From research conducted at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR)

Three-dimensional flow images

In many technical facilities used in the chemical and energy industries, mixtures of liquids and gases flow through pipes.

3D X-ray CT multi-phase flows — Ultrafast 3D X-ray computed tomography allows researchers to visualise the highly dynamic processes in multi-phase flows. The snapshots show a liquid with gas bubbles passing through an orifice. Photo/Graphic: HZDR/M. Bieberle.

3D Bubbles — Some of the bubbles are accelerated and deformed in the process, while others are blocked by the obstacle. Photo/Graphic: HZDR/M. Bieberle.

The behaviour of such multiphase flows is particularly complex, which makes it difficult to predict the heat and mass transfer and the mechanical loads on container walls. Dr. Martina Bieberle and her colleagues at the HZDR have developed a procedure to monitor these processes using three-dimensional imaging with a high temporal resolution. The ultrafast three-dimensional X-ray tomography is based on the rapid deflection of an electron beam, which generates an X-ray source that is flexible in three dimensions.

Up to 500 volume images per second allow researchers to document complex bubble structures and their dynamics inside the metal pipes. The images provide unique insight into the behaviour of complex flows and are contributing to improvements in models and simulations. “This procedure could increase the efficiency of several processes because it allows us to predict the behaviour of multi-phase flows more accurately,” explains Martina Bieberle.

Antonia Rötger

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