Conventional Electrical Sensors Research Articles

Magneto-optical measurement of magnetic field and electrical current on a short pulse high energy pulsed power accelerator

We describe a direct magneto-optical approach to measuring the magnetic field driven by a narrow pulse width (<10 ns), 20 kA electrical current flow in the transmission line of a high energy pulsed power accelerator. The magnetic field and electrical current are among the most important operating parameters in a pulsed power accelerator and are critical to understanding the properties of the radiation output. However, accurately measuring these fields and electrical currents using conventional pulsed power diagnostics is difficult due to the strength of ionizing radiation and electromagnetic interference. Our approach uses a fiber coupled laser beam with a rare earth element sensing crystal sensor that is highly resistant to electromagnetic interference and does not require external calibration. Here, we focus on device theory, operating parameters, results from an experiment on a high energy pulsed power accelerator, and comparison to a conventional electrical current shunt sensor.

DELAMINATION DETECTION IN THIN-WALLED COMPOSITE STRUCTURES USING ACOUSTIC PITCH-CATCH TECHNIQUE WITH FIBER BRAGG GRATING SENSORS

Structural health monitoring (SHM) of a composite structure is essential in maintaining the integrity of the structure. Over the years, various studies have reported on the use of conventional electrical sensors in analysing acoustic wave propagation for delamination detection. However, electrical sensors are associated with drawbacks such as high signal attenuation, are prone to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and are not suitable for harsh environments. Therefore, this paper reported on the use of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors for delamination detection. Two composite structures with delamination sizes of 10 cm × 2 cm and 10 cm × 6 cm were fabricated. Two FBGs were bonded before and after the delamination. In addition, three trials of impacts were induced at the centre of the structure. Multiple signal parameters were obtained and analysed, which were the time delay, amplitude difference and velocity difference. The experimental results revealed that the time delay, amplitude and velocity analysis varied for both the delamination sizes with an average percentage of 42.36%, 97.09% and 42.39%, respectively. Therefore, it was confirmed that the increase in delamination size resulted in a longer time delay, higher signal amplitude attenuation and slower wave propagation.

All-optical light-induced thermoacoustic spectroscopy for remote and non-contact gas sensing

All-optical light-induced thermoacoustic spectroscopy (AO-LITS) is reported for the first time for highly sensitive and selective gas sensing, in which a commercial standard quartz tuning fork (QTF) is employed as a photothermal detector. The vibration of the QTF was measured by the highly sensitive fiber-optic Fabry-Pérot (FP) interferometry (FPI) technique, instead of the piezoelectric detection in the conventional LITS. To improve the stability of the sensor system, a compact QTF-based fiber-optic FPI module is fabricated by 3D printing technique and a dual-wavelength demodulation method with the ellipse-fitting differential-cross-multiplication algorithm (DW-EF-DCM) is exploited for the FPI measurement. The all-optical detection scheme has the advantages of remote detection and immunity to electromagnetic interference. A minimum detection limit (MDL) of 422 ppb was achieved for hydrogen sulfide (H2S), which was ~ 3 times lower than a conventional electrical LITS sensor system. The AO-LITS can provide a promising approach for remote and non-contact gas sensing in the whole infrared spectral region.

Fiber optic pressure measurement on a complex outer winglet model with active flow control actuators

The next generation of aircraft requires novel approaches on lift increase and drag reduction technologies as active flow control to counter local flow separations. Testing and monitoring its effectiveness in flight require precise pressure evaluation as a possible control input. Pressure-based measurements of local flow separation are challenging utilizing conventional electrical pressure sensors. These sensors might show degradation of their long-term performance in harsh environments, e. g., in real aircraft applications, due to their low overload protection, susceptibility to electromagnetic influences, and corrosion. Fiber optic measurements overcome those challenges and promise to be a robust sensing solution. We investigate the potential application of a novel fiber optic measurement system that monitors the active flow control system's effectiveness. Furthermore, the results are compared to conventional static pressure measurements. Due to the high-frequency capabilities of the fiber optic sensors, the dynamic behavior of the boundary layer separation and vortex generation was captured in the frequency domain. An industry-relevant outer wing was equipped with 25 fiber optic pressure sensors positioned at one wingspan section for this experiment. The experiments were conducted at a Reynolds number Re=1.1⋅106and a Mach number Ma=0.12. Wind tunnel testing results show that fiber optic pressure sensors can measure aerodynamic characteristics and, furthermore, even allow a detailed look at the dynamic behavior.

