Potential Application of PEPT in Sustainable Energy

The positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) technique has been widely used in science and engineering to obtain detailed information on particulate motion in granular materials and flow fields in multiphase systems, for example, solid gas contact, solid mixing in chemical reactors and food processors; dynamic behaviour of granular materials in fluidized beds, granulator, mixers, dryers, rotating kilns. The information obtained by the PEPT technique can be used to optimize the design, operational conditions for a wide range of industrial process systems, and to evaluate modelling work. In sustainable energy, bubbling fluidization and CFB have been extensively used for gasification, combustion and pyrolysis of coal and biomass, and CO2 capture. In this paper, we would like to introduce the PEPT technique to colleagues working in sustainable energy, and outline the potential applications of PEPT for optimising the fluidization operations.