Cone-beam tomography system used for non-destructive evaluation of critical components in power generation

We present a three-dimensional (3D) X-ray tomography system used for non-de structive evaluation (NDE) of critical components in power generation. The system consists of a microfocus X-ray tube, a precise manipulation table an d a detection system comprising a high-resolution image intensifier coupled to a CCD camera, which enables circular-scan cone-beam data acquisition ge ometry. We use a Cu filter to reduce polychromaticity of the beam and apply a geometrical calibration technique to correct for misalignments and tilt of the system. Dedicated mathematical methods are applied to provide fast 3 D image reconstruction and volume rendering. The whole process of measureme nt and visualization is fully automated. An example of NDE of turbine blade s is considered. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.