In the modern heavy industry sector, high temperatures often go hand-in-hand with high productivity. However, they also bring significant safety risks. Steel furnaces, chemical reactors, deep-water oil and gas wells, and aerospace engines—the value of these assets is often measured in millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. Once temperature monitoring fails, it leads not only to expensive equipment damage but also to catastrophic production accidents.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.ofscn.org/encyclopedia/500-dofs-700-c-sst-optical-cable-01.html
Monitoring temperatures in extreme environments reaching 700°C requires moving beyond traditional electronic sensors, which typically fail due to insulation breakdown or material melting at such scales. For multi-million dollar industrial assets, fiber optic sensing provides a robust alternative.
Technical Solution: Metal-Sealed Fiber Optics
For these “hellish” conditions, we utilize specialized Fiber In Metal Tube (FIMT) technology. Specifically, the OFSCN® 650/700°C Seamless Steel Tube Fiber Cable is designed to withstand these extremes.
Core Technical Features:
- Alloy Encapsulation: Unlike standard stainless steel, this cable typically uses 825 Alloy (or optional 316L) seamless tubes. This provides superior corrosion resistance and mechanical protection against high-pressure and chemically aggressive environments.
- Gold-Coated Optical Fiber: Inside the metal tube, we utilize OFSCN® Gold-coated Optical Fiber. Standard polymer coatings burn off at ~250°C, and even Polyimide fails at 300°C-400°C. Only a metallic gold coating can protect the silica fiber at 700°C, preventing hydrogen darkening and maintaining signal integrity.
- Sensing Capability: These cables function as Distributed Fiber Temperature Sensors. When paired with Raman (DTS), Rayleigh (OFDR), or Brillouin (DTSS) interrogators, the entire length of the cable becomes a continuous thermometer, providing thousands of data points along a single fiber.
Product Visuals:
Application Compatibility
This solution is specifically engineered for:
- Aerospace & Engines: Monitoring thermal stress in turbine components.
- Petrochemical: Real-time temperature profiling in reactors and high-temperature pipelines.
- Power Generation: Furnace wall monitoring and steam pipe safety.
For distributed monitoring across large surfaces or long distances at these temperatures, you can find further technical specifications here: OFSCN® 700°C Distributed Fiber Temperature Sensor.
