Investigation on applicability of time-averaged X-ray CT images in two-phase flow measurement

ABSTRACT

Measuring the void fraction between fuel rods contributes to optimizing the geometrical design of fuel bundles for boiling water reactors (BWR). In this article, a method for reconstructing a three-dimensional void fraction distribution of two-phase flow by using an X-ray CT system is proposed. The performance was evaluated by both simulation and experiment. The simulation results suggested that the accuracy of the proposed method was within ±0.02, and from the experimental results, the void fraction in gas-liquid two-phase flows was successfully obtained with sufficient accuracy.     

High energy X-ray computed tomography for industrial applications

A high energy X-ray computed tomography (CT) system with an electron linear accelerator was developed to image cross-sections of large-scale and high-density materials. An electron linear accelerator is used as the X-ray source. The maximum X-ray energy is 12 MeV, and the average energy is around 4 MeV. The intensity of the X-ray fan beam passing through the test object is measured by a 15-channel detector array. CWO (CdWO₄) scintillators and photodiodes are used as the X-ray detectors. The crosstalk noise due to scattering of X-ray photons by adjacent detectors is reduced to less than 1.6% by installing tungsten shields between the scintillators. Extra channels are used to compensate for base line shift of the circuits. These techniques allowed attainment of a dynamic range of more than 85 dB and a noise level comparable to the signal amplitude of X-rays transmitted in a 420-mm thick iron block. A spatial resolution of 0.8 mm was confirmed with an iron test piece 200 mm in diameter     

The crossed beam correlation technique for two-phase flow measurements

A number of experiments have been performed using the crossed beam correlation technique with laser beams. The purpose has been to establish the applicability of the technique to non-intrusive, local flow measurements in a two-phase or two-component flow. The measured parameters were: 1) perturbation velocity, 2) void fraction and 3) correlation length.

In another series of experiments, a slightly different geometry with three beams was used, allowing determination of the correlation length in two dimensions instead of one.     

SSRF直线加速器束流发射度测量

发射度是衡量束流品质的重要参数,随着加速器技术的不断发展,人们对束流品质要求越来越高,特别是对小发射度的测量要求更高的分辨率.本文基于"多次改变聚焦强度法"的发射度测量原理,讨论了上海同步辐射光源装置(SSRF)直线加速器部分测量技术和测量装置,包括薄透镜的合理采用、多点最小二乘法拟合、截面测量靶的选择和测量软件设计等,以提高发射度测量的准确性和可靠性.测量结果的高稳定性与重复性对接下来即将进行的自由电子激光发射度测量有重要的参考意义.     

一种测量辐射加工用加速器电子束能量的方法

根据射程法原理,在上海二级标准剂量学实验室对辐射加工用加速器电子束能量的测量方法进行了实验研究,并在3个辐射工厂对3台3MeV、20mA高频高压型加速器的电子束进行了能量测定.结果表明,在1-3MeV能量范围内,能量测定准确度优于±10%.     

Pulsed intense electron beam emittance measurement

Recently we measured with the Modified Three Gradient Method(MTGM) the beam emittance of an injector constructed in 2012, which was designed to provide a 2.4 kA, 2.6 MeV electron beam. The MTGM is a non-intercept indirect method, which is based on the three gradient type measurements of beam profiles and subsequent data processing which helps to get the least square solution to the beam emittance. Beam profiles under different currents of guiding coil are measured using Cerenkov radiation given off by a piece of quartz glass in the beam tube, which is recorded with a CCD camera. MTGM Code is developed to realize the data fitting as well as beam transport simulation, in which both the σ matrix method and the numerical solution of root-mean-square beam envelope equation are used. The error is also analyzed.     

