Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography Design and Applications.docVIP

Sensors 2010, 10, 1890-1917; doi:10.3390/s100301890 OPEN ACCESS sensors ISSN 1424-8220 /journal/sensors Review Electrical Capacitance Volume Tomography: Design and Applications Fei Wang, Qussai Marashdeh, Liang-Shih Fan * and Warsito Warsito William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Ohio State University, 140 West 19th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; E-Mails: wangf@ (F.W.); marashdeh.1@ (Q.M.); wsito@ (W.W.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: fan@; Tel.: +1-614-688-3262; Fax: +1-614-292-3769. Received: 15 January 2010; in revised form: 10 February 2010 / Accepted: 28 February 2010 / Published: 9 March 2010 Abstract: This article reports recent advances and progress in the field of electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT). ECVT, developed from the two-dimensional electrical capacitance tomography (ECT), is a promising non-intrusive imaging technology that can provide real-time three-dimensional images of the sensing domain. Images are reconstructed from capacitance measurements acquired by electrodes placed on the outside boundary of the testing vessel. In this article, a review of progress on capacitance sensor design and applications to multi-phase flows is presented. The sensor shape, electrode configuration, and the number of electrodes that comprise three key elements of three- dimensional capacitance sensors are illustrated. The article also highlights applications of ECVT sensors on vessels of various sizes from 1 to 60 inches with complex geometries. Case studies are used to show the capability and validity of ECVT. The studies provide qualitative and quantitative real-time three-dimensional information of the measuring domain under study. Advantages of ECVT render it a favorable tool to be utilized for industrial applications and fundamental multi-phase flow research. Keywords: