Implementation of electrical impedance tomography for analysis of building moisture conditions

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to present an innovative solution for evaluation study of the dampness level of walls and historical buildings.

Design/methodology/approach

Electrical tomography enables one to obtain a distribution pattern of wall dampness. The application of modern tomographic techniques in conjunction with topological algorithms will allow one to perform very accurate spatial assessment of the dampness levels of buildings. The proposed application uses the total variation, Gauss–Newton and level set method to solve the inverse problem in electrical tomography.

Findings

Research shows that electrical tomography can provide effective results in damp buildings. This method can provide 2D/3D moisture distribution pattern.

Research limitations/implications

The impact of this technique will be limited to inspection of the facility after floods or assessment of historical buildings.

Practical implications

The presented method could eventually lead to a much more effective evaluation of moisture in the walls.

Social implications

The solution has commercial potential and could result in more cost-effective monitoring of historical buildings, which have an economic impact on society.

Originality/value

The authors propose a system for imaging spatial moistness of walls and historic buildings based on electrical tomography and consisting of a measuring device, sensors and image reconstruction algorithms.

Citation

Rymarczyk, T., Sikora, J. and Tchórzewski, P. (2018), "Implementation of electrical impedance tomography for analysis of building moisture conditions", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 37 No. 5, pp. 1837-1861. https://doi.org/10.1108/COMPEL-01-2018-0034