High-Speed Flow Imaging With Adaptive Electrical Capacitance Tomography for Improved Accuracy

Abstract

In industrial processes, Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) is a vital non-invasive imaging technique for monitoring multiphase flows. As the speed of flow increases, as for high-speed chemical reactors, it becomes crucial to enhance the acquisition speed to ensure the scan period for one frame is significantly shorter than the time it takes for the fluid to traverse the sensor length. Traditional ECT systems employ a uniform charge integration time across all electrode pairs. To address this challenge without compromising image accuracy and sensitivity, we propose an adaptive integration technique for inter-electrode capacitance measurement. This approach adjusts the charge integration time based on the distance between electrodes, with longer integration times for farther electrode pairs. By doing so, we aim to enhance measurement accuracy while maintaining efficient data acquisition speed. The proposed method is expected to significantly improve the fidelity of ECT images and the overall performance of ECT systems in real-time industrial applications, contributing to better monitoring and control of multiphase flows. Simulations and experimental validation in a high-speed fluid flow demonstrate that our method improves image visibility while maintaining suitable acquisition speeds. The adaptive technique is computationally efficient and scalable to various ECT configurations, promising broader applications in industrial process control and efficiency optimization.

Keywords

• Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT)
• permittivity distribution
• sensitivity matrix
• image reconstruction
• industrial multi-phase flow
• real-time monitoring