Feasibility study on Compton imaging for visualization of flow patterns using radiotracers

Abstract

The radiotracer technique could be used in studies on multiphase flow systems by three-dimensional visualization of flow patterns, and, relatedly, there have been attempts to develop an industrial-purpose single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system. Compton cameras also have a great potential for industrial applications, due specifically to their inherent three-dimensional imaging capability, multi-tracing capability, and higher imaging sensitivity than imaging devices based on mechanical collimation. In the present study, the feasibility of Compton imaging for visualization of detailed flow patterns was determined using a Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit. The Compton camera considered is a double-scattering type consisting of three gamma-ray detectors: two double-sided silicon strip detectors (DSSDs) as scatterer detectors and one NaI(Tl) scintillation detector as an absorber detector. The results showed that the three-dimensional source distributions can be determined with the Compton camera under various source conditions, including a point source at the center, and two cylinderial volume sources of different dimensions or energies.