Temperature sensing in underground facilities by Raman optical frequency domain reflectometry using fiber-optic communication cables

Gaining information on climatic conditions in subway tunnels is the key to predicting the propagation of smoke or toxic gases in these infrastructures in the case of a fire or a terrorist attack. As anemometer measurements are not economically suitable, the employment of alternative monitoring methods is necessary. High-resolution temperature sensing with Raman optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) using optical communication fiber cables shows great potential as it allows the surveillance of several kilometers of underground transport facilities without the need for installing sensing equipment in the tunnels. This paper presents first results of a study using this approach for monitoring subway tunnels. In the Berlin subway, temperature data gathered from newly installed as well as pre-installed communication cables were evaluated and compared to reference data from temperature loggers. Results are very promising as high correlations between all data can be achieved showing the potential of this approach.