Fiber optic distributed sensor for hydrocarbon leak localization based on transmission/reflection measurement

A novel type of distributed fiber optic sensor for petroleum hydrocarbon leak detection and localization based on the measurement of transmitted and Rayleigh backscattered power is presented. The sensor structure includes a sensitive polymer, which reversibly expands in hydrocarbon presence and induces the bending losses in the fiber. The location of the loss region is determined from unique relationships between normalized transmitted and Rayleigh backscattered powers for different positions of the disturbance along the test fiber. The localization of a strong disturbance with an estimated accuracy of ±1 m along a 2.844 km-length single-mode fiber was demonstrated.