The role of distributed fiber optic vibration sensors in preventing damage to underground cables and oil pipelines

What are the advantages of underground cables

Underground cables refer to cables that are often buried underground compared to common overhead lines, and are also known as underground cables. Cables are made of one or more insulated conductors with an insulation layer and a protective layer, used to transmit electricity or information from one place to another. After entering modern society, due to land constraints, high traffic pressure, and urban construction, large cities generally use underground cable transmission methods. Compared to overhead lines, cables have advantages such as small footprint, reliable transmission, and strong anti-interference ability.

How to monitor the damage of underground cables

In recent years, the proportion of underground cables in power transmission and distribution systems has been increasing. However, they are often damaged by external forces during use, which seriously affects the safety and reliability of cable power supply. Therefore, ensuring that cable power supply is not damaged by external forces has become an urgent problem that the power operation department needs to solve. It is difficult to solve the problem of external damage in underground cable tunnels and other power pipelines through daily line inspections using existing technology for damage prevention and monitoring. Existing technology is difficult to monitor the specific situation of each cable in real-time, and it is difficult to find the specific location when damage occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to invent distributed vibration sensing devices and anti vibration systems to prevent external force damage to cables.

The application of fiber optic sensors in perimeter security monitoring

Interferometric fiber optic sensors have the advantages of high sensitivity and dynamic range. Using optical fibers as sensing and transmission units, they are not easily affected by electromagnetic interference. The common interferometric fiber optic sensor adopts a dual beam interferometer structure, which is used to measure vibration and sound, and has a wide range of applications in the field of perimeter security. By monitoring various vibration signals on the fiber optic cable, alarms are triggered to provide real-time alerts for intrusion and crossing behavior around the perimeter. It is widely used in airports, prisons, schools, factories, high-end communities, and other areas for perimeter prevention.

Vibration and Security Monitoring of Oil Pipeline

Long distance oil pipelines are large diameter and long-distance pipeline systems, which are the national energy arteries and key projects of the national economy. They shoulder the important responsibility of providing energy security for the healthy and rapid development of the national economy. Their safe operation has significant social and economic significance. The traditional pipeline safety protection is achieved through the persistent monitoring of pipelines by pipeline patrol workers. This method is not only labor-intensive, but also may not be detected by patrol workers in a timely manner when pipeline damage occurs, which may cause serious damage to the pipeline. Therefore, the pipeline safety warning system plays a very important role in the transportation energy of pipelines.
The pipeline fiber optic vibration safety warning system uses fiber optic cables laid on the pipeline as sensors to sense soil vibration signals along the pipeline in real time. Through intelligent identification and analysis, it alerts and locates destructive events such as mechanical construction and manual excavation that threaten pipeline safety. It notifies patrol personnel to rush to the site to inspect and prevent further deterioration of the destruction event.

Characteristics of Fiber Optic Vibration Monitoring System

1. Monitoring of anti-theft and construction damage prevention of oil, gas, and coal pipelines for transportation;
2. Monitoring of underground gas, heating, and water pipeline leaks and construction damage prevention in cities;
3. Long distance fence intrusion prevention system, such as airports, warehouses, military restricted areas, border lines, etc;
4. Address and structural change alarms, such as mine roadway vibration, displacement, mountain and slope collapse warnings;
5. Accurate positioning of trapped personnel in mining accidents;
6. Other vibration measurement alarm applications;