Distributed fiber optic sensors for tunnel monitoring:A state-of-the-art review

Distributed fiber optic sensors(DFOSs)possess the capability to measure strain and temperature variations over long distances,demonstrating outstanding potential for monitoring underground infrastructure.This study presents a state-of-the-art review of the DFOS applications for monitoring and assessing the deformation behavior of typical tunnel infrastructure,including bored tunnels,conventional tunnels,as well as immersed and cut-and-cover tunnels.DFOS systems based on Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering principles are both considered.When implementing DFOS monitoring,the fiber optic cable can be primarily installed along transverse and longitudinal directions to(1)measure distributed strains by continuously adhering the fiber to the structure’s surface or embedding it in the lining,or(2)measure point displacements by spot-anchoring it on the lining surface.There are four critical aspects of DFOS monitoring,including proper selection of the sensing fiber,selection of the measuring principle for the specific application,design of an effective sensor layout,and establishment of robust field sensor instrumentation.These four issues are comprehensively discussed,and practical suggestions are provided for the implementation of DFOS in tunnel infrastructure monitoring.

Simulation of distributed optical fiber disturbance detection system based on Sagnac/Mach-Zehnder interferometer and cross-correlation location

A distributed optical fiber disturbance detection system consisted of a Sagnac interferometer and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is demonstrated. Two interferometers outputs are connected to an electric band-pass filter via a detector respectively. The central frequencies of the two filters are selected adaptively according to the disturbance frequency. The disturbance frequency is obtained by either frequency spectrum of the two interferometers outputs. An alarm is given out only when the Sagnac interferometer output is changed. A disturbance position is determined by calculating a time difference with a cross-correlation method between the filter output connected to the Sagnac interferometer and derivative of the filter output connected to the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The frequency spectrum, derivative and cross-correlation are obtained by a signal processing system. Theory analysis and simulation results are presented. They show that the system structure and location method are effective, accurate, and immune to environmental variations.

Practical Pattern Recognition System for Distributed Optical Fiber Intrusion Monitoring Based on Ф-COTDR

At present, the demand for perimeter security system is in-creasing greatly, especially for such system based on distribut-ed optical fiber sensing. This paper proposes a perimeter se-curity monitoring system based on phase-sensitive coherentoptical time domain reflectometry(Ф-COTDR) with the practi-cal pattern recognition function. We use fast Fourier trans-form(FFT) to exact features from intrusion events and a multi-class classification algorithm derived from support vector ma-chine(SVM) to work as a pattern recognition technique. Fivedifferent types of events are classified by using a classifica-tion algorithm based on SVM through a three-dimensional fea-ture vector. Moreover, the identification results of the patternrecognition system show that an identification accurate rate of92.62% on average can be achieved.

Distributed optical fiber acoustic sensor for in situ monitoring of marine natural gas hydrates production for the first time in the Shenhu Area,China

The distributed acoustic sensor(DAS)uses a single optical cable as the sensing unit,which can capture the acoustic and vibration signals along the optical cable in real-time.So it is suitable for monitoring downhole production activities in the process of oil and gas development.The authors applied the DAS system in a gas production well in the South China Sea for in situ monitoring of the whole wellbore for the first time and obtained the distributed acoustic signals along the whole wellbore.These signals can clearly distinguish the vertical section,curve section,and horizontal production section.The collected acoustic signal with the frequency of approximately 50 Hz caused by the electric submersible pump exhibit a signal-to-noise ratio higher than 27 dB.By analyzing the acoustic signals in the production section,it can be located the layers with high gas production rates.Once an accurate physical model is built in the future,the gas production profile will be obtained.In addition,the DAS system can track the trajectory of downhole tools in the wellbore to guide the operation.Through the velocity analysis of the typical signals,the type of fluids in the wellbore can be distinguished.The successful application of the system provides a promising whole wellbore acoustic monitoring tool for the production of marine gas hydrate,with a good application prospect.

Network Integration of Distributed Optical Fiber Temperature Sensor

The integration of distributed optical fiber temperature sensor with supervisory control and data acquisition （SCADA） system is proposed and implemented. In the implementation of the integration, both the compatibility with traditional system and the characteristics of distributed optical fiber temperature sensor is considered before Modbus TCP/IP protocol is chosen. The protocol is implemented with open source component Indy. The Modbus TCP/IP protocol used in the system is proved to be fast and robust.

