Non-medical Uses of Computed Tomography (CT)
and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
CT Scanner - Courtesy Stanford
University
Department of Energy
Resources Engineering
· Resources with Additional
Information
Computed tomography (CT) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) have been used
- to resolve industrial problems, for materials characterizations, and to provide non-destructive evaluations for discovering flaws in parts before their use, resulting in greater reliability and greater safety for workers;
- to identify the presence and facilitate the recovery/extraction of oil, water, coal, and/or gas; and
- to provide non-destructive testing and quality control of fresh fruits and vegetables, enhancing the safety of food.
These benefits of non-medical uses of CT and NMR contribute to the economy and improve people's lives.
'Computed tomography (CT) is a radiographic inspection method that uses a computer to reconstruct an image of a cross sectional plane of an object. In conventional radiography, information on the slice plane P projects into a single line, A-A; whereas in the associated CT image, the full spatial information is preserved... . The CT image is derived from a large number of systematic observations at different viewing angles, and an image is then reconstructed with the aid of a computer. If an internal feature is detected in conventional projection radiography, its position along the line of sight between the source and the film is unknown. Somewhat better positional information can be determined by making additional radiographs from several viewing angles and triangulating. This triangulation is a rudimentary, manual form of tomographic reconstruction. In essence, a CT image is the result of triangulating every point in the plane from many different directions.'
Additional information about the non-medical uses of nuclear imaging, computed tomography, and non-destructive testing is available in DOE documents and on the Web.
Documents:
An NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) Investigation of the Chemical Association and Molecular Dynamics in Asphalt Ridge Tar Sand Ore and Bitumen], DOE Technical Report, September 1987
Spin-mapping of Coal Structures with ESE and ENDOR, DOE Technical Report, December 1989
Non-destructive Ripeness Sensing by Using Proton NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), DOE Technical Report, January 1990
Multiple-energy Techniques in Industrial Computerized Tomography, DOE Technical Report, August 1990
Oil Recovery Enhancement from Fractured, Low Permeability Reservoirs. [Carbonated Water], DOE Technical Report, 1991
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Gel-cast Ceramic Composites, DOE Technical Report, January 1997
Use of Computed X-ray Tomographic Data for Analyzing the Thermodynamics of a Dissociating Porous Sand/Hydrate Mixture, DOE Technical Report, February 2002
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