Classification of Two-Phase Flow Patterns by Ultrasonic Sensing

This paper presents a methodology for classification of two-phase flow patterns in fluid systems, which takes the measure-ments of an in situ ultrasonic sensor as inputs. In contrast to the common practice of having an array of ultrasonic detectors, the underlying algorithm requires only a single sensor hard-ware in combination with an integrated software of signal conditioning, feature extraction, and pattern classification. The proposed method is noninvasive and can be implemented in a variety of industrial applications (e.g., petrochemical processes and nuclear power plants). This concept of flow pattern classification is experimentally validated on a laboratory test apparatus. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4007555