Many land and subsea oil operations rely heavily on distributed temperature sensing for improved safety and functionality in harsh environments. OFS optical fiber solutions ensure reliable performance and durability in high-temperature, high-pressure, and hydrogen-rich environments.
For fiber interrogation up to 15 km, well and pipeline operators can now measure — in near-real time — an entire wellbore or pipeline span with a resolution of 1 meter or less using Raman-based backscatter methods. But for long-distance needs of up to 60 km, OFS single-mode optical fibers offer resistance against the harshest environments in the industry, and are also compatible with Brillouin backscatter interrogation equipment.
| Part Number | Fiber Type | Coating System | Interrogation Method | H2 Diffusion Resistance | Max. Temp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F18961-02 | graded-index 50/125 | Carbon/Silicone/Acrylate | Raman | Not recommended for H2 rich environments | 125 ˚C |
| F80398 | Silicone/PEEK | Best* | 200 ˚C | ||
| F78960 | PYROCOAT | Best* | 250 ˚C | ||
| F13469 | Carbon/PYROCOAT® | Not recommended for H2 rich environments over 150 °C | 300 ˚C | ||
| BF05717 | single-mode | Carbon/PYROCOAT | Brillouin | Better* | 300 ˚C |
*In harsh environments, like those found in oil and gas applications, molecular hydrogen will diffuse from the environment, through virtually all materials, and nest in the core of the optical fiber. This build-up of hydrogen causes attenuation to increase, is highly variable, and affected by temperature, pressure, and hydrogen concentration. At OFS we continuously study methods for managing hydrogen diffusion and incorporate several techniques in the design of our optical fibers to improve performance and reliability in these harsh environments.
Related Documents
Optical Fibers for Sensing Applications - White Paper: A Multicore Optical Fiber for Distributed Sensing
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