SensorTran announced PerfectVision, a revolutionary technology that enables unprecedented temperature measurement accuracy and repeatability regardless of changes in optical fiber condition, simplifies set up of DTS systems, and also dramatically extends the life and usefulness of optical fiber in DTS deployments.

The merging of the PerfectVisionTM dual laser technology with SensorTran’s long-range DTS capabilities enables the effective life of optical fibers to be extended by addressing the traditional problems related to fiber darkening and damage. This dramatically reduces the frequency of costly and disruptive fiber redeployment, resulting in an increased return on investment for operators. Additionally, existing manual calibration techniques are based on averaging measurements over the entire length or large sections of the fiber, which is complicated and requires frequent recalibration efforts. PerfectVisionTM dynamically and automatically calibrates each of the thousands of measurement points along the fiber, significantly simplifying DTS installation by use of its Active Plug & Play capabilities.

“Operators are increasingly adopting fiber optic temperature measurement systems to improve the efficiency of oil & gas production,” said Michael Heagney, Research Director Oil & Gas Energy Insights an IDC company. “New technologies like SensorTran’s PerfectVision that ease deployment and extend the life of fiber provide significant benefits, particularly where there is either limited or no access to the fiber, such as in sub-sea or downhole applications. The opportunities to help solve industry problems are just beginning for this technology.”

Fiber darkening occurs where the fiber sensing cable is exposed to high temperature and high pressure environments such as in oil wells. This darkening occurs in a non-uniform manner and is progressive over time, rendering manual calibration techniques ineffective. Additionally, the use of connectors and splices along a fiber installation can lead to varying degrees of optical loss, as can stress incurred during the deployment of the fiber. Whereas traditional DTS systems use the light source from a single laser, PerfectVisionTM utilizes two lasers operating at different wavelengths to automatically adjust for dynamic and non-uniform changes in optical loss in the fiber. PerfectVision instantly identifies and corrects for these effects, allowing for the continued use of the existing fiber and avoiding a costly re-deployment that would have otherwise been required.

“Our customers have been asking for DTS systems that are easy to set up and use, and that are robust enough to stand up to the rigors of high-stress deployments,” said Kent Kalar, CEO of SensorTran. “Tapping into our team of the top scientists in the industry, SensorTran has developed and filed patents to protect this truly ground-breaking technology that addresses these concerns. PerfectVision is a revolutionary leap forward in distributed temperature sensing which will have huge ramifications in the market and is poised to become the industry standard.”