Motion compensation in distributed fiber optic sensing via optical frequency domain reflectometry

We demonstrate a novel algorithm for removing adverse effects of motion in distributed strain measurements via Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR), using Rayleigh backscatter from low-bend loss fiber as the transducer. Vibration amplitudes and frequencies of 2.5 Gs and up to 50 Hz, respectively, were corrected for in real-time while measuring up to 10,000 microstrain. Results show 99.3% recovery of motion-affected strain data while maintaining 0.3% accuracy and 5 mm spatial resolution. Measurement acquisition rates were 23.8 Hz and 100 Hz. These results demonstrate that OFDR may be used in dynamic environments to provide accurate and high-resolution, distributed strain measurements.