Fiber optic distributed temperature sensing for fire source localization

Abstract

A method for localizing a fire source based on a distributed temperature sensor system is proposed. Two sections of optical fibers were placed orthogonally to each other as the sensing elements. A tray of alcohol was lit to act as a fire outbreak in a cabinet with an uneven ceiling to simulate a real scene of fire. Experiments were carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the method. Rather large fluctuations and systematic errors with respect to predicting the exact room coordinates of the fire source caused by the uneven ceiling were observed. Two mathematical methods (smoothing recorded temperature curves and finding temperature peak positions) to improve the prediction accuracy are presented, and the experimental results indicate that the fluctuation ranges and systematic errors are significantly reduced. The proposed scheme is simple and appears reliable enough to locate a fire source in large spaces.

Measurement of Temperature Distribution Based on Optical Fiber-Sensing Technology and Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

“…Due to the advantages of accurate temperature measurement and remote distributed measurement, the DTS system is widely used for the fire warning by measuring the temperature changes and setting up a threshold. Simultaneously, the DTS system is also possible to locate fire sources, which can provide guidance for the timely and effectively extinguishing of fire sources [27,28].…”

Fire Source Range Localization Based on the Dynamic Optimization Method for Large-Space Buildings

“…The structured fire scene studied in this paper is similar to the ones in [ 6 , 12 , 29 ]. An ignition fire source is considered in a large-space building with static wind.…”

“…An ignition fire source is considered in a large-space building with static wind. The fire source burning process produces the hot gases, which rise up to the ceiling and spread in a nearly circular shape at a constant current velocity from, and around, the center and form a hot upper layer [ 6 , 12 , 29 ], as shown in Figure 1 . In Figure 1 , two temperature sensor arrays are placed in different locations on the ceiling to monitor the air temperature.…”

“…The distances from the fire source to the two sensor arrays are and , respectively. Then the expectation of the temperature field around the fire source can be described as [ 12 ]: where is the point coordinate of fire source and is the temperature function at location , the distance from which to the fire source is .…”

“…The existing fire source location methods are mainly developed on the basis of image processing technology, fiber-optic temperature measurement, temperature sensor arrays, and smoke sensor arrays. The fire location systems based on image information are commonly used for the large open spaces, and are easy impacted by barriers [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. The fiber-based temperature measurement methods utilize the impacts of temperature on the anti-Stokes spectral lines in the Raman scattering process in an optical fiber to determine the fire sources position, which is suitable for tunnels and other such scenes, however, the cost of installation and maintenance of optical fiber is too expensive [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”