Overview of Trends in Optical Fiber Sensors

Overview of Trends in Optical
Fiber Sensors
Alexis Méndez, PhD
MCH Engineering
Engineering, LLC
1728 Clinton Ave., Alameda, CA 94501 (USA)
[email protected]
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Contents
• Introduction
I t d ti
• Original Driving Factors
• Applications
• Market Situation
• Future Applications
• Conclusions
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Introduction
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Optical Fiber Sensor Roots:
T l
Telecommunications
i ti
Over 30 years of R&D, testing
product development and
broad commercial use in
telecoms industry!
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After Personick
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Why Fiber Optic Sensors?
Source: NASA Langley
Composite wing IVHM testing
400 conventional strain gage sensors
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3000 fiber optic FBG
strain sensors
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Advantages of Fiber Optic
Sensors
• Galvanic isolation
• EMI immunity
• Intrinsically safe
• Passive: no need for electrical power
• Possibility
y of remote,, multiplexed
p
operation
p
• Small size and lightweight
• Integrated telemetry: fiber itself is a data link
• Wide bandwidth
• High sensitivity
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Fiber Optic Sensor:
Basic Configuration
E=Eo cos(kz - t)
Sensing is based on detecting a change in one or more
of the light wave properties:
intensity
polarization
phase
frequency
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Photonics Components Needed
• Optical Sources
–
–
–
–
–
• Light Processing
Quantum Cascade Lasers
Tunable lasers
Fiber lasers
LEDs
Broadband sources
– Filters
– Imaging
– Beam steering
• Detectors
• Light Guiding
– CCDs
– UV, VIS, IR detectors
– Multi-spectral spectrometers
– IR waveguides
g
– Specialty optical fibers
– Lenses
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Optical Fiber Waveguides:
Material & Geometry Choices
• Glass vs. Crystals vs. Polymer
–
–
–
–
Amorphous glasses (silica, fluorides, chalcogenide)
Single crystals (Sapphire)
Polycrystalline
y y
materials ((Halide))
Polymeric (PMMA, polycarbonate, etc.)
• Solid vs. Hollow
– Index guiding (TIR)
– Reflection guiding
– Photonic Bandgap
g pg
guiding
g
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Fiber Sensors Configurations
g
Single-point sensor
Fiber
Sensing element
Multi-point (quasi-distributed) sensor
Multiple sensing points
Distributed sensor
Continuous sensing element
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Example of a Single-Point Sensor:
Intensity Pressure Sensor
Pressure, displacement, etc
A= step index
B= graded index
C= 2 fibers
Source: EOTEC
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Fiber Bragg Gratings Arrays:
M lti P i t FO Sensing
Multi-Point
S
i
Spool with a continuous FBG Sensor Array
Up to 100s of FBGs positioned at discrete points
along a continuous fiber
fiber. Each FBG can measure a
specific parameter.
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Source: LxSix
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Distributed Fiber Sensing:
Raman & Brillouin Scattering Systems
The fiber is the sensor
Measurements all along a 10km fiber = 10,000
10 000 sensors!!
Standard multi-mode optical
p
fibre
T1
T2
T3
T4 ……….
Backscattered light provides
measurement point every 1m
1m pulse of light
T9,995
T9,996
T9,997
9 997
T9,998
T9,999
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Original
O
g a FOS
OS Technology
ec o ogy Drivers
es
• Given the dielectric nature of optical fibers and their
intrinsic immunity to EMI/RFI, they were the natural
choice to develop sensors in high voltage and harsh
environment applications.
