Fiberoptic Thermometry and its Applications

This paper reviews briefly the reasons for interest in fiberoptic thermometry and the various types of fiberoptic temperature sensors which have been developed to the point of commercialization. It then focuses on a particular technology in which the rate of decay of fluorescence from a phosphor sensor is utilized to determine temperature. This technology provides essentially calibration-free operation and easy interchangeability of a wide variety of applications-specific probe types. After describing the available systems, the paper addressed briefly a number of key applications including usage in high voltage transformers, industrial microwave heating applications, electromagnetically-induced hyperthermia, electronics fabrication and testing and magnetic resonance.