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Review
. 2021 Sep 9;21(18):6047.
doi: 10.3390/s21186047.

Optical Fibre-Based Sensors for Oil and Gas Applications

Jincy Johny  1 , Solomon Amos  2 , Radhakrishna Prabhu  1
Affiliations
Review

Optical Fibre-Based Sensors for Oil and Gas Applications

Jincy Johny et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Oil and gas (O&G) explorations moving into deeper zones for enhanced oil and gas recovery are causing serious safety concerns across the world. The sensing of critical multiple parameters like high pressure, high temperature (HPHT), chemicals, etc., are required at longer distances in real-time. Traditional electrical sensors operate less effectively under these extreme environmental conditions and are susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Hence, there is a growing demand for improved sensors with enhanced measurement capabilities and also sensors that generates reliable data for enhanced oil and gas production. In addition to enhanced oil and gas recovery, the sensing technology should also be capable of monitoring the well bore integrity and safety. The sensing requirements of the O&G industry for improved sensing in deeper zones include increased transmission length, improved spatial coverage and integration of multiple sensors with multimodal sensing capability. This imposes problems like signal attenuation, crosstalks and cross sensitivities. Optical fibre-based sensors are expected to provide superior sensing capabilities compared to electrical sensors. This review paper covers a detailed review of different fibre-optic sensing technologies to identify a feasible sensing solution for the O&G industry.

Keywords: oil and gas; optical fibre; sensor.

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Conflict of interest statement

No conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sensor requirements in the O&G industry.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic of light propagation through an optical fibre.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cross-section of: (a) step-index SMF and (b) solid core PCF.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of fibre-optic sensing technologies.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) Distributed fibre-optic sensor and (b) quasi-distributed fibre-optic sensor.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Intensity modulated-based sensing class; (a) Transmission intensity (b) Reflection intensity (c) microbending intensity type [52].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Phase modulation-based sensing uses the interferometric techniques (a) Fabry–Perot interferometer (b) Michelson interferometer (c) Mach–Zehnder interferometer and (d) Sagnac interferometer [52].
Figure 8
Figure 8
Different Fabry–Perot configurations (a) Illustration of IFPI formed with a single optical fibre (b) Arrangement of an EFPI formed using two optical fibres and (c) Schematic of an FP cavity formed using an optical fibre as the lead-in fibre and a deformable diaphragm [52].
Figure 9
Figure 9
Refractive index change of fibre Bragg grating [52].
Figure 10
Figure 10
Schematic of FBG and its reflection and transmission properties [52].
Figure 11
Figure 11
Multipoint distributed (WDM) pointing sensing based on FBG [52].
Figure 12
Figure 12
Backscattered spectrum with Rayleigh, Brillouin and Raman bands, as well as the stokes and anti-stokes bands.
Figure 13
Figure 13
Travelling light pulse sending backscattered light back to the instrument box [86].
Figure 14
Figure 14
Constant differential attenuation representation with a temperature gauge for calibration [86].
Figure 15
Figure 15
Calibration for a Linear Differential Attenuation Duplexed Single Ended System [86].
Figure 16
Figure 16
Linear differential attenuation of Double-ended Fibre Cable Configuration [86].
Figure 17
Figure 17
Non-linear differential attenuation of Double-ended Fibre Cable Configuration [86].
Figure 18
Figure 18
Distributed Temperature Sensing System.
Figure 19
Figure 19
Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) trace for Fibre integrity with distance and scattered intensity along x and y-axes, respectively.
Figure 20
Figure 20
Retrievable fibre cable installation [86].
Figure 21
Figure 21
Semi Permanent Installation with coil tubing [86].
Figure 22
Figure 22
Semi-Permanent Installation with special guide tubing [86].
Figure 23
Figure 23
Permanent DTS Installation [86].
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