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OptaSense OS5.11 Manual – Module 7

Incorporating the Interrogator Unit
Valid for OS5 versions 5.11 until superseded

Date: February 2021

Issue: Issue 3

OptaSense Ref: OptaSense/ISM/970

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Amendment Record
Issue Change Reason for Change Date
Request
1 N/A First Release January 2020
2 Update OLA2.1 Fibre Break Management July 2020
3 N/A Logo Update February 2021

Contact:
[email protected]

The document contains information proprietary to OptaSense® and whose unauthorised disclosure would cause damage
to the interests of OptaSense®. Requests for permission for wider use or dissemination should be made to your
OptaSense® account manager.

Specification is liable to change without warning – please contact OptaSense® for latest version.

Reference: OptaSense/ISM/970

Copyright © OptaSense® Ltd 2021, Cody Technology Park, Ively Road, Farnborough GU14 0LX

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Contents
1 Manual Introduction........................................................................................................... 3
Laser Radiation Safety Notes ....................................................................................................................... 3
2 Introduction to the OptaSense Family of Interrogator Unit .................................................. 5
Installing the Interrogator Unit ................................................................................................................... 5
3 Connecting to the Sensing Fibre .......................................................................................... 6
Preparation of Near End of Fibre ................................................................................................................ 6
Verifying the End Condition with a Fibre Scope .......................................................................................... 6
3.2.1 Preparation of Far End with OptaSense® Termination Unit ........................................................................ 9
4 Preparing an OptaSense OLA2.1 IU For Service .................................................................. 11
Identifying the IP Address of the IU .......................................................................................................... 11
4.1.1 OLA2 Integrator Unit ................................................................................................................................. 11
4.1.2 OLA2.1 Interrogator Unit ........................................................................................................................... 12
Making an Initial Connection ..................................................................................................................... 12
Changing the Address of the connected IU ............................................................................................... 14
Setting the IU into a safe condition before turning on the laser ............................................................... 15
Auto Setup Function .................................................................................................................................. 16
Additional Setup Functions ....................................................................................................................... 19
4.6.1 Options for fibre length, sample rate and spatial resolution .................................................................... 20
4.6.2 Verifying the settings – OLA2.1 ................................................................................................................. 20
5 Preparing an OptaSense ODH-F IU For Service ................................................................... 21
Connection to the IU ................................................................................................................................. 21
Data types.................................................................................................................................................. 22
Non-Quantitative data acquisition setup .................................................................................................. 23
Quantitative data acquisition setup .......................................................................................................... 24
Multiplexing............................................................................................................................................... 24
6 Managing Reflections and Fibre Breaks ............................................................................. 25
6.1.1 Multiple Blanking Zones ............................................................................................................................ 27
6.1.2 Removing Blanking Zones .......................................................................................................................... 28
6.1.3 Using Blanking for Fibre Breaks ................................................................................................................. 30
7 Advanced Activities .......................................................................................................... 33
Manual Attenuation in an OLA2.1 ............................................................................................................. 33
Verifying the first acquisition point ........................................................................................................... 48
Masking a noisy environment at the start of the fibre.............................................................................. 49
Familiarisation with other Interrogators – ODH4 ...................................................................................... 49

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1 Manual Introduction
This is a modular manual element that is used in the OS5 Administrator’s Manual, FAT Manual and
Installer’s Manual.
It can be used for:
• Identifying and preparing an IU for deployment
• Replacing a faulty IU
• Fully commissioning an IU from scratch
Depending on the nature of the activity being considered some or all of this manual may be required.
The manual is presented in the typical order required for a full set up from new of an IU, if an IU is
being replaced into an existing configuration, users should take care with any setup that is being
modified related to the configuration.
For example, if a fibre length is already known and used, exploiting the auto length detection routines
may adversely affect the existing config and it is advised to stick with the existing configuration length.
Prior to using this manual, the user should be familiar with all IU maintenance aspects covered in the
relevant product User Manual.
The user will also require the individual Interrogator Unit User Manuals for full detail on deploying and
maintaining an Interrogator Unit

Laser Radiation Safety Notes

OptaSense® Interrogator Units (IU) includes laser products, these are classified in accordance with
21 CFR 1040.10 and IEC 60825-1. Please note the warnings in this document and attached to the unit,
reproduced below – a typical example is shown below.

Caution – Use of controls or adjustments or performance of procedures other than those specified
herein may result in hazardous radiation exposure.
In normal operation, the light emitted by an OptaSense® IU is completely contained within an optical
fibre. The user must ensure appropriate controls (for example those described in IEC 60825-2) are in
place to prevent unauthorised personnel breaking the continuity of the fibre, causing emission of
invisible laser radiation.
Always switch off Laser Enable Keyswitch and remove the key before disconnecting or breaking the
continuity of the fibre.
Do not operate an OptaSense® IU without an optical fibre connected.
Prior to connecting fibre always clean and inspect the connectors.
Consult an OTDR reading on a new connection prior to turning on and ensure that the behaviour is
in line with the OptaSense Fibre Acceptance Specification OLA/329
Before turning on laser after a new fibre connection ensure that detectors are set to a maximum
and follow the laser attenuation procedure detailed in this manual.

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Consult the relevant Interrogator Unit User Manual for operations and maintenance activities.
NOTE: for all installations the primary recommendation for fibre connectivity to an OptaSense® IU is
a direct splice into the fibre. A secondary recommendation where a direct splice cannot be made is
to use an (OptaSense® approved) APC connector to connect to the fibre. Use of any connectors not
approved by OptaSense® is done so at the client’s own risk, which may cause significant damage to
the IU, would invalidate any warranty and may result in a loss of system performance. Additionally, if
an E2000/APC connector is used, the patch lead that connects the IU to the connector needs to be 30
metres long.
The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the
user to the presence of un-insulated ‘dangerous voltage’ within the product’s enclosure that may be
of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
Care must be taken whilst handling any of the equipment described in this manual. If any equipment
is suspected to having been poorly handled, it must not be used before an adequate inspection can
be made and continued safe operation verified.

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2 Introduction to the OptaSense Family of Interrogator

Unit
The Interrogator Unit (IU) is the core item of equipment in the OptaSense®. It is a mandatory piece of
equipment that provides the system interrogation and analysis, delivering the acoustic data to the
Processing Hardware.
The majority of devices used in the OptaSense OS5 software are the OLA2.1 series of interrogators,
however other items may also be encountered:
• OLA 2 - The original OptaSense Intensity only Interrogator Unit used on linear asset projects.
• OLA2.1 - The current “standard” Intensity only Interrogator Unit which replaces the previous
generation OLA 2.
• ODH-F - Builds on prior OptaSense Interrogator Unit developments and is intended to be
able to flexibly deliver similar performance levels to our OLA 2.1 although it is NOT intended
to replicate it.

The OLA2.1 is available in several different models which provide an increasing number of 10 metre
channels with each model number. A standard IU (OLA2-5000) interrogates distances up to 50 km
whilst an OLA2-2000 has a maximum operating range of 20 km. For smaller installations, such as a
fence mounted fibre system the OLA2-1000 can be used for distances of up to 10 km. The mechanical
installation of all IU variants is identical.
• OLA2.1-1000 Perimeters, minor assets, ~1000 channel limit (10km)
• OLA2.1-2000 Perimeters, minor assets, ~2000 channel limit (20km)
• OLA2.1-5000 Linear assets, ~5000 channel limit (50km)
Further information on the Interrogator Unit (IU) can be found in the OptaSense System Specification,
datasheet and the Interrogator Unit User Manual.

Figure 1: The front panel and isometric view of a typical OLA2.1 device.

Installing the Interrogator Unit

For all installation and use information please consult the individual Interrogator Unit User Manuals. Failure
to follow these instructions may invalidate your warranty.

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3 Connecting to the Sensing Fibre

Preparation of Near End of Fibre

The IU is fitted with an E2000-APC female receptacle on the rear of the unit. The preferred method
of connecting to a fibre is by splicing an E2000-APC pig tail or patch cable directly on to the sensing
fibre and inserting into the rear of the IU.
A secondary recommendation where a direct splice cannot be made, and a patch panel is to be used
is to connect with a minimum 30m patch cable between IU and patch panel. The connections on the
patch panel should also be an APC variety.
Use of any connectors not approved by OptaSense® is done at the client’s own risk, which may cause
significant damage to the IU, would invalidate any warranty and may result in a loss of system
performance. Contact OptaSense prior to any fibres being attached to the system and the IU’s laser
being switched on. The OTDR traces must be supplied to OptaSense once the Termination Units and
E2000/APC connectors have been attached.
It is important that before connecting to any new or unfamiliar fibres, an OTDR trace is measured to
assess the conditions of the fibre and ensure that there are no significant reflections over the fibre.
Please ensure that all connected fibres match the requirements of OptaSense Fibre Acceptance
Specification (OLA/329) prior to connecting.
• Prior to connecting fibre ensure that the laser enable key switch is in the OFF position,
attenuators set to maximum and the key removed.
• For optimum performance on all fibre routes and particularly for short fibre lengths (<10 km)
it is recommended that an OptaSense termination unit is fitted to ensure there is no end
reflection.
• DO NOT insert a dirty or damaged optical fibre connector into the IU as this may contaminate
or damage the internal connector.
• The OptaSense IU is fitted with a fully enclosed E2000-APC type connector which does not
need service cleaning during normal operation.
• Direct splicing of the sensing cable into a patch panel is the preferred arrangement; however,
should a splice connection not be possible, connection via APC patch cords may be used, each
of which MUST be at least 30m length.

Verifying the End Condition with a Fibre Scope

The fibre scope must be used to check the cleanliness of any IU E2000 connector or E2000 patch cord
connector. This task must be performed before connection any IU to any fibre even if the IU has come
directly from the manufacturer.

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Figure 2 : USB Fibre Scope

Before using the fibre scope the following is needed:

• The fibre scope.
• A laptop with “FiberCheck 2” installed this can be found on the disc located with the fibre
scope or on your field engineers HDD. To install FiberCheck insert the disc and follow the on-
screen instructions.
There are two types of connector to be used to check the patch leads and the IU E2000 connectors

Figure 3 : Patch Lead Connector Figure 4 : Back of the IU

Once the right connector has been screwed onto the fibre scope the connector can then be tested.
Attach the fibre scope to a laptop via a USB port and start the FiberCheck 2 software. Ensure that the
fibre type is set to single mode (SM) (See Figure 5 below)

Figure 5 : Fibre Type Selection

Push the fibrescope onto the E2000 patch lead connector or E2000 IU connector.
Push the small button located next to the focus wheel on the fibrescope to activate the camera.
Confirm that an image comes up in the FiberChek2 software.

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Use the focus wheel to bring the connector in to focus and once the percentage in the bottom right
hand corner goes above 35% press the “Test Fibre” button on the software to take a picture of the
fibre core.

Figure 6 : FiberCheck Software

The FiberCheck software will then process the image and return a pass or fail.

Figure 7 : FiberCheck Pass or Fail

If a pass is achieved the fibre end is ready to be used. If a fail is achieved, then the Fujikura One click
should be used to clean the connector and the process should be followed again to check the fibre.

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A screen cap record of the condition should be made to verify that the system was correct on
inspection.
NOTE: If the fibre check continually fails do not use the IU or patch cord. These items should be isolated
and given to the engineer running the FAT to ensure that further testing/cleaning is carried out and as
a last resort sent back to the manufacturer for replacement or repair.

3.2.1 Preparation of Far End with OptaSense® Termination Unit

The fibre termination unit is a bespoke OptaSense® development designed to eliminate reflections
from the end of fibre termination. It should be spliced on to the end of the sensing cable to suppress
end reflections.
The marked unit can be placed inside the patch panel and needs no further treatment.
Specification OptaSense® single mode termination unit

Length 150mm

Connection Type Fibre pigtail (direct splice)

Figure 8 – Fibre termination unit and end suppression evident on OTDR trace – no end of fibre return
spike that would appear with a conventional splice

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3.2.2 Making the Final Fibre Connection

All of the fibre connectors once cleaned can be connected using the methodology appropriate to the
specific connectors. In the case of the OptaSense® E2000 connectors, the connector block should be
guided into the matching receptacle on the rear of the IU and pushed home until a positive click is
heard / felt. Some modest resistance may be experienced, and this will need to be overcome until the
connection fully latches home.
To connect the fibre, remove the protective dust-cap by simply pulling the tab to withdraw it. Insert
the connector immediately and check that it clicks into position. When removing the fibre, replace the
dust cap immediately to prevent contamination of the IU output connector.
Do not operate the IU without an optical fibre connected. Following the procedures in this manual
and taught during training will ensure that the laser is only switched on when safe to do so.
Only disconnect or break the continuity of the optical fibre with the Laser Enable Keyswitch turned to
the off position (the Laser Enable LED will be off) and the key removed.

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4 Preparing an OptaSense OLA2.1 IU For Service

The majority of OS5 users will experience operations with the OLA2.1. For all models within the 2.1
range the setup instructions use the same software interface and is covered in detail below.
Consult the appendices for further information on the detail setup for an ODH-3 (Appendix A) and
OLA-2 (Appendix B).
The process for setting up the lasers follows a few discrete steps:
• Changing the IP address of the IU (if required)
• Set the fibre length, sample rate, resolution and verify position of end of fibre
• Verify that there are no reflections present in the fibre which could cause damage to the
system or degradation of signal
• Optimise power density of our signal present in the fibre (achieving maximum signal to
noise ratio, whilst ensuring the system is operating in a linear manner, i.e. too great a
power density (low launch attenuation) will deliver non-linear performance and incorrect
results. The non-linear can be easily be identified in long fibres (apparent above ~ 10km)
but in short fibres we need to establish the correct attenuator settings slightly differently.
• Manually verify the auto attenuation settings
• Verify that the start of the fibre (back of IU box) is set to channel zero.
• Set up the fibre break setting for both DC offset and alert level
Before switching on the laser for the first time it is vital to ensure that the IU is in a safe state. This
is achieved by setting both the launch and detect attenuators to maximum (approx 27).

Identifying the IP Address of the IU

Please refer to the OptaSense supplied network diagrams for system information and IP addresses.
There are two separate procedures for connecting a new IU. The procedure taken is dependent on
whether the IP address of the replacement IU is known or unknown. On the newer OLA2.1 IU the IP
address is displayed on the Electronic Screen on the face of the IU. On the older OLA2 IU there is no
screen and therefore the existing IP address of the IU must first be established.

4.1.1 OLA2 Integrator Unit

To change the IP address of an OLA2 IU with an unknown IP address:
1. Connect a laptop or a PC directly to the IU with an Ethernet Cable using Ethernet Port 1 on the
IU.
2. Use IP locating software such as NMap or Wireshark to retrieve the IP address of the IU if the
IP address is unknown. Make sure that the IP address of the laptop is as close so the suspected
IP address of the IU as possible. The manufacturing default for the IU is 192.168.0.44. The
address range is typically 192.168.XXX.XXX.

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Figure 9: Changing the IP address and Subnet mask of the connected laptop

3. Once the IP locating software has verified the IP address of the IU the standalone version of
the IU setup tool can be run to change the IP address of the connected IU. The IP address of
the laptop running this tool must be changed to allow connection to the IU’s existing IP
address.

4.1.2 OLA2.1 Interrogator Unit

The IP address of an OLA 2.1 can simply be read from the front panel (even whilst off). If the IU is
turned on and displaying a different page, press the marked button to cycle through the information
pages until it returns to the main information display.

Making an Initial Connection

Once you have confirmed the IU IP address and verified that you can communicate to it (e.g. by ping)
then the IP address can be changed to the desired value.
For an IU that is being replaced or setup to a different sub net than that allowed on the actual
configured system you may need to first change this externally, e.g. in a stand-alone laptop
deployment.
Changing the IP address of an IU can be completed through the OS5 IU Setup tool, accessed via the
toolbar. Open the IU setup from the Engineering Tool bar (Figure 10), on the left hand side of the OLA
IU Setup main window (Figure 11) select the OPS of the IU you require to change the IP address.

Figure 10: IU Setup Icon

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Figure 11: OS5.10 IU Setup main window

Note: on first running its unlikely that the IU will have the IP address specified in your config, in this
instance, you can first click on the IU to attempt a connection then press the bottom left button (which
appears once a connection is being instigated) to change either the type of the connection (OLA 2 /
OLA 2.1 / ODH-F) or the IP address desired to connect to.

Figure 12: Change IU connection

A dialogue will then appear where you can select the interface type and/or the target IP address.

Figure 13: Change IU Connection / Interface Type

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Changing the Address of the connected IU

Once the IU setup has connected to the IU (Figure 14) the right windowpane will be populated, and a
traffic light of connection will be shown in green. To change the IP address, select the Change IP
button.
Note: That all screen shots here are for an OLA2.1, the screens are broadly similar for the earlier 2.0
but there are some differences.

Figure 14: IU Connect Window

This brings up the Change IP Address window, enter the required IP address from the ND and ‘press
OK’. It is then required to power cycle the IU. Once power has returned it is possible to check the IP
address has changed on the front of the IU.

Figure 15: IU IP address Window

At this point you can either transfer the connection back to the processor using a stand-alone or
continue, you may need to change the subnet IP address of your connected device.

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Setting the IU into a safe condition before turning on the laser

The interrogator is fitted with two attenuators which act to decrease available length:
• Launch attenuator – decreases the amount of available light. Can be used to limit the light in
a long fibre and ensure that operations are within the linear regime
• Detect attenuator – used to modulate the overall value in any deployment to ensure it is not
limiting or clipping at the detector
Prior to setting the attenuators for the IU, the Interrogator must be placed into a SAFE mode to
avoid damage.
To do this, select the Configure Attenuators. For an OLA2.1 set the Launch and Detect to
approximately 27. On an OLA2 set Launch and detect to 50. Note: The Launch and Detect values on
an OLA2.1 are in dB whereas on an OLA2 it is as a percentage.

Figure 16: Configure Attenuators Display

To increase the Launch and Detect attenuators use the ‘>>’ buttons to increase the attenuators (to
increase delta of 10, click on the ‘>>>’ button) (Figure 17)

Figure 17: Launch & Detect Attenuation buttons

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Once the attenuators have both been set to approximately 30dB for an OLA2.1 and 50% for an OLA2
and the fibre is checked to confirm no large reflections using an OTDR, the laser can be switched on
at the IU (both front and back panels for OLA 2.1)

Auto Setup Function

When the IU is connected the user can proceed to setup the IU using the new Auto Setup tab.
If you are using this within a pre-existing configuration, this section should be reduced to check that
the acquisition parameters required by the config are being replicated by the IU. They should be
picked up by the config and passed to the IU, however there is no harm in preparing the IU with the
expected values in advance.
For complex situations it is advisable to replicate these first before connecting to the config.
Similarly, for complex situations the Auto length setting tools should NOT be relied on, but the
results should be checked.
The Auto Setup function has been designed to acquire all the parameters needed for the successful
function of the IU. Requirements such as Data Type, Ping Rate, Fibre Length as well as laser Launch
and Detect values can all be acquired and worked with (Figure 18: Auto Setup function
For most circumstances inputting the known fibre length will give the best results, or alternatively
setting a slightly larger value and then observing the end of the fibre.

Figure 18: Auto Setup function

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Figure 19: Auto Setup function 2

When the Auto tuning is running, a pulsing notifier will be present on the “Auto Setup” button which turns into
an “Abort Auto Setup” button.

Figure 20: Appearance during Auto Tune

Note: The Auto Setup function appears at each display within the IU setup. It will carry out the same
function irrespective of which display the user is observing.
It is important to monitor the Auto Setup process, paying attention to the status box on the right
side of the screen. Unlike the previous Auto Attenuate function, the Auto Setup function now
incorporates all the previous auto functions and will now take longer to fully complete.
Once the Auto Setup function has been started the IU firstly increases the detect attenuator to its
maximum value, it then changes the launch attenuator value and sweeps through all the launch values
until it detects clipping. It then monitors for clipping over a 30 second period to ensure that only a
modest amount of clipping occurs.

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It will then configure the acquisitions, establishing the fibre length as well as the appropriate Data
Type and Ping Rate.
The function will carry out another attenuation of the laser, adjusting the launch and detect settings
accordingly.
It is recommended that the Auto Setup is run once. Having completed the Auto Setup, the user can
zoom into the last 200 channels. Then decreasing the launch attenuator to check the non-linearity
point.
The Auto Setup tool is provided as an aide but should be verified by a competent, trained individual.
When the Auto Setup has completed and the final launch and detect attenuators have been set it is
recommended that you monitor the Detector Clipping (Figure 22) to ensure that the IU is not clipping
above specification, specifically at the start of the fibre near to the IU itself as this can damage the
detect sensor. If an IU is clipping too much, then the traffic light will turn Red and emit ADC Clipping
errors to the user. An amount of clipping is always to be expected and is normal. The detector
statistics are monitored by the system.

Note: when the detector clips excessively it will send an error to the GUI. Clipping will appear as a
statistical variation; this does not imply there is a problem and can indeed be a positive indication that
the IU is using maximum dynamic range. Where this becomes an issue is when clipping errors appear
continuously, this indicates a serious problem that should be addressed.

