Digital-Twin-Enabled PIC-Based OFDR Interrogator for Distributed Structural Monitoring

The proposed photonic integrated circuit (PIC) based solution integrates fiber optic sensing with a real-time Digital Twin platform to enable predictive structural health monitoring of wind turbines.

A photonic interrogator captures distributed strain and vibration data from turbine blades and towers, which is continuously synchronised with a physics-based Digital Twin. The Digital Twin converts photonic sensor data into structural state indicators, anomaly detection metrics, and remaining-useful-life estimations.

This approach transforms conventional condition monitoring into an actionable, model-driven decision system, enabling early fault detection, reduced downtime, and increased energy yield.

The solution integrates three core innovations:
(i) a compact PIC-based tunable laser and coherent detection front-end,
(ii) a distributed Rayleigh-scattering-based OFDR sensing chain, and
(iii) a Digital Twin layer that transforms raw distributed fiber data into actionable structural health indicators.