Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) is a highly promising technology to efficiently monitor assets for energy production and transportation, both off- and on-shore, such as boreholes, pipelines and risers. The aim of the hereby-presented measurements is to evaluate the sensitivity of the different optical fiber cables to acoustic signals in sand and water, independently from the DAS read-out unit type and manufacturer. Acoustic sensing cables specifically designed by BRUGG Cables are characterized and compared to standard telecommunication cables. The spectral response of each cable was quantified using an all-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The response was also measured with calibrated microphones in order to convert the measurements into absolute physical units (Pascal). The measurement campaign is part of an investigation program for a reliable DAS system, which comprises the sensing cable (including installation procedure), the interrogator unit and suitable software.

Date Published: 19 May 2015
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 9491, Sensors for Extreme Harsh Environments II, 94910E (19 May 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2178282

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9491:
Sensors for Extreme Harsh Environments II
Debbie G. Senesky; Sachin Dekate, Editor(s)