed temporal distance between the segment date and the Sentinel tile date was set to 30 days. At the end of the procedure, 155 Sentinel tiles were selected.

The coastline segments are projected to the ortho-images plane, and 64×64 squared tiles are extracted following the coastline. The position of the extracted tiles is chosen so that the coastline intersects each tile in two points, and 50% of overlap between consecutive tiles was used to maximize the quantity of unique pixels in the dataset (see Fig. 1). Each extracted tile is further processed to create the relative binary segmented label. CUSP provides only the coastline and gives no information which of the two regions defined by the coastline is sea or land. The water bodies detection based on the band 2/band 11 ratio is used for this purpose. Besides, tiles with at least 90% of pixels detected as water on one side, and at least 90% of pixels as non-water on the other side are labelled; the other are discarded. This method implies a verification of CUSP data (Fig. 2).

Conclusions: The presented method proved to be effectively usable for generating datasets of labelled satellite images. Its clear advantage is that it allows reusing high-quality coastline data created by experts, to label satellite images of different types (multispectral images, SAR images) and acquired from different sources. The effectiveness of the method has been successfully demonstrated using NOAA CUSP coastline data and Sentinel-2 multispectral images, but the procedure can be replicated using other coastline data and satellite images.

References:

[1] M. Scarpetta, M. Spadavecchia, V. I. D’Alessandro, L. D. Palma and N. Giaquinto, “A new dataset of satellite images for deep learning-based coastline measurement,” 2022 IEEE International Conference on Metrology for Extended Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Neural Engineering (MetroXRAINE), 2022, pp. 635-640, doi: 10.1109/MetroXRAINE54828.2022.9967574.

[2] https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-2

[3] https://shoreline.noaa.gov/data/datasheets/cusp.html

News

IEEE International WORKSHOP ON METROLOGY FOR THE SEA, Milazzo…

On Oct. 3-5, 2022, the 2022 IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for the Sea (MetroSea 2022) was held at Milazzo Castle (Milazzo, Messina, Italy). It was organized by the University of Messina with the active support of the three general chairs: Prof. Pasquale Daponte from the University of Sannio, Prof. Nicola Donato (Res4Net member), and Prof. Giovanni Randazzo, both from the University of Messina.

The workshop was also sponsored by the Italian Navy and by the Italian Coast Guard, the presence of the vessels “Vega” (Italian Navy) and “Diciotti” (Italian Coast Guard) during the three days was an outstanding contribution to the program activities.

The workshop was attended by researchers from universities worldwide and experts in the field, in such a context the special session “Military Metrology for the Sea” was organized by AFCEA Naples Chapter with the active participation of Italian Navy research centers such as the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy (IIM), the Naval Support and Experimentation Center (CSSN) and the Joint Forces Center for Military Studies and Applications (CISAM).

During the conference, the plenary session witnessed the participation of Dr. Laura Giuliano, Director of Science, CIESM – Mediterranean Science Commission, with a presentation entitled “Measuring Marine Life – across (and beyond) paradigms”, Prof. Franc Dimc, from the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Transport University of Ljubljana, with a speech on “Observations of vessels and human actions at Port of Koper approach”, and Prof. Aimé Lay-Ekuakille from University of Salento, with a presentation entitled “The EU BAT constraints on the measurement systems for industrial wastewater treatments: quality and quantity for discharging into the sea”.

In light of the international resonance and high scientific level of the workshop, the Italian Navy granted the presence of Vessel Vega, on which the first day of the workshop was concluded with the welcome dinner.

The high level of participation at MetroSea2022 enabled researchers and scientists at the international level to discuss each other on their research activities in the field of metrology applied to the sea. These discussions represent moments of mutual exchange, knowledge, and personal growth.

Authors of papers presented at this conference are invited to submit a technically extended version to one of the following Special Issues:

“Selected Papers from the 2022 IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for Sea in JMSE“, edited by Dr. Roberto Carlucci (University of Bari) and Dr. Christoph Waldmann (University of Bremen). Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2022.
“Remote Sensing and Other Geomatics Techniques for Marine Applications“, edited by Prof. Dr. Claudio Parente (University of Naples Parthenope) and Prof. Dr. Salvatore Gaglione (University of Naples Parthenope). Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2023.
“Selected Papers from the 2022 IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for the Sea“, edited by Prof. Nicola Donato (University of Messina) and Dr. Giovanni Gugliandolo (University of Messina), both Res4Net members. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2023.

The next IEEE International Workshop on Metrology for the Sea (MetroSea2023) will be held in Valletta (Malta) in 2023.

