Fiber Optic Sensing: Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Interrogation Systems

FBG sensors for interrogation systemsFBG sensor interrogator systems can be deployed into a variety of fields. These products feature high reliability, advanced command and data output control, and incredible speed and sensing range.

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors have been well known and widely used for around 20 years for the following reasons: they are light, compact, easy to install, require very low maintenance, can be used in highly explosive atmospheres, and are immune to electromagnetic interference. Fiber optic sensors have a wide range of possible applications, which include temperature sensing, strain and bending measurements, medium refractive index measurement.

Despite numerous advantages of fiber optic sensors, it is important to install an FBG interrogator to retrieve accurate data and measurements from the sensors. Here is the main principle of how the fiber optic interrogator works: after the light has been sent into the fiber and has been reflected from the FBG, it travels to the interrogator – it’s photodetectors – which then compares it to the wavelength reference artifacts; after that, the interrogator determines the position of the FBG center wavelength. This information is later converted to some measurement units.

There are multiple types of FBG interrogators; each type offers different advantages over others, for example, the number of optical channels and Wavelength range. For example, high-frequency FBG interrogators provide an opportunity to work with dozens of fiber optic sensors at high speed. This characteristic also provides an opportunity to use multiple fiber optic interrogators at once.

The wavelength range of the FBG interrogator plays an important role when it comes to how many wavelengths or bandwidth information from an FBG sensor it can process. Some FBG interrogators have a very limited wavelength range, only around a few nm, however, this is not ideal for most FBG systems. The broad wavelength range of the interrogator provides better measurements.

Another important characteristic of FBG interrogator is the number of optical channels. Each channel represents an optical line, therefore, the bigger the number of optical channels, the more optic lines the interrogator can handle at once. Most interrogators have one optical channel and dedicated to one particular optic line.

Other approaches to FBG sensor interrogating, some of which include:

  1. Broadband source, Dispersive element, Diode Array;

This method is less reliable than the aforementioned ones due to limited resolution, which is a result of the inherent limitations of commercially available diodes.

2.Broadband source, Optical Spectrum Analyzer/Multi-line wavelength meter;

optical spectrum analyzers are large and expensive, which makes them less desirable in a laboratory setting. They are also not able to perform optimally under some temperatures.

3.OTDR/TDM systems;

The system cannot handle a large number of sensors on the fiber as its data acquisition rates scale down with increasing sensor counts.

4.External Cavity Tunable Laser, Power Meter, Wavelength Meter;

External cavity tunable lasers have low speed and do not have a wide operating temperature range. Moreover, they are expensive and do not have the required mechanical robustness.

Optromix interrogators can control up to 8 optical channels. The interrogator operates with the 20 maximum sensors per channel. The device is controlled by the PC with the specialized software for sensors monitoring. The system contains a broadband source of radiation and it can carry out spectrum analysis.

Optromix, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market, based in Cambridge, MA. Our team always strives to provide the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for our clients. Our main goal is to deliver the best quality fiber optic products to our clients. We produce a wide range of fiber optic devices, including our cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems. Optromix, Inc. is a top choice among the manufacturers of fiber optic devices.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@optromix.com

 

 

 

 

Optical Pressure Detector for Improving Robot Skin, Wearable Devices, and Touch Screens

FBG sensors for touch screensA new type of fbg pressure sensor based on light could allow the creation of sensitive artificial skins to give robots a better sense of touch. The silicone sheet can be placed on display panels to enable touch screens or can be wrapped on robot surfaces as an artificial skin layer for tactile interactions. In addition to this, such a new sensor could allow the creation of optically transparent touch screens and devices and wearable blood-pressure monitors for humans.

Researchers from the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (Daejeon, South Korea) and Hanyang University (Seoul, South Korea) developed a flexible, transparent fiber optic device that detects pressure by analyzing changes in the amount of light traveling through tiny tunnels embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a common type of silicon. This device is sensitive to even gentle pressure and is less prone to failure compared to previous types of fbg pressure sensors. It also should be feasible to incorporate the embedded optical sensors across a large surface area.

The fiber optic device works by measuring the flow of light through a precisely arranged pair of optical waveguides called a photonic tunnel-junction array. The waveguides run parallel to each other and are embedded in PDMS. PDMS is a very well-known biocompatible, non-toxic material, so the sensor sheet may even be applied on or inside the human body, for example, to monitor blood pressure.

