Tag: distributed sensing

Distributed acoustic sensing for railway structural health monitoring

The principle of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) operation is based on the processes occurring in fiber optic cables. To be more precise, sound waves falling at the fiber cable change the reflection of laser beam pulses inside it. Thus, these changes are possible to be detected.

Specially developed algorithms allow converting a measurable backscatter signal trace (signature) into valuable information, for example, about moving rolling stock, about people moving along or near tracks, or other actions, such as earthmoving operations.

A common application of acoustic sensors

The application of DAS-based systems becomes widespread, for instance, in the oil and gas industry, as well as in the border protection due to these technical capabilities.

Any single-mode fiber can be quickly and easily converted into a series of “virtual microphones” by distributed acoustic sensing. This requires only minimal exposure to the ends of the optical fibers.

Railway application of DAS

Since the majority of railway tracks already have fiber optic cables, the above-mentioned possibilities of DAS application in the railway infrastructure can be performed to a large extent using existing resources.

If an existing fiber optic cable already laid close to the railway infrastructure is used, it is possible to monitor trains, auxiliary rolling stock, track crews, strangers near tracks, or natural influences on the infrastructure.

Accordingly, DAS technology can find application in tracking systems for the movement of trains, monitoring the track and rolling stock, as well as in the protection of railway infrastructure.

Only one set of DAS systems enables to monitor processes and components on and off track for 40 km. It is possible to combine many such units into a common sensing system to cover extensive networks of railway tracks. At the same time, the DAS system operates with an accuracy of 10 m and provides information about the location of the recorded event on the site and GPS coordinates.

Opportunities in acoustic sensing

Several acoustic sensing sets can be combined into a single system to control longer tracks. The possibilities of the co-use of distributed acoustic sensing and wheel hole registration systems were already studied to meet the requirements of the railroads, taking into account the considered limitations.

The application of advanced axis counters is caused by the need to detect individual axes and the train location on a particular track in compliance with safety conditions.

Unlike track circuits, directly establishing the free or occupation part of the track, the axis counting system operates indirectly. If the track part was free in the initial period, and then the number of wheelsets entering and leaving coincided, the part is registered as free from railroad rolling stock. If this condition is not fulfilled, the part is considered occupied.

The data combination from both sensing systems creates a whole variety of new possibilities by using the generated information from fiber optic acoustic sensors. This technical solution of acoustic sensing makes it possible to detect a train to a concrete track precisely.

Also, DAS technology provides an even more accurate determination of the train length. Moreover, this combination of sensing systems offers the opportunity to localize events, for example, you can determine which axis has a slider. In this combination, DAS can also be used on sections of railway tracks with complex track development, where several parallel tracks are connected by operations.

The user interface system of distributed acoustic sensing displays in a convenient form both data received directly from the DAS system and information generated using combined technical solutions, including additional axis counters and a system for registering the wheel hole of railroad rolling stock.

Conditions detected by the DAS system and a combined technical solution are carefully classified and all received information is provided in a visual form. This serves as the basis for the planning and implementation of activities arising from the detection results.

Besides, the data collected by distributed acoustic sensing can be redirected directly to mobile end-user devices. Nevertheless, they can also be transmitted, for example, to unmanned aerial vehicles, which are sent to the appropriate location using available GPS data. Thus, the DAS system allows you to quickly respond to a variety of events.

The interference of both signals will make it possible to more accurately correlate information about the state of train components with a specific location in the future, for example, it will be easy to establish which axis has the slider on it. New possibilities are opened up for using DAS technology in complex railway tracks, where several parallel tracks are connected by operations.

Abilities presented by DAS systems

The system of distributed acoustic sensing allows both monitorings of rolling stock and state track components: the DAS system completely controls the railways and the area around them. Even unforeseen events that are difficult to detect are recognized reliably.

This also applies to fractures of rails, which represent one of the main risks on the railway. This sensing system also detects electrical discharges on air-track lines due to overload, floods, stone falling, falling of trees, and mudflows. Fiber optic acoustic sensors can significantly reduce the number of costly violations of the usual operation in railway transport.

With an increase in the accuracy of event localization, conditions are created for the application of DAS technology in areas with complex track development.

The signals (signatures) recorded during the movement of trains by the axis counters and the acoustic sensors are brought together to determine the exact location.

