Water detection in jet fuel using a polymer optical fibre Bragg grating

Abstract

Water is a common impurity of jet fuel, and can exist in three forms: dissolved in the fuel, as a suspension and as a distinct layer at the bottom of the fuel tank. Water cannot practically be eliminated from fuel but must be kept to a minimum as large quantities can cause engine problems, particularly when frozen, and the interface between water and fuel acts as a breeding ground for biological contaminants. The quantities of dissolved or suspended water are quite small, ranging from about 10 ppm to 150 ppm. This makes the measurement task difficult and there is currently a lack of a convenient, electrically passive system for water-in-fuel monitoring; instead the airlines rely on colorimetric spot tests or simply draining liquid from the bottom of fuel tanks. For all these reason, people have explored different ways to detect water in fuel, however all these approaches have problems, e.g. they may not be electrically passive or they may be sensitive to the refractive index of the fuel. In this paper, we present a simple, direct and sensitive approach involving the use of a polymer optical fibre Bragg grating to detect water in fuel. The principle is that poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) can absorb moisture from its surroundings (up to 2% at 23 °C), leading to both a swelling of the material and an increase in refractive index with a consequent increase in the Bragg wavelength of a grating inscribed in the material.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.848696
Divisions: College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Aston Institute of Photonics Technology (AIPT)
Aston University (General)
Additional Information: Zhang, C., Chen, X. F., Webb, D. J., & Peng, G-D., " Water detection in jet fuel using a polymer optical fibre Bragg grating", 20th international conference on optical fibre sensors, Jones, J., Culshaw, B., Ecke, W., López-Higuera, J. M., & Willsch, R., 7503, 750380, (2009). Copyright 2009 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited. http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.848696
Event Title: 20th International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors
Event Type: Other
Event Dates: 2009-10-05 - 2009-10-09
Uncontrolled Keywords: water,impurity,jet fuel,engine,biological contaminants,electrically passive system,water-in-fuel monitoring,colorimetric spot tests,detect water in fuel,refractive index,fuel,polymer optical fibre Bragg grating,water in fuel
Last Modified: 12 Dec 2024 08:36
Date Deposited: 11 Mar 2019 16:40
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: http://spiedigi ... 7503/1/750380_1 (Publisher URL)
PURE Output Type: Chapter
Published Date: 2009-10
Authors: Zhang, Chi
Chen, Xianfeng F.
Webb, David J. (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-5495-1296)
Peng, Gang-Ding

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