ABSTRACT

High-resolution in-process tomography can be expensive, rather slow, and, in some cases, impose special requirements for safe operation. Electrical capacitance tomography can be used to image the dielectric constant inside conveying lines for dilute- and dense-phase processes, and has been in routine laboratory use since about 1999. The use of bench-top X-ray microtomography systems is commonplace, delivering spatial resolution down to a few microns for three-dimensional (3D) scanning of small samples over a few hours. In contrast the easier deployment of bench scale X-ray micro-tomography equipment has made it more commonplace and is used routinely for 3D analysis of material samples and flow tests, described later. The heart of any tomographic technique is the sensor system that is deployed. Tomographic technology typically involves the acquisition of measurement signals from sensors located on the periphery of a process vessel or the pipeline through which material is being transported.