Extended Study of Fiber Optic-Based Humidity Sensing System Performance for Sewer Network Condition Monitoring

This article reports on an extended (20-month) period of monitoring of humidity in situ at two locations in the sewer network operated by Sydney Water using a fibre optic network into which a series of Bragg Grating-based sensors had been installed. The locations (Eustace Street in Manly, Sydney and Old Toongabbie at Oakes Reserve, western Sydney, Australia) both had different operating environments and thus conditions for evaluating the sensor system. It was designed to provide a solution to enable long term, low cost and more reliable monitoring in the harsh conditions of the sewer environments in terms of high relative humidity >95% and a broad range of hydrogen sulfide levels. The results of the study show that even after ~20 months of use, the same sensor is reliably recording humidity and temperature in the sewer environment-overcoming the problems seen with conventional electrical sensors, which typically fail within a couple of weeks of use in this continuous high acid/high humidity environment. The data, recorded constantly from the sensor system, were stable throughout the full monitoring period and further, a comparison with the changing weather conditions was made over the different seasons during the study. The sensor system developed was battery operated and had 4G connectivity for data transfer and debugging. These features have enabled the system to be installed in situations where power is not available and operate successfully with minimal human operation, thus allowing for additional systems to be integrated to the measurement system in the future.

Static and Dynamic Pressure Measurement in Flight Test Application With Optical Fabry–Pérot Sensors

Conventional electrical pressure sensors show degradation of their performance in harsh environments because of their low overload protection, drawn back membrane, susceptibility to electromagnetic influences, and corrosion. Fiber-optic measurements overcome those challenges and promise to be a robust sensing solution for vigorous flight testing. We developed a passive fiber-optic Fabry-Pérot pressure sensor with a minimum thickness of 1.6 mm, natural frequency above 250 kHz, linear transfer characteristic, burst pressure resistance above >30 times full-scale, and without conductive corrosive materials. It can measure aerostatics, aerodynamics, and aeroacoustics down to 70-dB SPL. In combination with an industrialized edge filter measurement device, the fiber-optical sensor's simplified instrumentation is demonstrated on a microlight aircraft, performing dynamic maneuvers. The measurement data of near-stall flight situations demonstrate the monitoring capabilities of detached airflow in harsh environments.

Magnetic gas sensing: working principles and recent developments.

Gas sensors work on the principle of transforming the gas adsorption effects on the surface of the active material into a detectable signal in terms of its changed electrical, optical, thermal, mechanical, magnetic (magnetization and spin), and piezoelectric properties. In magnetic gas sensors, the change in the magnetic properties of the active materials is measured by one of the approaches such as Hall effect, magnetization, spin orientation, ferromagnetic resonance, magneto-optical Kerr effect, and magneto-static wave oscillation effect. The disadvantages of different types of gas sensors include their chemical selectivity and sensitivity to humidity and high-temperature operation. For example, in the case of chemiresistive-type gas sensors, the change in the sensor resistance can drastically vary in the real environment due to the presence of other gas species and the overall electrical effect is quite complex due to simultaneous surface reactions. Further, it is not easy to make stable contacts for powdered samples for the conventional electrical property-based gas sensors. Fire hazard is another issue for the electrical property-based hydrogen gas sensors due to their flammable nature at higher operating temperature. In this regard, to solve these issues, magnetic gas sensor concepts have emerged, in which the magnetic properties of the materials get modified when exposed to gas molecules. In this review article, the working principles, fundamentals, recent developments, and future perspectives in magnetic gas sensors are reviewed. Finally, the prospects and opportunities in these exciting fields are also commented upon based on their current progress.

