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Bi-Directional Brillouin Optical Time Domain Analyzer System for Long Range Distributed Sensing
Nan Guo1, Liang Wang2, Jie Wang3
1Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. 13901767r@connect.polyu.hk.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 22, 2016
Summary
We developed a bi-directional Brillouin time domain analyzer (BD-BOTDA) to extend sensing range. This novel method achieves long-distance distributed sensing with high spatial resolution and comparable performance to conventional systems.
Area of Science:
- Fiber optic sensing
- Photonics
- Distributed measurement systems
Background:
- Conventional unidirectional Brillouin time domain analyzer (BOTDA) systems face limitations in sensing range.
- Extending the sensing range of BOTDA is crucial for applications like long-haul fiber monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and demonstrate a novel bi-directional Brillouin time domain analyzer (BD-BOTDA) scheme.
- To extend the distributed sensing range of BOTDA systems while maintaining performance.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing two pump-probe pairs at different wavelengths for simultaneous detection.
- Implementing a bi-directional signal acquisition strategy.
- Analyzing Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) distribution across the entire fiber length.
Main Results:
- Achieved a distributed temperature sensing range of 81.9 km.
- Maintained a spatial resolution of 2 m.
- Demonstrated comparable performance to unidirectional BOTDA with reduced range, preserving signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and BFS uncertainty (~0.44 MHz).
Conclusions:
- The proposed BD-BOTDA scheme effectively extends the sensing range of Brillouin-based distributed sensing.
- This technique offers a practical solution for long-distance fiber optic sensing without complex components.
- BD-BOTDA provides a viable alternative for applications requiring extended reach and high spatial resolution.
