%0 Journal Article
%T A Fiber Bragg GratingˇŞBimetal Temperature Sensor for Solar Panel Inverters
%A Mohd Afiq Ismail
%A Nizam Tamchek
%A Muhammad Rosdi Abu Hassan
%A Katrina D. Dambul
%A Jeyraj Selvaraj
%A Nasrudin Abd Rahim
%A Seyed Reza Sandoghchi
%A Faisal Rafiq Mahamd Adikan
%J Sensors
%D 2011
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/s110908665
%X This paper reports the design, characterization and implementation of a Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)-based temperature sensor for an Insulted-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) in a solar panel inverter. The FBG is bonded to the higher Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) side of a bimetallic strip to increase its sensitivity. Characterization results show a linear relationship between increasing temperature and the wavelength shift. It is found that the sensitivity of the sensor can be categorized into three characterization temperature regions between 26 ˇăC and 90 ˇăC. The region from 41 ˇăC to 90 ˇăC shows the highest sensitivity, with a value of 14 pm/ˇăC. A new empirical model that considers both temperature and strain effects has been developed for the sensor. Finally, the FBG-bimetal temperature sensor is placed in a solar panel inverter and results confirm that it can be used for real-time monitoring of the IGBT temperature.
%K Fiber Bragg Grating
%K bimetal strip
%K temperature sensor
%K solar panel inverter
%U http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/11/9/8665