Several steps are needed to move the sensor from a laboratory demonstration to a practical device. In developing the prototype, the research team used precision alignment tools, which would be too expensive and time-consuming to use in most commercial applications. An alternative approach, pigtail fibers, which telecommunications companies use to couple fibers in their systems, should make the process easier.

Optromix, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market, based in Cambridge, MA. Our team always strives to provide the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for our clients. Our main goal is to deliver the best quality fiber optic products to our clients. We produce a wide range of fiber optic devices, including our cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems. Optromix, Inc. is a top choice among the manufacturers of fiber Bragg grating monitoring systems.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@optromix.com

 

 

Strain Measurement with Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

FBG sensors for strain measurementScientists and engineers can perform through the implementation of optical sensors measurements that were previously impractical or, in some cases, impossible with vibrating wire or foil gases. Many applications will require a hybrid approach using the benefits of both electrical and optical measurements together. Fiber Bragg gratings are often used in strain sensing especially in such places where the environment is harsh (for instance, high-EMI, high-temperature, or highly-corrosive). Strain measurement is imperative during prototype design and testing. Strain measurements ensure that materials perform as they should and that the equipment is safe and durable. Measuring strain is crucial for testing complex structures, like aircraft, turbines, etc.

Fiber Bragg grating strain sensors have been infrastructure monitoring of smart structures like bridges, dams, pipelines. By monitoring load, strain, temperature, vibration, and even liquid of gas flow, structural integrity can be assessed and tracked on a real-time basis. There various ways in which stress can be measured, but it is widely accepted that FBG sensors are the most efficient way of strain measurement.

There are two types of applications of the fiber Bragg grating strain sensors:

  • Long-term Static Strain Sensing. The main issue in the long-term static strain test is an interest in measuring the long-term static strain of the component in question. In order to carry out the above operation, it is necessary to set up the grating on the structure, find out what the initial wavelength is, and then within a set period of time to detect and record the changes that have occurred. Also, it is possible to return to the structure, reattach, and refer back to the initial wavelength. As a result, it becomes possible to obtain the determination of what this strain is from the initial condition at that time. The ability to disconnect your monitoring instrumentation and return for results after a large amount of time such as months or even years is a very great advantage of fiber Bragg grating sensors. For instance, in the case of bridges, it is common for engineers to visit the bridge and conduct the impact testing using an impact hammer on the different parts of the bridge. This is time-consuming and even hazardous because of the height of some bridge structures. The distribution of a number of FBG sensors throughout the bridge and the attachment of the instrumentation to this bridge on a periodic basis is a much more efficient solution. This is only one of the good examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of the fiber Bragg grating strain sensors. Besides bridges, other examples of using FBG for long-term static strain testing are buildings, piers, and structures in high earthquake-prone areas.
  • Dynamic Strain Sensing. The different structures may have very-low-frequency modes, and they may also have higher modes due to the effects of wind and tide. Most earthquakes and other earth tremors are low-frequency events.  Fiber Bragg gratings can be attached to the structures and monitored for the vibrations during the earth’s tremors and earthquakes. The low-frequency dynamic strain testing can help in determining the reaction of high-rise buildings to the wind. In addition to this, FBG sensors create connections with peers and other shore structures to determine their vibrations during the ebb and flow of tides. Dynamic strain testing can also be performed on transportation vehicles like automobiles, trains, and airplanes. In addition to civil structures and vehicles, there are a number of other applications for dynamic strain testing and vibration stress testing using fiber Bragg gratings. FBG sensors can be attached to industrial machinery to determine the frequency and amplitude of the stress vibrations.  

Optromix, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market, based in Cambridge, MA. Our team always strives to provide the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for our clients. Our main goal is to deliver the best quality fiber optic products to our clients. We produce a wide range of fiber optic devices, including our cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems.

If you would like to purchase Optromix FBG Strain Sensors, please contact us: info@optromix.com or +1 617 558 98 58

 

 

 

Fiber Bragg Grating Strain Sensors for Creating Modern Sophisticated Equipment

Strain measurement is imperative during prototype design and testing. Strain measurements ensure that materials perform as they should and that the equipment is safe and durable. Measuring strain is crucial for testing complex structures, like aircraft, turbines, etc. There multiple ways in which stress can be measured. However, it is widely accepted that FBG sensors are the most efficient way of strain measurement. FBG sensors provide multiple advantages over other methods:

1) high sensitivity;

2) small size;

3) ability to be mounted on any surface;

4) immunity to electromagnetic interference;

5) reliability even in harsh environments;

6) low sensitivity to vibration and heat.