Distributed optical fiber pressure sensors

Abstract The measurement of pressure by using distributed optical fiber sensors has represented a challenge for many years. While single-point optical fiber pressure sensors have reached a solid level of technology maturity, showing to be very good candidates in replacing conventional electrical sensors due to their numerous advantages, distributed sensors are still a matter of an intense research activity aimed at determining the most proper and robust pressure-sensitivity enhancement mechanism. This paper reviews early and recent works on distributed pressure sensors, classifying the sensors according to the sensing mechanism. For each type of mechanism, the issues and potentials are analyzed and discussed.

FBG Sensors for Environmental and Biochemical Applications—A Review

Sensors play a large role in monitoring and ensuring that environmental parameters satisfy industrial requirements. They offer crucial safety measures in the early detection of hazards. Conventional electrical sensors possess several drawbacks that hinder their use in environmental sensing. Research has explored and optimized optical-based sensors because they are more robust, immune to electromagnetic interference and offer multiplexing capabilities for sensor arrays accompanied by ease of modification to cater to different measurands. Fibre Bragg grating is the perturbation of the refractive index imprinted within the core of an optic fibre via an intense UV laser. The gratings, when perturbed by external parameter changes, will induce a shift in their wavelength, indicating detection. With modifications such as hygroscopic coating and different grating profile imprinting, FBG can detect various physical and chemical parameters. Environmental, pharmaceutical and biochemical fields can benefit from FBG sensing because their parameters affect not only their product quality but also the lives of consumers. This review discusses some of the FBG sensors that have been proposed to serve in environmental and biochemical applications.

High-Resolution Temperature Distribution Measurement of GIL Spacer Based on OFDR and Ultraweak FBGs

The temperature distribution on the gas-insulated line (GIL) spacer affects surface charge accumulation. However, the spacer temperature distribution is hard to measure because the conventional electric sensors are large dimensions, hard to multiplex, and sensitive to electromagnetic interference (EMI). In this article, a distributed temperature measurement system of GIL spacer based on the optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) was developed to solve the problems. In this system, ultraweak fiber Bragg grating (FBG) was adopted to replace single-mode fiber due to its higher signal-to-noise ratio. The demodulation method was described for compensating the nonlinear frequency tuning errors induced by the unstable tunable laser. In addition, the relationship between the spacer temperature and the wavelength shift was determined in the calibration experiment. Moreover, the temperature distribution on a 126-kV GIL spacer was measured by the proposed OFDR system. The data processing method for 3-D surface temperature on cone-type spacer was also introduced. High-resolution temperature distribution on the spacer surface was successfully obtained using OFDR system, which is unable to accomplish with the conventional electric temperature sensor.

FBG Water-Level Transducer Based on PVC-Cantilever and Rubber-Diaphragm Structure

The use of FBG sensors in water level monitoring has shown great advantages over the use of conventional electrical sensors. However, much effort is still required to increase their sensitivity towards water level measurement with eliminated sensitivity towards temperature. Here, the FBG was bonded on a PVC polymer plastic cantilever beam and rubber diaphragm structure. The sensing mechanism was based on the differential FBG method. Variations of the water level from 0 to 100 cm obtained the sensitivity of 0.0639 nm/cm with the linearity of 98.06%. The poor linearity was mainly due to the manual fabrication errors. However, this uncertainty can be overcome through the polynomial regression fit in determining the water level measurement. The measured water level was closed to the actual water level at a tolerance of ±2 cm. For temperature effects, the sensitivity was inconspicuous, recorded at only 0.0003 nm/°C across the range of 10 °C to 60 °C.

