Investigation of 3D geometry of bulk wheat and pea pores using X-ray computed tomography images

Quantitative characterization of pore topology inside grain bulks is necessary to predict the air traverse time and the cooling or fumigation pattern for the design of storage management strategies. Quantification of 3D microarchitecture of the inter-granular airspace in the grain bulks can also contribute to the development of predictive models of insect movement and for designing acoustic systems for insect infestation detection. In this study, inter-connected 3D array of void spaces was characterized by geometrical quantities such as specific surface area, pore throat size and nodal pore volume. These features were obtained from a 13.1 cm × 13.1 cm × 5 cm volume of wheat and pea bulks. The grain bulks were imaged using a high resolution X-ray computed tomography system at 200 μm resolution. The spatial distributions were computed based on 3D medial axis analysis of the void space in the images using 3DMA-Rock software and a high performance Polaris computer. The other features calculated were medial axis tortuosity, throat surface area and porosity from the 3D images. Characterization of pore throat network provides reliable observation for facilitating realistic prediction of permeability and the nature of air and gas distribution inside grain bulks.