Platform Grant for the University of Birmingham Positron Imaging Centre
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: School of Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
The Positron Imaging Centre uses radioactive tracers to study flows of interest to engineers, in a variant of the medical imaging technique of positron emission tomography (PET). Most of our studies use the alternative technique of positron emission particle tracking (PEPT), developed at Birmingham, in which a single radioactive particle is tracked at high speed inside a flow system. The short-lived radioisotopes used for this work are produced using the Birmingham cyclotron, and various novel techniques have been developed for labelling individual particles (as small as 100 micrometres diameter) with suitable radioactivity. Standard medical PET scanners have been adapted to perform these studies, and in addition to various in-house measurement systems a transportable detector system has recently been developed allowing PEPT measurements to be carried out on large scale industrial plant. The Positron Imaging Centre operates as a national resource where academic and industrial groups can study the systems of specific interest to them, and welcomes collaborators from many institutions around the world and from a diverse range of academic disciplines. Applications range from fundamental studies of simple flow situations involving granular materials or liquids to measurements on the actual equipment used in industry for processing foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, etc. An important role for these studies is testing the accuracy of computer codes used for predicting complex flows. In future PET and PEPT will be increasingly used in conjunction with other complementary measurement techniques to reveal more complex properties of the behaviour of systems. While individual research projects are funded from appropriate sources, our Platform Grant is used to foster collaborations, to retain key staff and to develop the infrastructure (in particular the tracer labelling techniques) in order that we can apply our unique techniques to the widest possible range of problems.
Organisations
Publications
Alberini F
(2015)
Validation of hydrodynamic and microbial inactivation models for UV-C treatment of milk in a swirl-tube 'SurePure Turbulatorâ„¢'
in Journal of Food Engineering
Lee KT
(2012)
Twin screw wet granulation: the study of a continuous twin screw granulator using Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) technique.
in European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics : official journal of Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V
Griffiths W
(2010)
Tracking inclusions in aluminium alloy castings using positron emission particle tracking (PEPT)
in Materials Science and Technology
Saito Y
(2011)
Three-Dimensional Visualization of Powder Motion in a High Shear Mixer
in MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS
Kinugasa T
(2015)
Three-dimensional dynamic imaging of sand particles under wheel via gamma-ray camera system
in Journal of Terramechanics
Windows-Yule CR
(2013)
Thermal convection and temperature inhomogeneity in a vibrofluidized granular bed: the influence of sidewall dissipation.
in Physical review letters
Griffiths W
(2011)
The Use of Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) to Study the Movement of Inclusions in Low-Melting-Point Alloy Castings
in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B
Yu S
(2015)
The use of positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) to study milling of roll-compacted microcystalline cellulose ribbons
in Powder Technology
Mahmoudi S
(2011)
The solids flow in the CFB-riser quantified by single radioactive particle tracking
in Powder Technology
Morrison A
(2016)
The shape and behaviour of a granular bed in a rotating drum using Eulerian flow fields obtained from PEPT
in Chemical Engineering Science
Windows-Yule C
(2014)
The role of rotational inertia in the dynamics of vibrofluidised granular gases
in EPL (Europhysics Letters)
Burnard D
(2011)
The Application of Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) to Study Inclusions in the Casting Process
in Materials Science Forum
Rosato A
(2015)
Tapped granular column dynamics: simulations, experiments and modeling
in Computational Particle Mechanics
Yang Z
(2014)
Study on solids translational and rotational motions in rotating cans
in LWT - Food Science and Technology
Chakravarty S
(2017)
Study of the particle motion induced by a vortex shaker
in Powder Technology
Tebianian S
(2016)
Solids flux measurements via alternate techniques in a gas-fluidized bed
in Chemical Engineering Journal
Mahmoudi S
(2012)
Solids flow diagram of a CFB riser using Geldart B-type powders
in Particuology
Windows-Yule C
(2014)
Self-diffusion, local clustering and global segregation in binary granular systems: The role of system geometry
in Powder Technology
Windows-Yule C
(2015)
Resonance effects on the dynamics of dense granular beds: achieving optimal energy transfer in vibrated granular systems
in New Journal of Physics
Wu C
(2010)
Quantitative investigation of powder flow during die filling using positron emission particle tracking
in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering
Leadbeater T
(2012)
Positron imaging systems for studying particulate, granular and multiphase flows
in Particuology
Denissenko P
(2014)
Positron emission tracking of individual particles in particle-laden rimming flow
in Physics of Fluids
Parker DJ
(2017)
Positron emission particle tracking and its application to granular media.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Chan C
(2010)
PEPT study of particle motion for different riser exit geometries
in Particuology
Habib M
(2013)
PEPT Investigation of Particle Separation in a Novel Vertically Vibrated Particle Separator
in Particulate Science and Technology
Description | This grant enabled the Positron Imaging Centre to further develop capabilities for PEPT and diversify the portfolio of applications, including into new fields such as liquid metal casting. |
Exploitation Route | The value of PEPT has been appreciated by several groups worldwide, who are developing their own capabilities. |
Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |