Capacitance wire-mesh sensor applied for the visualization of three-phase gas–liquid–liquid flows

• First time capacitance wire-mesh sensor is applied to visualize three-phase flow.
• Permittivity measurement allows the visualization of phase distribution.
• Flow behavior of air–oil–water flow is observed at high spatial and temporal resolution.

This short communication describes the application of a capacitance wire-mesh sensor for the investigation of a gas–liquid–liquid three-phase flow in a laboratory setup. Experiments with air, silicone oil and water are performed first in static and second in dynamic flow conditions. The capacitance mesh sensor is capable of generating images of the cross-sectional distribution of relative permittivity values, which in turn is an indication to the phases present in the multiphase mixture. Initial tests show that the sensor is a valuable tool to investigate three-phase flows, which are very common in the oil industry.