A novel metal flow imaging using electrical capacitance tomography

The measurement of gas-liquid metal two phase flow is a challenging task due to the opaqueness and the high temperatures. For instance, during continuous casting of steel the distribution of argon gas and liquid steel in the submerged entry nozzle is of high interest, since it influences the quality of the produced steel. In this paper we present the results of a feasibility study for applying the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) to detect the outer surface of a liquid metal stream. The results of this study are the basis for the development of a new contactless sensor which should be able to detect the outer shape of a liquid metal using ECT and the bubbles inside the jet at the same time with mutual inductance tomography.