Response of electrical film thickness sensors to waves in the liquid film

Highlights: • Prediction of signals of electrical liquid film thickness sensors by potential field simulations. • Analysis of the sensor response to waves travelin gover them. • Quantitative information on measuring uncertainties in case of wavy films is given. The electrical liquid film thickness (LFT) sensor developed at ETH Zurich is applied to study wavy annular flows. The LFT sensor consists of a matrix of electrodes put flush to the surface of the wall at which the liquid film of interest is present. The conductance between transmitter and receiver electrodes is sampled and converted into a film thickness using a calibration function obtained for a flat liquid film without waves. Due to limited lateral resolution and non-linear sensor response, waves are characterized with measuring errors, which depend on the wave height, length and angle of attack. The paper presents the result of potential field simulations of waves passing over the sensor surface. The wave parameters obtained from the simulated sensor signals are compared to the input. The results are used to quantify the uncertainty of dynamic film thickness measurements. The obtained detailed information on the sensor response allows a better interpretation of experimental results.