Fiber optic Bragg-grating-based sensor for liquid hydrocarbon leak detection and localization

In this paper, we present a new fiber optic Bragg grating sensor for petroleum hydrocarbon leak detection. The developed sensor includes fiber section with imprinted in the fiber core Bragg grating covered by special polymer material. This polymer reversibly swells under hydrocarbon influence and strains the fiber section with the Bragg grating inside. As a result of the fiber elongation, the Bragg wavelength shifts to aside longer wavelength. Experimentally demonstrated shift of the grating resonant wavelength was more than 2 nm for 20-min gasoline influence, which significantly exceeds a shift due to possible environmental temperature variation and the width of the grating reflection spectrum, which was about 0.5 nm. The paper presents also the results of the swelling-behavior test of the loaded and unloaded sensitive polymer material under liquid and vapor gasoline influence and the results of the theoretical and experimental investigation of the hydrocarbon sensor performance.