Sapphire Fiber Optic Sensors and Instrumentation Capable of Operation Above 1500 Degrees Celcius

圆柱形蓝宝石光波导已被证明对于能够在可能高达2000 ℃的温度下操作的高温传感器仪器的制造特别有吸引力。 弗吉尼亚理工大学的光纤电光研究中心（FEORC）提出开发低成本、可靠的蓝宝石光纤温度、压力和应变传感器，这些传感器可用于监测和控制许多高温工业过程，包括对发电行业至关重要的燃烧过程。 七种不同的传感配置将进行系统的研究，设计和制造，以确定每个参数测量的最佳方案。 这些基于蓝宝石波导的方案包括平衡偏振传感器、铅不敏感偏振传感器、基于临界角反射强度的传感器、基于受抑光耦合强度的传感器和基于光栅的波长编码传感器。 选定的最佳传感方案将进一步发展成原型传感器仪器单元，用于系统测试，以确定系统的技术性能以及这些传感器用于监测电力行业中涉及的高温工业过程的可行性。 除了传感器研究、系统开发和测试外，拟议的研究还将主要涉及波导评估和修改、高性能光纤到石英光纤拼接以及高温部件制造方面的研究，这些研究将直接支持拟议的传感器工作。 该项目的成功完成将使蓝宝石光纤传感器仪表满足发电行业中涉及的高温工业过程的监测和/或控制需求，包括燃烧，沸腾过程，高温管道和容器系统。 ***

9523311 Wang Cylindrical sapphire optical waveguides have been shown to be especially attractive for the fabrication of high temperature sensor instrumentation capable of operation at temperatures potentially up to 2000C. The Fiber & Electro-Optics Research Center (FEORC) at Virginia Tech proposes to develop low-cost reliable sapphire fiber temperature, pressure, and strain sensors which are desirable for the monitoring and control of many high temperature industrial processes, including the combustion process-vital for the power generation industry. Seven different sensing configurations will be systematically investigated, designed and fabricated to determine the optimal scheme for each parameter measurement. These sapphire waveguide-based schemes include the balanced polarimetric sensor, the lead-insensitive polarimetric sensor, the critical angle reflection intensity- based sensor, the frustrated optical coupling intensity-based sensor, and the grating-based wavelength-coded sensor. The selected optimal sensing schemes will then be further developed into prototype sensor instrumentation units for system testing to determine the system technical performance as well as the feasibility of these sensors for the monitoring of the identified high temperature industrial processes involved in the power industry. In addition to the sensor study, system development and testing, the proposed research will also largely involve research in waveguide evaluations and modifications, high performance sapphire-to-silica fiber splicing, and high temperature component fabrication which will directly support the proposed sensor work. The successful completion of the proposed program will result in sapphire fiber sensor instrumentation to meet the needs of monitoring and/or control of high temperature industrial processes involved in the power generation industry, including the combustion, boiling process, high temperature piping and vessel systems. ***