The Benefits of Fiber Optic Sensing

Simplicity:  USSI fiber optic sensors are completely passive, there are no discrete components subject to failure, and no moving parts.  The optical fiber itself is the sensor, as well as providing the telemetry, and built-in signal multiplexing.

Reliability:  USSI sensor cables typically will show no measurable degradation over a 20 year life.

Economical:  Despite all of the benefits, our fiber optic sensors can be supplied at a small fraction of the cost of legacy electronic sensors.

Unlike traditional electronic detection systems that rely on a distributed network of point sensors, every inch of the USSI fiber optic cable is acoustically sensitive (see Figure at right) ensuring that there are no gaps in coverage, and a single cable can include hundreds of discrete sensor channels, each from a few feet to tens of feet long.   This provides a much wider area of coverage with no gaps, at a much lower cost than traditional electronic systems.  In addition, since the sensing portion of USSI System is all-optical, there will be no in-situ electronics, which has been the typical failure point for the traditional systems. The sensor portion consists of a uniform diameter, rugged, low cost sensor cable designed to be permanently installed via burial, or inside a cased borehole. 

Applications Across Industries

USSI’s fiber optic sensing systems can be used a across a wide variety of applications, whether hot or cold, at the ocean bottom or near its surface, deep in a coal mine or buried along a fence, our systems can meet the challenge.  The primary difference in our system across these multiple applications is in the design of the sensing cable to withstand the given environment. Because our electronics can be located miles from the actual sensor cable, typically in an environmentally benign location, its packaging remains relatively unchanged.