DISTRIBUTED MICROBEND FIBER-OPTIC STRAIN SENSOR

The distributed strain sensor has significant application in real time measurement of strain status for large and important engineering structures such as aircraft, bridge and dam. In this paper, a quasi distributed optical fiber strain sensor system is set up using optical time domain reflect technique. The local strain sensors based on a novel microbend configuration are designed and applied to measure local strains along the optical fiber. As the result of the experimental research, the microbend sensors show high sensitivity, good linearity and repeatability in certain operation range.

Distributed Fiber Optic Monitoring and Stability Analysis of a Model Slope under Surcharge Loading

In the discipline of geotechnical engineering, fiber optic sensor based distributed monitoring has played an increasingly important role over the past few decades. Compared with conventional sensors, fiber optic sensors have a variety of exclusive advantages, such as smaller size, higher precision, and better corrosion resistance. These innovative monitoring technologies have been successfully applied for performance monitoring of geo-structures and early warning of potential geo- hazards around the world. In order to investigate their ability to monitor slope stability problems, a medium-sized model of soil nailed slope has been constructed in laboratory. The fully distributed Brillouin optical time-domain analysis （BOTDA） sensing technology was employed to measure the horizontal strain distributions inside the model slope. During model construction, a specially designed strain sensing fiber was buried in the soil mass. Afterward, the surcharge loading was applied on the slope crest in stages using hydraulic jacks and a reaction frame. During testing, an NBX-6o5o BOTDA sensing interrogator was used to collect the fiber optic sensing data. The test results have been analyzed in detail, which shows that the fiber optic sensors can capture the progressive deformation and failure pattern of the model slope. The limit equilibrium analyses were also conducted to obtain the factors ofsafety of the slope under different surface loadings. It is found that the characteristic maximum strains can reflect the stability of the model slope and an empirical relationship was obtained, This study verified the effectiveness of the distributed BOTDA sensing technology in performance monitoring of slope.

Deformation and failure characteristics of sandstone under uniaxial compression using distributed fiber optic strain sensing

This paper investigates the deformation and fracture propagation of sandstone specimen under uniaxial compression using the distributed fiber optic strain sensing(DFOSS)technology.It shows that the DFOSS-based circumferential strains are in agreement with the data monitored with the traditional strain gage.The DFOSS successfully scans the full-field view of axial and circumferential strains on the specimen surface.The spatiotemporal strain measurement based on DFOSS manifests crack closure and elastoplastic deformation,detects initialization of microcrack nucleation,and identifies strain localization within the specimen.The DFOSS well observes the effects of rock heterogeneity on rock deformation.The advantage of DFOSS-based strain acquisition includes the high spatiotemporal resolution of signals and the ability of full-surface strain scanning.The introduction to the DFOSS technology yields a better understanding of the rock damage process under uniaxial compression.

A hardening load transfer function for rock bolts and its calibration using distributed fiber optic sensing

Confinement of rock bolts by the surrounding rock formation has long been recognized as a positive contributor to the pull-out behavior,yet only a few experimental works and analytical models have been reported,most of which are based on the global rock bolt response evaluated in pull-out tests.This paper presents a laboratory experimental setup aiming to capture the rock formation effect,while using distributed fiber optic sensing to quantify the effect of the confinement and the reinforcement pull-out behavior on a more local level.It is shown that the behavior along the sample itself varies,with certain points exhibiting stress drops with crack formation.Some edge effects related to the kinematic freedom of the grout to dilate are also observed.Regardless,it was found that the mid-level response is quite similar to the average response along the sample.The ability to characterize the variation of the response along the sample is one of the many advantages high-resolution fiber optic sensing allows in such investigations.The paper also offers a plasticity-based hardening load transfer function,representing a"slice"of the anchor.The paper describes in detail the development of the model and the calibration/determination of its parameters.The suggested model captures well the coupled behavior in which the pull-out process leads to an increase in the confining stress due to dilative behavior.

Two-dimensional distributed strain sensing with an Archimedean spiral arrangement in optical frequency domain reflectometry

We demonstrate a distributed two-dimensional(2D)strain-sensing system in optical frequency domain reflectometry(OFDR)with an Archimedean spiral arrangement of the sensing fiber.The Archimedean spiral describes a simple relationship between the radial radius and polar angle,such that each circle(the polar angle from0 to 2π)can sense the 2D strain in all directions.The strain between two adjacent circles can also be easily obtained because an Archimedean spiral facilitates sensing of every angle covering the full 2D range.Based on the mathematical relation of Archimedean spirals,we deduce the relationship between the one-dimensional position of the sensing fiber and 2D distribution in polar coordinates.The results of the experiment show that an Archimedean spiral arrangement system can achieve 2D strain sensing with different strain load angles.

