MRI monitoring of sea spray freezing

Sea spray icing is a common hazard for vessels and offshore structures in cold climates. In this paper, quantitative 3D MRI and T₁ - T₂ mapping of the formation of sea spray ice were performed. Three different freezing regimes were employed. During freezing, changes in both relaxation times and signal intensity were greater than an order of magnitude. Results show strong differences in brine intensity and distribution for the three freezing regimes. The observed ranges of spin densities and relaxation times during freezing are well suited to measurements with portable NMR devices. There is a considerable potential for the use of MRI in studies of sea spray ice.