Void measurement using high-resolution gamma-ray computed tomography

We present a high-resolution gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) measurement system for the determination of cross-sectional time-averaged void distributions in thermo hydraulic facilities. The system has been carefully designed for harsh operating conditions, such as varying temperature fields and strong magnetic fields, typically produced by thermal hydraulic test loops with direct electric bundle heating. Measurements are non invasive, thus the two-phase flow in the test section is not influenced. The gamma-ray CT system consists of a collimated ¹³⁷Cs isotopic source, a gamma radiation detector arc including 320 single elements, a pulse processing unit and a thermal stabilisation unit. The spatial resolution of the CT system is about 2 mm in plane. Recently, the thermal design of the detector arc is improved to secure maintenance of constant temperature of thermally sensitive components under changing environmental conditions. This turned out to be a key issue for achieving accurate quantitative measurements. First results of laboratory measurements on a bundle mock-up with this improved system are presented.     

Nondestructive measurement of the weight of kernels in a simulated cylindrical fuel compact for HTGR using X-ray computed tomography

The TRISO-coated fuel particle for the high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is composed of a nuclear fuel kernel and outer coating layers. The coated particles are mixed with graphite matrix to make HTGR fuel element. Weight of fuel kernels contained in the element is one of the important items for evaluating the characteristics of fuel element, which is generally measured by chemical analysis or gamma-ray spectrometer. The chemical analysis is a destructive method, and gamma-ray spectrometer requires elaborate reference sample for the measurement. In this study, X-ray computed tomography (CT) is suggested to measure the weight of kernels in an element. The three-dimensional (3D) density information is acquired by the X-ray CT for a simulated compact including simulated TRISO-coated particles with ZrO₂ kernels. The volume of kernels as well as the number of kernels in the simulated compact was calculated from the 3D density information. The weight of kernels in the simulated compact was calculated from the volume of kernels and the average density of kernels. It was also calculated from the number of kernels and the average weight of kernels for comparison.     

Improvements to conventional X-ray tube-based cone-beam computed tomography system

Conventional X-ray tube-based cone-beam computed tomography(CX-CBCT) systems have great potential in industrial applications. Such systems can rapidly obtain a three-dimensional(3D) image of an object.Conventional X-ray tubes fulfill the requirements for industrial applications, because of their high tube voltage and power. Continuous improvements have been made to CX-CBCT systems, such as imaging time shortening,acquisition strategy optimization, and imaging software development, etc. In this study, a CX-CBCT system is developed. Additionally, some improvements to the CX-CBCT system are proposed based on the hardware conditions of the X-ray tube and detector. A near-detector(ND)geometry condition is employed to obtain a sharper image and larger detection area. An improved acquisition strategy is proposed to simplify operations and reduce total imaging time. In the ND geometry condition, a simplified method called FBP slice stacking(SS-FBP) is proposed, which can be applied to 3D image reconstruction. SS-FBP is timesaving relative to traditional methods. Furthermore, imaging software for the CX-CBCT system is developed in the MATLAB environment. Several imaging experiments were performed. The results suggest that the CX-CBCT system works properly, and that the above improvements are feasible and practical.     

Filter-based energy-resolved X-ray computed tomography with a clinical imager

Filter-based energy-resolved X-ray computed tomography (CT) is an approach for implementing energy-resolved CT imaging using a flat-panel-detector-based cone-beam system. In this study, we performed experiments with a 20-cm-diameter phantom on a clinical X-ray imager. The material density results showed good agreement with the ideal values. We also propose an improved method for obtaining the detector response function and the X-ray spectrum, which requires fewer measurements and will be practical for future clinical use. Issues such as scatter and image noise remain to be addressed.     

Investigation of optimal scanning protocol for X-ray computed tomography polymer gel dosimetry

X-ray computed tomography is one of the potential tool used to evaluate the polymer gel dosimeters in three dimensions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors which affect the image noise for X-ray CT polymer gel dosimetry. A cylindrical water filled phantom was imaged with single slice Siemens Somatom Emotion CT scanner. The imaging parameters like tube voltage, tube current, slice scan time, slice thickness and reconstruction algorithm were varied independently to study the dependence of noise on each other. Reductions of noise with number of images to be averaged and spatial uniformity of the image were also investigated. Normoxic polymer gel PAGAT was manufactured and irradiated using Siemens Primus linear accelerator. The radiation induced change in CT number was evaluated using X-ray CT scanner. From this study it is clear that image noise is reduced with increase in tube voltage, tube current, slice scan time, slice thickness and also reduced with increasing the number of images averaged. However to reduce the tube load and total scan time, it was concluded that tube voltage of 130 kV, tube current of 200 mA, scan time of 1.5 s, slice thickness of 3 mm for high dose gradient and 5 mm for low dose gradient were optimal scanning protocols for this scanner. Optimum number of images to be averaged was concluded to be 25 for X-ray CT polymer gel dosimetry. Choice of reconstruction algorithm was also critical. From the study it is also clear that CT number increase with imaging tube voltage and shows the energy dependency of polymer gel dosimeter. Hence for evaluation of polymer gel dosimeters with X-ray CT scanner needs the optimization of scanning protocols to reduce the image noise.     