FBG strain sensors are used in wing load testing to determine the structure’s performance and possible limitations under the lifting forces during flight. There are several benefits that FBG strain sensors offer to the aerospace field for this type of application. For instance, FBG technology provides strain measurement using a big number of continuous sensors which ensures maximum coverage from a single optical fiber. The immunity to electromagnetic interference, radio frequency interference and other electrical influences makes FBG strain sensors ideal for use in hazardous environments, such as flight. Also, FBG sensors are less cumbersome to install. In addition, the FBG strain sensor prices are expected to decrease by 20% which will open up new opportunities for various markets.

The repeated loading and unloading of a material causes fatigue. It is estimated that around 90% of structural failures are a result of fatigue. To determine the breaking point of a structure, fatigue tests are performed. The tests indicate the number of loading cycles until failure. FBG sensors are able to provide real-time data on strain fields and load distributions. The immunity to both low and high temperatures enables the sensors to be monitored during the high-temperature cure phase of composite fabrication. The fatigue life of an FBG strain sensor far surpasses that of other methods of strain measurement.

The tendency to build longer wind turbines with longer blades complicates the maintenance. The design of stronger, lighter materials is necessary, however small imperfections during the manufacturing process can cause failures. FBG strain sensors may provide real-time knowledge of load distributions and turbine blade shape. This data will provide valuable information on the needed adjustments to the blades manufacturing.

Optromix, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market, based in Cambridge, MA. Our team always strives to provide the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for our clients. Our main goal is to deliver the best quality fiber optic products to our clients. We produce a wide range of fiber optic devices, including our cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems. Optromix, Inc. is a top choice among the manufacturers of fiber Bragg grating monitoring systems.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@optromix.com

 

 

Development of Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Aircraft Structural Health Monitoring

FBG sensors for aircraft monitoringThe use of composite materials in modern aircraft has been growing because of the numerous advantages that they provide. Generally, composite materials are less sensitive to corrosion, have enhanced fatigue behavior, and higher specific mechanical properties when compared to traditional materials used in aerospace applications. By contrast, composite materials have problems with damage detection which is an important procedure in the air transport industry. The main issue that occurs during the process of use is the separation of laminae from each other which happens on the inside of the material and is hidden from the outside. Nondestructive methods of aircraft testing are not effective enough for material monitoring.

Structural health monitoring consists of placing measuring and sensing devices on a structure to record, localize, analyze, and eventually predict damage. Most structural health monitoring techniques strive to measure the needed data in a non-destructive way. Fiber Bragg grating sensors are optimal for measuring different variables as they are more cost-efficient, easy to implement on most surfaces, including composite materials.

Aircraft structures require regular, scheduled inspections and monitoring of all possible hazards due to their special conditions and the principles of their design. Therefore, structural health monitoring is conducted through fiber optic devices and has great potential to reduce the costs related to these operations. Fiber Bragg grating sensors have proved to constitute the most promising technology in this field. In order to prolong the operation period of all kinds of complex engineering systems and avoid catastrophic failures, so it is necessary to achieve the highest levels of damage detection. The automation of the inspection process is a point of major importance to reduce inspection efforts. The structural health monitoring system on the basis of fiber optic products can be defined as a set of devices that provide information that allows us to locate, evaluate, and predict the loading and damage conditions of a structure. The structural health monitoring of aircraft structures can conduct real-time checks, reducing costs, and improving the reliability and performance of the structures. A wide range of potential structural health monitoring technologies is being developed to meet these needs, and the most promising options are:

  • electrical strain gauges and crack wires
  • acoustic emissions methods
  • optical-based technologies
  • comparative vacuum monitoring
  • microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)

Fiber optic products and fiber optic devices, in general, are very appropriate to perform structural health monitoring due to the fact that they have their intrinsic capabilities, such as sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation, low weight, compact size, great sensitivity and resolution, and their suitability to be embedded into structures. Fiber optic devices for monitoring the strain in aircraft structures can be classified into the following categories: intensity-based, interferometric, distributed, and grating-based fiber optic devices.

