Application of high-resolution positron-emission-tomography for quantitative spatiotemporal process monitoring in dense material

J. Kulenkampffa, M. Gründiga, N. Korna, A. Zakhninia, T. Barthb, J. Lippmann-Pipkea

aInstitute of Resource Ecology – Reactive Transport, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany

bInstitute of Thermal Fluid Dynamics – Experimental Thermal Fluid Dynamics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany

Abstract

We apply PET (positron emission tomography) for quantitative recognition of transport processes in opaque media without retroaction on the process itself and with ultimate atomic sensitivity. We employ different radiotracers with decay times in the scale from minutes to years and with appropriate chemical properties. Radiolabeled system components in fluid flow experiments allow the monitoring of (reactive) transport processes with dissolved or particulate substances in soil columns and porous or fractured rock cores, and aerosols in technical devices. We use a pre-clinical PET-scanner, taking advantage of its higher resolution and higher sensitivity, compared to clinical PET-scanners.

Keywords: PET; reactive transport; tracer; process monitoring