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Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications

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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2019) | Viewed by 30447

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Dr. Claudio J. Oton

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Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, TeCIP Institute, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Interests: optical fiber sensors; integrated optics; nonlinear optics; lasers
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Optical fiber sensor technologies are reaching high maturity levels, which is allowing rapid adoption in many different industrial sectors. Energy, transportation, civil engineering and security are some examples of areas in which the revenue of the optical fiber sensing industry is growing remarkably. Optical fibers offer some advantages that make them unique when compared with other technologies, including their small size, immunity to electromagnetic radiation, robustness to harsh environments, the possibility of multiplexing through one single cable, etc. This Special Issue is intended to gather research and development works that make use of optical fiber sensors with a specific and clear industrial application.

Submitted papers can address any sensing technology, including distributed sensing (Raman, Brillouin, acoustic sensing, radiation, etc.) and point sensing (fiber Bragg gratings, Fabry–Pérot, etc). The measurand can be any physical parameter (temperature, strain, vibration, pressure, acceleration, etc). Papers can also address novel interrogation techniques, schemes to reduce fabrication or deployment costs, or demonstrations of improved performance. We especially encourage submissions that include demonstrations of actual applications in the field or prototypes that resemble a realistic scenario. Examples of industrial sectors which fit the topic of the current issue are listed below:

Structural health monitoring
Oil and gas
Railtrack monitoring
Aerospace
Iron and steel manufacturing
Nuclear
Security
Renewable energy

Dr. Claudio J. Oton
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Optical fiber sensors
Distributed fiber sensing
Fiber Bragg gratings
Fiber Fabry–Perot sensors

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 2108 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on a Novel Fabry–Perot Interferometer Model Based on the Ultra-Small Gradient-Index Fiber Probe

by Chi Wang, Jianmei Sun, Chenye Yang, Bin Kuang, Dong Fang and Anand Asundi

Sensors 2019, 19(7), 1538; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19071538 - 29 Mar 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3319

Abstract

A novel Fabry–Perot (F–P) interferometer model based on the ultra-small gradient-index (GRIN) fiber probe is investigated. The signal arm of the F–P interferometer is organically combined with the ultra-small GRIN fiber probe to establish the theoretical model of the novel F–P interferometer. An interferometer experimental system for vibration measurements was built to measure the performance of the novel F–P interferometer system. The experimental results show that under the given conditions, the output voltage of the novel interferometer is 3.9 V at the working distance of 0.506 mm, which is significantly higher than the output voltage 0.48 V of the single-mode fiber (SMF) F–P interferometer at this position. In the range of 0.1–2 mm cavity length, the novel interferometer has a higher output voltage than an SMF F–P interferometer. Therefore, the novel F–P interferometer is available for further study of the precise measurement of micro vibrations and displacements in narrow spaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications)

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9 pages, 2654 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stress Monitoring on GFRP Anchors Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

by Hai-Lei Kou, Wang Li, Wang-Chun Zhang, Yuan Zhou and Xiao-Long Zhou

Sensors 2019, 19(7), 1507; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19071507 - 28 Mar 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2891

Abstract

Glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bolts have been widely used in some applications of grouted anchors because of the advantages of better resistance to corrosion, high strength-to-weight ratio, low electromagnetic properties, and so on. This study presents a field test to assess the feasibility of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in monitoring the stress profile of GFRP anchors during pulling test. Two GFRP anchors were fully instrumented with FBG sensors and then installed into the ground using a drilling and grouting method. To measure the stress profile along test anchors, seven bare FBG sensors were arranged in a single optical fiber and then embedded in the middle of GFRP bolts in the process of extrusion molding. The procedure for embedding bare FBG sensors into GFRP bolts is introduced first. Then, the axial forces and shear stresses that were calculated from the measurements of the FBG sensors are discussed. The field test results indicate that the embedded FBG technology was feasible to monitor the stress state of GFRP anchors during pulling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications)

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10 pages, 4812 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Temperature Effects during High Energy Laser Strikes on Embedded Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

by Michael J. Ross, R. Brian Jenkins, Charles Nelson and Peter Joyce

Sensors 2019, 19(6), 1432; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19061432 - 23 Mar 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2579

Abstract

As the applications of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) continue to grow and become more advanced, it becomes necessary to understand their behavior when exposed to high temperatures in unique situations. In these experiments, uniform 1530-nm fiber Bragg gratings and Type K Cr-Al thermocouples were embedded in three-ply carbon fiber composites. A 100 W high energy laser (HEL) heated the composites to high temperatures over timespans less than one second, and FBG spectral data and thermocouple temperature data were collected during each HEL heating test. The data from three high energy laser tests that represent different levels of damage to the FBG are analyzed to explore the spectral response and thermal decay of embedded FBG sensors when exposed to high temperatures over short timespans. Results are compared to a previously proposed power-law model describing the decay of FBGs in bare fiber when held at constant temperatures over much longer timespans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications)

