One of the major tasks in multi-phase flow detection is flow velocity estimation. Owing to its fast response, no radiation and low cost, the electrical resistance tomography (ERT) technique with a pair of sensors can estimate the flow velocity according to the cross-correlation (CC) measurement principle. However, due to the unreasonable a priori assumption, uncertain parameter, and limitation of ERT, this class of techniques remain inaccurate and unsteady under complex and multi-flow conditions. In this paper, we propose a novel flow velocity computation method by using a single ERT sensor instead of a pair. Different from the existing methods that are based on the CC principle, both the Churchill and Bernoulli equations in hydromechanics are used to compute the flowing velocity, based on which an inherent relation among the flow velocity, pressure difference and density value in a detected pipeline is derived. Since the pressure difference and density value can be accurately computed based on the measurements by a single ERT sensor, respectively, the estimated flow velocity can greatly overcome the limitations when using a pair of ERT sensors. The results of a group of typical experiments validate the proposed method, showing that it is more accurate and steadier.
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