Control of a Pilot-Scale, Solid-Liquid Separation Plant Using Electrical Impedance Tomography Measurements

This paper describes the design and construction of a pilot-scale, solid-liquid separation plant. The system includes conventional measurements, e.g., inlet feed flow rate and pressure etc., as well as Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) measurements to determine the separation status of the separator, by measuring the air core size and position. Image and feature extraction procedures are shown for obtaining the air core measurements. The different aspects in the construction of the plant are described. Tests show that the air core size can be maintained automatically using EIT images over the operating range. The resulting equipment can then be used for testing different implementations of data acquisition systems, EIT image reconstruction procedures and control strategies. The equipment is self-contained, does not require special facilities and can be used for teaching different aspects of electronics design and control theory to undergraduate students.