Development of Fiber Bragg grating strain amplification sensor for use in nuclear power plants

Marston, Jack and Fusiek, Grzegorz and Niewczas, Pawel and Guo, Jiansong; (2023) Development of Fiber Bragg grating strain amplification sensor for use in nuclear power plants. In: 2023 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC). IEEE, MYS.

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Abstract

This paper outlines the motivation for structural health monitoring with fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors in nuclear power plants where a high measurement resolution is normally required. Hence, a mechanical strain amplification is needed to increase the strain sensitivities. To ensure long-term stability, an epoxy-free mechanical strain amplification sensor is constructed using a Kovar encapsulated FBG. The strain response of the sensor is characterized using an extensometer. It was found that the achieved sensitivity of 1.16 pm/με yields a strain resolution of 0.43 με with current interrogation method – which exceeds the required strain resolution for the postulated scenario. However, if a higher resolution is required, it can be achieved by using an interrogator with a higher wavelength resolution or using a strain amplification with a larger strain amplification coefficient.

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