Amplified OTDR systems for multipoint corrosion monitoring.
We present two configurations of an amplified fiber-optic-based corrosion sensor using the optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) technique as the interrogation method. The sensor system is multipoint, self-referenced, has no moving parts and can measure the corrosion rate several kilometers away from the OTDR equipment. The first OTDR monitoring system employs a remotely pumped in-line EDFA and it is used to evaluate the increase in system reach compared to a non-amplified configuration. The other amplified monitoring system uses an EDFA in booster configuration and we perform corrosion measurements and evaluations of system sensitivity to amplifier gain variations. Our experimental results obtained under controlled laboratory conditions show the advantages of the amplified system in terms of longer system reach with better spatial resolution, and also that the corrosion measurements obtained from our system are not sensitive to 3 dB gain variations.
Polytechnic School of Pernambuco, University of Pernambuco (UPE), Recife, PE, Brazil. jehanfonseca@hotmail.com
Jehan F
JF
Nascimento
Marcionilo J
MJ
Silva
Isnaldo J S
IJ
Coêlho
Eliel
E
Cipriano
Joaquim F
JF
Martins-Filho