Recent advances in positron emission particle tracking: a comparative review

Area of Science:

• * Multiphase flow science
• * Particle imaging and tracking
• * Chemical engineering and process intensification

Background:

• * Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) enables high-resolution 3D imaging of particulate and multiphase systems.
• * Traditional imaging methods struggle with large, dense, or optically opaque systems.
• * PEPT overcomes these limitations, offering unique insights into complex fluid dynamics and particle behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To provide a comprehensive overview and review of contemporary Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) methodologies.
• * To perform the first rigorous, direct, quantitative assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of various PEPT techniques.
• * To facilitate the application and development of PEPT through accessible resources.

Main Methods:

• * Detailed explanations of diverse PEPT methodologies.
• * Inclusion of interactive code examples for algorithm exploration and application.
• * Development and open-sourcing of a suite of benchmarking tests for PEPT validation.

Main Results:

• * Quantitative comparison of the performance and limitations of current PEPT techniques.
• * Identification of optimal PEPT approaches for specific system characteristics.
• * Establishment of standardized benchmarking protocols for PEPT research.

Conclusions:

• * PEPT is a powerful, versatile tool for studying challenging multiphase systems.
• * This work provides crucial data for selecting and optimizing PEPT methods.
• * Open-source resources accelerate PEPT research and application across disciplines.