Optical fiber coated Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanorods decorated with Palladium (Pd) for hydrogen sensing

A novel hydrogen (H2) sensor was developed using acid-etched optical fiber coated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods. The sensing performance was done by comparing the acid-etched fiber coated with ZnO nanorods with and without decorated Palladium (Pd). The conventional optical single-mode fiber (SMF) with a diameter of 125 μm has been modified as a transducing platform by etching it to 11 μm diameter using hydrofluoric acid (HF) to enhance the evanescent field of the light propagates in the fiber core. The etched fiber was coated with ZnO nanorods via hydrothermal process by using seeding and growth solution method. The sensing layer was characterized through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) to verify the properties of ZnO. Catalyst Palladium (Pd) was sputtered onto the ZnO nanorods to improve H2 detection. The developed sensor operating temperature was found to be 150 °C that produces 6.36 dBm increase in response towards the 1% concentration of H2 in synthetic air. It was then tested with different concentration of H2. The sensor decorated with Pd has better performance in sensing compared to non-decorated Pd based on the output power versus time. The sensor best response and recovery times is 6 and 5 min respectively, for acid-etched optical fiber coated with ZnO nanorods decorated with Pd for 0.75% of H2 concentrations at 150 °C. The results indicate the optical fiber sensor might improve the performance towards H2 as oppose to the conventional electrical sensor.

High-Resolution Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) Pressure Transducer for Low-Pressure Detection

Fibre Bragg grating (FBG) pressure sensor has shown great potential in replacing the conventional electrical pressure sensor due to its adaptability to the harsh environment. However, increasing its resolution for low-pressure measurement is still a challenge. In this work, the bonding of FBG to a rubber-based diaphragm pressure transducer was proposed. The proposed pressure transducer had enhanced the sensitivity to 117.7 pm/kPa across the range of 40 kPa, which corresponded to the pressure resolution of 0.008 kPa. Furthermore, the proposed pressure transducer possessed a reference FBG for temperature compensation, where the overall temperature effect was less than 1%.

Silicon-Based Hybrid Integrated Photonic Chip for K ${}_{u}$ band Electromagnetic Wave Sensing

In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate a highly sensitive on-chip photonic electromagnetic wave sensor operating at 14.1 GHz with a 3 dB bandwidth of 4.84 GHz. The demonstrated electromagnetic sensor has several important advantages over conventional electrical electromagnetic sensors, including high sensitivity, compact in size, and strong immunity to electromagnetic interference. The sensor is comprised of a bowtie antenna and an asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI). One arm of the MZI is an electro-optic polymer infiltrated one-dimensional slot photonic crystal waveguide (SPCW) and the other is a strip waveguide with teeth of subwavelength pitch. Bowtie antennas are designed and optimized to effectively collect 14.1 GHz microwave signal and applies it across the SPCW. The phase of the light guided in the SPCW therefore changes, and so does the amplitude of the output end of the MZI. The sensor is only 4.6 mm × 4.8 mm in size and has a low insertion loss of ~10 dB. Experimental results show the limit of detection at 14.1 GHz is 4.31 mW/m 2 , which is corresponding to a minimum detectable electric field of 1.8 V/m.

Quasi-distributed sol-gel coated fiber optic oxygen sensing probe

In the field of aquaculture, optical sensor technology is beginning to provide alternatives to the conventional electrical sensor. Hence, the development and characterization of a multipoint quasi-distributed optical fiber sensor for oxygen measurement is reported. The system is based on 1 mm core diameter plastic optical fiber where sections of cladding have been removed and replaced with three metal complexes sol-gel films to form sensing points. The sensing locations utilize luminophores that have emission peaks at 385 nm, 405 nm and 465 nm which associated with each of the sensing points. Interrogation of the optical sensor system is through a fiber optic spectrometer incorporating narrow bandpass emission optical filter. The sensors showed comparable sensitivity and repeatability, as well as fast response and recovery towards oxygen.

