ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION A. Multiphase Flow Measurement The study of multiphase gas-liquid-solid flow requires accurate measure ment of each phase velocity and phase fraction. Most instrumentation available today provides this type of information but has various disadvan tages ranging from poor sensitivity to geometrical limitations (Beck and Wainwrite, 1969; Hewitt, 1978; Baneijee and Lahey, 1981). Recent studies have developed several multiphase flowmeters based upon electrostatics principles. These flowmeters have found increased sensitivity to the mea surement of the flow velocity and the void fraction; yet they have their own limitations. One important advantage of these devices is the fast time response that allows these devices to be used for analyzing fast transient phenomena. The following sections will discuss the basic physical princi ples behind electrostatic flowmeters, along with design considerations and potential applications.