• Key driving applications were originally:
– HV Current & Voltage Systems
– Downhole
D
h l oil
il & gas well
ll sensors
– Military: acoustic & gyro sensors
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1st Generation Current Sensor:
Magneto Optic Current Transducer (MOCT)
Quartz glass monoblock with optical fiber link
Circa 1991
multimode fiber
thin-film polarizers
collimators
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2nd Generation:
All-Fiber Current Sensor
• All fiber sensing coil
• Polymeric,
Polymeric lightweight insulator
Photos: NxtPhase
Circa 2002
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Downhole Instrumentation Comparison:
El t i vs. Fiber
Electronic
Fib Optic
O ti
ELECTRONIC SYSTEM
FIBER OPTIC SYSTEM
Power supply
•Electronic ICs
•Solder joints
•Batteries
•Multi-components
•Insulation materials
•Moving parts
Light beam source
Opto-electronic devices
SURFACE
UNIT
Copper cable
Fiber optic cable
•Passive
•No electronics
•Low part count
•No moving parts
CABLE
Power supplied
electronic circuits
No electronic circuits
SENSOR
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Downhole Applications:
Well Monitoring
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Proven Field Use of FBGs:
Downhole P/T Sensors
>150
Source: Weatherford
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The Instrumented Oilfield
Seismic
• Downhole Seismic
Land Wells
• MultiPoint Temp (MPT)
• Borehole Pressure (BHP)
• Sand Detection
Pipelines
Refineries
•
•
•
•
MultiPoint Temp (MPT)
Perimeter Security
Leak Detection
Inventory Monitoring
• Leak Detection
• Perimeter Security
Offshore Wells
Seismic
• Seismic Streamers
• Ocean Bottom
Cables
•
•
•
•
MultiPoint Temp (MPT)
Borehole Pressure (BHP)
Sand Detection
Strain Sensing
Picture courtesy of Sabeus Sensor Systems
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FO Seismic & Geophone Sensors:
Tow Arrays & OBCs
Source: PGS
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Pipeline
p
Leak Detection
Fiber cable
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SNAM-Rete
Gas
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Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG):
Applications
• Mobile Antenna Pointing & Stabilization
• Vehicle Navigation
• Autonomous Vehicle Navigation
– Material Handling Equipment
•
•
•
•
•
•
Torpedoes
Weapons Simulators
Vid C
Video
Camera St
Stabilization
bili ti
Open & closed-loop designs
1,2,3, 6 axes
Typically PM fiber with 80um OD.
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Source: KVH
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NGC FOG Product Family
• Single, two, and three axes fiber
optic gyros.
• Self contained and remote
operation.
• uFORS p
product line on top.
p
– Performance from 1 to 36 º/hr.
– Over 7500 uFORS sold and production
is ongoing.
• FOG 200 product line below.
– Performance of 3 º/hr.
– Lower left FOG packaged for 200 g rms
vibration environment
environment.
By the 35th FOG anniversary (2011), NGC will have
delivered over 100,000 fiber optic gyros!
Big market for PM fiber and PM couplers
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Lengthy Commercialization Process:
Fiber Optic Gyros (FOG)
1975
First publication
1985
1995
Lab proto @ 0.01 º/hr
/hr
First commercial applications
(Boeing 777)
Photo: KVH Industries
2005
Broader Applications:
(Subsea, automotive, etc)
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Applications
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FO Sensor Applications:
Segment Areas
Civil
Oil & Gas
– Reservoir monitoring
– Downhole P/T sensing
– Seismic arrays
y
Energy Industry
–
–
–
–
–
Power plants
Boilers & Steam turbines
Power cables
Turbines
Refineries
Aerospace
– Jet engines
– Rocket & propulsion systems
– Fuselages
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–
–
–
–
–
Bridges
Dams
Roads
Tunnels
Land
slides
Transportation
– R
Railil monitoring
it i
– Weight in
motion
– Carriage
safety
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Successful Fiber Optic Biosensor:
20 Years of Product Sales!
Reached a sales volume of
60,000 units/year!
Camino®
®
Camino® 110-4B
Intracranial Pressure Monitoring Kit
The
e ICP
C Monitoring
o to g Catheter
Cat ete is
s des
designed
g ed for
o Rapid
ap d Placement
ace e t with
t instant
sta t monitoring
o to g at the
t e
source. A rapid rise in intracranial pressure resulting from severe head injury or other
pathology requires early recognition and intervention.
Pressure
O ti l Fibers
Optical
Fib
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Medical Pressure Sensor:
S b 3200/P
Samba
3200/Preclin
li
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Medical Sensors:
L
Large,
Di
Disposable
bl M
Market!
k t!
Intra-aortic pressure sensor
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Cardiac Force Probe:
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Endosense
•
Motivation
•
Atrial Fibrillation, AF, affects 6
million today
•
Impro ed catheter ablation
Improved
•
Real-time feedback
•
Multi-billion dollar market
•
Endosense Touch+TM Force
Sensing Technology is based on a
probe
b fitt
fitted
d with
ith 3 FBG
FBGs.
