Plastic optical fiber sensors for mooring lines monitoring in floating wind turbines: A reliability study of OTDR measurement

This study investigates the use of POF (Plastic Optical Fibers) for mooring lines monitoring in floating wind turbines. Focusing on their mechanical adaptability and optical performance in marine environments. Optical attenuation measurement are employed to determine integrity of POFs under mechanical stresses such as tension and torsion, as well as during prolonged water immersion at ambient temperature. Key findings demonstrate a high deformation capacity of POFs (up to 70 % strain), with negligible loss in light transmission under mechanical stresses in tension and torsion. Additionally, water absorption was found to have a limited impact on optical attenuation, even after extended immersion. These results confirm the suitability in POFs for mooring lines monitoring in floating wind turbines. Furthermore, elongation measurements performed on POFs of up to 100 meters in length validated the feasibility of monitoring strain using both transmission and reflection OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) measurement. The results highlight POFs as cost-effective, durable sensors capable of addressing the high-strain demands of mooring line applications.