Is 2D impedance tomography a reliable technique for two-phase flow?

Impedance tomography consists in reconstructing the conductivity distribution from electrical data which characterize the electrical response of a medium to arbitrary excitations. Impedance tomography is an ill-conditioned problem and designing a tomograph therefore requires the quantitative knowledge of the sensitivity of the reconstruction to the measurements noise. The numerical conditioning of an original and accurate algorithm has been studied. This algorithm does not suffer from the shortcomings already identified in the literature. It is shown that for media encompassing inclusions which is a typical situation in two-phase flows, the necessary accuracy for the measurements if far beyond any technological reach. Moreover, within these high requirements for accuracy, some side effects must be carefully controlled or compensated and relevant procedures are provided. Furthermore, reconstruction artifacts are shown and they are found to derive from the unavoidable three-dimensional (3D) nature of the electric field. For all these reasons, it is concluded that impedance tomography has very low potentialities as an accurate phase fraction distribution measuring technique in any arbitrary two-phase flows.     

Attenuation correction of polychromatic L-shell X-ray fluorescence computed tomography imaging

Polychromatic L-shell X-ray fluorescence computed tomography is a promising imaging technique to explore the element distribution of the sample. However, the image quality of large samples would be decreased dramatically due to the present of the self-absorption. In this investigation, an attenuation correction algorithm based on theories related to X-ray fluorescence was proposed. With this method, the attenuation coefficients at the incident energies were expressed as a function of known X-ray energies and unknown platinum concentrations. Then the attenuation coefficients were calculated based on the theories and added in the contribution value of the pixel in Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization reconstruction method. The element distributions can be got through continuous iterations. Finally, the feasibility of this method was tested by Monte Carlo simulation. The results indicated that, for a 4-mm diameter phantom containing an object of 2 mm in diameter with 0.10 wt% platinum solutions, the CNR of reconstructed images increased from 53.5 to 203.8 after attenuation correction while the relative error decreases from 97% to 2%.     

A low-noise current-sensitive preamplifier for X-ray computed tomography with applying a charge-sensitive preamplifier

ABSTRACT

A low-noise current-sensitive preamplifier was developed for aiming low-dose X-ray computed tomography with applying a charge-sensitive preamplifier. We compared the number of X-ray photons needed for current measurement with the new preamplifier with that needed with a conventional preamplifier. Also, the dose rates for above conditions were measured by a commercial dose rate meter. Results show that the new preamplifier reduced the number of X-ray photons needed by two orders of magnitude compared with the conventional one.     

Reconstruction method for fluorescent X-ray computed tomography byleast-squares method using singular value decomposition

We describe a new attenuation correction method for fluorescent X-ray computed tomography (FXCT) applied to image nonradioactive contrast materials in vivo. The principle of the FXCT imaging is that of computed tomography of the first generation. Using monochromatized synchrotron radiation from the BLNE-5A bending-magnet beam line of Tristan Accumulation Ring in KEK, Japan, we studied phantoms with the FXCT method, and we succeeded in delineating a 4-mm-diameter channel filled with a 500 μg I/ml iodine solution in a 20-mm-diameter acrylic cylindrical phantom. However, to detect smaller iodine concentrations, attenuation correction is needed. We present a correction method based on the equation representing the measurement process. The discretized equation system is solved by the least-squares method using the singular value decomposition. The attenuation correction method is applied to the projections by the Monte Carlo simulation and the experiment to confirm its effectiveness     

Characteristics of two-phase condensing flow by visualization using computed image processing

