Abstract
We describe a prototype sensor for surface heat transfer measurements based on a miniature fibre Fabry-Perot (FFP) interferometer. These sensors are being developed for a particular application where heat transfer data are currently obtained using conventional platinum thin film resistance thermometers. The specification that the sensors must exceed is: (i) temperature resolution of 25 mK over a 50 K range; (ii) temporal response of 10 µs; (iii) an ability to operate as a calorimetric heat transfer gauge. The sensor consists of a short length of single mode optical fibre (~3 mm) to which low reflectivity coatings have been applied at each end. It is illuminated and interrogated by an arbitrary length of addressing fibre. A laser diode is used as the source and we have exploited the facility to frequency modulate the diode in a novel signal processing scheme. To determine the performance of the sensor, short duration heat pulses derived from a pulsed Nd: YAG laser were applied to one end of the FFP. The response time was found to be 8 µs and the sensor operation as a calorimeter was verified. © 1992.
| Original language | English |
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| Pages (from-to) | 207-221 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Optics and Lasers in Engineering |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 2-3 |
| Publication status | Published - 1992 |