WLPI FIBER OPTIC MEASUREMENT SOLUTIONS Fiber optic sensors Pressure, Force, Strain, Displacement, Temperature, Signal Conditioning Your expert partner in sensors & controls althensensors.com

INFORMATION ABOUT ALTHEN SENSORS & CONTROLS Althen Sensors & Controls stands for pioneering measurement and sensor solutions. We accept every measurement challenge. We are constantly looking for innovation and are only satisfied when we have found the perfect solution four your measurement task. We develop customer-specific solutions in our in-house production facilities. Althen is partner to many recognized universities and leading organizations. We find ourselves in an intensive knowledge transfer, developing future technologies. Althen is one of the first companies in its branch with a certification...

WAlthen Sensors & Controls is your specialised partner for sensors and control elements for OEM applications, testing and measurement technology, and automation solutions. Now we can also support you as a partner for WLPI fiber optic measurement solutions. 2 Information about Althen Sensor & Controls 4 Unique advantages of the WLPI fiber optic measurement solutions 6 Information about the fiber optic WLPI technology 7 Comparison between WLPI and other fiber optic technologies 23 Information about fiber optic GaAs technology

Insensitive to high voltages and electromagnetic interference Long-term stability Intrinsically safe Resistant and robust No drift Maintenance-free after installation "plug an forget"

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE FIBER OPTIC WLPI TECHNOLOGY Fiber optic white light polarisation interferometry (WLPI) is a patented fiber optic technology which enables precise measurements to be made in the most challenging of applications. It offers maximum flexibility in sensor design such that reliable measurements can be generated even in extremely unfavourable environments. Fiber optic measurement systems comprise two main components: The fiber optic sensor and the signal analysis unit. Added to these are a fiber optic cable (FOC) which can fulfil different purposes depending on the technology employed....

COMPARISON BETWEEN WLPI AND OTHER FIBER OPTIC TECHNOLOGIES Compared with electronic sensors, fiber optic sensors offer a number of significant advantages including insensitivity  immunity to electromagnetic interference and high / voltages. They are intrinsically safe, impervious to lightning strikes and capable of being built with extremely small dimensions. White light polarisation interferometry (WLPI) also possesses other advantages over conventional fiber optic technologies such as Fiber Bragg grating sensors. Easier installation / handling In contrast to Fiber Bragg technology, the fiber...

USEFUL INFORMATION The working principle of the white light polarisation interferometry (WLPI) technology upon which the sensors are based on, is presented here. Light radiation emitted by the light source reaches an interferometer with a defined cavity length in the sensor head. The cavity length is the distance between two mirrors which are partly reflecting and transparent; thus two light signals with different path lengths arise. The cavity length and hence the path length of the light signal are a function of the measured quantity. By means of a pressure sensor with a flexible diaphragm...

USEFUL INFORMATION The following illustrations show schematic representations of the sensor design for the appropriate measurement quantity (temperature, pressure, strain / force and displacement). The described working principle applies to all variants. Temperature transducer based on based on the polarization interferometer Temperature transducer the polarization interferometer Pressure transducer based on based on the Fabry-Perot interferometer Pressure transducer the Fabry-Perot interferometer Temperature transducer based on the polarization interferometer Temperature transducer based on...

Industry Measuring equipment is needed for monitoring process and environment parameters in diverse industrial applications. Conventional electronic sensors frequently come up against the limits of the technology because interfering effects such as high voltages or EMI limit the operability of the systems. Particularly in these environments the fiber optic products from Opsens can create new possibilities for reliable measurements.

Defence and aerospace Do you give top priority to the safety and reliability of your measuring equipment even in harsh environments with abrupt changes in weather and temperature such as occur during take-off and landing? Are your product development activities focussed on the core topics of lightweight construction and electromagnetic interference? WLPI technology-based fiber optic sensors offer the advantages you are looking for. Insensitivity to temperature fluctuations and lightning strike immunity to EMI, extremely small dimensions for weight reduction, high reliability and maintenance-free...

Structure health monitoring Ageing infrastructure, dilapidated structures such as bridges and long-term monitoring of critical components are becoming critical due to the danger to humans and materials posed by strain and deformation of structural elements. That’s where fiber optic WLPI technology comes in, enabling robust, reliable sensors to be built with no drift over time and no sensitivity to transverse strain. Because they are insensitive to temperature fluctuations the sensors can be welded at the measurement location. For retrofitting, monitoring of initial damage (crack formation) or...

Energy / renewable energies In the energy industry the need for monitoring machine conditions or specific environmental conditions is growing. This especially applies to turbines in offshore wind parks as well as final storage facilities e.g. for radioactive waste. Depending on their design, the sensors can be installed via spot welding, complete integration, bonding or embedding in concrete. Do you want to carry out preventive monitoring of your machine or turbine to avoid faults, failure and damage as well as to optimise the functioning? With our fiber optic sensors based on the WLPI technology...