Abstract
A long-period grating written in the SMF-28 fiber was heat treated at 1000 degrees C for 15 days. The spectrum of the grating shifted to longer wavelengths and the amplitude of the cladding mode resonances decreased as a result of structural relaxation. The background loss increased considerably for time longer than 200 h, and this loss is caused by devitrification of the fiber.

Abstract
It is reported a new dynamic electrical interrogation technique based on the modulation of two Bragg gratings structures located in the readout unit that permits to attenuate the effect of the 1/f noise of the electronics in the resolution of the LPG-based curvature sensors. The new concept is tested to detect large variations of curvature being achieved a resolution of 6.56 × 10-3 meters.

Abstract

Abstract
Acoustic emission monitoring is often used in the diagnosis of electrical and mechanical incipient faults in high-voltage apparatus. Partial discharges are a source of failure in power transformers, and the differentiation from other sources of acoustic emissions is of the utmost importance. This paper reports the development of a new sensor concept-mandrel-based fiber-optic sensor-for the detection of incipient faults in oil-filled power transformers, taking direct measurements inside a transformer. These sensors can be placed in the inner surface of the transformer tank wall, not affecting the insulation integrity of the structure, and improving fault detection and location. The applicability of these acoustic sensors in air, water, and oil is investigated and the paper presents the promising results obtained, which will enable the industrial development of practical solutions.

Abstract
This article reports the development of two sensing head configurations based on extrinsic and intrinsic fiber Fabry-Perot interferometers for the detection of incipient faults in oil-filled power transformers. The performances of the sensing heads are characterized and compared with the situations where it operates in air, water, and oil and promising results are obtained, which will allow the industrial development of practical solutions. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 52: 1129-1134, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.25139

Abstract
Acoustic emission monitoring is often used in the diagnosis of electrical and mechanical incipient faults in high voltage apparatus. Partial discharges are a major source of insulation failure in power transformers and the differentiation from other sources of acoustic emissions is of the utmost importance. Also, it is important to give an indication of the PD source location in order to obtain a useful diagnosis. This paper reports the developments in partial discharges source location through the associated acoustic emissions using three different algorithms.