We review our recent work on chirped-pulse phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry along optical fibers and its application in the measurement of true nanostrain variations in the kHz frequency range over km-long fibers. We also show how this technique can be used to perform distributed photothermal measurements of gas presence in suitable microstructured fibers
Chirped-pulse phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry has shown a remarkable performance when applied to dynamic measurements of strain and temperature, recently reaching ranges of several kilometers while interrogating the fiber at acoustic frequencies. In this work, its sensitivity, fast response, and high spatial resolution are exploited to implement a proof-of-concept of a selective distributed chemical sensor based on the photothermal effect. The presented scheme is able to perform distributed spectroscopic measurements of acetylene presence along a 10 m-long holey fiber. This potentially gives rise to a new kind of distributed chemical sensors capable of tracking the concentration of chemical species over kilometres.
In this work, the impact of the laser phase noise on chirped-pulse phase-sensitive OTDR signals is theoretically and experimentally analyzed. In particular, it is shown that the noise in the readings of strain/temperature changes along the fiber scales directly with the frequency noise power spectral density of the laser. The effect of the pulse chirp on the signal to noise ratio is also investigated. Three lasers with different linewidths (5 MHz, 50 kHz and 25 kHz), i.e., with different phase noise, were used for the experimental study, confirming the validity of the theoretical model.
This work shows the possibility of using chirped pulse amplification concepts in order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of phase sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (ΦOTDR) sensors. This method allows to increase the SNR of a ΦOTDR sensor without sacrificing spatial resolution. Here, we report a ΦOTDR sensor with a spatial resolution of 3 mm (limited only by the available detection equipment) and an SNR increase of 20 dB over the traditional architecture. To our knowledge, this is the highest-resolution ΦOTDR sensor reported to date.
In this communication, the effect of the probe pulse shape on the backscattered power trace of phase-sensitive (φ-) OTDR is analyzed. In particular, the power traces obtained with rectangular and Gaussian-like probe pulses are compared, both numerically and experimentally. Our analysis reveals that the use of Gaussian-like pulses can increase the operation range and sensitivity of φOTDR-based sensors in at least two-fold as compared with that obtained from traditionally-employed rectangular-like pulses.
J. Tejedor, J. Macias-Guarasa, H. Martins, D. Piote, J. Pastor-Graells, S. Martin-Lopez, P. Corredera, G. De Pauw, F. De Smet, W. Postvoll, C. H. Ahlen, M. Gonzalez-Herraez
This paper presents the first report on on-line and final blind field test results of a pipeline integrity threat surveillance system. The system integrates a machine+activity identification mode, and a threat detection mode. Two different pipeline sections were selected for the blind tests: One close to the sensor position, and the other 35 km away from it. Results of the machine+activity identification mode showed that about 46% of the times the machine, the activity or both were correctly identified. For the threat detection mode, 8 out of 10 threats were correctly detected, with 1 false alarm.
A method to evaluate distributed temperature gradients along an optical fiber using phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (ΦOTDR) with direct detection is proposed and experimentally validated. The measurement principle derives from the perturbation response of a single-wavelength ΦOTDR signal, which is analyzed as a unidimensional speckle pattern. Our method can be implemented in real-time, relies solely on a low-cost post-processing of the standard ΦOTDR traces and requires no scanning of the laser frequency. This post-processing method can be implemented over a conventional ΦOTDR system used for distributed intrusion detection, without affecting its operation or requiring any additional hardware.
A new and simple distributed fiber sensor which allows for the dynamic (single-shot) and quantitative measurement of perturbations is presented. It is based on a phase-sensitive OTDR using direct detection and linearly chirped pulses. Perturbations result in longitudinal shifts of the fiber trace, which can be calculated using a local correlation. As a proof of concept, distributed temperature variations of up to 5 Kelvin with millikelvin temperature resolutions over several minutes are demonstrated. Since the technique does not require a frequency sweep, operation ranging from dynamic strain measurements at kHz rates to temperature monitoring over several hours is readily envisaged.
H. Martins, D. Piote, J. Tejedor, J. Macias-Guarasa, J. Pastor-Graells, S. Martin-Lopez, P. Corredera, F. De Smet, W. Postvoll, C. H. Ahlen, M. Gonzalez-Herraez
The preliminary results of a surveillance system set up for real time monitoring activities along a pipeline and analyzing for possible threats are presented. The system consists of a phi-OTDR based sensor used to monitor vibrations along an optical fiber combined with a pattern recognition system that classifies the recorded signals. The acoustic traces generated by the activities of different machines at various locations along a pipeline were recorded in the field. The signals, corresponding to machinery activities, were clearly distinguished from background noise. A threat classification rate of 68.11% with 55.55% false alarms was obtained.
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