Figure 21: Detector Clipping Display

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Figure 22: Detector Clipping Display (focus on first few channels)

Additional Setup Functions

Figure 23: Configure Acquisition Display

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4.6.1 Options for fibre length, sample rate and spatial resolution
If a sensing fibre which is connected is LONGER than the stated fibre length (i.e. crossover approach),
the settings will need to be saved as they are not maintained on reboot of the IU.
In normal circumstances there is only a single fibre length to consider – the physical length of the fibre
is equal to the sensing length. This, together with the channel size defines how many channels the
system will operate to.
Note: Additionally, the sample rate reduces with fibre length. This is a matter of simple physics; we
cannot start a new sample until the last backscatter channel at the end of the fibre has reached the
detector. In a longer fibre this takes more time.
In the circumstances where we are operating with a fibre length longer than the sensing length, the
following rules should be noted:
• Fibre Length should be set to the sensing length (the crossover point)
• Channel size should be set commensurate with the fibre length
• Sample Rate should be set commensurate with the full physical fibre length
In all cases the results of the process should be compared to the results of an OTDR and to
expectation – the Auto Setup function is provided as an aide but should always be verified by a
competent, trained individual.

4.6.2 Verifying the settings – OLA2.1

1. The Auto Setup option can be used to attenuate lasers as well as establishing the fibre length
for OLA2, OLA 2.1 and ODH-F although the fibre length should always be confirmed using an
OTDR. The setup process may take a couple of minutes and the status can be seen in the Status
output. However, the results from the Auto Setup feature should be verified manually. See
the manual steps below.

A. During the Auto Setup procedure, the IU first increases the detect attenuator to its
maximum value, it then changes the launch attenuator value and sweeps through all of
the launch values until it detects clipping. It then monitors for clipping over a 30 second
period to ensure that no clipping occurs.
B. After the process is completed, it is recommended that the user zooms into the last 200
channels of the fibre, decreases the launch attenuator and verify that the non-linearity
point occurs. Note that non-linearity points should not occur for short fibres (less than 10
km) and in these cases this step should be avoided.
C. After Auto Setup is complete, the user should observe for Detector Clipping especially at
the beginning of the fibre. If a large level clipping occurs, then the detect attenuator
should be increased until this no longer occurs.

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5 Preparing an OptaSense ODH-F IU For Service

Another item of the OptaSense third generation hardware system is the ODH-F.
ODH-F builds on prior OptaSense Interrogator Unit developments and is intended to be able to flexibly deliver
similar performance levels to our OLA 2.1 although is NOT intended to replicate it.
There are 4 variants of the ODH-F, an intensity only variant (Base model, CBT4800000 Basic), a multiplexing
intensity only variant that allows the acoustic intensity of up to 4 cables to be monitored (4 Way Multiplexer,
CBT4800000 MUX), a quantitative variant capable of doing everything the base model is capable but also of
acquiring quantitative data (Quantitative Phase and Amplitude model, CBT4800000 Quant) and a multiplexing
quantitative variant (4 way Multiplexer AND Quantitative Phase and Amplitude model CBT 4800000
MuxQuant) that allows the interrogation of 4 cables and acquisition of quantitative data.
Many of the configuration practices are similar or the same as for the previously mentioned IU’s. The
configuration procedure to use is dependent on how the IU is being used (amplitude only or quantitative
mode, with or without multiplexing). This guide discusses the configuration required for all these operation
modes, dependent on the unit not all these modes may be accessible. Connection to the IU and data types are
also discussed.
OS5 does not at the current release support Multiplexing in ODH-F.

Connection to the IU
Ensure that the laser key is switched off and there is no light being transmitted into the fibre. To connect to
the IU, open the IU setup page in the engineering tab. Select the appropriate OPS from the IU setup page. If
the IU IP address has already been setup this will connect, if not then the loading will time out and the IU
connection will need changing.
Change the IP address and interface type in the popup box in the same way as for the OLA 2.1. As with the OLA
2.1 the ODHF units IP address is displayed on the e-ink display when the unit is powered down. The default for
this is 192.168.0.40. The interface type should be “ODH-F”. Once edited, select update.

Figure 24: Selecting ODH-F from IU Set Up Window

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Data types
A range of non-quantitative and quantitative data types are available in the ODH-F:

Type Description Type

1001 Single Pulse SR 1.5 OCP 1 Non-quantitative

1002 Scope Data Quantitative

1003 Launch Pulse Diagnostic Non-quantitative

Data

1004 4 Diversity Stacked OCP Quantitative

8

1005 Diversity Stacked Quantitative

Metadata OCP 8

1009 Phase OCP 1 Quantitative

1012 Dual Pulse ADC OCP1 Quantitative

1013 Diversity Stacked DC Quantitative

OCP 8

1014 Diversity Stacked Quantitative

Metadata DC OCP 8

1015 Single Pulse SR 1.5 OCP 8 Non-quantitative

1018 Single Pulse SR 20 OCP Non-quantitative

10

1019 Single Pulse SR 7.25 OCP Non-quantitative

5

1024 Phase OCP 1 0.001xfs Quantitative

cutoff

1061 Scope Data Max Non-quantitative

1062 Single Pulse SR 1.5 OCP 1 Non-quantitative

HdB

1063 Single Pulse SR 1.5 OCP 8 Non-quantitative

HdB

1064 Single Pulse SR 20 OCP Non-quantitative

10 HdB

1065 Single Pulse SR 7.25 OCP Non-quantitative

5 HdB

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Note: OCP= Output Channel Pitch, SR= Spatial resolution.

