Flow distribution and velocity measurement in a radial flow fixed bed reactor using electrical resistance tomography

Abstract

Electrical resistance tomography is a relatively simple and inexpensive technique for imaging electrically conducting systems. It has been applied to visualise the flow pattern and distribution inside a radial flow packed bed of novel design for improving reactor performance with lower pressure drop. The density of information yielded by electrical tomography is suitable for validation of Computational fluid dynamics. Sets of tomographic images representing slices through a packed bed have been obtained for a 8-plane × 16-electrode sensor configuration which produces of the order 10 3 conductivity measurements in three-dimensions. Pulse injections of high conductivity tracer, both uniformly in the feed and localised, can be imaged as multiple tomographic images or 3D solid-body images, revealing the internal flow pattern. Differentiation of the motion of the tracer peak conductivity within pixels in the sensing planes and between the planes allows the local flow velocities and directions to be determined. This quantifies the flow pattern for uniformity and radial distributive properties.