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Optical Fiber Sensors Essay

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Optical fiber sensors are very important devices to detect and monitor ionizing radiation in nuclear based technologies such as industrial radiography, nuclear medicine, spacecraft and satellite instrumentation, and also in nuclear power facilities. Reliability of other conventional radiation detectors in space and terrestrial application is much affected by electromagnetic interference and exposure to fire and explosion potential hazards. However the functionality of optical fiber at extremely high dose radiation still a challenge where radiation induced attenuation can be increased for permanent damage of the sensor. There is a need to develop a new sensing material with small dimension and low mass such as single mode silica optical …show more content…

2013). There is a need to replace 3H-based sensor to detect neutron in context of nuclear nonproliferation(Runkle 2011) and silica optical fiber with better resistant to radiation damage (Xue et al. 2012) is the other very close a safe cheaper possible neutron sensor to be considered. In addition, its other characteristic of having low attenuation losses provides a wide bandwidth for long-distance wireless communication so that the exposure of radiation to workers can be avoided during radiation detection and monitoring operation.

Ionizing radiation such as x-ray, gamma, alpha, beta and neutron radiations, are not only harmful to human health(Azzam et al. 2012) and environment(Mothersill&Seymour 2014), but also can damage the electronic devices(Wang et al. 2014). The source of these ionizing radiations are from radioactive materials, x-ray tubes, particle accelerators such as ion beams, nuclear weapons and reactors, cosmic rays from space and from natural rocks and minerals. Exposure of extremely high energy electromagnetic radiation such as x-ray can lead to failure in silicon sensors(Klanner et al. 2013). The increasing radiation induced attenuation can lead to permanent damage of optical fiber(Kovačević et al. 2013). So there is a need to develop better sensors with good radiation resistance such as Ge doped optical fiber sensors in radiant environment.

SiO2 and plastic type optical fiber are two types of material used in any research and development of

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