Profiling of pulverized fuel flow in a square-shaped pneumatic conveying pipe using electrostatic sensor arrays

Quantitative profiling of pulverized fuel flow in a pneumatic conveying pipe is essential to balance the fuel distribution and improve the operation flexibility of a coal-fired boiler. In this study, an electrostatic sensing head comprising square-loop shaped electrodes and strip-shaped electrodes is used to characterize the particle flow in a square-shaped pipe under various flow conditions. Cross-correlation and data fusion algorithms are also proposed to process and combine the multi-channel signals from the sensor arrays in the sensing head. Dynamic characteristics of the particle flow in a vertical square-shaped pipe on an experimental platform are presented. Experimental results demonstrate that the cross-sectional profiles of the velocity and volumetric concentration of particles in a square-shaped pneumatic conveying pipe are highly non-uniform.