Sistema de monitorización para la protección y mantenimiento predictivo de infraestructuras de cable submarino (PSI)

The aim of this project is to develop a smart monitoring system that could prevent damages to the cable by early warning of potentially harmful activities. The system pursued in this proposal comprises two essential elements in order to achieve its goal: first, a Distributed Acoustic Sensor (DAS), i.e. a device that is capable of transforming a conventional single-mode optical fiber cable into an array of thousands of dynamic strainmeters, each one capable of recording tiny strain variations along a section of cable of a few meters; second, an artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of analyzing the data gathered by the DAS and transforming it into an intelligent interpretation of the potential threat to the cable in every possible situation. Such a system would be permanently scanning the natural and anthropogenic threats on the optical fiber infrastructure and would raise early warning alerts to trigger preventive actions. Moreover, the availability of continuous DAS measurements of strain distribution along the optical fiber cable could also allow the development of extensive fatigue analysis of the infrastructure, therefore allowing a continuous lifetime assessment of the cable and enabling predictive maintenance of the stressed sections. This maintenance scheme would be completely innovative in the field of submarine cables infrastructure.

But the benefits of the project may expand beyond preventive maintenance. The work developed in this project is ground-breaking and could lead to a massive leap in the field of submarine Seismology. DAS technology can truly transform the way in which underwater seismic measurements are done nowadays. In submarine environments, the scarcity of instruments deployed so far offshore has led to biased and low-resolution measurements of the Earth tomography in these regions. Being capable of deploying large arrays of seismic sensors offshore at minimal cost (just connecting an interrogator device in one end of the cable) could enable new understanding of the Earth interior in these regions and new early warning systems for events as damaging as tsunamis. Beyond underwater Seismology, the contribution of this project could also transform the field of Oceanography, where it could provide a new tool to gain understanding on phenomena such as tides, infra-gravity waves, ocean currents or meteotsunamis.