This paper presents a spatially distributed fiber-optic sensor system designed for demanding applications, like temperature measurements in the steel industry. The sensor system employed optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) to interrogate Rayleigh backscattering signals in single-mode optical fibers. Temperature measurements employing the OFDR system were compared with conventional thermocouple measurements, accentuating the spatially distributed sensing capability of the fiber-optic system. Experiments were designed and conducted to test the spatial thermal mapping capability of the fiber-optic temperature measurement system. Experimental simulations provided evidence that the optical fiber system could resolve closely spaced temperature features, due to the high spatial resolution and fast measurement rates of the OFDR system. The ability of the fiber-optic system to perform temperature measurements in a metal casting was tested by monitoring aluminum solidification in a sand mold. The optical fiber, encased in a stainless steel tube, survived both mechanically and optically at temperatures exceeding 700 °C. The ability to distinguish between closely spaced temperature features that generate information-rich thermal maps opens up many applications in the steel industry.

中文翻译：

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用于钢铁行业的空间分布式光纤温度传感器。

本文提出了一种空间分布的光纤传感器系统，该系统设计用于要求苛刻的应用，例如钢铁行业的温度测量。该传感器系统采用光频域反射法（OFDR）来询问单模光纤中的瑞利背向散射信号。将采用OFDR系统的温度测量结果与传统的热电偶测量结果进行了比较，从而突出了光纤系统在空间上分布的传感能力。设计并进行了实验，以测试光纤温度测量系统的空间热成像功能。实验仿真提供了证明，由于OFDR系统的高空间分辨率和快速测量速率，该光纤系统可以解析近距离的温度特征。通过监视砂型中的铝固化，测试了光纤系统在金属铸件中执行温度测量的能力。装在不锈钢管中的光纤在超过700°C的温度下在机械和光学上都可以幸存。能够区分紧密间隔的温度特征（生成信息丰富的热图）的能力开辟了钢铁行业的许多应用。