Recent Progress in Radiation-Based Investigation Techniques for Understanding Particle Motion—A Review

Abstract

Particle motion affects microscopic momentum, heat/mass transfers, and macroscopic mixing/separation performances in engineering processes ranging from those involving granular flows to multiphase systems. The primary interests of researchers seeking to improve the performances of such processes are finding the best ways to understand particle motion. Several methods have been developed to understand particle motion, among which radiation-based techniques have shown particular advantages because they can non-invasively investigate dynamic particle motion. This article reviews four prominent radiation-based techniques for studying particle motion, including Radioactive Particle Tracking (RPT), Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT), X-ray-based methods and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The principles and characteristics of these techniques are explained, and recent advances and applications are reviewed.