High-resolution fiber grating pressure sensor with in-situ calibration for deep sea exploration

Abstract

A high-resolution and wide-range pressure sensor based on π phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating (π-FBG) encapsulated with metal thin-walled cylinder is reported. The sensor has been tested with a wavelength-sweeping distributed feedback laser, photodetector and a H13C14N gas cell. To perceive temperature and pressure synchronously, a pair of π-FBGs are glued on the outer wall of the thin-walled cylinder along the circumferential direction with different angles. The interference of temperature is effectively corrected by a high-precision calibration algorithm. The reported sensor has a sensitivity of 4.42 pm/MPa, a resolution of 0.036% full scale (F.S.), and a repeatability error of 0.045% F.S. in the range of 0-110 MPa that corresponds to an ocean depth resolution of 5 m and a measurement range of eleven thousand meters to cover the deepest trench of the Ocean. The sensor features simplicity, good repeatability, and practicability.