Parameters provided by acoustic technology

The possibilities of using acoustic sensing technology in railways open up broad prospects for increasing the effectiveness of monitoring infrastructure and rolling stock. Thus, the DAS system provides structural health monitoring information about:

– location of the train;

– direction of the traffic;

– speed;

– time of train arrival;

– the distance between trains;

– rail break;

– slide;

– falling of stones;

– spark discharge in the contact network;

– unauthorized access;

– cable theft;

– vandalism, etc.

Data obtained by axis counters

Axis counters provide information about:

– the state of free/occupation of a track particular section;

– number of axes on the track section;

– speed;

– direction of the traffic;

– diagnostics.

Level of safety and security

An important aspect of railway operation is safety. Security has many indications and affects numerous different areas. DAS provides a comprehensive solution to cope with several tasks – from labor protections to the protection against vandalism.

Distributed acoustic sensing offers railway operators a single solution for the protection of infrastructure and the safety of railway workers, with an extended range and high efficiency.

DAS converts measured signals (signatures) into valuable information, for example, about moving vehicles and individuals. Based on this information, messages are generated about the presence of objects or people, which can be more accurately classified due to the high sensitivity of the sensing system. It also allows for directly recognizing certain actions, for example, earthmoving on the way, and displaying the corresponding alarm messages.

Importance of acoustic sensing for railways

Finally, distributed acoustic sensing systems will change the way that trains are monitored and infrastructure is operated soon. An integrated railway structural health monitoring system is becoming available, which opens up previously unimaginable DAS applications and allows for the implementation of the most challenging ideas in the field of train and operation control.

The use of a distributed acoustic sensing systems for the railway industry opens up wide applications for monitoring the movement of trains, monitoring the condition of equipment, protecting infrastructure, and ensuring the safety of people in real-time.

Advantages of acoustic sensors

Moreover, recent advances in DAS make the sensing systems cost-effective, highly precise, herewith, these acoustic sensors do not require accurate alignment resulting in tuning vibration measurement to a particular point in the optical ﬁber. Thus, new DAS systems promote the speed of measurement beyond the previously established theoretical limit set by the sensing distance. The technology of new fiber optic acoustic sensors is based on the application of “colored” probe pulses or linear frequency multiplexing.

It should be noted that DAS is a highly reliable technology because it continues its operation even after it has been cut. DAS has the biggest influence in the signaling area, for example, distributed sensing helps to manage trains by control of their accurate position and motion in real-time. The technology enables to reduce journey times while increasing rail capacity and improving safety.

Of course, the distributed acoustic sensing system continues improving and the improvement will provide quantitative measurement with improved sensitivity and higher spatial resolution on longer lengths of the sensing fiber in the future.

How to find a professional manufacturer of acoustic sensing products?

Optromix is a DAS system manufacturer that provides top of the line distributed acoustic sensing systems suitable for monitoring of commerce networks. If you have any questions or would like to buy a DAS system, please contact us at info@optromix.com

Recent developments in Distributed Acoustic Sensing

The operational principle of distributed acoustic sensing or fiber optic DAS is based on coherent Rayleigh backscattering in an optical fiber. Today the technology of acoustic sensing is regarded as a common technique for structural health monitoring of various dynamic actions in real-time. DAS applications in safety, security, and integrity monitoring systems promote the steady growth of the fiber optic DAS market.

Fiber optic acoustic sensors offer the opportunity to measure various changes in environmental parameters provoked by numerous events over long distances. The applications of DAS technology include transportation, oil and gas, and process control systems, herewith, they continue increasing. Additionally, distributed acoustic sensing allows performing measurements of both slowly changing (for instance, temperature or static strain) and fast-changing parameters (dynamic strain or vibration) providing fast and precise monitoring in real-time.

Therefore, DAS systems for the mentioned measurements are required to pay careful attention. Despite numerous developments that have been made in distributed acoustic sensing to increase the measurement speed over short distances with high spatial resolution, measurements at long distances remain considerably slow. Nevertheless, fiber optic acoustic sensors provide interesting alternatives for fast distributed measurements over long distances.

Such developments in distributed acoustic sensing as “use of high ER pulses to reduce coherence noise, fast denoising in the optical domain using optical pulse coding technique, generation of high ER pulses using nonlinear Kerr eﬀect, and the identiﬁcation of pulse shapes robust against modulation instability” enable to enhance the performance of fiber optic acoustic sensors.

