Assuring the structural integrity of high temperature piping systems is a major problem facing industrial plant operators as existing equipment ages. The objective of the BRITE-EURAM project "-Fibre Optics for Remote Monitoring of Structural Integrity of Elevated Temperature Insulated Systems" (FORMS) was to develop and validate an on-line temperature monitoring system for elevated temperature pipe-work (550ºC), using distributed optical fibre temperature sensing for remote monitoring of temperature, integrated with predictive analytical modules for component life prediction.
The main achievements of the project were:
- Development of an optical fibre temperature sensing system capable of distributed temperature measurement on high temperature plant (550ºC).
- Establishment of procedures and techniques to install armoured optical fibres on 'real' power plant in the short timescales typical of plant outages.
- Development of a distributed temperature monitoring system capable of spatial resolution down to 10 cm, temperature measurements with an accuracy of ±2ºC at a frequency down to 30 seconds and able to withstand operational temperatures of up to 550ºC for long periods of time.
- Establishment of armouring and optical fibre coating techniques ensuring robustness of installed fibres.
- Demonstration that optical fibres can be installed on plant without the need for special "Smart" insulation.
- Development of software modules, which can assess fatigue and creep damage in real time and on-line.
Significant components in optical fibre sensing systems have been developed within the FORMS project and they have been clearly demonstrated on actual operating plant.
There are five readily identifiable products which have resulted from the project (IPR owners in brackets):
(A) Glassy carbon coating for optical fibres (Thomson / Bertin);
(B) Gas-sealed armoured stainless steel tube containing connectorised optical fibres for high temperature operation (BICC / Bertin / Thomson);
(C) High spatial resolution distributed optical fibre temperature sensing system for use with commercially available fibre (KCL);
(D) High spatial resolution distributed optical fibre temperature sensing system for temperatures above 350 C for use with product B above (KCL / ERA / Thomson / BICC / Bertin / MIL / ISQ);
(E) Plant life usage surveillance system combining high temperature plant life prediction software with the distributed optical fibre temperature sensing system (KCL / ERA / Thomson / BICC / Bertin / MIL / ISQ).