Among grating-based sensors, FBGs and probably the most mature and widely employed optical sensors for structural health monitoring of engineering structures due to their fast development achieved in recent years.

Optromix is a fast-growing vendor of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) products line: fiber Bragg grating sensors, FBG interrogators and multiplexers, distributed temperature sensing (DTS) systems. We create and supply a broad variety of top-notch fiber optic solutions for the monitoring of various facilities all over the world.

If you are interested in Optromix FBG sensors, please contact us at info@optromix.com

Magnetic Sensors Based on Fiber Optic Products Detect Very Weak Magnetic Fields

magnetic FBG sensorsA light-based technique for measuring very weak magnetic fields was recently developed by researchers at the University of Arizona. A portable, low-cost brain imaging system based on fiber optic products can operate at room temperature in unshielded environments. This fiber optic system would allow real-time brain activity mapping after potential concussions on the sports field and in conflict zones where the effect of explosives on the brain can be catastrophic.

Speaking specifically, scientists and engineers fabricated the magnetic sensors using optical fibers and a polymer-nanoparticle composite that is sensitive to magnetic fields. The researchers selected for their project nanoparticles based on magnetite and cobalt. These materials exhibit very high magnetic sensitivity. The aforementioned magnetic sensors can detect the brain’s magnetic field, which is 100 million times weaker than the magnetic field of Earth. Also, the researchers showed that new magnetic sensors can catch the weak magnetic pattern of a human heartbeat and has the capability to detect magnetic fluctuations that change every microsecond from an area as small as 100 square microns. Multiple seasons could then be used together to provide high spatial resolution brain mapping.

During work, the polarization rotation using an optical interferometer was detected. This works by splitting laser light into two paths, one of which passes through the highly-sensitive material while the other does not.

Indeed, further development of the researchers will be aimed at the long-term stability of magnetic sensors. Scientists plan to study how well sensors withstand environmental changes. Plus they want to fabricate several hundred sensors to make a special fiber optic system for evaluating and imaging the entire magnetic field of a human brain.

The newly developed magnetic sensors could help scientists better understand the activity of the brain and diseases of the brain such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. They might also be used to predict volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, identify oil and minerals for excavation, and detect military submarines. In addition to this, such magnetic sensors could offer an alternative to the magnetic reasonable imaging (MRI) systems currently used to map brain activity without the expensive cooling or electromagnetic shielding required by MRI machines.

Optromix is a fast-growing seller of such products from the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) line of products: fiber Bragg grating sensors, FBG interrogators, and multiplexers and, of course, Distributed Temperature, Acoustic, and Strain Sensing systems (DTS). Our major goal is to deliver the best quality of fiber optic sensors to our clients. Optromix creates and supplies a broad variety of excellent fiber-optic solutions for the monitoring of various facilities all over the world.

If you are interested in Optromix fiber optic products, please contact us at info@optromix.com

 

 

New Types of In-Body Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Biomedical Research and Treatments

FBG sensors for biomedical researchThis year, for the first time ever, scientists have fabricated sensing elements known as fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) inside fiber optic products designed to dissolve completely inside the body. Such bioresorbable fiber Bragg gratings could be used for in-body monitoring of bone fracture healing and for safer exploration of sensitive organs such as the brain. FBGs are optical elements which inscribed in optical fibers. Fiber Bragg gratings are commonly used for applications such as structural health monitoring of bridges or tracking the integrity of airplane wings. FBGs didn’t exhibit characteristics preferred for use in the body until now. According to the researchers, such new fibers should be safe for patient’s health even if they accidentally break, because these fibers have a design that allows them to break down similarly to dissolvable stitches. These fiber Bragg grating sensors don’t need to be removed after use and would enable new ways to perform efficient treatments and diagnoses in the body. New fibers have a diameter twice as that of human hair. They have the ability to dissolve into solutions with temperature and pH resembling those of the human body, within typical times that span between several hours and a few days.

The new bioresorbable optical fiber Bragg gratings could be used to sense pressure at joints or act as tiny probes that can safely reach and assess the heart and other delicate organs. In addition to this, these fiber Bragg grating sensors could simultaneously deliver the laser beam and provide the accurate real-time temperature sensing necessary to monitor the laser ablation process. In other words, this new ability can be used for improving the laser-based techniques for removing tumors. On the basis of the new aforementioned applications of fiber Bragg gratings, a variety of types of interconnected structures in or on bioresorbable optical fibers can be created over the next years. It will allow a wide range of sensing and biochemical analysis techniques to be performed inside the body.