Analysis of gain distribution in cladding-pumped thulium-doped fiber laser and optical feedback inhibition problem in fiber-bulk laser system

The steady-state gain distribution in cladding pumped thulium-doped fiber laser（TDFL） is analytically and numerically solved based on the rate equations including loss coefficients and cross relaxation effect. With the gain curve, a problem, which is named optical feedback inhibition（OFI） and always occurs in tandem TDFL-Ho：YAG laser system, is analyzed quantitatively. The actual characteristics of output spectra and power basically prove the conclusion of theoretical analysis. Then a simple mirror-deflected L-shaped cavity is employed to restrain the external feedback and simplify the structure of fiber-bulk Ho：YAG laser. Finally, 25 W of 2097-nm laser power and 51.2% of optical-to-optical conversion efficiency are obtained, and the beam quality factor is less than 1.43 obtained by knife-edge method.

Single-phase earth fault current distribution between optical fiber composite overhead ground wire and ordinary ground wire in transmission system

It is important for the safety of transmission system to accurately calculate single-phase earth fault current distribution.Features of double sided elimination method were illustrated.Quantitative calculation of single-phase earth fault current distribution and case verification were accomplished by using the loop method.Influences of some factors,such as single-phase earth fault location and ground resistance of poles,on short-circuit current distribution were discussed.Results show that:1) results of the loop method conform to those of double sided elimination method;2) the fault location hardly influences macro-distribution of short-circuit current.However,current near fault location is evidently influenced;and 3) the short-circuit current distribution is not so sensitive to the ground resistance of poles.

Landslide Monitoring Based on High-Resolution Distributed Fiber Optic Stress Sensor

A landslide monitoring application is presented by using a high-resolution distributed fiber optic stress sensor. The sensor is used to monitor the intra-stress distribution and variations in landslide bodies, and can be used for the early warning of the occurrence of the landslides. The principle of distributed fiber optic stress sensing and the intra-stress monitoring method for landslides are described in detail. By measuring the distributed polarization mode coupling in the polarization-maintaining fiber, the distributed fiber stress sensor with stress measuring range 0 to 15 MPa, spatial resolution 10 cm and measuring range 0.5 km, is designed. The warning system is also investigated experimentally in the field trial.

Impact of Fiber Dispersion on Performance of Entanglement-Based Dispersive Optics Quantum Key Distribution

Dispersive optics quantum key distribution(DO-QKD)based on energy-time entangled photon pairs is an important QKD scheme.In DO-QKD,the arrival time of photons is used in key generation and security analysis,which would be greatly affected by fiber dispersion.In this work,we establish a theoretical model of the entanglement-based DO-QKD system,considering the protocol,physical processes(such as fiber transmission and single-photon detection),and the analysis of security tests.Based on this theoretical model,we investigate the influence of chromatic dispersion introduced by transmission fibers on the performance of DO-QKD.By analyzing the benefits and costs of dispersion compensation,the system performance under G.652 and G.655 optical fibers are shown,respectively.The results show that dispersion compensation is unnecessary for DO-QKD systems in campus networks and even metro networks.Whereas,it is still required in DO-QKD systems with longer fiber transmission distances.

A distributed measurement method for in-situ soil moisture content by using carbon-fiber heated cable

Moisture content is a fundamental physical index that quantifies soil property and is closely associatedwith the hydrological, ecological and engineering behaviors of soil. To measure in-situ soil moisturecontents, a distributed measurement system for in-situ soil moisture content （SM-DTS） is introduced.The system is based on carbon-fiber heated cable （CFHC） technology that has been developed to enhancethe measuring accuracy of in-situ soil moisture content. Using CFHC technique, a temperature characteristicvalue （Tt） can be defined from temperatureetime curves. A relationship among Tt, soil thermalimpedance coefficient and soil moisture content is then established in laboratory. The feasibility of theSM-DTS technology to provide distributed measurements of in-situ soil moisture content is verifiedthrough field tests. The research reported herein indicates that the proposed SM-DTS is capable ofmeasuring in-situ soil moisture content over long distances and large areas.

