Problems may arise when electrical power cannot be transferred through conventional cables due to safety requirements or other reasons. A typical example may be those coal mines where the danger of methane explosion exists and an accidental break of electrical wire can cause a spark. In such a case, an alternative way for the electrical energy transfer may be the transfer of sufficient amount of light energy via optical fibers and its conversion into electrical energy at the place where it is needed. There are some reports of the possibility of such conversion. The most important advantages of such a system are intrinsic safety, sparkless work, and maintenance-free operation. In this work, the authors analytically show, using the example of the real-silicon photocells, quartz optical fiber, and halogen lamp as a light source, that such a system may be characterized with quite satisfactory overall efficiency and may be used for the energy transfer on distances as long as a few kilometers.

Date Published: 1 September 1991
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 1504, Fiber-Optic Metrology and Standards, (1 September 1991); doi: 10.1117/12.46999

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1504:
Fiber-Optic Metrology and Standards
Oliverio D.D. Soares, Editor(s)