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制造能够在高达2000摄氏度的温度下工作的高温传感器仪器特别有吸引力。弗吉尼亚理工大学的光纤光电研究中心（FEORC）提议开发低成本、可靠的蓝宝石光纤温度、压力和应变传感器，这些传感器适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。将系统地研究、设计和制造七种不同的传感配置，以确定每个参数测量的最佳方案。这些基于蓝宝石波导的传感器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、基于受挫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表单元，用于系统测试，以确定系统技术性能以及这些传感器用于监测电力工业中已确定的高温工业过程的可行性。除了传感器研究、系统开发和测试之外，拟议的研究还将主要涉及波导评估和修改、高性能蓝宝石-硅光纤拼接以及高温组件制造等方面的研究，这些将直接支持拟议的传感器工作。该计划的成功完成将产生蓝宝石光纤传感器仪表，以满足监测和/或控制涉及发电行业的高温工业过程的需求，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. ***