High Resolution Gamma Ray Tomography of a Rotating Hydrodynamic Coupling

U. Hampel1, A. Bieberle1, E. Schleicher1, C. Zippe1, D. Hoppe1, K. H. Diele2, R. Kernchen2

1 Institute of Safety Research, Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e. V., POB 51 01 19, 01314 Dresden, Germany, Email: U.Hampel@fzd.de

2 Voith Turbo GmbH, Voithstr. 1, 74564 Crailsheim, Germany

ABSTRACT

Hydrodynamic couplings are of major importance for industrial power drives, which are to be found in power stations, conveyors, ships, locomotives and other vehicles. Such couplings provide an effective means of power transfer with low wear and high reliability. However, the operating characteristics of fluid couplings are determined by the flow processes inside the coupling. Thus, to optimise such devices knowledge of the flow conditions in a running coupling is of utmost importance. For this purpose we have conducted an experimental study using high resolution gamma ray CT. With this technique and a special data processing scheme, which is based on fast detector read-out and sinogram calculation using a synchronisation signal of the rotating coupling, we were able to visualise three-dimensional fluid distributions in a test coupling with approximately 3 mm spatial resolution at different operating points of the device.

Keywords gamma ray tomography, two-phase flow measurement