Who would have imagined that fiber optic cables could be used for anything other than transporting data? During the third edition of its OpenTech days, Orange presented a “fiber sensing” solution capable of transforming underground networks into giant sensors. One of the most telling use cases concerns the detection of water leaks, developed in partnership with Veolia.
Water leaks when listening to the network
The principle is almost counterintuitive. Optical fibers, deployed massively under our streets for very high speed, can also be used to detect physical phenomena. Vibrations, twists, temperature variations: anything that slightly disturbs the fiber modifies the light signal passing through it. By injecting light and closely analyzing these micro-deformations, it becomes possible to identify events occurring in the immediate vicinity of the cable.
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« In plain French, we use buried optical fibers as sensors », summarizes Christian Gacon, vice-president of fixed and broadband networks at Orange France. The idea is not new: it makes “ a good ten years » that the sector evokes the potential of fiber sensing. The technology is already used in industrial contexts, for example to monitor oil pipelines over long distances. But until now, the uses remained targeted.
What is changing today is the rise in power of equipment capable of “reading” optical signals, and especially the computing capabilities to interpret the data collected. Orange relies in particular on technical partners like VIAVI Solutions and Lightsonic to analyze these disruptions and give them operational meaning.
At Orange OpenTech, several scenarios were staged: detection of opening of technical hatches, counting of vehicles, observation of ground movements… But it was the hunt for water leaks that caught the attention, as the demonstration was so telling.
A water leak, even invisible on the surface, produces a continuous noise perceived in the form of vibrations in the ground. These vibrations shake » the neighboring optical fiber and alter the light signal. Analysis systems can then identify the characteristic signature of a leak and even locate its origin with appreciable precision. “ A water leak makes noise », recalls Christian Gacon, and this noise becomes usable data.
For players like Veolia, the stakes are considerable: detect losses on drinking water networks earlier, limit waste and intervene in a targeted manner, without increasing exploratory work. The interest is all the stronger as the infrastructure is already there: no need to install new sensors, the existing fiber plays this role silently.
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