Distributed Fiber Optical Sensors Technology for In-situ Monitoring of Cable Insulation

A critical aspect of aging management for maintaining the current fleet of U.S. nuclear power plants is electric cable maintenance. Given the age of electric cables and radiation concern, timely inspection and maintenance of electrical cable networks is technically challenging and costly. This STTR project is aimed at developing an advanced distributed fiber sensor solution capable of performing real-time, in-situ structural health monitoring of electric cables. This innovative approach allows for high spatial resolution monitoring without the need to de-energize the cables. Utilizing patented sensing fiber technology, this project will fabricate low-cost distributed sensor fibers derived from standard telecom fibers to perform both distributed temperature sensing (DTS) and distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). Through innovative fiber packaging using pressure sensitive adhesive tapes, the multi-functional sensing fiber can be securely and conveniently deployed to both legacy and new electric cables regardless of their age, dimensions, or power ratings. During Phase I of the project, AiMiLi, in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh, will fabricate dual-functional sensing fibers. The project will demonstrate their ability to accurately detect temperature fluctuations and acoustic events caused by partial discharges, indicative of cable insulation degradation, with exceptional spatial resolution. The successful completion of this STTR project will yield American fiber sensor technology with unparallel sensor fabrication flexibility, up to tenfold cost advantages, and unique multi-functional measurement capabilities for cable monitoring and other critical infrastructure monitoring.