Standards Development

Scope

The proposed International Standard defines the terminology, structure, and measurement methods of optical pressure sensors for gases or liquids based on fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) as the sensing element. This document also specifies the most important features and characteristics of these fibre optic pressure sensors and defines procedures for measuring these features and characteristics.

If approved, this standard will be part of the IEC 61757 series, which is dedicated to fibre optic sensors. The individual parts of the IEC 61757 series are numbered as IEC 61757 -M-T, where M denotes the measure and T the technology of the fibre optic sensor. The sub-series IEC 617575-8-T is concerned with pressure measurements.

Purpose

Specific aims and reasons for this standardization activity.

The proposed standard provides manufacturers and applicants of fibre optic pressure sensing systems with technical specifications and related measurement procedures, which will improve the confidence in this new sensor technology and accelerate its acceptance in the market, especially for safety relevant applications. The standard defines harmonized and technically accurate specifications as wel l as corresponding test methods to determine the performance and reliability of fibre optic pressure sensors.

Main interest and timeliness of the activity

Fibre optic pressure sensors are already used in various fields of application, but still on a relatively small scale. Deployments of these sensors include civil engineering, water management, and oil and gas monitoring.

Broader acceptance of this new sensor technology is hindered by the lack of internationally harmonized standards in the field of fibre optic pressure sensors.

Feasibility of the activity

There are no factors known (e.g. patents or prohibitive regulations from regulatory bodies), which could hinder the successful establishment or general application of the proposed standard. Moreover, WG 2 of SC 86C currently has 73 expert members from 18 c ountries, who represent a wealth of expertise and knowledge in the field of fibre optic sensing.

Benefits

Equipment vendors and users will both benefit from this standard, which provides well -defined guidelines to manufacturers for specifying measurement performance and reliability of their products and, in addition, helps users to select, install and operate fibre optic pressure sensors based on widely recognized procedures.