A fiber optic interferometric sensor with an intrinsic transducer along a length of the fiber is presented for ultrasound measurements of the acoustic emission from partial discharges inside oil-filled power apparatus. The sensor is designed for high sensitivity measurements in a harsh electromagnetic field environment, with wide temperature changes and immersion in oil. It allows enough sensitivity for the application, for which the acoustic pressure is in the range of units of Pa at a frequency of 150 kHz. In addition, the accessibility to the sensing region is guaranteed by immune fiber-optic cables and the optical phase sensor output. The sensor design is a compact and rugged coil of fiber. In addition to a complete calibration, the in-situ results show that two types of partial discharges are measured through their acoustic emissions with the sensor immersed in oil.

In this paper, a multichannel instrumentation system for the location of partial discharges (PDs) in power transformers is presented. It is based on the detection of the acoustic emissions from PDs in oil with several piezoelectric (PZT) and fiber optic sensors. An acoustic detection and location approach is proposed based on a time reference given by one fiber optic sensor installed inside the tank and the times of arrival to several PZT sensors installed outside the tank (two in front of each phase windings of a three phase transformer for a typical application). The signal processing includes digital denoising techniques and time-difference lookup table-based 3-D location algorithms; these algorithms have been implemented with virtual instrumentation. The system is tested in an acoustic experimental setup and the location accuracy is evaluated. Finally, the error propagation from the times of arrival and the influence of the number of sensors and their sites in the 3-D location algorithm were analyzed.

Optical frequency combs (OFC) generated by electro-optic modulation of continuous-wave lasers provide broadband coherent sources with high power per line and independent control of line spacing and the number of lines. In addition to their application in spectroscopy, they offer flexible and optimized sources for the interrogation of other sensors based on wavelength change or wavelength filtering, such as fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. In this paper, a dual-OFC FBG interrogation system based on a single laser and two optical-phase modulators is presented. This architecture allows for the configuration of multimode optical source parameters such as the number of modes and their position within the reflected spectrum of the FBG. A direct read-out is obtained by mapping the optical spectrum onto the radio-frequency spectrum output of the dual-comb. This interrogation scheme is proposed for measuring fast phenomena such as vibrations and ultrasounds. Results are presented for dual-comb operation under optimized control. The optical modes are mapped onto detectable tones that are multiples of 0.5 MHz around a center radiofrequency tone (40 MHz). Measurements of ultrasounds (40 kHz and 120 kHz) are demonstrated with this sensing system. Ultrasounds induce dynamic strain onto the fiber, which generates changes in the reflected Bragg wavelength and, hence, modulates the amplitude of the OFC modes within the reflected spectrum. The amplitude modulation of two counterphase tones is detected to obtain a differential measurement proportional to the ultrasound signal.

A sensitive optical microphone for photoacoustic spectroscopy based on the common path topology of a fibre laser Doppler vibrometer (FLDV) using phase-generated carrier demodulation and a slim diaphragm as an acoustic wave transducer was demonstrated. A resonant gas cell was adapted to enhance gas-detection performance and simultaneously provide efficient cancellation of the window background acoustic signal. Ammonia (NH₃) was selected as the target gas. The absorption line was experimentally identified using a distributed feedback laser diode emitting at 1530 nm. The linearity and sensitivity of the gas sensor were measured using wavelength modulation spectroscopy with second harmonic detection. A Teflon diaphragm was used to implement the optical microphone, along with the FLDV, showing a minimum detectable pressure of 79.5 μPa/Hz^1/2. The noise-equivalent absorption sensitivity for NH₃ detection at the absorption line at 1531.7 nm was 1.85 × 10⁻⁸ W cm⁻¹ Hz^−1/2, and the limit of detection was 785 ppbv.

A multichannel interferometric system is proposed for the ultrasonic detection of partial discharges using intrinsic optical fibre sensors that may be immersed in oil. It is based on a heterodyne scheme which drives at least four sensor heads in order to localize the source of the acoustic emissions. Proper design of the sensing head improves its sensitivity through magnification and reaches a compact encapsulated probe able to be installed within power transformers. The optoelectronic implementation and the experimental tests are presented to optimize the resolution (4 channels—4 mrad). In addition, the results of ultrasound measurements at 150 kHz with an optical fibre sensor immersed in water in an acoustic test bench are shown, in which a resolution better than 10 Pa was obtained. Finally, the set-up for three-phase power transformers is demonstrated and characterized to detect and locate the source of acoustic emissions.

Cell functions and behavior are regulated not only by soluble (biochemical) signals but also by biophysical and mechanical cues within the cells’ microenvironment. Thanks to the dynamical and complex cell machinery, cells are genuine and effective mechanotransducers translating mechanical stimuli into biochemical signals, which eventually alter multiple aspects of their own homeostasis. Given the dominant and classic biochemical-based views to explain biological processes, it could be challenging to elucidate the key role that mechanical parameters such as vibration, frequency, and force play in biology. Gaining a better understanding of how mechanical stimuli (and their mechanical parameters associated) affect biological outcomes relies partially on the availability of experimental tools that may allow researchers to alter mechanically the cell’s microenvironment and observe cell responses. Here, we introduce a new device to study in vitro responses of cells to dynamic mechanical stimulation using a piezoelectric membrane. Using this device, we can flexibly change the parameters of the dynamic mechanical stimulation (frequency, amplitude, and duration of the stimuli), which increases the possibility to study the cell behavior under different mechanical excitations. We report on the design and implementation of such device and the characterization of its dynamic mechanical properties. By using this device, we have performed a preliminary study on the effect of dynamic mechanical stimulation in a cell monolayer of an epidermal cell line (HaCaT) studying the effects of 1 Hz and 80 Hz excitation frequencies (in the dynamic stimuli) on HaCaT cell migration, proliferation, and morphology. Our preliminary results indicate that the response of HaCaT is dependent on the frequency of stimulation. The device is economic, easily replicated in other laboratories and can support research for a better understanding of mechanisms mediating cellular mechanotransduction.