Gas-water Flow Interface Characterisation Using Electrical Resistance Tomography

M. Wang1, Z. Zhen2, Y. Ma1,2, D. Li2, L. Lao2, R. A. Williams1, Y. Wu2, B. Hoyle1

1 Centre for Particle and Colloid Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

2 Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, P.R. China

ABSTRACT

The paper presents a preliminary study for characterisation of gas-water flow in a 20 m horizontal flow loop using electrical resistance tomography. Two measurement strategies are proposed and tested for flow regime identification based on using a conductive ring and liquid level detection. The principal challenge in such impedance-based measurements is overcoming the saturation problem caused by electrodes loosing electrical contact with conductive liquid, as often occurs in bubbly or slug flow. Experimental measurements and analysis are presented that shows both methods can be deployed successfully.

Keywords flow regime, electrical tomography, liquid level detection, signal saturation.