Abstract
Electrical resistance tomography is characterized by low cost, no radioactivity and non-invasiveness and applicable to visual testing of two-phase flow. The sensitivity field established in measurement area by the method is electrostatic field. Distribution of sensitivity field is characteristic of "soft field", having adverse influence on visual test quality. The paper sets up model for sensitivity field of 16-electrode by finite element method by taking test sensitivity as media to carry out simulation research of "soft field" of sensitivity field and summarizes main factors associated with distribution of sensitivity field and their pattern. The research findings in the paper shall offer technical support to visual testing of two-phase flow.