Seeing Through Steel?

Kent Abel, who came to OSU to pursue a PhD in nuclear engineering, finds himself at the cutting edge of research that’s discovering industrial applications for MRI technology.

PhD candidate Kent Abel knows a thing or two about bubbles, and computer code developers worldwide will soon be lining up to take a peek at his unique database on bubbly flow. That’s because Abel and OSU faculty in the Large-Scale Energy Systems research cluster will soon have two new tools for real-time imaging of complex fluid flows: a state-ofthe- art neutron tomography system and, interestingly enough, an MRI. That’s right, the OSU research team has discovered a new use for that huge, magnetic resonance imaging machine housed at most hospitals. Abel will be using an MRI to obtain 3-D concentrations and velocity profiles for a variety of gas-liquid flows typical of thousands of industrial fluid processes that take place in PVC and other non-metallic pipes. For high pressure and high temperature processes occurring in thick steel pipes, Abel will be using powerful neutron beams from OSU’s nuclear reactor to get the 3-D images he needs. The end result will be a one-of-a-kind database that will be used to test and improve a wide range of computational fluid dynamics codes.

“Nobody else is using an MRI to do this,” Abel says. “We’re able to obtain an incredible amount of information on complex flows with the single touch of a button.”

The College is working with the OSU Colleges of Forestry, Veterinary Medicine, and others to acquire an MRI on campus. “There’s a ton of research that could be done with an MRI,” Abel says. This includes tracking the uptake of toxins in plants, and using a special radiochromic gel to calibrate radiation sources and to better pinpoint radiation treatments in cancer patients. “It’s very exciting,” Abel says.