Fiber optic monitoring of critical infrastructure

The use of fiber optic sensors for monitoring critical infrastructure facilities:

• trackways,
• bridges,
• viaducts,
• underground passages,
• footbridges,
• handling (e.g. overhead traveling cranes),
• gas pipelines, pipelines,
• pressure tanks,
• rock masses,
• elements of power boilers operating up to 1000 ° C.

Purpose of the measurements:

• measurement of deformation of an element located on unstable ground,
• acceptance of the structure prior to its admission to operation after completion of construction,
• assessment of the load-bearing capacity of structures already in use and in operation for some time, for which there are doubts related to their technical condition,
• research related to the introduction of new design or technological solutions,
• the need to increase the load capacity of the structure,
• measurement of deformation at extreme temperatures (up to 1000 ° C).

Our system for monitoring critical infrastructure facilities is based on an innovative fiber optic technology and two measurement systems:

1. FBG point sensors (Fiber Bragg Grating),
2. linear Rayleigh sensors,

which are characterized by:

• intrinsically safe,
• no need for calibration,
• long life cycle (up to 20 years),
• the possibility of serial connection of individual measurement points on one optical fiber,
• wiring reduction in relation to strain gauges.

Depending on the individual structure of a given object, sensors based on fiber optic technology (FBG and Rayleigh) are mounted directly to selected structural elements and allow measurement of such structural stress parameters as: deformation, stress, displacement and temperature with micrometric accuracy.

In addition, the system can automatically notify the relevant facility services in the event of exceeding the set critical threshold values.

In addition, the Company has a long-life, high-temperature stress and temperature measurement system based on single-mode optical fiber (SM), used in environments up to 1000 ° C. Designed to monitor deformation, stress and temperature from 1 to 1000 points / 1m of fiber in difficult conditions. Designed for power plants, nuclear facilities, oil and gas, aviation, railways, civil and geotechnical engineering, roads and advanced vehicles, gears, marine vessels and racing yachts, wind turbines and structures, pipelines, industrial processes and research laboratories worldwide.