Multi-phase flow decomposition using electrical capacitance volume tomography sensors

1. A system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition, the system comprising:

a three-dimensional capacitance sensor device comprising a plurality of electrodes for placement around the vessel or the object, wherein the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device is adapted to provide electric field distribution and sensor sensitivity in three geometric dimensions;

data acquisition electronics in communication with the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device for receiving input data from the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device, the data acquisition electronics adapted to output electric phase shift information at different frequencies;

a processing system in communication with the data acquisition electronics, the processing system programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to: 1) determine a plurality of frequency markers for the multi-phase flow; 2) measure electric phase shift in degrees or radians between an input signal to the sensor device and the current produced at an output of the sensor device at all of the plurality of frequency markers; 3) reconstruct a three-dimensional volume-image from the electric phase shift measured at all of the plurality of frequency markers.

2. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of frequency markers are points in the frequency domain where a substantial change in the real or imaginary components of the effective dielectric constant follows or precedes them.

3. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of frequency markers are determined by applying Maxwell-Wagner-Silars formulas.

4. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to reconstruct volume images of each phase alone.

5. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 4 , wherein a difference between two electric phase measurements at two successive frequency markers is related directly to a phase that caused a drop in real or imaginary components of effective dielectric constant between the two successive frequency markers.

6. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 5 , wherein a reconstructed image based on the electric phase difference is directly related to that phase.

7. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to reconstruct images of the real or imaginary components of effective dielectric constant at each frequency.

8. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to reconstruct a plurality of images, each with a single phase volume fraction image.

9. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 1 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to obtain volume fractions of each phase for each voxel.

10. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 9 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to combine pixels for a single phase volume fraction to formulate an image for the phase.

11. A system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition, the system comprising:

a three-dimensional capacitance sensor device comprising a plurality of electrodes for placement around the vessel or the object, wherein the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device is adapted to provide electric field distribution and sensor sensitivity in three geometric dimensions;

data acquisition electronics in communication with the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device for receiving input data from the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device, the data acquisition electronics adapted to output electric phase shift information at different frequencies;

a processing system in communication with the data acquisition electronics, the processing system programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to: 1) determine a plurality of frequency markers for the multi-phase flow; 2) measure electric phase shift in degrees or radians between an input signal to the sensor device and the current produced at an output of the sensor device at all of the plurality of frequency markers; 3) reconstruct volume images of each phase individually from the electric phase shift measured at all of the plurality of frequency markers.

12. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 11 , wherein a difference between two electric phase measurements at two successive frequency markers is related directly to a phase that caused a drop in real or imaginary components of effective dielectric constant between the two successive frequency markers.

13. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 12 , wherein a reconstructed image based on the electric phase difference is directly related to that phase.

14. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 11 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to reconstruct images of the real or imaginary components of the effective dielectric constant at each frequency.

15. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 11 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to reconstruct a plurality of images, each with a single phase volume fraction image.

16. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 11 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to obtain volume fractions of each phase for each voxel.

17. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 16 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to combine pixels for a single phase volume fraction to formulate an image for the phase.

18. A system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition, the system comprising:

a three-dimensional capacitance sensor device comprising a plurality of electrodes for placement around the vessel or the object, wherein the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device is adapted to provide electric field distribution and sensor sensitivity in three geometric dimensions;

data acquisition electronics in communication with the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device for receiving input data from the three-dimensional capacitance sensor device, the data acquisition electronics adapted to output electric phase shift information at different frequencies;

a processing system in communication with the data acquisition electronics, the processing system programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to: 1) determine a plurality of frequency markers for the multi-phase flow; 2) measure electric phase shift in degrees or radians between an input signal to the sensor device and the current produced at an output of the sensor device at all of the plurality of frequency markers; 3) obtain permittivity distributions at each of the frequency markers using volume tomography image reconstruction; 4) determine volume fraction of each phase at each pixel location; 5) produce images of volume fraction for each phase.

19. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 11 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to obtain volume fractions of each phase for each voxel.

20. The system for generating a three-dimensional tomograph of a vessel interior or other object and for multi-phase flow decomposition according to claim 18 , wherein the processing system is programmed with instructions for executing on the processing system to combine pixels for a single phase volume fraction to formulate an image for the phase.