The researchers developed a special type of glass made of phosphorous oxide combined with oxides of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and silicon to create optical fiber Bragg grating sensors that could be safely used in the body. Such glass combines excellent optical properties with biocompatibility and water solubility. The properties of the optical fibers can be tuned by properly changing the glass composition.

A type of grating known as tilted optical fiber Bragg grating allows some of the reflected light to escape from the fiber core and enter into the surrounding cladding. Tilted gratings are often used for sensing because changes on the fiber cylindrical surface modify the back-reflected light in a way that can be monitored. Scientists and engineers created both tilted and standard optical fiber Bragg gratings to understand how the parameters used for inscription affected the grating sensing characteristics. Nowadays the researchers are performing systematic experiments to better understand how the fiber composition and ultraviolet laser irradiation conditions affect the speed at which the fiber Bragg grating dissolves. The dissolving and sensing properties of the fiber Bragg gratings will need to be studied in animals before being used in people.

Optromix, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market, based in Cambridge, MA. Our team always strives to provide the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for our clients. Our main goal is to deliver the best quality fiber optic products to our clients. We produce a wide range of fiber optic devices, including our cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems. Optromix, Inc. is a top choice among the manufacturers of fiber optic devices.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@optromix.com

Benefits and Risks of Real Time Thermal Rating Systems

FBG sensors in real time thermal ratingA real-time thermal rating system has been developed initially for overhead transmission lines using actual meteorological data and real-time conductor temperatures and line loadings. Such a real-time thermal rating system provides much higher ampacity ratings than other conventional methods. A natural convective heat equation is developed for stranded conductors. The temperature of the conductor is solved directly without resorting to an iterative solution.

The temperature of an asset itself, such as a power cable, is a key for a real-time thermal rating system. This can be measured continuously if equipment utilizes a distributed temperature sensing (DTS) system. Distributed temperature sensing optical fibers are installed along with the fiber cable. The fiber cable can also be utilized for telecoms purposes as DTS systems typically utilize standard telecoms fiber optics.

Thermal headroom typically is determined using static ratings which are based upon probabilistic methods and are representative of worst-case scenarios. The “static” design calculation methods provide simple and conservative estimates of network capacity. In reality, networks can be complex and operational ratings can be influenced by multiple factors including weather conditions and loading. Soil condition, buried depth, burial configuration, cable size, and type must be considered for underground equipment.

The real-time thermal rating system works with such assets as:

 

  • Underground and subsea cables

 

Experience has shown that cable depth, soil type, and the shape of the load curve have a material impact on ratings. The real-time thermal rating system can determine actual thermal headroom indicating whether some unused network capacity can be released or locations where networks are constrained.

 

  • Overhead lines

 

  • Sag-based
  • Tension-based
  • Temperature-based
  • Current rating-based

 

  • Transformers

 

The real-time thermal rating systems for transformers utilize measurements including transformer load, ambient, and transformer temperatures based on the equations set out in IEC 6007. With the exception of emergency ratings, P15 recommends using an average ambient temperature and a weighted average that products the same aging if the temperature varies over a load cycle.

Optromix is a fast-growing vendor of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) products line: fiber Bragg grating sensors, FBG interrogators and multiplexers, distributed temperature sensing (DTS) systems. We create and supply a broad variety of top-notch fiber optic solutions for the monitoring of various facilities all over the world. Our main goal is to deliver the best quality fiber optic products to our clients. We produce a wide range of fiber optic devices, including our cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems.

If you are interested in Optromix distributed temperature sensing systems, please contact us at info@optromix.com

Advances in Manufacturing Fiber Optic Gyroscopes

FBG sensors for gyroscopesMeasurement of angular velocity is useful in many different applications, from missile navigation to motion control. There are three broad categories of possible sensors for angular velocity: Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLG), Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOG), and MEMs-based Gyroscopes. The former two utilize the Sagnac effect to measure velocity and are much more sensitive compared to MEMs gyroscopes. A fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) is a  device that senses changes in orientation using the Sagnac effect. Such a fiber optic device performs the function of a mechanical gyroscope. However, it should be noted, its fiber optic solution is instead based on the interference of light which has passed through a coil of optical fiber that can be as long as 5 km.