The best data type to use is dependent on the application. Quantitative data can only be collected from
shorter length cables (<15km), so this limits the applications that can have quantitative data collected. As such
for applications requiring the monitoring of longer assets, non-quantitative data must be collected.
Quantitative data has the advantage that it collects phase information about the acoustic waves interacting
with the cable, allowing more detailed/ accurate analysis of the data.
In terms of the non-quantitative data types the significant difference between each type is the OCP and SR
lengths of the data type. The optimum spatial resolution is a function of the required sensitivity (the larger the
gauge the lower the signal to noise ratio) and the frequency content of signals to be detected (the higher the
frequency needing to be monitored the shorter the gauge length should be, due to spatial averaging). Data
type 18 is an equivalent to the 20m gauge of the OLA 2.1.
The quantitative data types have a relatively fixed gauge length (8m, though a non-diversity stacked 1m
channel size with an 8m spatial resolution is available in type 1024, this is down sampled to 1/1000 of the ping
rate). Data type 1002 is a scope mode for the dual pulse configuration that gives the optical amplitude for
reflected light and is used to setup the launch and receive attenuators for collection of quantitative data. Data
type 1004 is the diversity stacked quantitative data with a high pass filter to remove low frequency signals.
Data type 1013 is equivalent to data type 1004 only with the lowpass filter removed in the signal processing
chain. In most situation the low frequency content is informative so data type 13 should be recorded.

Non-Quantitative data acquisition setup

The configuration of the ODH-F for collection of non-quantitative data is the same as for the manual
configuration of the OLA 2.1. At present the auto configuration feature will not work appropriately with the
ODH-F. Start with the laser interlock key turned to the off position and set both launch and detect attenuators
to > 24dB. To configure the ODHF for non-quantitative data the appropriate data type, number of channels,
first channel to acquire and ping rate are selected in the same way as for the OLA 2.1. The attenuators are
configured in the same way as the manual configuration of the attenuator setting for the OLA 2.1 (see section
6).

Figure 25: Selecting Data Type

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Quantitative data acquisition setup

To configure the ODH-F for collection of quantitative data start with the laser interlock key turned to the off
position and set both launch and detect attenuators to > 24dB. The data type 1002 needs to be selected prior
to carrying out the manual turning of the attenuators (see section 6). A decimation factor of 4 should be set for
quantitative data. The number of channels, first channel to acquire and ping rate should also be set
appropriately for the specific fibre under investigation (use the OTDR length for this). Once the attenuators are
configured the data type can be set to whichever quantitative data type is suited best to the measurement.

Multiplexing
In an ODH-F with multiplexing capability up to 4 fibres can be monitored. At present the OS5 software does
not support multiplexing and so this functionality cannot be used with this software.

Figure 26: Multiplexing, selecting number of streams

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6 Managing Reflections and Fibre Breaks

An advanced feature of the IU Setup is the Manage Reflections section (Figure 27) this enables the user to
blank out a number of channels where there is a reflection from an event down the fibre, such as a bad splice,
micro bends, fibre breaks or the end of the fibre. It is recommended that the advanced manage reflections is
only used if the fibre cannot be repaired and the fault removed.
You can attempt to manage the fibre break before repair by creating a single or multiple reflection blanking
zones.
Navigate to the IU Set app, click on Manage Reflections tab, the Blanks box press the Add button a blank cell
will be added. This is the start process to adding your start and end channel values (Figure 29).

Figure 27: IU Set up

To get Start & End channel, adjust zoom to the start of the fibre break within the Backscatter panel, from this
example the Start Channel is 1000. Double click start Channel cell enter this value into the blanks box
highlighted then Press enter.

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Figure 28: Start Channel cell & Backscatter Panel

For the end channel, find the channel as before (Figure 29), Double click the end cell enter the value. The blank
that is being applied will normally only be a few channels but to assist with the visual representation the
blanks applied here are much larger.

Figure 29: End Channel Cell & Backscatter Panel

As you can see highlighted in the backscatter panel the blanking zone has been created. You can see the added
blanking zone is a light blue shade, This will come more apparent when adding multi blanking zones.

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Figure 30: Created Blanking Zone

There is a requirement to see if the blanking zone has been added, if you navigate to the Fibre Break Detector
and Surveillance Waterfall window you will see highlighted that it has been created.

Figure 31: Fibre break Detector & Surveillance Waterfall

6.1.1 Multiple Blanking Zones

The software has the ability to add multiple blanking zones, the process is the same as adding a single zone
with few more steps by pressing the Add tab a new blank start & end channel cell will highlight blue, then add
the channel values. So highlighted, you can see that there have been 3 blanking zones added (Figure 33).
Every time a new zone is added, it will be highlight light blue in shade, to identify that it has been added.
If there is a requirement to change the channel values (start & end cell), if you click the cell in the Blanks panel
it will highlight blue to show that this is the blanking zone setting to be changed. Also, you will see the
highlighted zone on the backscatter panel is light blue. When double clicking the Start or End cells you can
adjust these values as necessary.

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Figure 32: Multiple Blanking Zones

A quick confirmation that the blanking zones have been added by navigating to the Surveillance Waterfall and
Fibre Break detector.

Figure 33: Fibre break Detector & Surveillance Waterfall

6.1.2 Removing Blanking Zones

When removing single or multiple zones, this is a simple process of pressing the Remove button to remove just
a single zone (Figure 35) But you can also press the Clear blanks button (Figure 36) this will clear all blanking
zones created (Figure 37).

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Figure 34: Blanking Zone Removal (Single)

Figure 35: Blanking Zone Removal

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Figure 36: Blanking Zone Removed

Confirm that all blanking zones have been removed navigate to the Fibre Break detector & Surveillance
Waterfall windows.

