Model-based Reconstruction for Enhanced X-ray CT of Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) Particles

TL;DR

This paper introduces model-based reconstruction algorithms that significantly improve X-ray CT imaging of TRISO nuclear fuel particles, reducing artifacts and measurement time compared to traditional methods.

Contribution

The paper develops and demonstrates MBIR algorithms that enhance CT image quality and speed for TRISO particles, outperforming conventional FDK reconstruction.

Findings

MBIR algorithms effectively suppress artifacts in CT images.

High-quality reconstructions achieved with fewer measurements.

Faster measurement times enabled for TRISO particles.

Abstract

Tri-Structural Isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles are a key component of next generation nuclear fuels. Using X-ray computed tomography (CT) to characterize TRISO particles is challenging because of the strong attenuation of the X-ray beam by the uranium core leading to severe photon starvation in a substantial fraction of the measurements. Furthermore, the overall acquisition time for a high-resolution CT scan can be very long when using conventional lab-based X-ray systems and reconstruction algorithms. Specifically, when analytic methods like the Feldkamp-Davis-Kress (FDK) algorithm is used for reconstruction, it results in severe streaks artifacts and noise in the corresponding 3D volume which make subsequent analysis of the particles challenging. In this article, we develop and apply model-based image reconstruction (MBIR) algorithms for improving the quality of CT reconstructions for TRISO particles in order to facilitate better characterization. We demonstrate that the proposed MBIR algorithms can significantly suppress artifacts with minimal pre-processing compared to the conventional approaches. Furthermore, we demonstrate the proposed MBIR approach can obtain high-quality reconstruction compared to the FDK approach even when using a fraction of the typically acquired measurements, thereby enabling dramatically faster measurement times for TRISO particles.