Optical Time Domain Reflectometry Research Articles

Modal dependence of Rayleigh scattering coefficients based on the bidirectional OTDR technique

In this work, a simple method based on optical time-domain reflectometry has been implemented to compare the Rayleigh scattering coefficient of different modes of few-mode fibers. The principle of the method is first validated in the case of single-mode fibers and then applied to two weakly-coupled few-mode fibers presenting different refractive index profiles. The results are compared with those obtained by more sophisticated experiments based on the analysis of the angular distribution of light scattering.

Polarization Properties of Coherently Superposed Rayleigh Backscattered Light in Single-Mode Fibers.

The properties of the state of polarization (SOP) and the degree of polarization (DOP) of Rayleigh backscattered light (RBL) in single-mode fibers (SMF) are investigated theoretically and experimentally when the incident probe is a perfectly coherent continuous-wave (CW) light. It is concluded that the instantaneous DOP of the coherently superposed RBL is always 100%, and the instantaneous SOP is determined by the distributions of the birefringence and the optical phase along the SMF. Therefore, the instantaneous SOP of the coherently superposed RBL does not have a constant relationship with the SOP of the incident CW probe. Furthermore, the instantaneous SOP varies randomly with time because the optical phase is very sensitive to ambient temperature and vibration even in the lab environment. Further theoretical derivation and experimental verification demonstrate, for the first time, that the temporally averaged SOP of the coherently superposed RBL has a simple constant relationship with the SOP of the incident CW probe, and the temporally averaged DOP is 1/3 in an SMF with low and randomly distributed birefringence. The derived formulas and obtained findings can be used to enhance the modelling and improve the performances of phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry and other Rayleigh backscattering based fiber-optic sensors.

Pilot-scale testing of natural gas pipeline monitoring based on phase-OTDR and enhanced scatter optical fiber cable

In this paper, we present the results of lab and pilot-scale testing of a continuously enhanced backscattering, or Rayleigh enhanced fiber cable that can improve distributed acoustic sensing performance. In addition, the Rayleigh-enhanced fiber is embedded within a tight buffered cable configuration to withstand and be compatible for field applications. The sensing fiber cable exhibits a Rayleigh enhancement of 13 dB compared to standard silica single-mode fiber while maintaining low attenuation of ≤ 0.4 dB/km. We built a phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry system to interrogate the enhanced backscattering fiber cable both in lab and pilot-scale tests. In the laboratory experiment, we analyzed the vibration performance of the enhanced backscattering fiber cable and compared it with the standard single-mode telecom fiber. Afterward, we field validated for natural gas pipeline vibration monitoring using a 4-inch diameter steel pipeline operating at a fixed pressure level of 1000 psi, and a flow rate of 5, 10, 15, and 20 ft/s. The feasibility of gas pipeline monitoring with the proposed enhanced backscattering fiber cable shows a substantial increase in vibration sensing performance. The pilot-scale testing results demonstrated in this paper enable pipeline operators to perform accurate flow monitoring, leak detection, third-party intrusion detection, and continuous pipeline ground movement.

Structure optimization and a detailed characteristic analysis for distributed Brillouin laser sensors

Distributed Brillouin laser sensor (DBLS) has shown its potential in terms of high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) temperature/strain sensing without frequency sweeping. However, the discontinuous lasing in previous reports leads to limited resolution points and longer measurement time. In this letter, a structure optimization was proposed for DBLS to realize the continuous lasing and fully distributed sensing. Furthermore, a comprehensive experimental investigation on the sensing influence of key parameters, including net gain of lasing loop, peak power of pump pulse, and tolerance to the mismatch between pump pulse period and roundtrip time, has been explored detailly. The underlined physical mechanisms were also clarified experimentally. Compared with traditional Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry (BOTDR), the substantially reduced standard deviation (STD) for distributed temperature sensing was demonstrated under the same averaging times. Related study can provide a new insight and design guideline for DBLS.

Dynamic curvature sensing using time expanded ΦOTDR.

