Ultrafast imaging techniques are essential tools for the analysis of dynamical processes like multiple-phase flows. Multiple-phase flows appear in a large variety of technical processes. It’s properties are essential for the performance of chemical reactors, rectification and extraction columns, in crude oil processing, solar power plants, refrigerators and bioprocess engineering. But modeling of multiple-phase flows is still challenging because of the large number of involved physical effects. For the validation of such kind of numerical models precise 3D measurements of are indispensable.

The goal of the project ROOF is to combine the ultrafast X-ray tomography facility at TU Dresden with an image-based tracking of individual particles or bubbles. The UFO group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology will contribute with a fast data acquisition system, GPU-based image reconstruction techniques and advanced control algorithms. The experiments is designed for at least 100 frames per second with a spatial resolution of 1mm. In the first project phase tracking of single bubbles in bubble swarms should be demonstrated. The final goal is a validated measurement system to observe the properties of multiple-phase flows in dependencies of material composition, residence time and fragmentation in real-time.

Required key technologies are:

• Online tomographic reconstruction techniques
• Pattern recognition and tracking algorithms
• Advanced high quality reconstruction and uncertainty quantification