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13 pages, 3939 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hybrid Fiber Optic Sensor, Based on the Fabry–Perot Interference, Assisted with Fluorescent Material for the Simultaneous Measurement of Temperature and Pressure

by Xiaofeng Jiang, Chun Lin, Yuanqing Huang, Kan Luo, Jianhuan Zhang, Qingshan Jiang and Chentao Zhang

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051097 - 04 Mar 2019

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4178

Abstract

Herein we design a fiber sensor able to simultaneously measure the temperature and the pressure under harsh conditions, such as strong electromagnetic interference and high pressure. It is built on the basis of the fiber-optic Fabry–Perot (F–P) interference and the temperature sensitive mechanism of fluorescent materials. Both halogen lamps and light-emitting diodes (LED) are employed as the excitation light source. The reflected light from the sensor contains the low coherent information of interference cavity and the fluorescent lifetime. This information is independent due to the separate optical path and the different demodulation device. It delivers the messages of pressure and temperature, respectively. It is demonstrated that the sensor achieved pressure measurement at the range of 120–400 KPa at room temperature with a sensitivity of 1.5 nm/KPa. Moreover, the linearity of pressure against the cavity length variation was over 99.9%. In the meantime, a temperature measurement in the range of 25–80 °C, with a sensitivity of 0.0048 ms/°C, was obtained. These experimental results evince that this kind of sensor has a simple configuration, low-cost, and easy fabrication. As such, it can be particularly applied to many fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications)

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20 pages, 19432 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Low-Coherence Interferometric Fiber Optic Sensor for Humidity Monitoring Based on Nafion^® Thin Film

by Erwin Maciak

Sensors 2019, 19(3), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19030629 - 02 Feb 2019

Cited by 32 | Viewed by 6262

Abstract

The main aim of this work was the design and development simple fiber optic Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) sensor devices for relative humidity (RH) sensing with emphasis on high sensitivity and good stability. The RH fiber FPI sensor is fabricated by coating the end of a cleaved standard multi-mode (MM) fiber with hydrophilic Nafion^® sensing film. The Nafion^® thin film acts as an active resonance cavity of the low-coherence interferometric sensing structure. The fringe pattern, which is caused by interfering light beam in the Nafion^® thin film will shift as the RH changes because the water molecules will swell the Nafion^® film and thus change optical pathlength of the sensing structure. The operating principle of a FPI sensor based on the adsorption and desorption of water vapour in the Nafion^® and the limitations of this sensor type are discussed in this work. The fiber optic hygrometer was tested in the visible (400–900 nm) region of spectra for measurement of relative humidity (RH) in the range of 5.5–80% at room temperature (RT) in air. The fiber optic humidity sensor has a very short response time (t₉₀ = 5–80 s) and a fast regeneration time (t₁₀ = 5–12 s) as good as commercial sensors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications)

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13 pages, 6311 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Experimental Study of a High-Temperature Raman-Based Distributed Optical Fiber Sensor with Different Special Fibers

by Ismail Laarossi, María Ángeles Quintela-Incera and José Miguel López-Higuera

Sensors 2019, 19(3), 574; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19030574 - 30 Jan 2019

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 5095

Abstract

An experimental study of a high temperature distributed optical fiber sensor based on Raman Optical-Time-Domain-Reflectometry (ROTDR) (up to 450 °C) and optical fibers with different coatings (polyimide/carbon, copper, aluminum and gold) is presented. Analysis of the distributed temperature sensor (DTS) measurements determined the most appropriate optical fiber to be used in high temperature industrial environment over long periods of time. To demonstrate the feasibility of this DTS for an industrial application, an optical cable was designed with the appropriate optical fiber and it was hermetically sealed to provide the required mechanical resistance and isolate the fiber from environmental degradations. This cable was used to measure temperature up to 360 °C of an industrial furnace during 7 days. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications)

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12 pages, 4912 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Residual Stress in Electrical Penetration Assembly Based on a Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor

by Zhichun Fan, Xingzhong Diao, Yong Zhang, Malin Liu, Feng Chen, Zhiyong Huang and He Yan

Sensors 2019, 19(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19010018 - 21 Dec 2018

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4169

Abstract

An important factor for maintaining hermeticity of a metal-to-glass sealed electrical penetration assembly (EPA) is the residual stress in the sealing glass, which is generated during the EPA sealing process. A novel method to investigate and optimize the sealing process of EPAs, based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor, is proposed in this research. An FBG was well bonded with sealing glass to measure the parameters of the glass during the sealing process. The temperature change during the heating process was able to be measured by Bragg wavelength shift. After the sealing glass solidified and dropped to room temperature, the residual stress was determined and the effect of temperature was minimized because the temperature before and after the sealing process was the same as room temperature. The curing temperature of the sealing glass was evaluated to specifically investigate the solidification process of the EPA. This study provides a basis for online stress and temperature monitoring of EPAs under external loads in nuclear power plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fiber Optic Sensors for Industrial Applications)

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