A Model-Based Analysis of Capacitive Flow Metering for Pneumatic Conveying Systems: A Comparison between Calibration-Based and Tomographic Approaches
Pneumatic conveying is a standard transportation technique for bulk materials in various industrial fields. Flow metering is crucial for the efficient and reliable operation of such systems and for process control. Capacitive measurement systems are often proposed for this application. In this metho...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/3/856 |
| _version_ | 1797484818354667520 |
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| author | Thomas Suppan Markus Neumayer Thomas Bretterklieber Stefan Puttinger Hannes Wegleiter |
| author_facet | Thomas Suppan Markus Neumayer Thomas Bretterklieber Stefan Puttinger Hannes Wegleiter |
| author_sort | Thomas Suppan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pneumatic conveying is a standard transportation technique for bulk materials in various industrial fields. Flow metering is crucial for the efficient and reliable operation of such systems and for process control. Capacitive measurement systems are often proposed for this application. In this method, electrodes are placed on the conveyor systems transport line and capacitive signals are sensed. The design of the sensor with regard to the arrangement and the number of electrodes as well as the evaluation of the capacitive sensor signals can be divided into two categories. Calibration-based flow meters use regression methods for signal processing, which are parametrized from calibration measurements on test rigs. Their performance is limited by the extend of the calibration measurements. Electrical capacitance tomography based flow meters use model-based signal processing techniques to obtain estimates about the spatial material distribution within the sensor. In contrast to their calibration-based counterparts, this approach requires more effort with respect to modeling and instrumentation, as typically a larger number of measurement signals has to be acquired. In this work we present a comparative analysis of the two approaches, which is based on measurement experiments and a holistic system model for flow metering. For the model-based analysis Monte Carlo simulations are conducted, where randomly generated pneumatic conveying flow patterns are simulated to analyze the sensor and algorithm behavior. The results demonstrate the potential benefit of electrical capacitance tomography based flow meters over a calibration-based instrument design. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:09:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-94eaaee6538b4af59bdaf0007b20316c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:09:57Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-94eaaee6538b4af59bdaf0007b20316c2023-11-23T17:46:30ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202022-01-0122385610.3390/s22030856A Model-Based Analysis of Capacitive Flow Metering for Pneumatic Conveying Systems: A Comparison between Calibration-Based and Tomographic ApproachesThomas Suppan0Markus Neumayer1Thomas Bretterklieber2Stefan Puttinger3Hannes Wegleiter4Christian Doppler Laboratory for Measurement Systems for Harsh Operating Conditions, Institute of Electrical Measurement and Sensor Systems, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, AustriaChristian Doppler Laboratory for Measurement Systems for Harsh Operating Conditions, Institute of Electrical Measurement and Sensor Systems, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, AustriaChristian Doppler Laboratory for Measurement Systems for Harsh Operating Conditions, Institute of Electrical Measurement and Sensor Systems, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, AustriaDepartment of Particulate Flow Modeling, Johannes Kepler University Linz, 4040 Linz, AustriaChristian Doppler Laboratory for Measurement Systems for Harsh Operating Conditions, Institute of Electrical Measurement and Sensor Systems, Graz University of Technology, 8010 Graz, AustriaPneumatic conveying is a standard transportation technique for bulk materials in various industrial fields. Flow metering is crucial for the efficient and reliable operation of such systems and for process control. Capacitive measurement systems are often proposed for this application. In this method, electrodes are placed on the conveyor systems transport line and capacitive signals are sensed. The design of the sensor with regard to the arrangement and the number of electrodes as well as the evaluation of the capacitive sensor signals can be divided into two categories. Calibration-based flow meters use regression methods for signal processing, which are parametrized from calibration measurements on test rigs. Their performance is limited by the extend of the calibration measurements. Electrical capacitance tomography based flow meters use model-based signal processing techniques to obtain estimates about the spatial material distribution within the sensor. In contrast to their calibration-based counterparts, this approach requires more effort with respect to modeling and instrumentation, as typically a larger number of measurement signals has to be acquired. In this work we present a comparative analysis of the two approaches, which is based on measurement experiments and a holistic system model for flow metering. For the model-based analysis Monte Carlo simulations are conducted, where randomly generated pneumatic conveying flow patterns are simulated to analyze the sensor and algorithm behavior. The results demonstrate the potential benefit of electrical capacitance tomography based flow meters over a calibration-based instrument design.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/3/856capacitive sensingpneumatic conveyingflow measurementmass concentrationprocess tomographyuncertainty |
| spellingShingle | Thomas Suppan Markus Neumayer Thomas Bretterklieber Stefan Puttinger Hannes Wegleiter A Model-Based Analysis of Capacitive Flow Metering for Pneumatic Conveying Systems: A Comparison between Calibration-Based and Tomographic Approaches Sensors capacitive sensing pneumatic conveying flow measurement mass concentration process tomography uncertainty |
| title | A Model-Based Analysis of Capacitive Flow Metering for Pneumatic Conveying Systems: A Comparison between Calibration-Based and Tomographic Approaches |
| title_full | A Model-Based Analysis of Capacitive Flow Metering for Pneumatic Conveying Systems: A Comparison between Calibration-Based and Tomographic Approaches |
| title_fullStr | A Model-Based Analysis of Capacitive Flow Metering for Pneumatic Conveying Systems: A Comparison between Calibration-Based and Tomographic Approaches |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Model-Based Analysis of Capacitive Flow Metering for Pneumatic Conveying Systems: A Comparison between Calibration-Based and Tomographic Approaches |
| title_short | A Model-Based Analysis of Capacitive Flow Metering for Pneumatic Conveying Systems: A Comparison between Calibration-Based and Tomographic Approaches |
| title_sort | model based analysis of capacitive flow metering for pneumatic conveying systems a comparison between calibration based and tomographic approaches |
| topic | capacitive sensing pneumatic conveying flow measurement mass concentration process tomography uncertainty |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/3/856 |
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