Finally, the improved distributed acoustic sensors have higher spatial resolution due to the use of tweaking of the conventional set up to make the optical noise lower, and more accurate quantitative measurement of an external impact thanks to frequency shift measurements and direct phase demodulation techniques.

DAS system distributed sensing FBG acoustic sensors

Distributed acoustic sensing for phase-sensitive OTDR technology

The sensing system is a fundamental device that presents data information about the features of the surrounding environmental conditions to electronic tools. The information obtained through distributed fiber sensing is used for analytical purposes or processed and employed to take specific actions. Herewith, today distributed sensors find widespread application since they are applied in most of the human daily used items.

For instance, distributed optical fiber sensors apply light to probe a kilometer-length optical fiber employed as the sensing system. Thus, distributed sensors allow for the detection of strain or temperature variations along the fiber length. The principle of distributed optical fiber sensor operation is based on “scattering processes happening along with the optical fiber, either Rayleigh stimulated Brillouin or Raman scattering”.

The characteristics of various scattering processes offer different applications to distributed sensors. For example, distributed optical fiber sensors based on Raman technology are regarded as highly efficient temperature sensing devices. Recent developments in sensing technology enable us to reach a better resolution, higher bandwidth, or longer-range operation.

Nowadays new sensing technique to interrogate an optical fiber applying the Rayleigh backscattering process is considered to be very advanced. Such distributed sensors are based on phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) technology, herein, they use a train of linearly-chirped optical pulses resulting in a quite simple conventionally used methodology. Additionally, distributed acoustic sensing for phase-sensitive OTDR technology provides amazing robustness against laser phase noise and a record measured sensitivity.

The technology of distributed acoustic sensing for phase-sensitive OTDR has been experimentally demonstrated a couple of years ago, based on the application of a chirped-pulse as a probe, in an otherwise direct-detection-based standard setup: chirped-pulse (CP-)ΦOTDR. The benefits of DAS systems include intrinsic immunity to fading points and use of direct detection, therefore, distributed acoustic sensing offers reliable high sensitivity measurements.

Finally, DAS technology for OTDR finds its use in diverse applications that include seismology or civil engineering (monitoring of pipelines, train rails, etc.), and new applications based on distributed acoustic or temperature sensing appear everyday. Such a distributed optical fiber sensor can operate in up to 100 km with a low cost-setup, showing performances close to the attainable limits for a given set of signal parameters.

DAS system distributed sensing FBG acoustic sensors

High resolution distributed temperature sensing

The fiber Bragg grating distributed temperature sensing on gas-insulated line spacer influences surfaces charge accumulation. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to perform the DTS measurement because the traditional electric sensors have huge dimensions, they are difficult to multiplex and highly sensitive to electromagnetic interference.

Thus, a distributed temperature sensing system of the GIL spacer based on the technology of the optical frequency domain reflectometry was designed to solve the challenges. The operation of the DTS system is based on the ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating or FBG technology to change single-mode optical fiber because of its higher signal-noise ratio.

It should be noted that the distributed temperature sensing also used the demodulation technique to compensate for the nonlinear frequency tuning errors caused by the unstable tunable laser. Therefore, the DTS system allows determining the connection between the space temperature and the wavelength shift during the calibration test.

Additionally, the distributed temperature sensing includes the application of the data processing technique for 3D surface temperature on a cone-type spacer. Finally, the DTS system based on FBG technology enables to obtain efficiently high-resolution temperature measurements on the spacer surface with the help of the optical frequency domain reflectometry, which is virtually impossible to perform with the traditional electric temperature sensing systems.

Nowadays the technology of direct current transmission with the gas-insulated line is an effective way due to its low electrical losses compared with, for example, AC transmission. That is why the distributed temperature sensing is considered to be a key factor that should be known first.

To be more precise, the disadvantages of traditional electric sensing systems such as dimensions, multiplexing, and sensitivity to EMI are solved by optical fiber sensing in electrical engineering. Fiber Bragg grating technology is a precise optical temperature sensing technique widely applied. But there are some limits in the multiplexing ability of conventional FBG sensors.

The new distributed temperature sensing system includes ultra-weak fiber Bragg gratings providing a reflectivity of only 0.1% compared to the conventional FBG sensors. Compared to the optical frequency domain reflectometry based on the Rayleigh technology, “ultra-weak FBG can achieve higher signal-noise ratio since the reflection of ultra-weak FBG sensor is much higher than the backscattering in the optical fiber”.

