(114f) ECVT Imaging of 3-D Flow Structures of Irregular Geomteric Multi-Phase Flow Systems

ECVT IMAGING
OF 3-D FLOW STRUCTURES OF IRREGULAR GEOMTERIC MULTI-PHASE FLOW SYSTEMS

Aining Wang, Qussai Marashdeh and Liang-Shih Fan*

William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

The Ohio State University

140 West 19th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA

 *To whom correspondence should be
addressed (fan@chbmeng.ohio-state.edu)

Measuring the
dynamic flow structure in multi-phase flow systems requires a 3-D technique that
is capable of sensing the flow field in real-time. Electrical Capacitance Volume
Tomography (ECVT) is a newly developed technique that can provide such measurement.
In ECVT, a set of non-invasive capacitance sensors are placed around a
measurement section of the flow field. Sensors interact with each other
collecting real-time measurements that can be related back to phase
concentrations in the section. The technique is based on reconstructed volume
images from capacitance signals acquired from sensors with inherent 3D
features. The attractiveness of the technique is in its low profile sensors,
fast imaging speed and scalability to different section sizes, low operating
cost, and safety. Moreover, the flexibility of ECVT sensors enables them to be
designed around virtually any geometry of the columns. The feasibility and
accuracy of the ECVT technique for volume imaging have been demonstrated for
various multiphase flow systems including those of a large circular column of
60 inches, with internals, at high temperatures, and with varied shapes.

In this work, an
ECVT sensing system is utilized to examine gas-solid flows in irregular shaped
conduits of a circulating fluidized bed. Specifically, volume images will be
acquired and analyzed of elbow, cylindrical, and converged sections of the flow
system. The results will be analyzed quantitatively. Results of volume solid
holdup distributions will be reported also. The multi-phase flow system under
interrogation will be examined at various flow conditions.