The optical sensing systems based on fiber laser technology are important tools for various fields of applications, like oil and gas exploitation, pipeline monitoring, wind detection, and perimeter security. The advantages that these systems provide make them highly desirable: the systems are passive, lightweight and small in size, reliable, provide an ability to be multiplexed in order to interrogate large sensor arrays.
In optical sensing systems, the optical fiber acts as a long sensor that is sensitive to the acoustic perturbations. The light traveling through the fiber changes its path due to the change in the optical path length in the fiber. After the interrogation by coherent laser light and recombination with reference light from the fiber laser source, an acoustic “fingerprint” is produced.
The fingerprint provides information about an event that took place somewhere along the fiber. To reduce the irrelevant noise that may be caused by rain droplets and aircrafts, sophisticated algorithms are used; such practice is often used in perimeter monitoring. The optical sensing systems based on fiber laser technology is crucial to pipeline integrity monitoring, as pipelines are also potential targets to intrusion. Therefore, the demand for fiber laser systems is increasing, and a need for low RIN lasers has emerged.
Low RIN lasers tend to be compact, efficient, reliable under most environmental conditions, and easy to use. The main advantages of low RIN lasers include low phase noise and narrow spectral linewidth. One of the important requirements that are expected from low RIN lasers is an ability to be interrogated over long distances. Low phase noise ensures the high sensitivity of optic systems. In general, single frequency fiber lasers have low RIN.
The low RIN lasers are required in various fields, including:
1) subsea systems;
Low RIN lasers are used in the location of oil and gas below the sea level via interrogation of fiber optic hydrophone arrays. The low RIN lasers are key to obtaining clear images and solid data.
2) wind LIDAR;
Lasers with low relative intensity noise are needed for the detection of weak backscatter from particles carried by the wind.
3) satellite missions;
Various measuring equipment mounted on satellites utilize low RIN lasers.
Optromix is a fiber laser vendor. We manufacture lasers using our own technologies based on the advanced research work and patents of international R&D team.Laser processes are high quality, high precision, easily-automated manufacturing solutions that provide repeatability and flexibility. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@optromix.com