•
Immune to EMI
•
Probe cost allows for one time use –
no autoclave
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FBG Fabrication: Reel-to-Reel Process:
Hi h V
High
Volume
l
and
d FBG A
Arrays
-Fully automated process:
- fiber
fib stripping
ti i
- recoating
- testing
- winding
- Continuous Write Sequence
q
- Capacity for 150,000 units/yr
- Arrays with 100s of FBGs
- No Contamination—hands free
- Flexible and programmable
- 100% inspection
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FBG-Based Sensors & Arrays:
M lti l P
Multiple
Parameters
t
&S
Suppliers
li
Accelerometer
Displacement meter
Strain meter
Pressure meter
Thermometer
Incline meter
Reliability is the main
commercial issue
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FBG Interrogators:
M lti l S
Multiple
Suppliers
li
& St
Styles
l
New Photo and Bullets
Lab
Field/OEM
Module
34Hand-held
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Conventional Strain Gages
g & FBGs
In May 2007 HBM—the world’s largest supplier of strain
sensing
i systems—began
t
b
offering
ff i optical
ti l strain
t i gages
and interrogators based on FBG technology!!
This is the first time that a conventional
foil strain gage manufacturer has
adopted
d t d and
d embraced
b
d FBGs.
FBG
A broad and hard commercial pull
should be expected from this initiative
initiative.
Will help motivate others in the industry.
Source: HBM
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Driving Factors for On-line Monitoring:
D
Decaying
i Ci
Civilil IInfrastructure
f t t
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Smart Structures – Materials with
Integrated "Nervous System"
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite
with embedded fiber optic Bragg grating sensor
100µm
Photo: Daimler-Chrysler
Photograph: DaimlerChrysler
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Smart Fabrics:
Civil & Geotechnical Applications
Source: FOS&S
• Detect
D t t gases & chemical
h i l in
i landfills
l dfill
• Monitor water ground table
• Detect and monitor corrosion in reinforce
concrete
Source: BAM,
BAM Germany
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Smart Fabrics:
P ti t MonitoringOFSETH
Patient
M it i OFSETH Project
P j t
FBG sensors
Monitoring or cardiac
and respiratory rhythms
in healthcare patients
Prevention of SIDS in newborns
59 FBG Sensors woven
within a special textile
www.ofseth.org
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Load Monitoring in Wind
T bi Blades
Turbine
Bl d
FBG Strain / Temperature
Sensor Pads
D 3.1
D 3.2
D 3.3
D 1.1
D 1.2
D 1.3
Signal Processing
Rotor diameter: 112 m
Source: IPTH, Jena
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Temperature Monitoring of Rail Cars
20 FBG sensors are
mounted on different
parts of a train car.
p
Hong Kong Rail System
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Sensor Installation
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Measurement Traces (Temperature
differences)
Axle box (Front)
Axle box (Back)
Four brakes
Bare and packaged FBGs
in front motor
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Cryogenic LNG Tanker:
C
Compartment
t
t Monitoring
M it i
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Active Fiber Coatings
g
Transmitted Light
External Measurands:
•Phase change
•Transmittance
•Wavelength
•Polarization
•Temperature
•Pressure
•Stress/strain
•Electromagnetic fields
•Biological
Bi l i l agents
t
•Chemical substances
Fiber coating
Optical fiber
Coating response
•Refractive index change
•Fluorescence
•Absorption
•Striction
St i ti
•Spectral shift
•Scattering
An area h
A
hardly
dl explored
l
d in
i the
th
Specialty Optical Fiber field…
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Water Leak Detection:
Distributed Moisture Sensor
A special polymer coating swells in the
presence off moisture,
i
expanding
di and
d
producing microbending losses on the
strapped multi-mode fiber.
Source: B. Culshaw
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Evanescent-Wave Sensor Principle
Chemically Induced Cladding Change
Chemically-Induced
Ch i l agentt
Chemical
n2
Waveguide core
S1
n1
So
Waveguide cladding
• Presence of chemical agent in cladding
region changes optical properties
•
• Light propagating through sensor waveguide
is affected by changes in exposed region
Source: IOS Inc.
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DICAST® Chem Sensor Fibers
Fully distributed, intrinsically sensitive, chemically active, claddingbased fiber optic sensor elements provide seamless coverage
based,
coverage.
Cl2
HCN
H2S
Nerve
Source: IOS Inc.
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PCF Applications:
Gas Sensing
Side laser-drilled hole
Fiber Cross-section
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Source: IPTH
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Optical Fiber Arrays:
Multiple Agent Sensing
Individually Clad
Optical Fibers
Optical Fiber
Array
1 mm
5x
80x
Specifications:
~50000 fibers
3.1 μm diameter
5μ
μm d
diameter
a ete
4.5
10x
Source: D.
