Luna Technologies', a division of Luna Innovations Incorporated, Fiber Optic Sensing Used In Railway Test In France

Luna Technologies' fiber optic sensing system, the Optical Backscatter Reflectometer (OBR) 4400 device with distributed Rayleigh sensing, was used in an experiment by the French Public Works Research Laboratory in conjunction with the French National Railway for the possible use as a cavity detection or sink hole warning system on railway track beds and tunnels. Embedded cavities, or sink holes that may induce soil collapse present a major risk to the French railway system. Current technologies such as ground penetrating radar, seismic analysis or infrared thermography are increasing in use to locate cavities, but do not offer continuous embedded cavity monitoring, a major concern for rail companies and a key benefit of Luna's solution.

These findings were published in Measurement Science and Technology in an article titled "Soil-embedded optical fiber sensing cable interrogated by Brillouin optical time-domain reflectometry (B-OTDR) and optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR) for embedded cavity detection and sinkhole warning system." Measurement Science and Technology is an international journal published by the Institute of Physics that is devoted to the theory, practice and application of measurement in physics, chemistry, engineering and the environmental and life sciences from inception to commercial exploitation.

Luna's OBR 4400 is the industry's only ultra high-resolution OTDR with backscatter-level sensitivity designed for component- and module-level reflectometry. The instrument has a small, easily transportable platform and can measure reflections over lengths up to 2 kilometers with no dead zone and sub millimeter resolution. The integrated temperature and strain sensing capability makes the OBR4400 the industry's highest resolution distributed sensing system. For more information, visit www.lunatechnologies.com.

About Luna Technologies
Luna Technologies, a division of Luna Innovations Incorporated located in Blacksburg, Virginia, manufactures and markets test and measurement equipment and integrated sensing solutions. Luna Technologies' products are used for process and control monitoring in telecommunications, manufacturing, power generation and distribution, down-hole oil and gas production, aerospace, and defense applications. Its products have won numerous awards and are sold and distributed throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

SOURCE: Luna Technologies, a Division of Luna Innovations Incorporated