This thesis presents an investigation into the application of optical fibre sensors to a tomographic imaging system for use with gas/water mixtures. Several sensing techniques for measurement of two component flow using non-intrusive techniques are discussed and their relevance to tomographic applications considered. Optical systems are shown to be worthy of investigation. The interaction between a collimated beam of light and a spherical bubble is described. Modelling of different arrangements of projections of optical sensing arrays is carried out to predict the expected sensor output voltage profiles due to different flow regimes represented by four models. The four flow models investigated are: a single pixel flow, two pixels flow, half flow and full flow models. The response of the sensors is based on three models: optical path length, optical attenuation and a combination of optical attenuation model and signal conditioning. In the optical path length model, opaque solids or small bubbles, which are conveyed, may totally or partially interrupt the optical beams within the sensing volume. In the optical attenuation model, the Lambert-Beer's Law is applied to model optical attenuation due to the different optical densities of the fluids being conveyed. The combination of optical attenuation model and signal conditioning is designed to improve the visual contrast of the tomograms compared with those based on the optical attenuation model. Layergram back-projection (LYGBP) is used to reconstruct the image. A hybrid reconstruction algorithm combining knowledge of sensors reading zero flow with LYGBP is tested and shown to improve the image reconstruction. The combination of a two orthogonal and two rectilinear projections system based on optical fibres is used to obtain the concentration profiles and velocity of gas bubbles in a vertical column. The optical fibre lens is modelled to determine the relationships between fibre parameters and collimation of light into the receiver circuit. Modelling of the flow pipe is also carried out to investigate which method of mounting the fibres minimises refraction of the collimated light entering the pipe and the measurement cross-section. The preparation of the ends of the optical fibre and design of the electronics, which process the tomographic data, are described. Concentration profiles obtained from experiments on small bubbles and large bubbles flowing in a hydraulic conveyor are presented. Concentration profiles are generated using the hybrid reconstruction algorithm. The optical tomographic system is shown to be sensitive to small bubbles in water of diameter 1-10 mm and volumetric flow rates up to 1 1/min, and large bubbles in water of diameter 15-20 mm and volumetric flow rates up to 3 1/min. Velocity measurements are obtained directly from cross correlation of upstream and downstream sensors' signals as well as from upstream and downstream pixel concentration values. Suggestions for further work on optical tomographic measurements are made.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis describes the work carried out at Brunel University to develop novel optical fibre sensors capable of monitoring the cure state of an epoxy/amine resin system. The sensors were of simple construction, consisting of an optical fibre from which the silicone cladding layer had been removed over a short length. This stripped length was embedded into the curing resin system. The sensor was successfully used in two ways: i) as an evanescent absorption sensor to monitor specific absorption bands of the resin system. The absorption of energy from the evanescent wave of the optical fibre by absorbing media allows evanescent absorption spectra to be obtained. Absorption spectra were obtained from sensors embedded in a model curing resin system over narrow wavelength ranges. These wavelength ranges corresponded to positions of known absorptions in the spectra of active components in epoxy/amine systems. By monitoring the change in these absorptions it was possible to obtain information about concentration of the amine hardener functional group throughout cure; ii) as a refractive index sensor capable of monitoring the changes in the refractive index of the resin system during cure. A laser diode was used to launch light into the sensor and the intensity of light emerging from the other end of the fibre was monitored. Changes in the resin system refractive index caused changes in the guiding properties of this the sensor. This resulted in a significant change in the intensity of light recorded by the detector and allowed the cure process to be followed. This sensor was also embedded into a unidirectional pre-preg system and was able to follow the cure of the system. The results from the two sensing methods have been compared with data obtained using FTIR spectroscopy and Abbe refractometry during the resin system cure. A theoretical model of sensor response has been developed and compared with the experimental data obtained. The sensor response has also been compared to predictions made by several models of evanescent sensor systems obtained from the literature. These models have been modified so that they can be applied to a sensor embedded into a curing resin system. An analysis of the correspondence between theory and experiment is presented.

Fibre-optic sensors have been the focus of a lot of research, but their associated high cost has stifled their transferral from the laboratory to real world applications. This thesis addresses the issue of multiplexing, a technology that would lower the cost per unit sensor of a sensor system dramatically. An overview of the current state of research of, and the principles behind, multiplexed sensor networks is given. A new scheme of multiplexing, designated W*DM, is developed and implemented for a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) optical fibre sensor network. Using harmonic analysis, multiplexing is performed in the domain dual to that of the wavelength domain of a sensor. This scheme for multiplexing is compatible with the most commonly used existing schemes of WDM and TDM and thus offers an expansion over, and a resultant cost decrease from, the sensor systems currently in use. This research covered a theoretical development of the scheme, a proof of principle, simulated and experimental analysis of the performance of the multiplexed system, investigation into sensor design requirements and related issues, fabrication of the sensors according to the requirements of the scheme and the successful multiplexing of eight devices (thus offering an eightfold increase over current network capacities) using this scheme. Extensions of this scheme to other fibre sensors such as Long Period Gratings (LPGs) and blazed gratings were also investigated. Two LPGs having a moir?? structure were successfully multiplexed and it was shown that a blazed Fabry Perot grating could be used as a tuneable dual strain/refractive index sensor. In performing these tests, it was discovered that moir?? LPGs exhibited a unique thermal switching behaviour, hereto unseen. Finally the application of fibre sensors to the civil engineering field was investigated. The skill of embedding optical fibre in concrete was painstakingly developed and the thermal properties of concrete were investigated using these sensors. Field tests for the structural health monitoring of a road bridge made from a novel concrete material were performed. The phenomenon of shrinkage, creep and cracking in concrete was investigated showing the potential for optical fibre sensors to be used as a viable research tool for the civil engineer.

Fibre-optic sensors have been the focus of a lot of research, but their associated high cost has stifled their transferral from the laboratory to real world applications. This thesis addresses the issue of multiplexing, a technology that would lower the cost per unit sensor of a sensor system dramatically. An overview of the current state of research of, and the principles behind, multiplexed sensor networks is given. A new scheme of multiplexing, designated W*DM, is developed and implemented for a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) optical fibre sensor network. Using harmonic analysis, multiplexing is performed in the domain dual to that of the wavelength domain of a sensor. This scheme for multiplexing is compatible with the most commonly used existing schemes of WDM and TDM and thus offers an expansion over, and a resultant cost decrease from, the sensor systems currently in use. This research covered a theoretical development of the scheme, a proof of principle, simulated and experimental analysis of the performance of the multiplexed system, investigation into sensor design requirements and related issues, fabrication of the sensors according to the requirements of the scheme and the successful multiplexing of eight devices (thus offering an eightfold increase over current network capacities) using this scheme. Extensions of this scheme to other fibre sensors such as Long Period Gratings (LPGs) and blazed gratings were also investigated. Two LPGs having a moir?? structure were successfully multiplexed and it was shown that a blazed Fabry Perot grating could be used as a tuneable dual strain/refractive index sensor. In performing these tests, it was discovered that moir?? LPGs exhibited a unique thermal switching behaviour, hereto unseen. Finally the application of fibre sensors to the civil engineering field was investigated. The skill of embedding optical fibre in concrete was painstakingly developed and the thermal properties of concrete were investigated using these sensors. Field tests for the structural health monitoring of a road bridge made from a novel concrete material were performed. The phenomenon of shrinkage, creep and cracking in concrete was investigated showing the potential for optical fibre sensors to be used as a viable research tool for the civil engineer.