Engineering Services

Fiber Sensor Package Design Service

A FBG based fiber sensor is basically sensitive to both strain and temperature variations, but it can be packaged for temperature measurement. In order for FBG sensor to be used in harsh environment, a fiber sensor package could provide mechanical protection. This is not only due to fiber itself fragility but also due to the detrimental long-term effect of moisture and potentially mechanical breakage. However, the sensor package will be different for strain, pressure, vibrational, and acceleration measurement. BI provided single FBG fiber sensor design is based on six-sigma methodological process to compromise following parameters:
  • Minimum and maximum operation temperatures;
  • Minimum and maximum operation strains;
  • Any potential concerns in moisture, corrosive gas/liquid, fouling, vibration etc.;
  • Installation methods (clamping, welding, or bonding etc.);
  • Hermetical sealing requirement for fiber sensor cable penetration method (Gland, feedthrough, conduit etc.);
  • Sensor response time;
  • Sensor lifetime expectation;
  • Sensor accuracy and resolution;
  • If temperature effect is required to be removed;
  • Any constrains in sensor package geometry, size, material, and cost.

Fiber Sensing Cable Package Design Service

Arrayed FBG based fiber sensing cable can be used for temperature or thermal profile measurement.  In order for FBG sensing array to be used in harsh environment, a fiber sensing array package could provide mechanical protection. This is not only due to fiber itself fragility but also due to the detrimental long-term effect of moisture and potentially mechanical breakage. However, the fiber sensing array package will be different for strain, pressure, vibrational, and acceleration etc. measurement.  The fiber sensing cable with FBG sensors of 10-500 can be distributed to a length of a few kilometers or miles. The most common sensing array application is for thermal profile measurement from a specific environment, where the electronic sensors, such as thermocouples, are highly limited or even don’t work at all. BI provided single FBG fiber sensing array design is based on six-sigma methodological process to compromise following parameters:
  • Minimum and maximum operation temperatures;
  • Minimum and maximum operation strains;
  • Number of sensing points; Installation methods (clamping, welding, or bonding etc.);
  • Sensor response time;
  • Sensor lifetime expectation;
  • Any potential moisture, corrosive gas/liquid, fouling, vibration etc.;
  • Sensor accuracy and resolution;
  • Fiber cable penetration method (Gland, feedthrough etc.);
  • Any constrains in sensor package geometry, size, material, and cost.

Fiber Sensing Instrument Design Service

When customer has a specific application with a certain number of FBGs is packaged as a sensing cable, a sensing instrumentation can be constructed by multiplexing different sensing cables either with multi-channel optical sensing interrogator or with single-channel optical sensing interrogator plus a multi-channel optical switcher. The static and dynamic signals from FBG sensors can be analyzed either with time-division or with wavelength-division multiplexing method. A sensor instrument mainly consists of four parts:
  • Sensor or sensing cables;
  • Junction box for terminating fiber sensing cables nearby the application environment;
  • Optical sensor signal interrogation unit;
  • A computer with user friendly software for data acquisition & process.
BI provided sensing instrument design is based on six-sigma methodological process to provide low-cost sensing instrumentation by down selecting market available sensor interrogators. The following information will be required for design process:
  • Where the Instrument is installed, namely, field or indoor environment?
  • Number of sensors and sensing cables; Installation methods (19” Back-rake mounting, field standalone etc.);
  • Hermetical sealing requirement for fiber sensor cable penetration method (Gland, feedthrough, conduit etc.);
  • What is the compliance requirement on ATEX, CE, EMC, RoHS, etc.?
  • What are desired data acquisition and transmission rate?

Sensing Software Design Service

Sensing software basic function is to acquire the raw signal from optical interrogator that has connected sensors and sensing cables. When a sensing instrumentation is based on wavelength multiplexing method, a multi-channel optical sensing interrogator plus a multi-channel optical switcher may be more than enough to provide conventional sensing detection. The software can be designed to detect both static and dynamic signals from optical sensors, and can provide basic data process function, and online display. More than that, data online process, data fusion, and analysis can be embedded into the software functionality. In addition, the alarming signal can be produced if the measured parameter has out of low- or up-limit range. BI provided sensing software design is based on LabVIEW or C++ language to provide low-cost software for customer immediate application. The following information will be required for software design process:
  • Number of sensors and sensing cables;
  • Data acquisition and transmission rate;
  • Raw data display update rate;
  • Data saving rate range;
  • Data process method and potential mathematical formula;
  • Long-term software operation without attendant?
  • Automatic startup & data saving after power outage?
  • If needs alarming, what are low- and up-limit on what interest parameter?

Field Installation Service

When a customer has requested a specific sensing solution, BI not only provides sensor and instrument designs, but also sensor package, prototype, performance validation, qualification, and field installation. With great experience in field deployment BI can provide time and cost manageable service to help customer installing sensors and sensing instrument worldwide. To early plan the field installation service, it will be critical to learn application environment conditions, geometrical constrains, compliance requirement, accessibility, and engineering support from customer site. In some cases, BI can work with sub-contractor(s) to prepare the installation needed parts, penetration preparation, and provide field installation diagrams and drawings for customer engineer review. BI provided sensing instrument field installation service will follow procedures:
  • Customer site visit to learn application conditions;
  • BI collects all specifications and provide an installation proposal within 2 weeks;
  • After customer approved such a proposal, BI Engineering team will prepare all necessary drawings and souring parts;
  • If other subcontractors involved, BI will coordinate with each of them to ensure completion installation schedule;
  • BI will send its engineering team to customer site for service;
  • BI will report out the installation completion to customer.

Sensing Data Analysis Service

Depending upon the data acquisition rate and number of the sensing points the obtained field data could be huge amount that could overflow the DAQ hard drive. On the other hand, the several interested sensing parameters may need to be combined together for an industrial process control and optimization. One method is to use Data Fusion processes which are often categorized as low, intermediate or high, depending on the processing stage at which fusion takes place. Low level data fusion combines several sources of raw data to produce new raw data. The expectation is that fused data is more informative and synthetic than the original inputs. Another method is called as Data Integration that is used to describe the combining of data, whereas data fusion is integration followed by reduction or replacement. Data integration might be viewed as set combination wherein the larger set is retained, whereas fusion is a set reduction technique with improved confidence. Boston Instruments will leverage existing experience in sensor data process for analyzing customer specific data of monitoring and measurement. This service will include:
  • Raw data analysis and conversion with calibration transfer function;
  • Short-term and long-term sensing data trend presentation;
  • Data trend and industrial system operation condition relationship;
  • Data integration and fusion process.

After Sales Service

Boston Instruments continuously strives to improve customer satisfaction and our after sales service department provides customers with full after sales support in both training and installation. This dedicated service provides customers with the reassurance that an order can be traced and tracked at any stage prior to delivery should customers require it. Through constant communication with our customers and the feedback received via our After Sales Service department has enabled us to provide customers with greater improved service to give further confidence and peace of mind in our products. This service will include:
  • Fiber sensor handling and installation instruction;
  • Updated software and functionalities;
  • Remote diagnosis and recommendation for solving potential issue(s).
To meet different demands from industrial and University research, development and engineering (R&DE), we provide customized service to improve and modify existing fiber sensor package, sensing cable, and sensing instrument for retrofit installation. When you place your order, please specify your specific requirements to our sales department at: sales@bostoninstruments.com