Rolls-royce Corporation

Richard T Skelton

Peter A Stewart

Joseph Douglas

Martin J Allen

Residual core material can be detected inside hollow cast articles using positron emission tomography. Positron radio-isotope material is inducted into any residual core material present by immersing a cast article in an aqueous solution of radio-isotope emitter, for example gallium. Absorbed gallium subsequently emits positrons which are annihilated in collisions with electrons emitting two 511 KeV gamma rays in diametrically opposite directions. The emissions are detected and tracked by a PET camera and the resulting images correlated with a sectioned image of the article as a check on the location of detected core material. Initially a low-dose-rate solution for the purpose of merely establishing the presence of core material is used but a second optional process step introduces a more active solution allowing a PET camera to collect sufficient data to image absorbed isotope.

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Bristol, United Kingdom

Richard T Skelton