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High‐Speed Camera‐Based Analysis of the Lithium Ceramic Pebble Fabrication Process
Author(s) -
Waibel Patrick,
Matthes Jörg,
Leys Oliver,
Kolb Matthias,
Keller Hubert B.,
Knitter Regina
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
chemical engineering and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-4125
pISSN - 0930-7516
DOI - 10.1002/ceat.201300769
Subject(s) - fabrication , ceramic , pebble , process (computing) , materials science , blanket , mechanical engineering , process variable , process engineering , lithium (medication) , computer science , engineering drawing , engineering , composite material , geology , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , geomorphology , operating system , endocrinology
Lithium ceramic pebbles are a main component of the tritium breeding blanket in a future thermonuclear fusion plant. The melt‐based fabrication of the pebbles using the Plateau–Rayleigh instability emerged to be a promising approach in past investigations. However, the influence of process parameter variations on the pebble fabrication process is not yet well understood. Here, a new high‐speed camera‐based method to analyze the melt jet and the droplets directly in their formation phase is presented. Via special image processing algorithms, various individual properties such as dynamic changes, velocities, or agglomerations of the droplets are extracted. This new high‐speed camera‐based method provides additional information on the process state during the fabrication process. It is therefore an essential part in adapting and improving process parameters with respect to an overall enhanced product quality.