Feel what you can't feel in unreachable places
Distributed Acoustic and Temperature Sensing
DATS - Distributed Acoustic and Temperature Sensing - Immer Messen is a distributed optical sensing system dedicated to the detection of acoustic signals, dynamic deformation and temperature monitoring over tens of thousands of points simultaneously, promoting high sensitivity measurements in real time and with spatial resolution of 1 meter.
The operating principle consists of launching a pulse of light with a known pulse width. The light pulse propagates through the fiber along its entire length. For each region excited by the pulse, a pattern of light is reflected, resulting from the interaction of the light pulse with the spatial non-uniformities of the silica molecules in the core of the optical fiber, a phenomenon known as light scattering.
The detection of acoustic signals and dynamic deformation is based on Rayleigh scattering of light, under the same frequency as the excitation light (laser). Mechanical deformation events alter the spatial distribution of molecules, also altering the properties of the optical path through the fiber core and, consequently, the pattern of the backscattered signal. This signal propagates to the interrogation end of the optical cable that is connected to the equipment, and is then detected and processed.
Temperature monitoring is based on another type of light scattering, called Raman scattering. In this phenomenon, the reflected light carries temperature information at frequencies different from the excitation, known as Stokes and Anti-Stokes bands. The intensity relationship of these two bands is temperature dependent, making monitoring possible.
The backscattered signal, acquired in time, is associated with each position in the fiber through the relationship of the propagation speed of light in the fiber with the round-trip travel time of the pulse and reflected signal. This is how the spatial dimension of the sensor channels in the fiber is composed.
Cada quadro de sinal retroespalhado é adquirido em um instante de tempo, gerando padrões de sinais refletidos para cada aquisição, compondo-se a dimensão de evolução temporal dos canais.
O resultado é uma amostragem acústica e de temperatura contínua de toda a estrutura em que se está acoplado o cabo óptico.
Its monitoring capabilities thrive in the most diverse fields of the oil and gas industry, from subsea, offshore to downstream, as well as in monitoring the integrity and safety of large structures such as dams, bridges, tunnels, and buildings.
Monitoring of steam transport pipelines in refineries
Leaks in long-distance pipelines
Meet our applications