Current Tomography -- Localization of void fractions in conducting liquids by measuring the induced magnetic flux density

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new measurement technology for localizing and sizing gas bubbles in conducting liquids using magnetic flux density measurements, aiding the understanding of bubble dynamics in electrolyzers.

Contribution

It presents a novel approach combining numerical simulations and inverse Biot-Savart law solutions for bubble localization based on magnetic flux data.

Findings

Successful simulation of electric current and magnetic flux distributions

Demonstration of inverse problem solving for bubble localization

Potential for improved gas bubble detection in electrolyzers

Abstract

A novel concept of a measurement technology for the localization and determination of the size of gas bubbles is presented, which is intended to contribute to a further understanding of the dynamics of efficiency-reducing gas bubbles in electrolyzers. A simplified proof-of-concept (POC) model is used to numerically simulate the electric current flow through materials with significant differences in electrical conductivity. Through an automated approach, an extensive data set of electric current density and conductivity distributions is generated, complemented with determined magnetic flux densities in the surroundings of the POC cell at virtual sensor positions. The generated data set serves as testing data for various reconstruction approaches. Based on the measurable magnetic flux density, solving Biot-Savarts law inversely is demonstrated and discussed with a model-based solution of an optimization problem, of which the gas bubble locations are derived.