Shape sensing can be accomplished using optical fiber sensors through different interrogation principles such as fiber Bragg gratings, optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR), or optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR). These techniques are either not entirely distributed, have poor performance in dynamic sensing, or are only valid for few-meter-long fibers. Here, we present a system able to perform distributed curvature sensing with a range of 125 m, 10-cm resolution, and a sampling rate of 50 Hz. This is done by interrogating three cores of a multi-core fiber (MCF) with the novel, to the best of our knowledge, time-expanded phase-sensitive (TE-Φ)OTDR technique. This system fills a performance gap in fiber shape sensors, opening the door to applications in civil engineering, medicine, or seismology.

Optical phase mode analysis method for pipeline bolt looseness identification using distributed optical fiber acoustic sensing

Distributed optical fiber acoustic sensing (DAS) technique has been applied in pipeline health monitoring, and the commonly used sensor is phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry. Most DAS monitoring systems can localize leakages of a pipeline but fail to identify potential non-destructive damages like bolt looseness on joints before the leakage occurs. An early damage identification is indispensable to averting severe leakages and secondary disasters. In this study, an optical phase mode analysis method is proposed for identifying pipeline bolt looseness. This method combines structure mode analysis and distributed optical phase demodulation to extract damage-related phase mode parameters. Two algorithms are specially designed for denoising and selecting signals essential for mode analysis. Phase time histories are retrieved from the original optical phase, which are decomposed to acquire phase mode shapes that can localize bolt looseness through Hilbert-Huang transform enhanced with bandwidth restricted empirical mode decomposition. Phase damping ratio is proposed to further quantify the looseness degree. Polarization diversity technique is employed to avoid polarization fading. An experiment was conducted upon a 3.2 m steel pipeline with flange joints. Bolt looseness on three joints are respectively localized even if only one bolt is loosened, obtaining a localization error of 0.07 m and 85.7% recognition ratio. The phase damping ratio shows apparent positive correlation with the number of loose bolts. The error of quantified loose bolt number is 0.79. The present study demonstrates how to localize and quantify pipeline bolt looseness through dynamical mode analysis for distributed optical phase. The developed method can identify potential damages that change the mechanical properties of a pipeline before they get severe, and holds promise in the long-distance health monitoring of other structures.

Noise analysis in direct detection and coherent detection phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry systems.

This study compares noise and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in direct detection and coherent detection fiber-based distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems. Both detection schemes employ the dynamic analysis of Rayleigh-backscattered light in phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (ΦOTDR) systems. Through theoretical and experimental analysis, it is determined that for photodetection filters with a sufficiently narrow bandwidth, the SNR performance of both detection schemes is comparable. However, for filters with poor selectivity, coherent detection was found to exhibit superior performance. These findings provide crucial guidelines for the design of high-performance time-domain DAS systems.

Frequency Response Enhanced Quantitative Vibration Detection Using Fading-Free Coherent $\varphi$-OTDR With Randomized Sampling

A frequency response enhanced quantitative vibration detection scheme for interference fading suppressed coherent phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry (ϕ-OTDR) is proposed and demonstrated. By utilizing randomized sampling, the proposed scheme not only breaks the inherent limitation between the sensing range and the maximum detectable frequency in conventional ϕ-OTDR systems, but also allows for quantitative measurement of the vibration amplitude by tracking the peak intensity of the discrete Fourier transformation spectrum of the phase signals. The operation principle and the measurement accuracy are mathematically analyzed through the frequency spectrum estimator unbiasedness and the estimation standard deviation, which provides a comprehensive guidance for parameter configuration in practical applications. For proof of concept, quantitative detection of vibration signals up to 384 kHz is realized over a 5.4 km fiber, while the conventional solutions only reach 18.5 kHz as restricted by the Nyquist sampling theorem. The proposed sensing scheme paves the way to enable ultra-high frequency quantitative vibration detection using ϕ-OTDR.

An Optical-Fiber-Based Key for Remote Authentication of Users and Optical Fiber Lines.

