Virtual channel concept for measuring solids mass flow rate

The development of the mass flow rate measurements in conveying systems using a twin-plane electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) system is presented. The classical method correlates corresponding pixels from two planes based on incorrect assumption about laminar nature of the flow. The novel concept of the virtual channels as a solution and the next step in the classical pixels method development is proposed. The concept is based on cross-section decomposition into the homogenous regions and the virtual channel is then defined as connection of two homogenous regions of different sensor planes. The decomposition has been obtained by using the stochastic flow model. Each virtual channel have been characterised using a few parameters as the position, the velocity vector and the mass flow for all pixels inside the channel. As a result the set of virtual channels is obtained instead the complex flow inside the single physical channel. The authors present also the results of investigation for turbulent flow propagation using the virtual channel concept.