A New Algorithm for Image Reconstruction of Electrical Capacitance Tomography Based on Inverse Heat Conduction Problems

In this paper, a new algorithm of image reconstruction for electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is introduced. The algorithm is developed based on the analogy between image reconstruction and inverse heat conduction problems. The algorithm determines the conductivity value and the boundary of an unknown object inside a circular domain. For this purpose, the governing equations are discretized using finite volume method, and a boundary fitted mesh is employed to capture complex geometries. Five different case studies are investigated to ensure the reliability of the proposed method. Calculated results showed that the presented method could find any smoothed object in a few iterations. The accuracy of obtained results and the lower calculation time of the presented algorithm represent a new applicable and reliable algorithm for ECT image reconstructions.