The disclosure relates generally to the measurement of steam wetness, and more specifically, to the measurement of steam wetness using microwave tomography.
The distribution of water liquid particles in a pipe containing wet steam under flowing conditions is very unpredictable and changes with variations in pipe geometry, direction of flow, temperature, and the like. The water particle and water vapor phases flow at different flow velocities. Also, in some conditions, a thin film of liquid water may flow along the interior surfaces of the pipe in combination with other flow forms. These varying and unpredictable flow phenomena present a formidable measurement problem.
In power plants utilizing steam, it may be advantageous to continually measure the wetness of various steam flows to enable control of steam quality. Steam wetness measurements may be used, for example, to improve process efficiencies and minimize component erosion. Although there are a number of sensor technologies (e.g., microwave-based) that may be used to measure the wetness of steam, such sensors are not capable of providing accurate, real-time steam wetness measurements in high pressure environments (e.g., 70 bar steam flowing through a pipe).