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.