Design of an optical tomograph for the investigation of single- and two-phase pipe flows

We describe a fast optical tomography sensor which has been designed for the investigation of single- and two-phase flows in smaller flow cross-sections, such as pipes and bubble columns. It enables image acquisition at frame rates of up to 4.5 kHz at roughly 2 mm image resolution. The sensor works similar to a conventional CT of the fourth generation with 256 light emitters and 32 light receivers arranged about the object's cross-section. The light emitters are sequentially flashed while the light receiver intensities are recorded synchronously. A primary area of application is single-phase flows with dye tracers. Another potential application is the investigation of bubbly two-phase flows at low gas fractions. Principle tests have been made for both problems.