Evolution mechanism of optical fiber strain induced by multi-fracture growth during fracturing in horizontal wells

A forward model for optical fiber strain was established based on a planar 3D multi-fracture model. Then the forward method calculating distributed fiber strain induced by multi-fracture growth was proposed. Based on this method, fiber strain evolution during fracturing of the horizontal well was numerically simulated. Fiber strain evolution induced by fracture growth can be divided into three stages: strain increasing, shrinkage convergence, and straight-line convergence, whereas the evolution of fiber strain rate has four stages: strain rate increasing, shrinkage convergence, straight-line convergence, and strain rate reversal after pumping stops. Fiber strain does not flip after pumping stop, while the strain rate flips after pumping stop so that strain rate can reflect injection dynamics. The time when the fracture extends to the fiber and inter-well pressure channeling can be identified by the straight-line convergence band of distributed fiber strain or strain rate, and the non-uniform growth of multiple fractures can be evaluated by using the instants of fractures reaching the fiber monitoring well.When the horizontal section of the fiber monitoring well is within the height range of a hydraulic fracture, the instant of the fracture reaching the fiber can be identified;otherwise, the converging band is not apparent. In multi-stage fracturing, under the influence of stress shadow from previous fracturing stages, the tensile region of fiber strain may not appear, but the fiber strain rate can effectively show the fracture growth behavior in each stage. The evolution law of fiber strain rate in single-stage fracturing can be applied to multi-stage fracturing.

Distributed multicore fiber sensors

Multicore fiber(MCF)which contains more than one core in a single fiber cladding has attracted ever increasing attention for application in optical sensing systems owing to its unique capability of independent light transmission in multiple spatial channels.Different from the situation in standard single mode fiber(SMF),the fiber bending gives rise to tangential strain in off-center cores,and this unique feature has been employed for directional bending and shape sensing,where strain measurement is achieved by using either fiber Bragg gratings(FBGs),optical frequency-domain reflectometry(OFDR)or Brillouin distributed sensing technique.On the other hand,the parallel spatial cores enable space-division multiplexed(SDM)system configuration that allows for the multiplexing of multiple distributed sensing techniques.As a result,multi-parameter sensing or performance enhanced sensing can be achieved by using MCF.In this paper,we review the research progress in MCF based distributed fiber sensors.Brief introductions of MCF and the multiplexing/de-multiplexing methods are presented.The bending sensitivity of off-center cores is analyzed.Curvature and shape sensing,as well as various SDM distributed sensing using MCF are summarized,and the working principles of diverse MCF sensors are discussed.Finally,we present the challenges and prospects of MCF for distributed sensing applications.

An all optical fiber gas sensor of NH3 and CO based on based on the spectral absorption and harmonic detection

An all optical fiber gas sensor is presented to detect the concentration of NH3 and CO. Based on the spectral absorption, The wideband light source is used to reflect two narrowband spectra by fiber grating of different duty. and piezoelectric ceramics to obtain narrowband output light. The high sensitivity detection can be measured from the second harmonic signal. The two narrowband spectra are corresponding to the absorption spectra of NH3 and CO. Concentration detection are realized by the detection of variety of light intensity. Sensitivity is proved and cost is reduced.

Development and Construction of 345 kV Power-Optical Fiber Composite XLPE 2,500 mm2 with Prefabricated Joint

Due to the increasing demand of replacing large capacity overhead lines with underground cables in Korea, KEPCO （Korea Electric Power Corporation） and LS Cable （LS Cable ＆ System） have developed 345 kV optical fiber composite XLPE （cross-linked polyethylene） 2,500 mm2 cable system. This system has been installed in Cheongna district of Incheon city. KEPCO and LS Cable are also planning to build the cooling system in a tunnel in order to reduce the ambient temperature caused by currents. In this paper, the process of development, field installation, and final inspection test of the complete system will be described.

Performance evaluation of two types of heated cables for distributedtemperature sensing-based measurement of soil moisture content

Distributed temperature sensing(DTS)using heated cables has been recently developed for distributed monitoring of in-situ soil moisture content.In this method,the thermal and electrical properties of heated cables have a significant influence on the measurement accuracy of soil moisture content.In this paper,the performances of two heated cables,i.e.the carbon-fiber heated cable(CFHC)and the metalnet heated cable(MNHC),are studied in the laboratory.Their structures,uniformity in the axial direction,measurement accuracy and suitability are evaluated.The test results indicate that the MNHC has a better uniformity in the axial direction than CFHC.Both CFHC and MNHC have high measurement accuracy.The CFHC is more suitable for short-distance measurement(500 m),while the MNHC can be used for longdistance measurement(>500 m).