Distributed sapphire fiber sensors for steel-making industrial applications

Abstract

This research demonstrates femtosecond (FS) laser-written distributed fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) sensors within sapphire crystalline fiber, tailored for steelmaking applications. The study precisely assesses sensor stability during a 72-hour exposure to severe conditions, including temperatures reaching 1600°C. The FBGs exhibit excellent signal strength and a maintained high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by averting external surface reactions with the sapphire fiber. Extensive annealing at 1600°C purifies the sheathing material. By utilizing an extended 1-meter sapphire fiber, this work surmounts the challenges of cascading FBGs in highly multimode waveguides, enabling FBG signal capture in demanding applications. This research enhances our comprehension of FBG performance in high-temperature environments and paves the way for robust optical fiber systems in steelmaking applications, including tundish probes and submerge entry nozzles (SEN) for molten metal casting. Additionally, the exceptional efficiency and precision of sapphire FBG sensors, in contrast to conventional thermocouples, offer the potential to boost productivity, lower energy consumption, and reduce the carbon footprint in the steel industry.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Second Department

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Fiber Bragg gratings, Sapphire, Sensors, Thermal stability, Industrial applications, Annealing, Fiber optics sensors, Crystals, Industry, Signal to noise ratio

Document Type

Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Publication Date

7 June, 2024

Link to Full Text

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