Electrical Capacitance Tomography-Based Flow Measurement in a Closed Container Using 16-Electrode Sensor in Contrast with 8-Pair-16-Electrodes Topology

Abstract

Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) is a commonly used technique to investigate the interior of a pipe by evaluating the coupling capacitances of a multi-electrode assembly. In this article, to improve the performance of the ECT sensor, sesitivity matrix, and hence the image quality, a typical customized 16-to-8 electrode ECT sensor is proposed, designed, simulated, and implemented in parallel with a standard 16-electrode ECT sensor. The results of both types of sensors are noted and compared to each other. It is evident from the results obtained during this experiment that the performance of the customized 16-8 electrode ECT sensor is comparatively better and exhibits better quality in its image reconstruction. The percentage of accuracy for the image quality could also be appreciated as compared with the standard 16-electrode ECT sensor. Further, a test was conducted for both the sensors under similar specifications and conditions to measure the flow of water, and it was found from the images that, for the same flow speed, image clarity is better for the customized 16-8 electrode ECT sensor in comparison with the standard 16-electrode ECT sensor. These findings may be useful for real time applications in the process industry.