News

RESEARCH & COMMUNICATION: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES 27TH OCTOBER 2022…

As part of the IEEE MetroXRAINE 2022 conference, Res4Net promotes the
“Research and Communication” Panel which involves authoritative
representatives of journals, companies, universities, and associations
active in the field of scientific communication.

You can attend the unmissable event dedicated to new languages and new
channels for scientific communication after the Pandemic on Youtube,
LinkedIn, and Facebook.

News

32nd SOFT Conference 2022 18-23 September Dubrovnik (Croatia)

On 18-23 September 2022 the Croatian city of Dubrovnik provided a magnificent setting for the 32^nd Symposium on Fusion Technology (SOFT 2022), the most prestigious conference in this field in Europe with a thousand world leaders from science and industry, and important personalities in the fusion research from all over the world, who discussed the most important innovations in the field of nuclear fusion. In this context, the University of Tuscia was present at the event with 6 PhD students, who presented their research activities during poster sessions over the 6 days.

During the conference the participants had the possibility to listen interesting talks of several key fusion experts as Alain Becoulet (Engineering Domain Head of ITER Organization), Pietro Barabaschi (new Director-General of ITER), Francesco Romanelli (Chairman of the BoD of DTT s.c.a.r.l.), Gianfranco Federici (head of EUROfusion technology department) and Tom Barret (technical leader of CHIMERA project, UKAEA). “It was so nice to sit around the table again with colleagues and discuss in the hallways the things that really matter, that make us want to work together, and that help us move things forward,” said Dr Tony Donné, Programme Manager of the EUROfusion Consortium, whose presentation on “Navigating along the fusion roadmap” was the most viewed online. During the days of the conference, participants had the pleasure of visiting the magnificent old town of Dubrovnik, set of the famous TV series “Game of Throne”.

From University of Tuscia different topics are exposed during the poster sessions. Six posters were presented. Below the main arguments are reported.

The first topic concerns the sacrificial limiters used inside nuclear fusion machine. Three different posters are relative to them.

Towards the demonstration of fusion energy, the greatest challenges may arise from the need of strongly mitigating the degradation of conventional breeding blanket first wall modules during plasma transients and disruptions. Within the EUROfusion DEMO research activities, first wall limiters are envisaged as the last protection resource of the otherwise un-shadowed rector wall. In this context, optimized layouts of the plasma-facing units of such components were developed, equipped with innovative tungsten metamaterials as sacrificial armours able to meet the conflicting requirements of the limiters. Additive manufacturing was successfully employed to produce lattice samples for material characterization and testing, currently ongoing.

The second work concerns the development of a parametric model to identify the optimized component configurations to be considered for the sacrificial limiter, in order to maximize its functional effectiveness, by scanning all possible combinations of relevant parameters. The identification of possible configurations was followed by a preliminary study through Computational Fluid Dynamics of the thermo-hydraulic behaviour of the plasma-facing-component cooling circuit, satisfying the total pressure drop requirement for its potential integration.

The third work concerns the development of a 3D finite element model to analyse in depth the influence of the actual features of latticed metamaterial on the overall performance of the DEMO limiter, based on a flat tile configuration. Its main goal is to identify the most promising layout as pre-conceptual design for the fabrication of a small-scale mock-up. The model allowed to perform coupled thermos-mechanical analyses with regard to the loading conditions that develop during different plasma scenarios and allowed to verify structural integrity of the component through acceptance criteria established for ITER in-vessel components.

The fourth work presents a disruptions database analysis aimed at characterizing off-normal plasma scenarios in ST40 2021-2022 experimental campaign. In this context, to support the Spherical Tokamak ST40 operations, effects associated with disruptions have been investigated. To define a safe operational space, disruption numerical simulations have been performed with the aim to reconstruct the plasma dynamic behaviours by using MAXFEA for a better calibration of the code, starting from experimental data.

The fifth work aims to define the structural behaviour of ST40 Inner Vacuum Chamber (IVC2) under the action of electromagnetic loads. The analysis was carried out considering the entire ST40 mesh model with high degree of detail allowing to accurately approximate its real behaviour. The completeness of the model has guaranteed to study the global ST40 stress state with a focus on the local stress state generated on the IVC2 and on all the components that weigh on it.

The last work deals with the verification of the structural integrity of the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) vacuum vessel against loads associated to several machine operating states. A large campaign of thermo-structural analyses has been carried out on a very detailed FE model of the vessel to assess the actual design and to improve it where needed. The stresses over the vessel comply with the limits suggested by the principle standards.