Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing Technology

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 1754

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Computer and Communication Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB), No. 30 Xueyuan Road Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: distributed optical fiber sensor; optical fiber vibration/acoustic sensor; optical fiber hydrophone; optoelectronic signal processing; noise performance analysis and optimization

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Engineering, Shantou University, 243 Daxue Road, Shantou 515063, China
Interests: distributed optical fiber sensing; acoustic sensing; pipeline monitoring; phase demodulation; mode recognition; data augmentation; digital signal processing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFSs) have attracted tremendous attention since the 1980s after low-loss optical fiber was successfully manufactured. Via the Rayleigh/Raman/Brillouin backscattered light or forward transmission light in the optical fiber, DOFS is able to perceive external physical perturbations along the whole fiber such as temperature, strain, acoustic vibration, and pressure. Benefiting from the state-of-the-art optoelectronic devices and advanced modulation methods, DOFS has demonstrated significant advantages in sensing range, spatial resolution, sensing resolution, etc. Furthermore, the intrinsic distribution sensing capability and passive feature endow the DOFS with great resilience in harsh environments where conventional electronic sensors struggle to survive, and even the electronic counterparts are absent.

Nowadays, DOFS is still the subject of highly active research and has been widely used in numerous fields. Researchers worldwide have proposed various schemes to continuously advance the performance of DOFS. Meanwhile, data-driven machine learning and AI techniques have become a trend to enhance the perception applicability of DOFS. Moreover, new interdisciplinary investigation is emerging as DOFS is regarded as the routine tool in many scientific research and industry areas such as geophysics, oil and gas industry, and structure health monitoring.

We are pleased to invite you to share your latest research progress in this Special Issue organized by Photonics. We hope all of these efforts can accelerate the development and application of the DOFS.

This Special Issue aims to publish high-quality papers focusing on original scientific research as well as valuable applications of DOFS.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Distributed temperature sensor based on Raman scattering (DTS);
  • Distributed temperature and strain sensor based on Brillouin scattering (DTSS);
  • Distributed acoustic/vibration sensor based on Rayleigh scattering (DAS/DVS);
  • Distributed optical fiber sensor using optical time-domain reflectometry techniques (OTDR);
  • Distributed optical fiber sensor using optical frequency-domain reflectometry techniques (OFDR);
  • Distributed optical fiber sensor using optical correlation-domain reflectometry techniques (OCDR);
  • Distributed optical fiber sensor using forward transmission light;
  • Novel modulation and demodulation scheme of DOFS;
  • Enhanced optoelectronic devices and optical fibers for high-level DOFS;
  • Performance analysis and optimization of DOFS;
  • Advanced signal processing algorithms of DOFS data including machine learning and AI;
  • Instrumental development of DOFS;
  • Application report and result analysis of DOFS;
  • Integrated optical sensing and communication.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Fei Liu
Dr. Yi Shi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • distributed optical fiber sensors
  • optical time-domain reflectometry
  • optical frequency-domain reflectometry
  • spatial resolution
  • sensing range
  • modulation/demodulation
  • signal processing

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 13589 KiB  
Article
A Sensitive Frequency Band Study for Distributed Acoustical Sensing Monitoring Based on the Coupled Simulation of Gas–Liquid Two-Phase Flow and Acoustic Processes
by Zhong Li, Yi Wu, Yanming Yang, Mengbo Li, Leixiang Sheng, Huan Guo, Jingang Jiao, Zhenbo Li and Weibo Sui
Photonics 2024, 11(11), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11111049 - 7 Nov 2024
Viewed by 653
Abstract
The sensitivity of gas and water phases to DAS acoustic frequency bands can be used to interpret the production profile of horizontal wells. DAS typically collects acoustic signals in the kilohertz range, presenting a key challenge in identifying the sensitive frequency bands of [...] Read more.
The sensitivity of gas and water phases to DAS acoustic frequency bands can be used to interpret the production profile of horizontal wells. DAS typically collects acoustic signals in the kilohertz range, presenting a key challenge in identifying the sensitive frequency bands of the gas and water phases in the production well for accurate interpretation. In this study, a gas–water two-phase flow–acoustic coupling model for a horizontal well is developed by integrating a gas–water separation flow model with a pipeline acoustic model. The model simulates the sound pressure level (SPL) and amplitude variations of acoustic waves under different flow patterns, spatial locations, and gas–water ratio schemes. The results demonstrate that within the same flow pattern, an increase in the gas–water ratio significantly elevates acoustic amplitude and SPL peaks within the 5–50 Hz frequency band. Analysis of oil field DAS data reveals that the amplitude response range for stages with a lower gas–water ratio falls within 5–10 Hz, whereas stages with a higher gas–water ratio exhibit an amplitude response range of 10–50 Hz. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing Technology)
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16 pages, 7626 KiB  
Article
Distributed Acoustic Sensing: A Promising Tool for Finger-Band Anomaly Detection
by Kunpeng Zhang, Haochu Ku, Su Wang, Min Zhang, Xiangge He and Hailong Lu
Photonics 2024, 11(10), 896; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11100896 - 24 Sep 2024
Viewed by 715
Abstract
The straddle-type monorail is an electric-powered public vehicle widely known for its versatility and ease of maintenance. The finger-band is a critical connecting structure for the straddle-type monorail, but issues such as loose bolts are inevitable over time. Manual inspection is the primary [...] Read more.
The straddle-type monorail is an electric-powered public vehicle widely known for its versatility and ease of maintenance. The finger-band is a critical connecting structure for the straddle-type monorail, but issues such as loose bolts are inevitable over time. Manual inspection is the primary method for detecting bolt looseness in the finger-band, but this approach could be more efficient and resistant to missed detections. In this study, we conducted a straddle-type monorail finger-band-anomaly-monitoring experiment using Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), a distributed multi-point-monitoring system widely used in railway monitoring. We analyzed track vibration signals’ time-domain and frequency-domain characteristics under different monorail operating conditions. Our findings revealed the following: 1. DAS can effectively identify the monorail’s operating status, including travel direction, starting and braking, and real-time train speed measurement. 2. Time-domain signals can accurately pinpoint special track structures such as turnouts and finger-bands. Passing trains over finger-bands also results in notable energy reflections in the frequency domain. 3. After the finger-band bolts loosen, there is a significant increase in vibration energy at the finger-band position, with the degree of energy increase corresponding to the extent of loosening. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Distributed Optical Fiber Sensing Technology)
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