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
Pore M
(2015)
A comparison of magnetic resonance, X-ray and positron emission particle tracking measurements of a single jet of gas entering a bed of particles
in Chemical Engineering Science
Leadbeater T
(2011)
A modular positron camera for the study of industrial processes
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Saito Y
(2011)
A new approach to high-shear mixer granulation using positron emission particle tracking
in Chemical Engineering Science
Bickell M
(2012)
A new line density tracking algorithm for PEPT and its application to multiple tracers
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Cole K
(2014)
A surface coating method to modify tracers for positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) measurements of froth flotation
in Powder Technology
Marigo M
(2013)
Application of Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) to validate a Discrete Element Method (DEM) model of granular flow and mixing in the Turbula mixer.
in International journal of pharmaceutics
Windows-Yule CR
(2013)
Boltzmann statistics in a three-dimensional vibrofluidized granular bed: idealizing the experimental system.
in Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Windows-Yule CR
(2014)
Center of mass scaling in three-dimensional binary granular systems.
in Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Leadbeater T
(2011)
Characterization of the latest Birmingham modular positron camera
in Measurement Science and Technology
Tebianian S
(2016)
Comparison of particle velocity measurement techniques in a fluidized bed operating in the square-nosed slugging flow regime
in Powder Technology
Windows-Yule CR
(2015)
Competition between geometrically induced and density-driven segregation mechanisms in vibrofluidized granular systems.
in Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Windows-Yule Kit
(2015)
Density-Driven Segregation in Binary and Ternary Granular Systems
in KONA POWDER AND PARTICLE JOURNAL
Simmons M
(2012)
Development of a hydrodynamic model for the UV-C treatment of turbid food fluids in a novel 'SurePure turbulator™' swirl-tube reactor
in Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies
Rafiee M
(2013)
Development of positron emission particle tracking for studying laminar mixing in Kenics static mixer
in Chemical Engineering Research and Design
Windows-Yule CR
(2014)
Effects of packing density on the segregative behaviors of granular systems.
in Physical review letters
Windows-Yule C
(2014)
Energy non-equipartition in strongly convective granular systems
in The European Physical Journal E
Valdesueiro D
(2016)
Enhancing the activation of silicon carbide tracer particles for PEPT applications using gas-phase deposition of alumina at room temperature and atmospheric pressure
in Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Wildman R
(2012)
Experimental determination of temperature profiles in a sheared granular bed containing two and three sizes of particles
in Granular Matter
Diemer J
(2011)
Flow Visualisation in Co-rotating Twin Screw Extruders: Positron Emission Particle Tracking and Numerical Particle Trajectories
in International Polymer Processing
González S
(2015)
Forced axial segregation in axially inhomogeneous rotating systems.
in Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
García-Triñanes P
(2016)
Hydrodynamics and particle motion in upward flowing dense particle suspensions: Application in solar receivers
in Chemical Engineering Science
Fan X
(2011)
Impact of solid sizes on flow structure and particle motions in bubbling fluidization
in Powder Technology
Windows-Yule C
(2017)
Inducing Axial Banding in Bidisperse-by-Density Granular Systems Using Noncylindrical Tumbler Geometries
in Physical Review Applied
Windows-Yule C
(2014)
Inelasticity-induced segregation: Why it matters, when it matters
in EPL (Europhysics Letters)
Windows-Yule C
(2014)
Influence of initial conditions on granular dynamics near the jamming transition
in New Journal of Physics
Windows-Yule CR
(2014)
Influence of thermal convection on density segregation in a vibrated binary granular system.
in Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Tebianian S
(2015)
Investigation of particle velocity in FCC gas-fluidized beds based on different measurement techniques
in Chemical Engineering Science
Portillo P
(2010)
Investigation of the effect of impeller rotation rate, powder flow rate, and cohesion on powder flow behavior in a continuous blender using PEPT
in Chemical Engineering Science
Windows-Yule CR
(2014)
Low-frequency oscillations and convective phenomena in a density-inverted vibrofluidized granular system.
in Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Windows-Yule CR
(2015)
Maximizing energy transfer in vibrofluidized granular systems.
in Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics
Brems A
(2011)
Modelling the transport disengagement height in fluidized beds
in Advanced Powder Technology
Windows-Yule CR
(2016)
Modifying self-assembly and species separation in three-dimensional systems of shape-anisotropic particles.
in Physical review. E
Van Buijtenen M
(2011)
Numerical and experimental study on multiple-spout fluidized beds
in Chemical Engineering Science
Van Buijtenen M
(2011)
Numerical and experimental study on spout elevation in spout-fluidized beds
in AIChE Journal
Windows-Yule C
(2015)
Numerical modelling of granular flows: a reality check
in Computational Particle Mechanics
García-Triñanes P
(2018)
Particle motion and heat transfer in an upward-flowing dense particle suspension: Application in solar receivers
in Chemical Engineering Science
W. Chan C
(2010)
Particle velocities and their residence time distribution in the riser of a CFB
in Powder Technology
Cole K
(2010)
PEPT combined with high speed digital imaging for particle tracking in dynamic foams
in Chemical Engineering Science
Habib M
(2013)
PEPT Investigation of Particle Separation in a Novel Vertically Vibrated Particle Separator
in Particulate Science and Technology
Chan C
(2010)
PEPT study of particle motion for different riser exit geometries
in Particuology
Parker DJ
(2017)
Positron emission particle tracking and its application to granular media.
in The Review of scientific instruments
Denissenko P
(2014)
Positron emission tracking of individual particles in particle-laden rimming flow
in Physics of Fluids
Leadbeater T
(2012)
Positron imaging systems for studying particulate, granular and multiphase flows
in Particuology
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
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
Windows-Yule C
(2014)
Self-diffusion, local clustering and global segregation in binary granular systems: The role of system geometry
in Powder Technology
Mahmoudi S
(2012)
Solids flow diagram of a CFB riser using Geldart B-type powders
in Particuology
Tebianian S
(2016)
Solids flux measurements via alternate techniques in a gas-fluidized bed
in Chemical Engineering Journal
Chakravarty S
(2017)
Study of the particle motion induced by a vortex shaker
in Powder 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 |