Process Monitoring With Optical Fibers And Harsh Environment Sensors

The 35 papers in this volume were presented at the Industrial and Environmental Monitors and Biosensors Symposium, January 1999. They are divided into nine sessions addressing subjects such as: sensors for energy industry; sensors for engine industry; and sensors for materials evaluation.

Environmental and chemical sensors in optical fiber sensor technology The nature of the environment in which we live and work, and the precarious state of many aspects of the natural environment, has been a major lesson for scientists over the last few decades. Public awareness of the issues involved is high, and often coupled with a scepticism of the ability of the scientist and engineer to provide an adequate, or even rapid solution to the preservation of the environment before further damage is done, and to achieve this with a mini mum of expenditure. Monitoring of the various aspects of the environment, whether it be external or internal to ourselves and involving chemical, physical or biomedical parameters is an essential process for the well-being of mankind and of the individual. Legis lative requirements set new standards for measurement and control all around us, which must be met by the most appropriate of the technologies available, commensurate with the costs involved. Optical fiber sensor technology has a major part to play in this process, both to complement existing technologies and to promote new solutions to difficult measurement issues. The developments in new sources and detectors covering wider ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum, with higher sensitivity, allow the use of techniques that some time ago would have been considered inappropriate or lacking in sufficient sensitivity.

The evolution and need for the preservation and maintenance of existing structures, recent or historical, has fostered research in the area of structural monitoring, translated into the development of new techniques, equipment and sensors. Early detection of damage and accurate assessment of structural safety requires monitoring systems, the data from which can be used to calibrate numerical models for structural analysis and to assess safety. Data are obtained under real-time conditions, considering a group of parameters related to structural properties, such as stresses, accelerations, deformations and displacements. The analysis of structural properties is particularly relevant when the structure is subjected to extreme events (earthquakes, wind, fire and explosions, among others) or repeated loads (road/rail/air traffic, vibrations induced by equipment and machines), since they affect the structural integrity and put the users at risk. In order to prevent the severe damage and eventual collapse of structures, and consequent human, material and economic losses, the implementation of monitoring systems becomes a valuable tool for today's society. Monitoring of structures is becoming increasingly important, not only as preventive action, but also due to actual economic and sustainability concerns, to ensure a safer and more comfortable built environment.

Opto-mechanical Fiber Optic Sensors: Research, Technology, and Applications in Mechanical Sensing offers comprehensive coverage of the theoretical aspects of fiber optic sensors (FOS), along with current and emerging applications in the mechanical, petroleum, biomedical, biomechanical, aerospace and automotive industries. Special attention is given to FOS applications in harsh environments. Due to recent technology advances, optical fibers have found uses in many industrial applications. Various sectors are major targets for FOS's capable of measuring mechanical parameters, such as pressure, stress, strain and temperature. Opto-mechanical FOS's offer unique advantages, including immunity to electromagnetic interference, high fidelity and signal-to-noise ratio, low-loss remote sensing and small size. Provides current background information and fundamentals on fiber optic sensors technology Covers a wide variety of established and emerging applications of FOS Focuses on mechanical parameter measurement Includes contributions from leading researchers and practitioners in their fields Covers current methods of fabrication and packaging

Fossil-fuel power plants account for the majority of worldwide power generation. Increasing global energy demands, coupled with issues of ageing and inefficient power plants, have led to new power plant construction programmes. As cheaper fossil fuel resources are exhausted and emissions criteria are tightened, utilities are turning to power plants designed with performance in mind to satisfy requirements for improved capacity, efficiency, and environmental characteristics. Advanced power plant materials, design and technology provides a comprehensive reference on the state of the art of gas-fired and coal-fired power plants, their major components and performance improvement options. Part one critically reviews advanced power plant designs which target both higher efficiency and flexible operation, including reviews of combined cycle technology and materials performance issues. Part two reviews major plant components for improved operation, including advanced membrane technology for both hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) separation, as well as flue gas handling technologies for improved emissions control of sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), mercury, ash and particulates. The section concludes with coverage of high-temperature sensors, and monitoring and control technology that are essential to power plant operation and performance optimisation. Part three begins with coverage of low-rank coal upgrading and biomass resource utilisation for improved power plant fuel flexibility. Routes to improve the environmental impact are also reviewed, with chapters detailing the integration of underground coal gasification and the application of carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage. Finally, improved generation performance is reviewed with coverage of syngas and hydrogen (H2) production from fossil-fuel feedstocks. With its distinguished international team of contributors, Advanced power plant materials, design and technology is a standard reference for all power plant engineers and operators, as well as to academics and researchers in this field. Provides a comprehensive reference on the state-of-the-art gas-fired and coal-fired power plants, their major components and performance improvement options Examines major plant components for improved operation as well as flue gas handling technologies for improved emissions control Routes to improve environmental impact are discussed with chapters detailing the integration of underground coal gasification

The most complete, one-stop reference for fiber optic sensor theory and application Optical Fiber Sensors: Fundamentals for Development of Optimized Devices constitutes the most complete, comprehensive, and up-to-date reference on the development of optical fiber sensors. Edited by two respected experts in the field and authored by experienced engineers and scientists, the book acts as a guide and a reference for an audience ranging from graduate students to researchers and engineers in the field of fiber optic sensors. The book discusses the fundamentals and foundations of fiber optic sensor technology and provides real-world examples to illuminate and illustrate the concepts found within. In addition to the basic concepts necessary to understand this technology, Optical Fiber Sensors includes chapters on: Distributed sensing with Rayleigh, Raman and Brillouin scattering methods Biomechanical sensing Gas and volatile organic compound sensors Application of nanotechnology to optical fiber sensors Health care and clinical diagnosis And others Graduate students as well as professionals who work with optical fiber sensors will find this volume to be an indispensable resource and reference.

This book explains physical principles, unique benefits, broad categories, implementation aspects, and performance criteria of distributed optical fiber sensors (DOFS). For each kind of sensor, the book highlights industrial applications, which range from oil and gas production to power line monitoring, plant and process engineering, environmental monitoring, industrial fire and leakage detection, and so on. The text also includes a discussion of such key areas as backscattering, launched power limitations, and receiver sensitivity, as well as a concise historical account of the field’s development.