A portable luminescent thermometer based on green up-conversion emission of Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped tellurite glass

The determination of temperature is essential in many applications in the biomedical, technological, and industrial fields. Optical thermometry appears to be an excellent alternative for conventional electric temperature sensors because it is a non-contact method that offers a fast response, electromagnetic passivity, and high temperature sensitivity. In this paper, we propose an optical thermometer probe comprising an Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped tellurite glass attached to the tip of an optical fibre and optically coupled to a laser source and a portable USB spectrometer. The ratio of the up-conversion green emission integrated peak areas when excited at 980 nm was temperature dependent, and it was used to calibrate the thermometer. The thermometer was operated in the range of 5–50 °C and 50–200 °C, and it revealed excellent linearity (r2 > 0.99), suitable accuracy, and precisions of ±0.5 and ±1.1 °C, respectively. By optimizing Er3+ concentration, we could obtain the high green emission intensity, and in turn, high thermal sensitivity for the probe. The probe fabricated in the study exhibited suitable properties for its application as a temperature sensor and superior performance compared to other Er3+ -based optical thermometers in terms of thermal sensitivity.

비접촉식 광 점퍼 코드 개발 및 광 전송 성능 평가

최근 많은 장점으로 기존 전기식 센서를 대체하여 그 적용 영역을 빠르게 넓혀가고 있는 광섬유 센서는 센서부에서 계측기 사이의 신호 전달을 위해 광 어댑터와 광 점퍼 코드와 같은 광소자를 사용하게 된다. 광 어댑터를 이용하여 신호 전달을 하는 경우 단면이 서로 맞닿게 되어 이물질에 의해 코어 부분에 손상이 발생할 수 있으며, 이는 광 손실 및 광 접속 불능을 유발할 수 있다. 따라서, 본 연구에서는 지속적인 유지보수를 필요로 하는 문제들을 근원적으로 해결할 수 있는 대안으로 비접촉식 광섬유 점퍼 코드를 개발하였으며 그 전송 성능을 평가하였다. 시험 결과, 기존의 접촉식 광 점퍼 코드는 2 mm의 간극에서 광 신호 전송이 불가능한데 반해 비접촉식 광 점퍼 코드의 경우 초기 광 손실은 상대적으로 크지만 간극이 증가하더라도 약 7 mm 정도까지 안정적으로 신호 전송이 가능하였다. 따라서, 패치 코드가 광센서 간 신호 전송을 위한 케이블임을 고려할 때 외부의 환경적 요인에 대해 더 우수한 신호 안정성을 가진 비접촉식 패치 코드가 접촉식 패치 코드에 비해 현장 적용성이 더 뛰어남을 확인하였다. Recently, fiber optic sensors, which have many advantages are being applied in various fields by replacing conventional electric sensors. To transmit the light signals between an interrogator and a sensor head, optical components such as an optical adaptor and optical jumper cords are generally used. When signals are transmitted using an adaptor, the end surface of each jumper cord is faced together. If alien substances exist on the core surface of an optical fiber, those can cause light transmission loss and signal disappearance. For this reason, non-contact fiber jumper cords are developed to overcome the problems that require continual attention. The light transmission performance of non-contact fiber jumper cords are also evaluated. From the test results, conventional fiber jumper cords are unable to transmit the signals over 2 mm cavity between the ends of both cords. Otherwise, non-contact fiber jumper cords can transmit the signals with stability up to the cavity of 7 mm though they have more transmission loss than the conventional ones. Consequently, non-contact fiber jumper cords that have better signal stability than conventional ones in environments are highly recommended in field applications, especially if they play a role as a cable for signal transmission between fiber optic sensors.

