Fiber optic flow velocity sensor based on an in-fiber integrated Michelson interferometer

Abstract

A novel fiber optic flow velocity sensor based on a twin-core fiber Michelson interferometer has been proposed and demonstrated. The sensor only is a segment of twin-core fiber acting as cylinder cantilever beam. The force exerted on the cylinder by the flow of a fluid with unknown velocity bends the fiber, which corresponding to the shift of the phase of the twin-core in-fiber integrated Michelson interferometer. This twin-core fiber sensing technique could automatically compensate the variation of environmental temperature and pressure due to both arms of the interferometer would be affected equally by such changes.