We have shown the opportunity to use the unique inhomogeneities of the internal structure of an optical fiber waveguide for remote authentication of users or an optic fiber line. Optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) is demonstrated to be applicable to observing unclonable backscattered signal patterns at distances of tens of kilometers. The physical nature of the detected patterns was explained, and their characteristic spatial periods were investigated. The patterns are due to the refractive index fluctuations of a standard telecommunication fiber. We have experimentally verified that the patterns are an example of a physically unclonable function (PUF). The uniqueness and reproducibility of the patterns have been demonstrated and an outline of authentication protocol has been proposed.

ETAM: Next Generation Event Timer for Picosecond-Precision Time and Amplitude Measurements.

Riga Event Timers have the ability to measure the interval between events with high resolution, on the order of picoseconds. However, they have several drawbacks, such as sensitivity to environmental temperature changes and an inability to capture the amplitude of the events. In this work, we present the ETAM: a next generation Event Timer. Its innovative features include adaptive correction of measurement errors based on an internal temperature sensor, and integrated peak-detector circuit to determine the amplitude of nanosecond-duration pulses. Evaluation shows that the ETAM has high thermal stability with a root mean square error (RMSE) of <3 ps in a temperature range between 0 and +40 °C, and accurate event amplitude measurement capability, with <2.3 mV RMSE in the 100-1000 mV range. These improvements allow the ETAM to be used in satellite laser ranging, optical time-domain reflectometry, and other field applications that require temperature- and amplitude-based time correction in addition to high robustness, performance, and stability.

Fully distributed hydroacoustic sensing based on ultra-highly sensitive and lightweight fiber-optic hydrophone cable

In this paper, we demonstrate a fully distributed hydroacoustic sensing based on the ultra-highly sensitive and lightweight fiber-optic hydrophone cable assisted with heterodyne phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometry. The proposed lightweight hydrophone cable is an all-solid state multilayer composite cable, which mainly consists of cable core, acoustic sensitization layer, sensing fiber, and protective layer. Based on the theoretical and simulation analysis results, the acoustic sensitization layer of the hydrophone cable is extruded from thermoplastic polyurethanes to enhance the acoustic sensitivity, and the sensing fiber is uniformly wound around the acoustic sensitization layer with pre-stress. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensing signal and guarantee the measurement stability in complex underwater environment, the backscattering enhanced optical fiber inscribed with a series of backscattering enhanced points is employed as the sensing fiber to suppress the coherent fading noise. Besides, the differential-polarization-vector-sum algorithm based on the polarization diversity reception is proposed and utilized to suppress the polarization fading noise of the coherent detection system. In the experiments, the results demonstrate an excellent acoustic sensitivity of −137.2 dB re:1 rad/(μPa·m) with a flat frequency response at the range of 5 Hz ∼ 2 kHz, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis and simulation result, as well as it can keep stable whether at the water pressure of 0.3 MPa or the axial elongation of 2%. Besides, it is noteworthy that the acoustic sensitivity is higher in the frequency range of 1 Hz ∼ 5 Hz, which even can reach up to −125.3 dB re:1 rad/(μPa·m) at 1 Hz. Lastly, the noise equivalent pressure of the proposed system is about 48 dB re:1μPa/Hz1/2 at 1 kHz, which is lower than the level of the Deep Sea State Zero. In field tests, the lightweight fiber-optic hydrophone cable can be rapidly deployed, and various emergency intrusive targets like boat, frogman, etc. are all detected and tracked based on the characteristics of high sensitivity and broadband response, which has exhibited the proposed system has tremendous potential for the future surface and underwater surveillance applications.

Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing and Applications Based on Large-Scale Fiber Bragg Grating Array: Review

To achieve data-driven intelligence in engineering applications, the key requirements for distributed optical fiber sensor networks are large capacity, long distance, dense distribution, fast response, and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Combining the traditional optical reflectometry techniques with the large-scale fiber Bragg grating (FBG) array fabricated on-line by a fiber drawing tower, multiplexing and demodulation of thousands of FBG sensors is successfully demonstrated, which greatly expands the application of FBG sensors to the field of distributed sensing. In this work, the fabrication, demodulation, and applications of large-scale FBG arrays are reviewed. Firstly, the on-line fabrication technology and process of large-scale FBG arrays are introduced. Secondly, the demodulation techniques including wavelength demodulation based on optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR) and optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR), as well as phase demodulation based on phase-sensitive OTDR are reviewed, where we mainly focus on the key parameters such as multiplexing capacity, demodulation speed, spatial resolution, and SNR. Last, the applications of the large-scale FBG arrays are briefly discussed.

Phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry with improved signal-to-noise ratio and quantization noise tolerance using power-tunable local oscillator

Phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry with improved signal-to-noise ratio and quantization noise tolerance using power-tunable local oscillator

Leakage channel outlet detection and diameter estimation for earth-rock dam using ROTDR

In the early stage of leakage in earth-rock dam, detection and quantification of the leakage channel outlet can provide an important reference for leakage hazard assessment and emergency response. In this paper, Raman Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (ROTDR) is used to detect the leakage point and a leakage channel outlet diameter estimation method is proposed. Firstly, the variation law between the sensing fiber of different length and ROTDR measurement results under the condition of different temperature difference is explored. Then, a model is constructed to simulate the leakage of earth-rock dam. The sensing fiber is deployed on the shallow layer of downstream slope and cushion of earth-rock dam to detect leakage. Finally, according to the measurement results, the leakage point is located and the diameter of leakage channel outlet is estimated. The estimated value is very close to the measured value. This study provides a useful reference for promoting the quantitative research of ROTDR in leakage detection.

Denoising algorithm of [formula omitted] -OTDR signal based on curvelet transform with adaptive threshold

In this paper, a denoising scheme based on curvelet transform is proposed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for vibration sensing in phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (Φ-OTDR) systems. The noise level can be estimated based on non-vibration images, which can be used to set the threshold for curvelet coefficients. We further optimize the threshold according to the amplitude distribution of the curvelet coefficients. In the experimental demonstration, when the optical pulse width is 100 ns, the SNR of location information of the 100 Hz vibration events can be increased by 6.93 dB, which proves the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Smart textile embedded with distributed fiber optic sensors for railway bridge long term monitoring

The Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of large civil infrastructures has become a priority due to economic advantages and early detection of structural failure. Distributed Fiber Optics (DFO) sensors are becoming widely used for SHM due to their immunity to Electromagnetic interference and the ability to collect multiple data points from a single fiber cable. However, its reliability for a long monitoring period is still an area of interest. This paper studied the long-term performance of DFO embedded into textiles for faster installation procedures. The aim was to understand if the textile distributed fiber sensor experience any signal degradation after multiple weather seasons. To perform this investigation a railway bridge was used as a case study. The data was collected using Brillouin Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (BOTDR) and Brillouin Optical Time Domain Amplification (BOTDA). Additionally, a temperature compensation technique was investigated to remove the cross-relation between temperature and strain. The final results show the sensor’s effectiveness for long-term monitoring, where the data quality remained constant with an average standard deviation of 0.455 for the BOTDR and 0.208 for the BOTDA approaches.

Towards single-photon Brillouin optical time domain reflectometry.

We investigate a novel distributed Brillouin optical time domain reflectometer (BOTDR) using standard telecommunication fibers based on single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) in gated mode, ν -BOTDR, with a range of 120 km and 10 m spatial resolution. We experimentally demonstrate the ability to perform a distributed temperature measurement, by detecting a hot spot at 100 km. Instead of using a frequency scan like conventional BOTDR, we use a frequency discriminator based on the slope of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) to convert the count rate of the SPAD into a frequency shift. A procedure to take into account the FBG drift during the acquisition and perform sensitive and reliable distributed measurements is described. We also present the possibility to differentiate strain and temperature.