What is the principle of the fiber optic gyroscope? Two laser beams are injected into the same optical fiber but in opposite directions. The beam that moves against the rotation experiences a slightly shorter path delay than the other beam due to the Sagnac effect. The resulting differential phase shift is measured through interferometry. This phase shift translates one component of the angular velocity into a shift of the interference pattern which is measured photometrically. The strength of the Sagnac effect is dependent on the effective area of the closed optical path: this is not simply the geometric area of the loop but is enhanced by the member of turns in the coil.

Victor Vali and Richard Shorthill demonstrated an operational fiber optic gyroscope for the first time in 1976. In that same year, McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co. in Huntington Beach, CA, completed a project to redesign a new, lower-cost inertial measurement unit for the Delta rocket based on dry-tuned mechanical gyros. The technology supporting early efforts in the field of fiber optic gyroscopes were fiber optic products derived from the Sagnac interferometer. The first sensor of this type was the Sagnac acoustic sensor. Another derivative sensor is the Sagnac strain sensor. Nowadays, the Sagnac interferometer continues to be a useful tool for a variety of sensing and communication applications. One principal advantage of the Sagnac acoustic and distributed sensors is that they can be supported by very low-cost single-mode optical fiber. This opens up a number of interesting applications, including identifying leaks in pressurized pipes and containers, identifying the location of insects in grain storage facilities, and locating termites in wood.

Fiber optic gyroscopes are robust apparatus for measuring angular velocity. It is interesting that fiber optic gyroscopes are instruments where merely improving the processing of the incoming sensor signal can yield more stability, linearity, and sensitivity.

Optromix, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market, based in Cambridge, MA. Our team always strives to provide the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for our clients. Our main goal is to deliver the best quality fiber optic products to our clients. We produce a wide range of fiber optic devices, including our cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems. Optromix, Inc. is a top choice among the manufacturers of fiber optic devices. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@optromix.com

Pipeline Monitoring with Fiber Optic Sensors

FBG sensors for pipeline monitoringFiber optic products were invented to carry big amounts of voice data over long distances very efficiently. Improvements in fiber optic pipeline monitoring have led to the fact that now we know fiber optic cables as an actual sensor. This fbg sensor is equipped with the ability to measure parameters such as acoustic energy, temperature, strain, vibration, and suchlike. The capability of continuously gathering data about these parameters over several kilometers of fiber simultaneously is called distributed monitoring. Fiber pipeline leak detection and prevention, asset and perimeter security, and precise fluid flow measurements.

Pipelines are very efficient and safe means of transportation. The number of leaks could be reduced since the early ’70s of the last century due to improved design and maintenance procedures as well as improved materials, but leaks still appear. Most of these are originated by external causes such as digging excavators or slope movements despite intensive pipeline right of way surveillance by foot, car, and out of the air. These events are a clear sign for a monitoring gap. The technical evolution of fiber optic products allows closing large parts of this monitoring gap.

Pipelines are part of the backbone of modern communities’ lifestyles and are absolutely indispensable for the transportation of water, gas, oil, and all kinds of products. Fiber optic devices are standard equipment for the transmission of voice, video, and other data. Fiber optic systems are frequently installed along pipelines and often used to enable communication between and remote control of the individual station of the system. The same standard optical fibers are suitable to measure several physical effects with high absolute and local accuracy.

Fiber optic products are almost ideal for many types of fiber optic pipeline monitoring applications and several of these applications have been implemented during recent years all over the industry. So here are some examples:

  • Leak detection
  • Ground movement detection and Structural health monitoring
  • Third-party activities
  • Fire detection
  • Power cable and Transformer monitoring
  • Status monitoring of water mains
  • Pig position detection

In other words, many different applications have already been implemented in the industry and constantly ideas for new applications are being created.

Optromix, Inc. is a U.S. manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market, based in Cambridge, MA. Our team always strives to provide the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for our clients. Our main goal is to deliver the best quality fiber optic products to our clients. We produce a wide range of fiber optic devices, including our cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems. Optromix, Inc. is a top choice among the manufacturers of fiber optic monitoring systems. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@optromix.com