Special optical fiber design to reduce reflection peak distortion of a FBG embedded in inhomogeneous material

During the last decades, the use of optical fiber for sensing applications has gained increasing acceptance because of its unique properties of being intrinsically safe, unsusceptible to EMI, potentially lightweight and having a large operational temperature range. Among the different Fiber Optic sensor types, Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) is most widely used for its unique multiplexing potential and the possibility of embedding in composite material for Structural Health Monitoring. When the fiber is embedded in an inhomogeneous environment, typically a material composed of filler and base material of different stiffness, local stiff material will generate extra lateral load to the fiber. Via the Poisson effect, this will be converted to a local axial strain. The narrow and sharp peak in the reflection spectrum of an FBG sensor relies on the constant periodicity of the grating. An inhomogeneous axial strain distribution will result in distortion or broadening of the FBG reflection spectrum. For the FBG strain sensitivity of about 1.2pm/με, the spectral distortion can be disastrous for strain measurements. A fiber design to tackle this critical problem is presented. Finite Element Modeling is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the solution. Modeling with different configurations has been performed to verify the influence of the design. The deformation of the core in the special fiber depends on the design. For a particular configuration, the core deformation in the axial direction is calculated to be a factor of 10 lower than that of a standard fiber. The first prototype fiber samples were drawn and the manufacturing of FBG in this special fiber using the phase mask method was demonstrated successfully. © 2014 SPIE

Oil Emulsification Using Surface-Tunable Carbon Black Particles

Emulsification of oil from a subsurface spill and keeping it stable in the water is an important component of the natural remediation process. Motivated by the need to find alternate dispersants for emulsifying oil following a spill, we examine particle-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. Emulsions that remain stable for months are prepared either by adding acid or salt to carboxyl-terminated carbon black (CB) suspension in water to make the particles partially hydrophobic, adding the oil to this suspension and mixing. When naphthalene, a model potentially toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, is added to octane and an emulsion formed, it gets adsorbed significantly by the CB particles, and its transport into the continuous water is markedly reduced. In contrast to an undesirable seawater-in-crude oil emulsion produced using a commercially used dispersant, Corexit 9500A, we demonstrate the formation of a stable crude oil-in-seawater emulsion using the CB particles (with no added acid or salt), important for natural degradation. The large specific surface area of these surface functionalized CB particles, their adsorption capability and their ability to form stable emulsions are an important combination of attributes that potentially make these particles a viable alternative or supplement to conventional dispersants for emulsifying crude oil following a spill. © 2013 American Chemical Society