Investigation of Bubbly Flow by Ultrasonic Tomography

Abstract

Abstract Computerized tomography (CT) means reconstruction of pictures from projections taken at different angles. This method is well known in fields such as medical diagnostics and nondestructive testing. The application of CT to gas/liquid flow measurement results in a non‐intrusive method for measuring the spatial distribution of the gas phase in a cross‐section of the flow. In our application the projection data are obtained from measurement of the extinction along a set of ultrasonic rays in this cross‐section, using piezo‐ceramic ultrasonic transducers. The transducers are arranged in a circular sensor array which is directly integrated in the pipe wall of the flow; instead of mechanical rotation, the sensors are sequentially switched.