Induction tomography project could boost competitiveness of UK steel industry

This is the aim of Dr Manuch Soleimani from Bath University’s department of electronic and electrical engineering who is leading the three-year Shell-Thick project to develop an induction tomography system for assessing the steel solidification process.

It aims to significantly improve the continuous casting process of steel by providing a real-time, non-destructive and reliable method of measuring the molten steel to detect any defects or fails as it solidifies and becomes a market product.

Induction tomography is an emerging non-invasive imaging technique already used in a number of applications, including medical diagnostics, geophysical exploration and civil engineering.

Soleimani, an associate professor at the university, told The Engineer: “Magnetic induction tomography attempts to image the passive electromagnetic properties of an object by measuring the mutual inductances between pairs of coils placed around its periphery.

“Measurements are acquired by passing an alternating current through excitation coils, producing a primary magnetic field.

“This magnetic field interacts with conductive and permeable objects in the medium to produce eddy currents, which, in turn, produce a secondary magnetic field, which is measured by sensing coils.