Speech Enhancement Based on Array-Processing-Assisted Distributed Fiber Acoustic Sensing

Distributed Fiber acoustic sensing (DAS) based on phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (Φ-OTDR) has attracted lots of attention due to unique advantages. In security monitoring, speech recognition and other relevant fields, DAS’s ability to acquire speech signals is a key indicator for the practical application. However, the speech signal has broadband and non-stationary characteristics, so the conventional filtering is not sufficient, and the speech enhancement algorithm based on the characteristics of the speech signal is needed; on the other hand, the acoustic sensitivity of conventional fiber layout is not high enough, resulting in poor signal quality. In this paper, speech enhancement based on array-processing-assisted DAS system is proposed to recover speech signal with high-fidelity. Pulse compression Φ-OTDR, combined with multichannel speech enhancement algorithm based on optimally modified log-spectral amplitude (OM-LSA) is used. As far as we know, this is the first time that the multichannel OM-LSA speech enhancement is proposed for DAS. Compared with the signal before processing, the speech signal processed by this method has a great improvement in the signal distortion, background noise intrusiveness and signal overall quality. In addition, other signal enhancement methods, such as wavelet denoising and beamforming are also analyzed and compared. Our scheme outperforms in above three aspects. This scheme does not need to obtain a large number of data sets in advance, and can be transplanted to other DAS systems, which has great significance for realizing high performance speech acquisition.

Time Expansion in Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing

Distributed optical fiber sensing (DOFS) technology has recently experienced an impressive growth in various fields including security, structural monitoring and seismology, among others. This expansion has been accompanied by a speedy development of the technology in the last couple of decades, reaching remarkable performance in terms of sensitivity, range, number of independent sensing points and affordable cost per monitored point as compared with competing technologies such as electrical or point optical sensors. Phase-sensitive Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry (ϕOTDR) is a particularly interesting DOFS technique, since it enables real-time monitoring of dynamic variations of physical parameters over a large number of sensing points. Compared to their frequency-domain counterparts (OFDR), ϕOTDR sensors typically provide higher dynamics and longer ranges but significantly worse spatial resolutions. Very recently, a novel ϕOTDR approach has been introduced, which covers an existing gap between the long range and fast response of ϕOTDR and the high spatial resolution of OFDR. This technique, termed time-expanded (TE) ϕOTDR, exploits an interferometric scheme that employs two mutually coherent optical frequency combs. In TE-ϕOTDR, a probe comb is launched into the fiber under test. The beating of the backscattered light and a suitable LO comb produces a multi-heterodyne detection process that compresses the spectrum of the probe comb, in turn expanding the detected optical traces in the time-domain. This approach has allowed sensing using ϕOTDR technology with very high resolution (in the cm scale), while requiring outstandingly low detection and acquisition bandwidths (sub-MHz). In this work, we review the fundamentals of TE-ϕOTDR technology and describe the recent developments, focusing on the attainable sensing performance, the existing trade-offs and open working lines of this novel sensing approach.

Detecting strain with a fiber optic cable on the seafloor offshore Mount Etna, Southern Italy

Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth's surface making it difficult and costly to deploy modern seismological instruments here. The rapidly expanding global network of submarine telecom cables offers tremendous possibilities for seismological monitoring using laser light. Recent pioneer studies have demonstrated earthquake detection using lasers in onland and submarine fiber optic cables. However, permanent strain at the seafloor has never before been measured directly as it happens. With this aim, we deployed a dedicated 6-km-long fiber optic strain cable, offshore Catania Sicily, in 2000 m water depth, and connected it to a 29-km long electro-optical cable for science use. We report here that deformation of the cable equivalent to a total elongation of 2.5 cm was observed over a 21-month period (from Oct. 2020 to Jul. 2022). Brillouin laser reflectometry observations over the first 10 months indicate significant strain (+25 to +40 microstrain) at two locations where the cable crosses an active strike-slip fault on the seafloor, with most of the change occurring between 19 and 21 Nov. 2020. The cause of the strain could be fault slip or seabottom currents. During the following 11 months, the strain amplitude increased to +45 to +55 microstrain, affecting a longer portion of the cable up to 500 m to either side of the first fault crossing. A sandbag experiment performed on the distal portion of the cable (3.2–6.0 km) starting Sept. 2021 demonstrates how the fiber optic cable deforms in response to an applied load and how the deformation signal partially dissipates over time due to the elastic properties of the cable. These preliminary results are highly encouraging for the use of BOTDR (Brillouin Optical Time Domain Reflectometry) laser reflectometry as a technique to detect strain at the seafloor in near real time and to monitor the structural health of submarine cables.