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Fibre Optic Measurement delivers some unique benefits that complement the functionality of traditional electro-mechanical sensing systems.
Elevate Controls can deliver measurement and automation systems that seamlessly integrate Fibre Optic Measurement into traditional electro-mechanical sensing systems. This can address issues that may be challenging or impossible to meet with electro-mechanical sensors alone.
Key advantages of fibre optic measurement systems
- Optical sensing is inherently immune to electromagnetic interference and transmission losses that can limit electrical systems.
- Optical sensors typically contain significantly fewer internal components, connections, and moving mechanical parts than electromechanical sensors.
- They have fewer failure modes and no internal electrical potentials that might accelerate corrosion, which means that they are less susceptible to damage or degradation from long-term exposure to harsh environments.
- Large numbers of optical sensors of mixed type (up to 160) can be embedded in a single optical fibre cable, which can significantly reduce installation and maintenance costs vs deploying similar numbers and types of conventional electrical sensors.
Use optical sensing techniques when:
- Making measurements over distances that would lead to unacceptable transmission losses in an electrical system, from 10s of metres to 10s of kilometres;
- Signals may be subject to high or unacceptable levels of electromagnetic interference;
- The measurement system could be exposed to sources of electrical damage, such as a lightning strik.;
- The sensors are deployed to intrinsically safe work areas;
- Making long-term measurements in harsh environments that would degrade conventional electrical sensors and/or where service access is limited; and
- The number of deployed sensors and/or mix of sensor types is such that the installation/maintenance costs of the electrical system is prohibitive.
Where none of these conditions apply, conventional electrical sensing is still likely to be the most cost-effective measurement technique.
Why Choose Elevate Controls?
Fibre Optic Measurement is a relatively new technology that until recently has been limited to highly specific applications and industry sectors (eg strain monitoring in ocean-spanning bridges or pipeline monitoring in the oil and gas industry).
The skill set required to design, deploy and access Fibre Optic Measurement systems is quite different to that required for electro-mechanical systems.
This is a particular barrier to the deployment of Fibre Optic systems to general industrial and manufacturing sites in Australia where there is a massive installed base of electro-mechanical systems that are typically maintained by on-site electrical trades people or contractors.
Elevate Controls is a full-service provider of complete optical sensing and measurement systems, including sensors, optical measurement and distribution cables, Interrogator hardware, and application software for the acquisition, analysis, and display of optical measurement data.
Systems can be stand-alone or integrated into a traditional electromechanical measurement network.
We are expert integrators of both Fibre Optic and electro-mechanical systems, and are uniquely placed to deliver fully integrated measurement and automation systems that combine the two approaches.
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