Laboratory overview

Located in Quebec City, the CT Scan Laboratory of the Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) possesses two major computed tomography (CT) machines, a SIEMENS medical CT scanner and a TESCAN micro scanner, which are supported by three well-equipped instrument rooms.

SIEMENS medical CT Scanner

The main machine is the SIEMENS medical X-ray CT scanner. The scanner is mounted on rails and is used to study the structure of different natural materials (e.g., sediments, ice or rock cores, tree trunks) or manufactured materials (e.g., archeological objects, reinforced and pre-stressed concrete, bituminous coatings, electrical cables, military body armour) for research projects or consulting engineering firms.

TESCAN CoreTOM micro CT

The laboratory also recently acquired a TESCAN CoreTOM micro CT (µCT). The µCT has been operational since the summer of 2021. It captures a lot more detail about the sample, down to the order of a micron for small samples, while also being able to scan large samples.

Three instrument rooms support this equipment: HYDEES, which is dedicated to coastal and fluvial hydraulics; Sedimentology, which focuses on the study of sediments; and Géotek, dedicated to non-destructive multiparameter characterization of core samples.

The laboratory team specializes in image analysis and has developed a range of related MATLAB tools. They can also adapt analyses based on your needs. For more information on this topic, please contact the laboratory team (see Contact page).