Electromagnetic Modelling of Fiber Sensors for Low-Cost and High Sensitivity Temperature Monitoring

Inversion Algorithm of Fiber Bragg Grating for Nanofluid Flooding Monitoring

In the current study, we developed an adaptive algorithm that can predict oil mobilization in a porous medium on the basis of optical data. Associated mechanisms based on tuning the electromagnetic response of magnetic and dielectric nanoparticles are also discussed. This technique is a promising method in rational magnetophoresis toward fluid mobility via fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The obtained wavelength shift due to Fe3O4 injection was 75% higher than that of dielectric materials. This use of FBG magneto-optic sensors could be a remarkable breakthrough for fluid-flow tracking in oil reservoirs. Our computational algorithm, based on piecewise linear polynomials, was evaluated with an analytical technique for homogeneous cases and achieved 99.45% accuracy. Theoretical values obtained via coupled-mode theory agreed with our FBG experiment data of at a level of 95.23% accuracy.

Sensing Properties of Fused Silica Single-Mode Optical Fibers Based on PPP-BOTDA in High-Temperature Fields

The strain of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars at high temperatures is currently difficult to measure. To overcome this difficulty, a method of smart FRP bars embedded with optical fibers was proposed and studied, in which an ordinary single-mode optical fiber was applied as a distributed sensor. In this paper, both the distributed temperature and strain-sensing characteristics of optical fiber were studied based on pulse pre-pump Brillouin optical time-domain analysis (PPP-BOTDA) under high temperature. The temperature and strain coefficients were investigated under a thermomechanical coupling environment with consideration of large strain levels. The experimental results show that the temperature and strain coefficients decreased as the temperature increased, because the properties of silica and coating materials changed with temperature. Then, the formulas for determining the temperature and strain coefficients at high temperatures were introduced and discussed. The excellent sensing performance of the optical fiber indicated that smart FRP bars have the potential for use at high temperatures.

Advances on Photonic Crystal Fiber Sensors and Applications

In this review paper some recent advances on optical sensors based on photonic crystal fibres are reported. The different strategies successfully applied in order to obtain feasible and reliable monitoring systems in several application fields, including medicine, biology, environment sustainability, communications systems are highlighted. Emphasis is given to the exploitation of integrated systems and/or single elements based on photonic crystal fibers employing Bragg gratings (FBGs), long period gratings (LPGs), interferometers, plasmon propagation, off-set spliced fibers, evanescent field and hollow core geometries. Examples of recent optical fiber sensors for the measurement of strain, temperature, displacement, air flow, pressure, liquid-level, magnetic field, and hydrocarbon detection are briefly described.

Planar photonic crystal based multifunctional sensors

A planar photonic crystal (PPC) structure capable of simultaneous detection of multiple parameters is presented in this paper. We analytically and numerically demonstrate that the reflection spectrum of the PPC structure exhibits multiple high-Q resonant modes that could respond distinctively to different external perturbations, rendering the PPC sensor superior capabilities for multiparameter sensing. We further demonstrate simultaneous pressure and temperature sensing with a PPC sensor. Other advantages of this device include efficient free-space-to-multimode coupling, high sensitivity, on-chip integration, and wafer-scale fabrications.

Design of Novel FBG-Based Sensor of Differential Pressure with Magnetic Transfer

In this paper, a differential pressure sensor with magnetic transfer is proposed, in which the non-electric measurement based on the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with the position limiting mechanism is implemented without the direct contact of the sensing unit with the measuring fluid. The test shows that the designed sensor is effective for measuring differential pressure in the range of 0~10 kPa with a sensitivity of 0.0112 nm/kPa, which can be used in environments with high temperature, strong corrosion and high overload measurements.

Orientation-Dependent Displacement Sensor Using an Inner Cladding Fiber Bragg Grating

An orientation-dependent displacement sensor based on grating inscription over a fiber core and inner cladding has been demonstrated. The device comprises a short piece of multi-cladding fiber sandwiched between two standard single-mode fibers (SMFs). The grating structure is fabricated by a femtosecond laser side-illumination technique. Two well-defined resonances are achieved by the downstream both core and cladding fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The cladding resonance presents fiber bending dependence, together with a strong orientation dependence because of asymmetrical distribution of the “cladding” FBG along the fiber cross-section.

