FIBER OPTICS FOR SAFETY AND RELIABILITY

Fiber optic monitoring solutions are gaining popularity in the oil and gas community due to the unrivaled performance and reliability. Light Structures’s Hull Stress Monitoring system was the first fiber optic solution to enter the market and has proven itself through several years of operation onboard shuttle tankers and VLCCs.

SAFETY

Fiber optic Hull Stress Monitoring systems can be configured with absolutely no electrical components in hazardous areas. The low optical power means the system is intrinsically safe, even without introducing Zehner barriers or similar.

RELIABILITY

Fiber optic solutions are immune to electromagnetic disturbance and provide a stable, high-quality signal. With our well-tested installation technique our short-gauge sensors perform flawlessly without service, year after year. The system's reliability has been optimized by the use of the Linux operating system, which is becoming the software of choice among computer professionals. All these factors contribute to our system's high reliability and uptime.

ACCURACY

Measurements are made using the wavelength of light, which enables high precision monitoring of stress. The precision is maintained all the way to the data logging, as the fiber optic signal is not affected by electromagnetic interference from adjacent signals or power cables. The accuracy is maintained over time by the use of an online reference in the signal receiver.

COST EFFICIENCY

There is a small cost premium compared to alternative systems at the newbuilding stage but this is countered through a reduced maintenance cost, which overall gives a lower system life-cycle cost. On LNGCs there are savings already at installation as no welding is required for sensor mounting and the sensors do not require bulky casings.

FLEXIBILITY

Sensors can be mounted on deck, on girders, submerged in ballast tanks or in void space. The HSM system can be configured in basic systems with only four strain sensors, or expanded to include fatigue monitoring sensors in the waterline, sensors in the bow for ice load monitoring or local sensors for sloshing monitoring on tank walls.