Hotspot monitoring system for superconducting device
View Patent ↗Hotspot monitoring system for superconducting devices including: —a superconductor; —a first optical waveguide attached to the superconductor for providing a first optical signal; —a second optical waveguide for providing a reference signal; and —interference means configured to overlay or superimpose the first optical signal and the reference optical signal to produce an optical interference signal.
1 . Hotspot monitoring system including:
a superconductor;
a first optical waveguide attached to the superconductor for providing a first optical signal;
a second optical waveguide for providing a reference signal; and
interference means configured to overlay or superimpose the first optical signal and the reference optical signal to produce an optical interference signal;
wherein the first optical waveguide is attached to the superconductor to generate an optical path change for light propagating in the first optical waveguide to produce a change in the optical interference signal produced by the optical interference of the first optical signal and the reference optical signal, the optical path change in the first optical waveguide being generated when the superconductor transitions to a resistive state from a superconducting state.
2 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the second optical waveguide is non-attached to the superconductor.
3 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical waveguide is directly or indirectly attached to the superconductor.
4 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 3 , wherein the first optical waveguide is attached to a surface of the superconductor, or embedded in the superconductor.
5 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 3 , wherein the first optical waveguide is attached to the superconductor along a length of the superconductor.
6 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 , further including a coupling device configured to mechanically and/or thermally couple the first optical waveguide to the superconductor.
7 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 6 , wherein the coupling device partially or fully encloses or encapsulates the first optical waveguide.
8 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 7 , wherein the coupling device is configured to mechanically couple the first optical waveguide to a structural strain generated by hotspot thermal heating in a substrate of the superconductor.
9 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 8 , wherein the coupling device comprises or consists of an adhesive, epoxy or glue.
10 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical waveguide, the second optical waveguide and the interference means are arranged to determine a relative phase-shift variation between the first optical signal and the reference optical signal via the optical interference signal produced by the first optical signal and the reference optical signal.
11 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical waveguide, the second optical waveguide and the interference means are arranged to implement a Mach-Zehnder interferometer to produce the optical interference signal.
12 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical waveguide and/or the second optical waveguide includes an outer protection layer.
13 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 12 , wherein the first optical waveguide comprises a first optical fiber comprising glass and/or silica, and/or the second optical waveguide comprises a second optical fiber comprising glass and/or silica.
14 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 , further including a light splitter configured to receive an input electromagnetic wave and to split the input electromagnetic wave into (i) at least a first input optical signal and provide the first input optical signal to the first optical waveguide and (ii) at least a second input optical signal and provide the second input optical signal to the second optical waveguide.
15 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 , further including a processing device configured to receive the optical interference signal from the optical sensor and configured to determine the presence of a single or at least one hotspot or heating point in the superconductor from a signature present in the optical interference signal.
16 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 15 , wherein the signature comprises or consists of a pre-defined phase-shift change or amplitude oscillation in the optical interference signal.
17 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 16 , wherein the pre-defined phase-shift change comprises or consists of a change or rapid change in phase shift from 0 to 2π.
18 . Hotspot monitoring system according to claim 15 , wherein the processing device includes (i) a processor and (ii) a memory containing processor executable instructions to carry out a determination of the presence of the signature.
19 . Grid or power transmission network including at least one or a plurality of hotspot monitoring systems according to claim 1 .
20 . Method for determining a presence of a single or at least one hotspot or heating point in a superconductor, the method including the steps of:
providing a hotspot monitoring system according to claim 1 ;
determining the presence of a single or at least one hotspot or heating point in the superconductor from a signature present in the optical interference signal.