Application of conventional- and dual-energy X-ray tomography in process engineering

For years, conventional X-ray tomography has been used successfully to study the flow structures of vertical two-phase gas-solid flows. As a result, the different flow structures of downward- and upward-arranged currents have been described. The additional implementation of a dual-energy technique provides the opportunity to investigate multiphase (three phase) systems. The dual-energy technique makes use of the absorption coefficient which varies with the material and the X-ray energy, respectively. Applications in research are, e.g., suspension bubble columns or an injected liquid phase in a gas-solid fluidized bed. Therefore, implementations of computer tomography in process engineering are increasing.