Spectrum characteristics and temperature measurement error of FBG sensor based on rotor temperature monitoring system

Abstract

For real-time temperature monitoring of a generator or electric motor rotor, the effects of rotation on the reflection spectrum of a polyimide-coated Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) were analyzed using formulas. The measurement error resulting from the low-speed operation was evaluated, combined with the finite element method. Secondly, the key design of the FBG sensors and the mating part of the fiber optic rotary joint (FORJ) were investigated. The temperature of a rotating shaft was monitored to test the reliability of the measurement system. With a resolution of 0.1℃, the system was able to achieve an error of 0.5℃ over a range of 30-180℃. Finally, the critical conditions for the application of polyimide-coated and metal-coated FBGs were discussed. The results show that the variation of the center wavelength is more sensitive to the radius of the small-sized rotor, and the rotation speed of the large-sized rotor. It is at higher speeds that the thickness of the coating has a more pronounced effect on error, demonstrating that the accuracy of FBGs used in high-speed rotors could be rapidly improved by reducing the thickness of the metal coating. The reported results provide a basis for the thermal monitoring performance of FBG sensors during rotation.