Research Progress on F-P Interference-Based Fiber-Optic Sensors

We review our works on Fabry-Perot (F-P) interferometric fiber-optic sensors with various applications. We give a general model of F-P interferometric optical fiber sensors including diffraction loss caused by the beam divergence and the Gouy phase shift. Based on different structures of an F-P cavity formed on the end of a single-mode fiber, the F-P interferometric optical sensor has been extended to measurements of the refractive index (RI) of liquids and solids, temperature as well as small displacement. The RI of liquids and solids can be obtained by monitoring the fringe contrast related to Fresnel reflections, while the ambient temperature and small displacement can be obtained by monitoring the wavelength shift of the interference fringes. The F-P interferometric fiber-optic sensors can be used for many scientific and technological applications.

Fire Source Localization Based on Distributed Temperature Sensing by a Dual-Line Optical Fiber System

We propose a method for localizing a fire source using an optical fiber distributed temperature sensor system. A section of two parallel optical fibers employed as the sensing element is installed near the ceiling of a closed room in which the fire source is located. By measuring the temperature of hot air flows, the problem of three-dimensional fire source localization is transformed to two dimensions. The method of the source location is verified with experiments using burning alcohol as fire source, and it is demonstrated that the method represents a robust and reliable technique for localizing a fire source also for long sensing ranges.

A Magnetic Field Sensor Based on a Magnetic Fluid-Filled FP-FBG Structure

Based on the characteristic magnetic-controlled refractive index property, in this paper, a magnetic fluid is used as a sensitive medium to detect the magnetic field in the fiber optic Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity. The temperature compensation in fiber Fabry-Perot magnetic sensor is demonstrated and achieved. The refractive index of the magnetic fluid varies with the applied magnetic field and external temperature, and a cross-sensitivity effect of the temperature and magnetic field occurs in the Fabry-Perot magnetic sensor and the accuracy of magnetic field measurements is affected by the thermal effect. In order to overcome this problem, we propose a modified sensor structure. With a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) written in the insert fiber end of the Fabry-Perot cavity, the FBG acts as a temperature compensation unit for the magnetic field measurement and it provides an effective solution to the cross-sensitivity effect. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of magnetic field detection improves from 0.23 nm/mT to 0.53 nm/mT, and the magnetic field measurement resolution finally reaches 37.7 T. The temperature-compensated FP-FBG magnetic sensor has obvious advantages of small volume and high sensitivity, and it has a good prospect in applications in the power industry and national defense technology areas.

Distributed Long-Gauge Optical Fiber Sensors Based Self-Sensing FRP Bar for Concrete Structure

Brillouin scattering-based distributed optical fiber (OF) sensing technique presents advantages for concrete structure monitoring. However, the existence of spatial resolution greatly decreases strain measurement accuracy especially around cracks. Meanwhile, the brittle feature of OF also hinders its further application. In this paper, the distributed OF sensor was firstly proposed as long-gauge sensor to improve strain measurement accuracy. Then, a new type of self-sensing fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bar was developed by embedding the packaged long-gauge OF sensors into FRP bar, followed by experimental studies on strain sensing, temperature sensing and basic mechanical properties. The results confirmed the superior strain sensing properties, namely satisfied accuracy, repeatability and linearity, as well as excellent mechanical performance. At the same time, the temperature sensing property was not influenced by the long-gauge package, making temperature compensation easy. Furthermore, the bonding performance between self-sensing FRP bar and concrete was investigated to study its influence on the sensing. Lastly, the sensing performance was further verified with static experiments of concrete beam reinforced with the proposed self-sensing FRP bar. Therefore, the self-sensing FRP bar has potential applications for long-term structural health monitoring (SHM) as embedded sensors as well as reinforcing materials for concrete structures.