Optromix is a manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market. The company provides the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for the clients. Optromix produces a wide range of fiber optic devices, including cutting-edge customized fiber optic Bragg grating product line and fiber Bragg grating sensor systems. Moreover, Optromix 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

distributed sensing DTS system FBG temperature sensors

Distributed temperature sensing for the fog detection

Traditional in situ observations of meteorological variables are limited by surface levels, herein, it is possible to carry out the lowest observation around just 1-m height. Therefore, observation results of both shallow fog, and the initial growth stage of thicker fog layers can be missed in this case. Nevertheless, the use of distributed temperature sensing or DTS technology allows measuring temperature and humidity parameters at centimeter resolution in the lowest 7 m.

It should be noted that it is very important to obtain high-resolution observation for radiation fog, and DTS sensors solve the problem. Two techniques are applied to make tests in the near-surface layer at a higher resolution than the traditional sensing devices.

Distributed temperature sensing is ideal for the measurement temperature and relative humidity parameters. DTS technology offers a high spatial and temporal resolution. DTS application includes detection of surface temperature and soil heat fluxes, the radioactive skin effect at the surface of water bodies, the Bowen ratio, near-surface turbulent fluxes under varying stability, and wind speed.

The combination of distributed temperature sensing with unmanned aerial vehicle provides the observation of the morning boundary-layer transition from stable to unstable conditions. Compared to traditional sensing techniques, DTS technology has a great advantage for studies of the stable boundary layer that is the resolution of steep gradients.

DTS sensors are able to detect shallow cold pools at high resolution that is the mark of radiation fog formation. The thing is that the fog presence causes elevated DTS temperatures of up to 0.7 ℃ when compared to traditional temperature parameters. However, the technology of distributed temperature sensing is required to be further tested to provide its reliability under stable, foggy conditions.

DTS devices enable to measure temperature characteristic along with optical fiber cables that are based on the backscattered signal of a laser pulse. The DTS sensors were tested, herewith, the optical fiber includes two multi-mode cores, while a simple single-ended (non-duplexed) configuration is applied for the measurements.

Finally, even in the conditions of fog formation absence, compared to DTS technology traditional sensing devices are not able to measure the strong temperature inversions in the lowest 1 m of air. Distributed temperature sensing provides an efficient solution to the problem.

The application of DTS systems is not limited by fog detection, but the broader near-surface (stable) boundary layer. Additionally, DTS sensors offer a better physical understanding of such processes as the collapse of turbulence at the onset of the stable boundary layer, intermittent turbulence within the stable boundary layer, and the transition between different boundary-layer regimes due to the ability of distributed temperature sensing to catch steep gradients in both temperature and relative humidity parameters.

If you want to obtain a highly efficient distributed temperature sensing system, you should choose the Optromix company. Optromix is a manufacturer of innovative fiber optic products for the global market. The company provides the most technologically advanced fiber optic solutions for monitoring worldwide. Optromix is a fast-growing vendor of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) products line such as fiber Bragg grating sensors, FBG interrogators and multiplexers, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems, distributed temperature sensing (DTS) systems. If you are interested in DTS systems and want to learn more, please contact us at info@optromix.com

distributed sensing DTS system FBG temperature sensors

How does distributed acoustic sensing work?

Distributed fiber optic sensing is considered to be an advanced technology that allows changing the principle of infrastructure management. The fiber optic technology converts optical fibers into thousands of sensors and controls tens of kilometers of an asset with a single FBG interrogator. Thus, optical fiber sensors are a highly cost-effective fiber optic solution that is used by numerous industries every year.

Herewith, Distributed Acoustic Sensing or DAS technology has a wider scope of potential fiber optic applications, both scientific (seismic, mechanical) and industrial (security, integrity, operation monitoring) because DAS detects vibrations along with the optical fiber. It should be noted that the detection and analysis of sound waves remains one of the most effective techniques for sensing information.

The principle of distributed acoustic sensing operation is based on the use of a fiber optic cord that is placed in an acoustic sensing housing that picks up sounds along the length of the cord. Therefore, DAS technology makes it possible to obtain a more detailed scan of hazardous or hard-to-reach places.

