Optimization of an electromagnetic flowmeter for dual-parameter measurement of vertical air-water flows

Abstract

To obtain the phase fraction and velocity of vertical air-water two-phase flows, an electromagnetic flowmeter with two arc-shaped electrodes is proposed. The electromagnetic flowmeter is operated in two measuring modes: electrical measurement mode and electromagnetic measurement mode. The geometry of the electromagnetic flowmeter for dual-parameter measurement is optimized based on the numerical finite element analysis. The electric field and sensitivity distribution of the electromagnetic flowmeter is investigated to ensure an accurate measurement of volume fraction under the mode of the electrical measurement. Weight function of the electromagnetic flowmeter operated under the mode of the electromagnetic measurement is also analyzed for the velocity measurement. Preliminary experiments are conducted to calibrate the optimized electromagnetic flowmeter in simulated air-water flows. It is noted that the proposed electromagnetic flowmeter with arc-shaped electrodes can be adopted to obtain the phase fraction and velocity of vertical air-water two-phase flows.