Uncertain times call for greater certainty. With tougher targets, stricter safety and environmental regulations and increasingly complex environments, it is more important than ever to understand what it happening within your critical infrastructure. However, these is often a large discrepancy between what you think you know is happening and what is actually taking place. This is called a monitoring gap.

There are several places where you may find a monitoring gap:

PRECISION: When events are only discernable through some very small changes in temperature.
TIME & SPEED: When you have to wait for detection and then interpretation of critical changes and events.
LOCATION: When assets are in remote and hostile environments.
REACH: When assets and infrastructure are further and deeper than ever before.
COST: When the most desirable monitoring solution is not affordable.

Distributed Temperature Sensing Systems are one way to close this monitoring gap. Instead of making measurements at discrete, pre-determined points Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) makes continuous measurements over the full length of the optical fibre. As a result DTS is capable of detecting changes in temperature smaller than 0.01 degrees C without prior knowledge of where that event might occur. Distributed sensing is also real time so you get continuous monitoring at all points along the cable at all times.

Conventional types of temperature control system are usually based on the use of point measurements: data is gathered from individual sensors and gauges that measure single values at specific locations. This can limit the speed, accuracy and resolution of monitoring in many applications. Distributed sensing, a technology that relies on analysis of light pulses that are reflected down optical fibres, offers a better and more efficient way to monitor changes in temperature and pressure. By using an optical fibre as the sensor, distributed sensing makes it possible to take real-time readings of temperature and strain every metre along the fibre - a fibre which can be up to 60km long.

There are many different ranges of solutions available to ensure that all your monitoring requirements are met. Depending on your specific needs, temperatures can be measured to a resolution of just 0.01 degrees C, down to every 10 seconds, at every metre along fibre optic cables up to 60km long.

DTS can be used in a wide variety of situations, including monitoring of harsh conditions such as corrosive environments, hydrogen atmospheres and temperatures of up to 700 degrees C.

Sensornet are providers of the world’s most advanced asset monitoring solutions. Their range of products include DTS, distributed strain sensors and digital pipeline monitoring solutions.

http://www.sensornet.co.uk/

[tags]DTS, distributed temperature sensing, DTSS, monitoring, technology[/tags]