Moreover, the additional DAS benefit includes the possibility to identify the strain of the fiber optic cord to help prevent damages. The fields of DAS applications include the sensing disturbances around fracking operations underground that is possible to perform during and after the process to ensure safety. Also, distributed acoustic sensing can be applied to guide the fracking operation to the right underground deposits.

Generally, the DAS system is used to offer less disturbance to places applied for oil drilling and fracking. Nevertheless, DAS technology is ideally suited for the measurement of seismic events and control of fault lines with less of an equipment footprint and impact on the surrounding area.

Distributed acoustic sensing offers the following advantages that include:

High precision due to its linear response;
Very high sensitivity;
Great coverage, exceeding 70 km;
The possibility of programming real-time applications directly on the device.

Finally, the fields of DAS applications continue expanding. At the present time, it includes perimeter intrusion detection, third-party interference detection, power cable monitoring, traffic monitoring (roads, railway, subway), seismic activity monitoring, subsea cable monitoring, asset integrity, oil, gas, and water pipelines.

DAS system distributed sensing FBG acoustic sensors

Distributed temperature sensing of fiber optics under harsh conditions

According to a recent study, the technology of distributed temperature sensing allows demonstrating the mechanical properties of fiber optics under harsh conditions. The fact is that numerous land and undersea oil procedures depend heavily on distributed temperature sensing for providing safety and functionality in severe environments.

Usually, the manufacturers use silica-based fiber optics for distributed temperature sensing and distributed acoustic sensing, where temperature and acoustic signals are transmitted and recorded continuously along the length of fiber sensor cable. Such fiber optic solution for FBG interrogator of 15 km length enables well and pipeline operators to apply fiber-based distributed sensing technology to measure the whole wellbore or pipeline span with a resolution of 1 m or less virtually in real-time.

For example, the technology of distributed temperature sensing with fiber optics is used in the operation of steam-assisted gravity drainage or SAGD technique, in which the main goal is the production of heavy crude oil and bitumen materials. Nevertheless, it is only one example, while distributed temperature sensing has numerous fiber optic applications.

It should be noted that the distributed temperature sensing system monitors the following extreme environments while optical fiber operation: high temperatures and pressures, ionizing radiation, and aggressive chemicals in the environment. However, in order to be applied in such severe conditions, fiber optics have to be highly reliable, while transmitting optical power with a minimum of added signal loss.

Most of the fiber sensor cables used in fiber optic applications contain a silica-based core and cladding because of the silica benefits that include high optical fiber transmission, superior thermal stability, and mechanical reliability. Herewith, the use of a polymer coating in fiber cables provides the mechanical protection of fiber optics and minimization of bend-induced optical attenuation.

The technology of distributed temperature sensing also enables to detect the factors limiting the performance of fiber optic cables at elevated temperatures and/or in aggressive conditions. The most frequent failures for fiber optics are related to added attenuation or loss of mechanical strength. Herewith, failure criteria differ from each other and depend on the type of fiber optic application.

distributed sensing DTS system FBG temperature sensors

Geophysical application of distributed acoustic sensing

Distributed acoustic sensing or DAS system is a relatively new technology that finds numerous fields of application and has several benefits such as low cost, complete coverage, and repeatability for data collection. The principle of DAS system operation is based on the use of an optical fiber cable instead of geophones in conventional systems for acoustic recording.

Compared to traditional geophones, the DAS system demonstrates more advantages during its applications. For example, DAS technology employs a slim optical cable, due to which there are no limits in a horizontal well or ultra-slim well. Also, the cost of fiber optic cables is lower than geophones’.

Moreover, the installation process of optical fiber cables is pretty easy and can include other fiber optic sensors such as distributed temperature sensing and distributed pressure sensing. Herewith, the cables offer continuous data transmission and the DAS system can be employed in the exploration well, production well, and observation well.

In spite of the mentioned benefits, nowadays distributed acoustic sensing has some limitations, for example, the low S/N ratio, channel depth uncertainty, poor transverse fiber sensibility that are an obstacle for future applications. The most frequent DAS applications include:

vertical seismic profile or VSP;
microseismic measurements;
well and reservoir surveillance;
hydraulic fracturing monitoring, and diagnostics.

Despite the fact that distributed acoustic sensing technology is a highly promising prospect in the oil and gas industry, it requires several improvements for more stable operation. The most crucial problem is the development of the S/N ratio that can be solved by reducing the noise floor, using a stronger acoustic source.