Figure 37: Fibre break Detector & Surveillance Waterfall

6.1.3 Using Blanking for Fibre Breaks

On occasions there may be a need to repair a fibre optic cable (FOC) and always after a fibre break. There are
several options to carry out this repair, but the main focus is to make sure that there is no damage to the
Interrogator unit (IU).
If a fibre break alerts on the system, the operator will need to analyse the following:
• Historical waterfall data.
• Map display TOTE or the alerts displayed, right click on the alert you have options to analyse the alert.
• Waterfall display would have a dead zone or a loss of signal from the start of the fibre break.
• Fibre break detector check the live and dead counts.
• IU Setup will help to identify the channel. The backscatter displays show this best.
Note: You require a code to unlock Fibre break and IU Set up.

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6.1.4 Identifying a Fibre Break

When a fibre is broken it will first be noticeable on the Surveillance Waterfall. The display will show a complete
absence of signal from the point of the break to the end of the fibre. This will be followed by a Fibre Break
scenario appearing on the map screen with associated alert in the tote.

Figure 38: Fibre break at channel 2080

As you can see the system will continue to operate as normal up to the fibre break but follow on action must
be taken to protect the IU from potential damage caused by reflected light.

6.1.5 Follow up Action

The immediate action on a fibre break is to check the extent of the reflection caused in the IU Setup panel. Any
reflection of concern will be at the point of the break and will be shown as a large spike above the usual
backscatter signal.

Figure 39: Reflection visible on the backscatter trace at channel 2080

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Once a reflection has been identified then a ‘Blank’ can be made to attempt to control the amount of light
returning to the IU and thus allowing the IU to be left operational until the fibre is repaired. The IU should not
be left running in this state indefinitely.
In the Manage Reflections section of the IU Setup Panel there is the option to add and remove ‘Blanks’ (see
Section 5.6)
In this example we have applied a ‘Blank’ to start from channel 2070 and end at channel 2150. This ‘Blank’
encompasses the area of the existing Fibre Break and resulting reflection.

Figure 40: Reflection caused by fibre break 'blanked'

As you can see from the zoomed window below the effect of the reflection has been removed but care must
be taken to ensure that clipping does not occur despite the blank being in place. If there is any evidence of
excessive light (causing clipping) still returning to the IU then the IU should be shut down until the fibre break
is repaired.

Figure 41: Effects of reflection removed by blanking

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7 Advanced Activities

Manual Attenuation in an OLA2.1

Prior to setting the attenuators of the IU (using the Auto Setup function) the Interrogator must be
placed into a SAFE mode to avoid damage.
To do this, select the Configure Attenuators and set the Launch and Detect attenuators to
approximately 50% on an OLA2. The Launch and Detect values on an OLA2.1 are in dB and should be
set to approximately 30dB, whereas on an OLA2 it is in percent. These values put the launch and detect
lasers into a safe state for initial power up and configuration.

Figure 42: Configure Attenuators Display

To increase the Launch & Detect attenuators use the ‘>>’ buttons to increase the attenuators (delta
of 10 – one click on the ‘>>>’ button) as per (Figure 40). You can write 50 into each box, ensuring to
press the enter key each time.

Figure 43: Launch & Detect Attenuation buttons

Once the attenuators have both been set to approximately 50% for an OLA2 and the fibre is checked
to confirm no large reflections using an OTDR, then the laser can be switched on at the IU.
The purpose of setting the attenuators is twofold: 1) Set the launch attenuator to maximise the
amount of the light in the system without causing non-linear behaviour in the fibre – this is really only
evident in a long fibre, small fibres (<10km) don’t exhibit this behaviour and the goal is to maximise

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the amount of light (i.e. a minimal attenuator setting). 2) Open the detect attenuator sufficiently once
1 has been achieved to make sure that we are collecting the maximum number of photons without
saturating the detector.
The skill involved is in detecting and setting the point of non-linear behaviour – we will cover that in
detail.
Observe the backscatter within the backscatter graph under the Configure Attenuators tab which will
appear in (Figure 41) the trace should appear fairly flat.

Figure 44: Launch attenuator position 50%, detect attenuator position 50%

7.1.1 Verifying reflection free conditions

In the first phase we will gradually allow more light into the system by reducing the detect attenuator
in steps to 30% - what we are aiming to see is that no large reflections appear that are much greater
than the average signal strength. You may need to zoom in.

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Figure 45: Launch attenuator position 30%

The detect attenuator is less important here - all it is doing is letting more light into the detector – we
are more concerned with how much light we are putting into the fibre at this stage.
If you are unsure about some data (whether it is structure or reflection) zoom in our further decrease
the launch attenuator – it won’t cause any harm. What we are looking for are massive signals that
may limit the detector.

7.1.2 Detecting the point of non-linearity

We can observe the point of non-linearity by looking at the behaviour of the channels at the end of
the fibre. We must do this at the end of the fibre as the non-linearity process is a cumulative process
that takes place – so if we set it say at the middle and optimised behaviour, we might find the end of
fibre is still operating poorly.
Once we have found this setting it represents the maximum amount of light in the fibre without
saturation. We will not touch it again.
Zoom in on the last 200 channels. You won’t see much – just a vibrating trace:

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Figure 46: Not much signal variation in the last 200 channels.

As we start to open up the launch attenuator, we are going to see more gain appearing.

Figure 47: More gain appearing - here the max capture envelope (red) can be helpful

We have a problem though – there is not enough light in the detector to really capture what is going
on.
So, let’s push it back a bit and give ourselves some more light by opening up the detect attenuator say
to 30.

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Figure 48: Opening up the detect attenuator lets in more light and we can see structure

And we can now zoom in again with a very clear picture.

