Sensors 2009, 9(8), 6446-6455; doi:10.3390/s90806446
Article

A Self-Referencing Intensity Based Polymer Optical Fiber Sensor for Liquid Detection

David Sánchez Montero 1,* email, Carmen Vázquez 1 email, Ingo Möllers 2 email, Jon Arrúe 3 email and Dieter Jäger 2 email
1 Departamento de Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, 28911, Madrid, Spain 2 ZHO/Optoelektronik, Universität Dusiburg-Essen, 47057 Duisburg, Germany 3 Departamento de Tecnología Electrónica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, 28911, Madrid, Spain
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 25 June 2009; in revised form: 13 August 2009 / Accepted: 13 August 2009 / Published: 20 August 2009
(This article belongs to the Special Issue State-of-the-Art Sensors Technology in Spain)
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [806 KB, uploaded 19 August 2009 20:29 CEST]
Abstract: A novel self-referencing fiber optic intensity sensor based on bending losses of a partially polished polymer optical fiber (POF) coupler is presented. The coupling ratio (K) depends on the external liquid in which the sensor is immersed. It is possible to distinguish between different liquids and to detect their presence. Experimental results for the most usual liquids found in industry, like water and oil, are given. K value increases up to 10% from the nominal value depending on the liquid. Sensor temperature dependence has also been studied for a range from 25 ºC (environmental condition) to 50 ºC. Any sector requiring liquid level measurements in flammable atmospheres can benefit from this intrinsically safe technology.
Keywords: polymer optical fiber; POF coupler; intensity-based optical sensor; bending losses; liquid level

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Montero, D.S.; Vázquez, C.; Möllers, I.; Arrúe, J.; Jäger, D. A Self-Referencing Intensity Based Polymer Optical Fiber Sensor for Liquid Detection. Sensors 2009, 9, 6446-6455.

AMA Style

Montero DS, Vázquez C, Möllers I, Arrúe J, Jäger D. A Self-Referencing Intensity Based Polymer Optical Fiber Sensor for Liquid Detection. Sensors. 2009; 9(8):6446-6455.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Montero, David S.; Vázquez, Carmen; Möllers, Ingo; Arrúe, Jon; Jäger, Dieter. 2009. "A Self-Referencing Intensity Based Polymer Optical Fiber Sensor for Liquid Detection." Sensors 9, no. 8: 6446-6455.

Sensors EISSN 1424-8220 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert