A combined long period fiber grating multi‐parameter sensor

Abstract

Purpose

The on‐line concentration and temperature measurement of solutions is of great interest as a means of quality production control in many industrial processes, such as in food service industry, pharmaceuticals industry, chemical industry and environmental engineering, especially for harmful solutions or solutions that cannot be reached by the operator. This paper seeks to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A high resolution all‐fiber multi‐parameter sensor system has been studied theoretically and experimentally. The sensor system can be used for on‐line monitoring of concentration and temperature simultaneously and dynamically. A combined long period fiber grating (CLPG) is used as the sensor head based on its resonance wavelength shifts being almost linearly with concentration and temperature, and also based on that the two applied resonance peaks have different concentration‐wavelength coefficients and different temperature‐wavelength coefficients. Two wavelength‐matched fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are used to convert resonance peak wavelengths of the CLPG into corresponding intensities for interrogation.

Findings

When the concentration and the temperature all fluctuate dynamically during experiments, a concentration resolution of 0.03 g/L has been achieved in the range of 0∼200 g/L, and a temperature resolution of 0.02C has been realized in the range of −20∼60C.

Originality/value

On‐line monitoring of concentration and temperature for solutions is a means of quality production control in biological, chemical and other many industrial processes, such as in food service industry, pharmaceuticals industry, chemical industry, and also in environmental engineering, especially for harmful solutions or solutions that cannot be reached by the operator. Optical fiber sensors have numerous advantages over traditional sensors, such as immunity to electromagnetic interference, higher stability and sensitivity, more easiness of multiplex, being competent for application in harsh environments, “smart structures” and on‐site measurements. Long period optical fiber grating sensor is the most appropriate sensor for multi‐parameter monitoring in the fields mentioned above, which has all the advantages of optical fiber sensor. Besides, optical fiber grating sensors can be used for monitoring more accurately because its signal is coded by wavelength. The all‐fiber sensor system is suitable for remote monitoring of many solutions, such as the solutions of NaCl, glucose, alcohol, and hydrocarbon.

Citation

Zhan, Y., Gu, K., Wu, H. and Luo, J. (2013), "A combined long period fiber grating multi‐parameter sensor", Sensor Review, Vol. 33 No. 3, pp. 220-227. https://doi.org/10.1108/02602281311324672