Figure 49: Now the trace is very clear and gives us a good starting point

There is one note of caution here however: if you decrease the detect attenuator a lot and also the launch
(which we will be doing) there is a danger of clipping – this is not as bad as it sounds – we can tolerate some
clipping – say up to 10-20% of the fibre for short periods. As you are doing this process keep an eye on the
clipping traffic light and maybe occasionally just take a look at the whole trace – keep in mind that we are
letting more light into the system by decreasing the launch – so we can always take some away with the detect
again to keep it safe. Remember all that we do with the detect is scale the answer up or down – what we are
more concerned about is the answer – that’s all in the launch attenuator.

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Figure 50: A quick peek at the overall trace - again keep an eye on the envelopes - very handy

OK – back to the last 200 channels.

Watch this series – as we DECREASE the launch attenuator the trace rises.

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Figure 51: lowering the Launch attenuator lets in more light and increases the signal at end of fibre

In a long fibre this doesn’t continue for ever – we reach a point where letting more light in loses the
structure in the signal and causes the amount of light at the end to actually drop – this is the key point
of interest. As we are looking for this keep a very close eye on the clipping situation – it’s OK to
modulate by increasing the detect attenuator – it only scales the answer and doesn’t affect it.
We can see the “quenching point” in the following series by decreasing the launch attenuator in a few
steps:

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Figure 52: We see that the gain increased until about 17.3 and then a further drop made no more gain

We can then fine tune this using the small change buttons (two chevrons), here the envelop trace is useful in
helping you spot the maximum.

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Figure 53: The maximum is around 15.7

7.1.3 Setting the Launch Attenuator

Having found the peak, we don’t leave it at this point. Remember fading we know that this affects
the gain in the channels so if we left it at the maximum it would be pretty much expected that some
channels we are looking at will be faded and when not faded they enter into non-linearity – not what
we want.
We therefore apply some retardation of 5 more small clicks

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Figure 54: Final Launch Setting

7.1.4 Setting the Detect Attenuator

We are now finished with launch and can set the detect. Now we zoom into the whole trace and select the
first 1,000 channels and press the reset button, so life is clear.

Figure 55: In the full trace it is clear we have some clipping

So, clipping is NOT full-scale deflection – clipping occurs when a channel is saturated and further decreased in
DETECT attenuation cause “flat topping” we can see an example (but take care to leave the Launch alone):

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Figure 56: We can see the trace is topping out around 17,000

The clipping light will also be on:

Zoom in and more detect attenuation (INCREASE) until there is daylight between the actual trace (black) and
the peak cpature (red):

Figure 57: Non-clipping point located

Again, to consider fading we can apply a couple more clicks of margin – this is less of a concern than on the
launch attenuator as this destroys signal, on the detect attenuator some clipping is to be expected in a well-
tuned system:

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Figure 58: Final attenuator settings.

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Verifying the first acquisition point

To do this we need to zoom into the first few channels of the fibre coverage to assess the signal that
is being received.
From the histogram we can see that there is a low-level signal until about
channel 9.
This suggests that the system is acquiring too early – this has some implications:
1. The location of the TRUE optical distance will be shifted accordingly down the fibre.
2. We will miss useful information at the beginning and the end of the sensing fibre.
We can test that the system is acquiring too early or too late by creating some artificial noise, through
tapping the fibre 1 m away from the box. We see the difference between the stimulated and
non-stimulated section of fibre confirming that the location of the fibre 1 m from the box is actually
being reported at a distance of some 110 m (11 channels in this fibre setup).
As well as correctly configuring the IU we can also use this process to account for other discrepancies
such as patch cables or unburied lead-in’s.

Figure 59: First few channels of the fibre coverage

Figure 60: No stimulation (left) and tapping fibre 1 m away from the IU (right)

If the start location needs to be moved, please contact OptaSense for remote assistance.

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Masking a noisy environment at the start of the fibre

An IU can be located in varying environments; it may be housed in a remote valve station in a sparsely
populated desert or may be housed in a building located in the middle of a vast industrial refinery
area. For this reason, several channels at the start of the fibre may wish to be masked out as they are
very noisy and in a secure area; they could distract from what the operators are looking for. It may be
required that the installer sets the first acquisition point to be the first channel outside the industrial
site.
In order to do this, it is important to find exactly where the extremity of the industrial area is located
by sending someone out to give a few stamps to accurately locate how many channels need to be
masked.
If we have 110 metres of fibre located in a noise industrial site which the customer would like us to
mask out, we must alter the first acquisition point field located in the Configure Acquisition tab within
the IU Setup window for the OPS you wish to set. For this example, the first acquisition point should
be set to Channel 11. This is due to the spatial resolution set at the default setting of 10 metres.
The first channel point is highlighted in.
Once a new first acquisition point has been entered the Set button needs to be toggled.

Figure 61: Altering the first acquisition point to the RIGHT along the histogram on an OLA 2.0

Familiarisation with other Interrogators – ODH4

The ODH4 has 4 lasers and the backscatter from each Wavelength must be observed during the
attenuation process. There is a master launch and detect attenuator as well as four local detect
attenuators for adjustment of each wavelength. Only the master detectors be modified by typical
users as Sensoptics balance the local detect attenuators during manufacture. Cycle through the
wavelengths frequently using the appropriate radio buttons during the attenuation process to monitor
the backscatter response for each wavelength - this will ensure that no reflections are present in any
one of the wavelengths. If any reflections occur, blank these are per the steps in Manage Reflections.

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