Low loss, high reliability: Application of fiber-optic delay lines in fiber-optic sensing
Low loss, high reliability: Application of fiber-optic delay lines in fiber-optic sensing
Blog Article
At present, with the rapid development of optical fiber sensing technology, accurately capturing and processing sensing signals has become the key to improving system performance. Optical fiber delay lines, with their unique advantages of low loss and high reliability, have been deeply integrated into the field of optical fiber sensing, providing important technical support for achieving high-precision and stable sensing monitoring.
1. Low loss: Ensure the integrity of the sensor signal
The low-loss characteristic of optical fiber delay lines is the core element to ensure the integrity of optical fiber sensing signals. In optical fiber sensing systems, optical signals, as information carriers, are transmitted over long distances from the transmitting end to the receiving end. If there is excessive loss during the transmission process, it will lead to weakened signal strength, reduced signal-to-noise ratio, and affect the accuracy of sensing data. Optical fiber delay lines use high-quality optical fiber materials and precise manufacturing processes to minimize the loss of optical signals during the delay process.
Take the distributed optical fiber temperature sensing system as an example. This system acquires temperature distribution information by detecting the temperature-related characteristics of the backscattered light in the optical fiber. During the transmission of optical signals, the low-loss characteristic of the optical fiber delay line can ensure the complete transmission of the temperature information carried by the backscattered light, avoiding temperature measurement errors caused by signal attenuation. Even within the monitoring range of several kilometers of sensing optical fibers, low-loss optical fiber delay lines can still ensure signal strength, enabling the system to precisely capture minute temperature changes and achieve high-precision temperature sensing.
2. High reliability: Adaptable to the monitoring requirements of complex environments
The high reliability of optical fiber delay lines enables them to operate stably in complex and harsh environments, meeting the diverse monitoring requirements of optical fiber sensing systems. It is not affected by external factors such as electromagnetic interference and chemical corrosion. Compared with traditional electronic delay devices, it has stronger environmental adaptability. In industrial fields such as petrochemicals and power transmission, the on-site environment often has harsh conditions like strong electromagnetic interference, high temperature and high humidity, making it difficult for ordinary electronic equipment to operate normally. The optical fiber delay line, with its all-optical fiber structure and optical signal transmission characteristics, can operate stably to ensure the accurate delay and processing of the sensing signal.
In the health monitoring of large-scale infrastructure such as Bridges and DAMS, optical fiber sensing systems need to continuously and long-term monitor parameters such as strain and vibration of the structure. The high reliability of optical fiber delay lines ensures that they will not experience performance degradation or failure due to environmental factors during long-term operation. Even after being exposed to conditions such as wind and rain erosion and drastic temperature changes, it can still precisely delay the optical signal, enabling the monitoring system to obtain the health status information of the structure in a timely and accurate manner, providing reliable data support for ensuring the safety of infrastructure.
3. Specific Application Scenarios in Optical Fiber Sensing
(1) Distributed optical fiber strain sensing
In distributed optical fiber strain sensing, optical fiber delay lines are used to precisely control the delay time of optical signals, achieving high-precision measurement of the strain distribution along the optical fiber. By interfering the optical signals with different delay times, the strain information of each point of the optical fiber can be obtained. Low-loss optical fiber delay lines ensure that the energy loss of optical signals is minimal during transmission and delay, thereby enhancing the sensitivity and resolution of strain measurement. High reliability ensures the stable operation of the system during long-term monitoring, enabling timely detection of minor structural deformations, such as ground displacement monitoring during tunnel construction and deformation detection of oil and gas pipelines.
(2) Fiber Grating Sensing
Fiber Bragg grating sensing utilizes the wavelength shift of fiber Bragg gratings to sense changes in external physical quantities. The optical fiber delay line plays a role in signal conditioning and synchronization in it. By precisely delaying the optical signal, the reflected signals of the optical fiber grating at different positions can reach the receiving end in an orderly manner, facilitating the analysis and processing of the signal. In the structural health monitoring of intelligent buildings, multiple fiber Bragg grating sensors are distributed in key parts of the building. The low loss and high reliability of the fiber delay lines ensure the accurate transmission and delay of signals from each sensor, providing a reliable basis for the safety assessment of the building.
(3) Optical Fiber acoustic Wave sensing
Optical fiber acoustic wave sensing is used to detect acoustic wave signals and is widely applied in fields such as oil exploration and perimeter security. Optical fiber delay lines can enhance the detection sensitivity and anti-interference ability of acoustic wave signals by adjusting the delay of optical signals. In oil exploration, underground acoustic wave signals are weak and complex. Low-loss optical fiber delay lines ensure that the changes in optical signals caused by acoustic waves can be completely transmitted. Their high reliability enables them to work stably in complex field environments, helping exploration personnel accurately obtain information on underground geological structures and improving exploration efficiency and accuracy.
The low loss and high reliability characteristics of optical fiber delay lines enable them to play an irreplaceable and important role in the field of optical fiber sensing. With the continuous development of optical fiber sensing technology and the increasing expansion of application scenarios, optical fiber delay lines will also continue to be optimized and upgraded, providing stronger technical support for achieving more accurate and reliable optical fiber sensing monitoring, and promoting the in-depth application and development of optical fiber sensing technology in various industries. Report this page