It should be mentioned that distributed acoustic sensing data are connected with the strain amplitude, therefore, this factor allows to enlarge the S/N ratio by coherent stacking and correlation.

Also, removal of the random noise in distributed acoustic sensing can be made with the help of bandpass and median filters. In addition, it is very important to process a huge amount of data quickly, since DAS measurements are excessive. Herewith, DAS technology is often combined with multi-functional optical fiber sensors and the obtained measurements allow making the ambiguity lower.

DAS system distributed sensing FBG acoustic sensors

Distributed acoustic sensing for airport security

Perimeter security is considered to be a significant problem for airports all over the world. For example, Denver International Airport is one of the largest airports in the USA that includes 25 airlines. Its size requires constant security operations, and it is highly challenging because the larger an airport’s size is, the bigger its perimeter, the more difficult it becomes to save integrity and police borders.

The ways for airport border security include walls, barbed-wire fencing, CCTV, guardhouse, and manned patrols. Of course, the mentioned measures are effective, however, they are mostly passive barriers that are possible to cross. Thus, the use of modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and distributed acoustic sensing or DAS system allows improving the situation with the management and security of airports.

DAS technologies offer continuous monitoring of the whole perimeter and have alerts in real-time, provide security groups the complete overview that is required for operational management, and respond to threats effectively. Moreover, DAS systems have many benefits for airport operators, when it comes to the adoption of digital technologies, their integration into perimeter security strategies.

The principle of DAS operation is based on the use of fiber optic cables that are similar to an ecosystem of highly-sensitive, vibrational sensors that creates a smart barrier around the whole perimeter. Herewith, it is possible to install a distributed acoustic sensing system both in the ground and established into fencing.

Also, it should be noted that DAS is a highly reliable technology because it continues its operation even after it has been cut. DAS system has the following advantages for the airport area:

The ability to identify and locate such potentially threatening activities as walking people, excavation and tunneling processes, fence climbing, and cutting.
Distributed acoustic sensing allows collecting data on prolonged or historical events.
DAS technology highlights long term patterns and points of potential vulnerability.
DAS offers a clear differentiation between numerous threats that might occur at the edge of an airport, herein, the technology provides security teams special alarms that enable to make decisions quickly.

Finally, DAS monitoring is the ideal solution for airport security because there are the earliest alerts for security groups. Moreover, airport operators can combine distributed acoustic sensing with other traditional techniques.

DAS system distributed sensing FBG acoustic sensors

Distributed acoustic sensing controls the arterial commerce networks

Fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing or DAS is a highly effective technique that allows monitoring highways, railroads, and pipelines. Moreover, today it is possible to provide lower-cost communications network surveillance and management due to DAS ability of constant gapless monitoring.

The thing is that the world economy requires a reliable global network of highways, railroads, and pipelines for the transportation of people, products, and resources across countries and continents. Also, fiber-optic communication cables including spare optical fiber are often used for their continuous, gapless monitoring.

Distributed acoustic sensing is a fiber-optic sensing technology that is quite “young”, about ten years ago. Since then, the technology is used not only in the laboratory but outside in several real-world applications.

The first main application of DAS is a new type of fiber optic security sensor for early detection of intruders. Then, distributed acoustic sensing became used in the oil and gas industry for the following aims:

control of the effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing;
production flow control;
control of borehole seismic activity.

The unique ability of the DAS system to control quite long fibers that are already in place allows using distributed acoustic sensing for pipeline monitoring that is the today main field of DAS application as well as control of highways and railroads located next to optical fiber routes.

It should be mentioned that all these applications use the same key platform technology. The principle of DAS operation is based on signals that can be analyzed in real-time for detection, location, and classification of events. Then the obtained information that can be in different formats is transmitted to an operator.

Herewith, all distributed acoustic sensing systems use a technique called coherent optical time-domain reflectometry (C-OTDR) that is highly efficient for all fields of application. Now it is possible to detect different anomalies such as falling rocks along the tracks by the DAS system.

Nevertheless, DAS has the biggest influence in the signaling area, for example, distributed sensing helps to manage trains by control of their accurate position and motion in real-time. The technology enables to reduce journey times while increasing rail capacity and improving safety.

DAS system distributed sensing FBG acoustic sensors