D Walt/Tufts Univ
Univ.
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Microsphere
p
Arrays:
y
Assembly Process
Microspheres
10 μm
10 μm
Source: Dickinson, T. A.; Michael, K. L..; Kauer, J. S.; Walt, D. R.; Anal. Chem. 1999, 71, 2192-2198.
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Surface Micromachining + Active
Coatings
Chemical or
bio agent
Source: Fiberlogix, Ltd.
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Market Perspective
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Global Optoelectronics Market
Source: OIDA
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Telecom vs.
vs FO Sensors
Optical Telecom
FO Sensors
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Sensors Market Size
Development of the World Market Share of Fiber Optical
Sensors until 2008
SENSORS WORLD MARKET
US $ Million
1998 – U$32,534.0M
2003 – U$42,158.4M
2008 – U$50,594.3M
60000
Fiber Optical Sensors
Total sensors
50000
AVERAGE OF ANNUAL GROUTH RATE – 4,5%
40000
30000
FOS WORLD MARKET
20000
1998 – U$175,0M
$
,
– MKT SHARE ((0,54%)
,
)
2003 – U$283,4M - MKT SHARE (0,67%)
2008 – U$1,450,0M – MKT SHARE (2,87%)
10000
0
1998
AVERAGE OF ANNUAL GROUTH RATE – 23,5%
2003
2008
Source: INTECHNO CONSULTING
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2008 FOS Market
Source: Lightwave Venture LLC & Qorex
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Distributed Optical Fiber
S
Sensor
Market
M k t
S
Source:
Li
Lightwave
ht
V
Venture/OIDA
t /OIDA
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Market Hurdles & Barriers
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fragmented Markets & Applications
U f ili it with
Unfamiliarity
ith the
th ttechnology
h l
Conservative/no-risk attitude of some industries
Need for a proven field record & Reliability
Compatibility with existing equipment
Cost
Long R&D and NPI cycles
Availability of trained personnel
Turn-keyy type
yp systems
y
((sensing
g solution))
Lack of standards
Quality, performance, packaging & reliability
deficiencies across vendors
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Technology Development Forces
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Application
pp
Pull
Applications
Systems
Subsystems
Module
Device
Process
Materials
Science
Technology Push
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Where Are The Opportunities?
• Point Sensing
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Oil & gas
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM)
Chem/Bio Sensing
Medical/Life Sciences (disposable sensors)
W t Quality/Wastewater
Water
Q lit /W t
t Treatment
T t
t
Automotive (very low cost requirements)
Aerospace & Shipboard applications (reduction in size & weight)
Low Cost Sensors (Plastic fibers)
Food Industry/Agriculture?
• Distributed
–
–
–
–
Intrusion detection/Perimeter protection
Transmission Lines (Dynamic Energy Rating)
Homeland security
Home Security (FTTH spin-off)
• New Breakthroughs
–
Ph t i Crystal
Photonic
C t l Fibers
Fib
(OCF) b
based
d sensors
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Future Market Opportunities:
pp
• Low cost sensors all applications & markets
• Disposable sensors medical & health care
• Distributed sensors all areas
• Smart fabrics geotechnical, medical, aerospace
• Hydrogen sensors fuel cells
• Food industry water & food safety
• Environmental power plant & refinery emissions
emissions,
plane & vehicle cabin air quality
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Future R&D Opportunities:
N
Novel
lS
Specialty
i lt Fib
Fibers & C
Coatings
ti
• Custom-tailored specialty fibers
–
–
–
–
•
•
•
•
Multi-core
Tapered
Brillouin scattering enhanced
Perforated claddings
Active fiber coatings
Holey and hollow-core fiber based sensors
Fiber arrays
Plastic fiber sensors & FBGs
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Conclusions
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Conclusions
•
Fiber Optic Sensors (FOS) are an Enabling Technology for diverse
civil, industrial and defense applications.
•
FOS technology offers the possibility of sensitive, non-destructive,
and in-situ measurements of temperature, stress, strain and
deformation of different materials & structures.
•
Novel applications for on-line monitoring and service lifetime in a
variety of applications and industries are made possible by FOS.
•
Theoretical and experimental research is needed to investigate:
–
–
–
–
Fiber embedding techniques
Mechanics of host material/fiber interfaces
Adequate fiber coatings and packaging designs
Sensor design and configuration
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