Ceramic foams porous microstructure characterization by X-ray microtomography

Abstract

Knowledge of the porous structure of amorphous materials is of fundamental importance in calculating geometrical parameters such as total porosity, pore size distribution and physical parameters relating to fluid flow inside void space. The present work deals with the measurement of the microstructural parameters of porous ceramic filters. Microtomographic measurements of samples were taken using an X-ray tube. Bremsstrahlung radiation was filtered in transmission mode with a Sn filter at 58.5 and 28.3 keV and the images analyzed in two ways. The first method consisted in analyzing transepts of the images in order to calculate total porosity based on the average particle size and media linear attenuation coefficients. The second method involved a study of the images using an image analysis software, called Imago, which allows one to calculate total porosity and pore size distribution. The total measured porosity of the filter C90 was 73.8%, 71.1%, 74.4% and 71.5% by, respectively, the Arquimedes method, simple gamma ray transmission, transept analysis and analysis of the microtomographic images at 28.3 keV.

Porosity study of synthetic sandstones by non-destructive nuclear techniques

“…This procedure is based on the gray-level histogram, where the user selects the threshold for binarization 1,15 . This threshold is selected within a range of 0 to 255 gray tones and thus the porous phase becomes free of noise without damaging the solid phase.…”

“…Porous media, represented in a binary 2D section, can be characterized by the porous phase function Z(x) 1,19 : ( ) …”

“…These hydrocarbons fill porous spaces between grains or in fissures. During the perforation of a reservoir rock research is carried out to investigate potential accumulative structures, which involves porosity, permeability, saturation and capillarity studies [1][2][3] . Obtaining samples for this kind of research entails high costs.…”

“…At present, tomography has progressed due to advances in terms of the X-ray source and detection equipment. This has led to improved resolution and consequently micrometer scale measurements, as well as 3D visualization 1,4,[6][7][8][9] . Some equipment is even able to measure in nanometer scale 10,11 .…”

Non-Conventional Applications of Computerized Tomography: Analysis of Solid Dosage Forms Produced by Pharmaceutical Industry

“…The fundamental principle behind CT, or image reconstruction from projections, has been known since the studies made by Radon [1] in 1917, in which the Radon inversion formula was derived and proved. CT methods have been used in many areas such as: soil science [2], study of porous structure of amorphous materials [3], etc. In recent years, many non-conventional uses of CT has been introduced.…”