Abstract: A partially coherent Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) apparatus has a light source comprising a directly modulated semiconductor Distributed FeedBack (DFB) laser diode for transmitting partially coherent light pulses along a monomode optical fibre. Light Rayleigh backscattered from the light pulses as they travel along the optical fibre is output from the end of the fibre into which the light pulses are transmitted to a Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) filter. The FBG filter reduces the supectral width of light received at a photodetector. In one embodiment, the supectral width of the FBG filter is around one fifth of the supectral width of the light pulse after it has travelled around 1 km along the optical fibre. As a consequence of reducing the supectral width of the light received at the photodetector, the FBG filter increases the temporal coherence of the light.

Abstract: There is disclosed a distributed optical fibre sensing system in which the sensor fibre comprises at least first and second waveguides used for separate sensing operations. The sensor fibre may be, for example, a double clad fibre having a monomode core and a multimode inner cladding.

Abstract: An optical fibre cable for distributed fibre sensing of fluid pressure is disclosed. There are also disclosed a method and an apparatus for distributed fibre sensing of fluid pressure using the optical fibre cable. The optical fibre cable is adapted for distributed pressure sensing, and comprises: one or more optical fibres (120); and a buffer (130) surrounding the one or more optical fibres and adapted to deform asymmetrically under isotropic pressure (P) such that the fibre experiences asymmetric strain changing the birefringence of the one or more optical fibres. The optical fibres incorporated in the cable may be conventional single mode optical fibres. The optical fibre cable may be used to determine a pressure distribution along the length of the cable. The cable, apparatus or method may be used to detect pressures over long distances such as in pipes, pipelines, or wells.

Abstract: A distributed optical fibre sensor is described. The sensor uses a sensor fibre (10) having a low or zero intrinsic birefringence that is responsive to an environmental parameter (24) such as pressure. Probe light pulses having a diversity of launch polarisation states are used to reduce signal fading and polarisation dependent loss in the retardation beat frequency signals which are sensed (20) and then analysed (22) to determine the environmental parameter as a profile along the sensor fibre.

Abstract: A fibre optic sensing method and apparatus for determining location and direction information of disturbances occurring in the environment of a sensor optical fibre are provided. The method comprises launching optical pulses into at least one polarisation eigenmode of a polarisation maintaining fibre as the sensor optical fibre, detecting temporal speckle patterns of light backscattered from the at least one polarisation eigenmode of the fibre, comparing the temporal speckle patterns to determine the location and direction information of a disturbance in the environment of the sensor optical fibre. The location information may be a distance along the fibre, and the direction information may be a direction radially from the axis of the fibre. The apparatus or instrument may be used to detect disturbance over long distances such as pipes, pipelines, or wells. Other applications include detecting intruders entering a controlled area.

Abstract: A partially coherent Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) apparatus has a light source comprising a directly modulated semiconductor Distributed FeedBack (DFB) laser diode for transmitting partially coherent light pulses along a monomode optical fibre. Light Rayleigh backscattered from the light pulses as they travel along the optical fibre is output from the end of the fibre into which the light pulses are transmitted to a Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) filter. The FBG filter reduces the supectral width of light received at a photodetector. In one embodiment, the supectral width of the FBG filter is around one fifth of the supectral width of the light pulse after it has travelled around 1 km along the optical fibre. As a consequence of reducing the supectral width of the light received at the photodetector, the FBG filter increases the temporal coherence of the light.

Abstract: A pressure sensing apparatus has a light source for transmitting pulses of light along a monomode optical fiber. The polarization of light backscattered from the light pulses in the optical fiber is detected by a polarization processing unit (PPU) and a photo detector. The optical fiber is adapted to deform asymmetrically under the influence of applied external isotropic pressure, e.g. from a fluid. The deformation causes the birefringence of the optical fiber to change proportionally to the applied pressure. The change in birefringence can be determined from the detected polarization of the backscattered light, allowing detection of pressure distribution in the fluid. Importantly, the construction of the optical fiber is such that the birefringence beat length of the optical fiber at the wavelength of light propagated by the fiber remains more than twice the spatial length of the light pulses transmitted along the optical fiber.

Abstract: An optical time domain reflectometry apparatus has a laser and light modulator for producing coherent light pulses, each having two sections of higher intensity separated by a gap of lower or substantially zero intensity. As the light pulses propagate along the optical fibre, light is continuously Rayleigh backscattered by inhomogeneities of the optical fibre. A photodetector generates backscatter signals representing the intensity of light Rayleigh backscattered in the optical fibre as each light pulse travels along the optical fibre. The PC uses these backscatter signals to derive a difference signal representing a change dI in intensity between signals generated from two successive pulses. The PC then calculates the Root Mean Square (RMS) of the difference signal averaged over the interval between the two sections of the light pulses.