A PCB Environmental Sensor for Use in Monitoring Drought Conditions in Estuaries

Estuaries occur in coastal regions worldwide and are important habitats for humans and other life forms. These fragile ecosystems are susceptible to the effects of prolonged drought conditions, resulting in changes in the salinity gradient across the estuary, which can adversely affect life forms living in and around the estuary. Electrical conductivity sensors are used to determine salinity of aqueous solutions, including water samples from estuaries. Conventional electrical conductivity sensors, consisting of orthogonally mounted thin parallel plate electrodes, are fragile and difficult to clean. Low-cost commercial printed circuit board technology is presented here as a vehicle to realize a robust planar sensor for determining salinity. This sensor's planar electrode configuration is inherently simpler and less fragile than a sensor with two orthogonally mounted thin parallel plate electrodes. Prototype planar sensors were designed, fabricated, and successfully tested in a freshwater-seawater solution ranging from 100% freshwater to 100% seawater, emulating the salinity levels encountered across many estuaries. The sensor test data demonstrated a linear characteristic with both conductance (R2 = 0.9995) and salinity (R2 = 0.9969) as a function of seawater concentration.

Evaluation of the Durability and Performance of FBG-Based Sensors for Monitoring Moisture in an Aggressive Gaseous Waste Sewer Environment

Measurements of the rate of corrosion in concrete sewers need to take into consideration the humidity in the environment, and, thus, its accurate measurement becomes critically important. Introducing a novel approach to do so, tailored fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based humidity sensors have been evaluated in situ to examine their durability, time response, and stability when used in measurements over an extended period of time under the aggressive gaseous environment of a gravity sewer, experiencing high levels of both humidity and hydrogen sulfide gas. The critical humidity monitoring element in the probe is based on a moisture-sensitive polyimide coated FBG, using the calibrated and reproducible peak wavelength shift in response to moisture variation, in this case operationally in the sewer. To optimize the device for this environment, two different designs of the probe assembly were configured using different material, thus aiming to provide durability in the harsh environment in the long term. The aim of the probe design evaluated was to achieve good sensitivity to humidity as well as to protect the sensing elements from the aggressive environment and which had rendered ineffective the electrical sensors placed in the sewer and used for cross comparison. A full evaluation of the packaged sensors in situ was undertaken over a period of five months, during which the sensors were constantly subjected to high, but varying levels of humidity and wet hydrogen sulfide gas. The results are highly encouraging, showing superior performance of the configured fiber optic sensors used over a conventional electrical sensor when the results of the cross-comparison study of the performance were evaluated. These outcomes show a promising future for optical fiber sensors to be employed for measurement of humidity in the long term in harsh environmental applications such as this.

Model Study of the Influence of Ambient Temperature and Installation Types on Surface Temperature Measurement by Using a Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor.

Surface temperature is an important parameter in clinical diagnosis, equipment state control, and environmental monitoring fields. The Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) temperature sensor possesses numerous significant advantages over conventional electrical sensors, thus it is an ideal choice to achieve high-accuracy surface temperature measurements. However, the effects of the ambient temperature and installation types on the measurement of surface temperature are often overlooked. A theoretical analysis is implemented and a thermal transfer model of a surface FBG sensor is established. The theoretical and simulated analysis shows that both substrate strain and the temperature difference between the fiber core and hot surface are the most important factors which affect measurement accuracy. A surface-type temperature standard setup is proposed to study the measurement error of the FBG temperature sensor. Experimental results show that there are two effects influencing measurement results. One is the “gradient effect”. This results in a positive linear error with increasing surface temperature. Another is the “substrate effect”. This results in a negative non-linear error with increasing surface temperature. The measurement error of the FBG sensor with single-ended fixation are determined by the gradient effect and is a linear error. It is not influenced by substrate expansion. Thus, it can be compensated easily. The measurement errors of the FBG sensor with double-ended fixation are determined by the two effects and the substrate effect is dominant. The measurement error change trend of the FBG sensor with fully-adhered fixation is similar to that with double-ended fixation. The adhesive layer can reduce the two effects and measurement error. The fully-adhered fixation has lower error, however, it is easily affected by substrate strain. Due to its linear error and strain-resistant characteristics, the single-ended fixation will play an important role in the FBG sensor encapsulation design field in the near future.