Measuring velocity distributions of viscous fluids using positron emission particle tracking (PEPT)

Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) can be used to trace the path of a radioactive particle within opaque fluids in pilot-scale equipment; the method can track particles through several centimeters of metal. PEPT has been successfully used to follow isokinetic tracers in viscous fluids and thus to measure velocity distributions under both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions in pipe flow. The accuracy of the method decreased as the measured velocities increased; the faster the particle traveled, the less accurate its detection. For velocities of up to 0.5 m/s the accuracy of the method was acceptable. Agreement between experimentally measured and theoretical velocity distributions was very good for a range of fluids and process conditions. As tracer particles are used, there were problems ensuring that all parts of the measurement volume were sampled. This is possible to overcome to an extent by adjusting particle size; 600-mum tracers did not pass within 1 mm from the tube wall, whereas 240-mum particles passed much closer to the boundaries of the flow. (C) 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 1606 -1613, 2004