Computed Tomographic Analyses of Water Distribution in Three Porous Foam Media

Abstract

AbstractComputer Assisted Tomography (CAT) is commonly used in diagnostic radiology to make nondestructive images and analyses of cross sections of the human body. CAT scanning may also be useful in imaging and measuring spatial distribution and changes in water distribution in porous media. The purpose of this paper is to review some of the details of CAT scanning that are of importance to the application of CAT scanning porous media and to evaluate the use of the CAT scanner to measure the spatial distribution of water in three different porous media. The scanner's response to changes in the spatial distribution of water in three different porous phenolic foam materials after draining for 16 h was investigated. Water content distributions were successfully detected with good resolution on the x‐ray image. Comparisons of CAT vs. gravimetrically determined water content indicated a significant linear relationship between the methods. Results from these experiments indicate that the CAT scanner can nondestructively measure volume wetness in phenolic foam media. The clarity of the CAT images suggests that CAT scanning has great potential for studies where small and rapid changes in water content within small volumes of media are desired.