Optimizing the use of existing high-voltage transmission lines demands real-time condition monitoring to ensure structural integrity and continuous service. Operating these lines at the current capacity is limited by safety margins based on worst-case weather scenarios, as exceeding these margins risks bringing conductors dangerously close to the ground. The integration of optical fibers within modern transmission lines enables the use of Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) technology, with Chirped-Pulse Phase-Sensitive Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry (CP-ΦOTDR) proving especially effective for this purpose.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report on an in-band optical signal-to-noise ratio monitoring technique for wavelength division multiplexed channels. Our proposal relies on the different degree of polarization between the signal (highly polarized) and the noise (not polarized). Using this principle, we divide the signal under test into two orthogonal polarization components and induce a differential group delay via a controlled birefringence apparatus that produces a wavelength-dependent shift of the polarization state of the signal.
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