8.6 Faseroptische Sensorik
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- 2023 (2)
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- LCST (2) (entfernen)
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We present a temperature sensor based on a polymer exhibiting a Lower Critical Solution Temperature (LCST) in aqueous solution encapsulated in a capillary. Parameters are chosen such that the solution exhibits a cloud point in a temperature range of 30° C to 39°C. The characteristic of thermoresponsive polymers with an LCST, is that above that temperature phase separation of the polymer takes place which leads to a temperature-dependent formation of a cloudy suspension. An optical intensity measurement over the desired temperature range is established by an increase of optical attenuation inside the polymer solution caused by a rising temperature. For our purpose, the polymer capillary is connected to transmitter and receiver via a Polymer Optical Fibre (POF). Our intensity measurement is, to the best of our knowledge, a novel method and can be considered simple when compared to existing fibre-based temperature measurement techniques. Due to the lack of electrical components at the probe, this sensor is suitable for measurements in strong electromagnetic fields and environments for which flying sparks are hazardous, i.e., inflammable fluids or gases. Furthermore, all manufactured sensors share the same temperature dependence and, therefore, are well-suited for comparative measurement, e.g., flow measurement systems. With the given temperature range, a body temperature measurement is also suitable.
We present a high-precision fiber-optic temperature sensor based on a polymer possessing a Lower Critical Solution Temperature (LCST) in aqueous solution encapsulated in a capillary. For a temperature higher than the LCST the transparent homogenous polymer solution changes into a suspension which forms an opaque fluid. The resulting temperature-dependent turbidity influences the transmission characteristics measured using a simple fiber-optic system.
The presented development provides a small-sized, robust temperature sensor, patented by the BAM (patent nr.: EP 3 043 161 B1), easy to integrate in many application fields, especially for process monitoring.