The emergence of fiber optic sensing technology represents a new exploration and development in the field of sensor technology. Fiber optic sensing technology primarily relies on fiber optic sensors, which use optical signals as the carrier for transformation and transmission, mainly for precision measurement. It utilizes the light transmission characteristics of optical fibers to convert the measured quantity into a sensor that alters the optical characteristics (intensity, phase, polarization state, frequency, and wavelength). It involves sending light from a light source through an optical fiber into a modulator, where the measured parameter interacts with the light entering the modulation region, causing a change in the optical properties of the light (such as intensity, wavelength, frequency, phase, and polarization state). This change is called the modulated signal light, which is then sent through an optical fiber to a photodetector and demodulated to obtain the measured parameter.
Fiber optic sensors have a wide range of applications in industry. They can be used for monitoring manufacturing processes, robot operation, and industrial control. Below, Atom Technology introduces some specific application examples.
In temperature measurement, fiber optic sensors can be used to measure temperatures in high or low temperature environments. The advantage of this type of sensor is its ability to measure very small temperature changes and to measure temperatures at different locations. In industrial applications, fiber optic sensors are widely used for temperature measurement; for example, in heat treatment processes, they are used to monitor temperature changes in heating furnaces.
Fiber optic sensors are used to measure pressure changes across different pressure ranges. The advantage of this type of sensor is its ability to measure pressure at various locations and to detect very small pressure variations. In industrial applications, fiber optic sensors are widely used for pressure measurement, such as in oil wells and natural gas pipelines to monitor pressure changes within the pipeline.
Fiber optic sensors are used to measure the height of liquid levels. The advantage of this type of sensor is that it can measure at different liquid levels and can detect very small changes in level. In industrial applications, fiber optic sensors are widely used for level measurement, such as in storage tanks to monitor changes in liquid level.
Vibration measurement, specifically fiber optic sensors, can be used to measure machine vibration and operating status. The advantage of these sensors is their ability to detect very small vibration changes and variations at different locations. In industrial applications, fiber optic sensors are widely used for vibration measurement, such as in wind turbines and mechanical equipment, to monitor machine vibration and determine if maintenance or replacement is needed.
In addition to the applications mentioned above, fiber optic sensors can also be used to measure changes in environmental parameters such as tension, strain, deformation, and flow rate. During manufacturing, fiber optic sensors can be used to monitor parameters such as robot position, orientation, and speed, as well as to detect material flow on the production line.
The main applications of fiber optic sensors in various fields.
1) Urban construction
Applications of interferometric gyroscopes and optomechanical pressure sensors in bridges, dams, oil fields, etc.; embedding fiber optic sensors or reinforced fiber optic condensates in concrete; and monitoring traffic using interferometric fiber optic vibration sensor systems in airports.
2) Civil engineering and environmental monitoring
Distributed Raman temperature monitoring of oil pipelines, underground natural gas storage facilities, boreholes, and dams; installation of rock columns embedded with Bragg fiber optic pressure sensors in coal mines, tunnels, and mountain rocks; and seismic measurements using interferometric fiber optic sensor systems in deep boreholes or volcanoes.
3) Power System
Fiber optic sensors for current and voltage in power plants; temperature and vibration monitoring of generators and converters using Bragg grating sensor networks; distributed Raman temperature "hotspot" detection and Brillouin pressure monitoring of high-voltage bodies using composite optical fibers.
4) Aerospace
The key component of NASA's Space Shuttle X38, the vehicle that powers astronauts to and from the International Space Station, uses an FBG pressure and temperature sensor array: a microstructure embedded in composite material for space positioning systems.
5) Medical and biosensors
Medical clinical applications include fiber optic radiation dosimeters and respiratory system airflow sensing systems; conical miniature FOS for measuring oxygen concentration and other biological parameters; FOS for detecting hydroxides and other chemical pollutants; fiber optic surface cell plasmid genome resonance biosensors; and the bio-adaptive FOS system from Siruida Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. is used in seawater monitoring, biochemical technology, and medicine.