The mechanics of the condensing behavior of vapor bubbles in a subcooled bulk flow is complicated and influenced by both heat and mass transfer. To examine the characteristics of such thermal-nonequilibrium two-phase flow, experimental and analytical researches have been made. In the experiment, the movement of each vapor bubble in a flowing channel was recorded on video tapes and analyzed by an image processing system. As result, the distributions of void fraction along the test section were obtained. In the analysis, a simple analytical model was introduced to predict the distributions of void fraction and liquid subcooling temperature. By considering the rate of vapor condensation along the flow direction, the differential equation of energy balance between two phases was obtained. Integration of this equation yielded the void fraction and bulk liquid subcooling at any position. The condensation rate was estimated as a function of the local liquid subcooling, interfacial area and mass velocity. Finally, a close fit between calculated results and experimental data was obtained.     

Visualization and measurement of two-phase flow by using neutron radiography

To apply neutron radiography (NR) technique to fluid research, high frame-rate NR with a steady thermal neutron beam has been developed in the present research program by assembling up-to-date technologies for neutron source, scintillator, high-speed video and image intensifier. This imaging system has many advantages such as a long recording time (up to 21 min), high-frame-rate (up to 1000 frames s⁻¹) imaging and no need for triggering signal. Visualization of air-water two-phase flow in a metallic duct was performed at the recording speeds of 250, 500 and 1000 frames s⁻¹. The qualities of those consecutive images were good enough to observe and measure the flow structure and the characteristics. It was demonstrated also that some characteristics of two-phase flow could be measured by using the present imaging system. Image processing technique enabled measurements of various flow characteristics in two ways. By utilizing geometrical information extracted from NR images, data on flow regime, rising velocity of bubbles, and wave height and interfacial area in annular flow were obtained. By utilizing attenuation characteristics of neutrons in materials, measurements of void profile and average void fraction were performed. It was confirmed that this new technique may have significant advantages both in visualizing and measuring high-speed fluid phenomena when the other methods such as an optical method and X-ray radiography cannot be applicable.     

Modeling and measurement of interfacial area concentration in two-phase flow

This paper presents experimental and modeling approaches in characterizing interfacial structures in gas-liquid two-phase flow. For the modeling of the interfacial structure characterization, the interfacial area transport equation proposed earlier has been studied to provide a dynamic and mechanistic prediction tool for two-phase flow analysis. A state-of-the-art four-sensor conductivity probe technique has been developed to obtain detailed local interfacial structure information in a wide range of flow regimes spanning from bubbly to churn-turbulent flows. Newly obtained interfacial area data in 8 × 8 rod-bundle test section are also presented. This paper also reviews available models of the interfacial area sink and source terms and existing databases. The interfacial area transport equation has been benchmarked using condensation bubbly flow data.     

Beam and image experiment of beam deflection electron gun for distributed X-ray sources

Distributed X-ray sources comprise a single vacuum chamber containing multiple X-ray sources that are triggered and emit X-rays at a specific time and location. This process facilitates an application for innovative system concepts in X-ray and computer tomography. This paper proposes a novel electron beam focusing, shaping,and deflection electron gun for distributed X-ray sources.The electron gun uses a dispenser cathode as an electron emitter, a mesh grid to control emission current, and two electrostatic lenses for beam shaping, focusing, and deflection. Novel focusing and deflecting electrodes were designed to increase the number of focal spots in the distributed source. Two identical half-rectangle opening electrodes are controlled by adjusting the potential of the two electrodes to control the electron beam trajectory, and then, multifocal spots are obtained on the anode target. The electron gun can increase the spatial density of the distributed X-ray sources, thereby improving the image quality. The beam experimental results show that the focal spot sizes of the deflected(deflected amplitude 10.5 mm)and non-deflected electron beams at full width at half maximum are 0.80 mm 90.50 mm and 0.55 mm 90.40 mm, respectively(anode voltage 160 kV; beam current 30 mA). The imaging experimental results demonstrate the excellent spatial resolution and time resolution of an imaging system built with the sources, which has an excellent imaging effect on a field-programmable gate array chip and a rotating metal disk.