OpSens Solutions fiber optic sensing technology selected for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor
by CM Staff
OpSens Solutions will supply RI with fiber optic absolute and differential pressure sensors that will provide critical information for accurate monitoring of RI's cryogenic valve boxes.
QUEBEC CITY — OpSens Inc. announced on Feb. 8 that OpSens Solutions Inc., its wholly-owned subsidiary focused on applying the Company’s fiber optic measurement solutions to industrial applications, has been awarded a contract from RI Research Instruments GmbH to supply fiber optic absolute and differential pressure sensors for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project.
ITER is the world’s largest nuclear fusion and scientific experiment project with 35 nations collaborating to build and operate a potential source of safe, non-carbon emitting and virtually limitless energy based on fusion reactions as it fuels the sun. ITER is currently under construction in southern France.
OpSens Solutions will supply RI with fiber optic absolute and differential pressure sensors that will provide critical information for accurate monitoring of RI’s cryogenic valve boxes. The vacuum system for ITER contains several large cryogenic pumps which need to be supplied with liquid helium via cryogenic valve boxes produced by RI. In total, it is anticipated that there will be a large number of sensors at different levels of the ITER project for which OpSens’ sensor technology would be applicable.
“We are excited and honored to have been selected to be part of this important large-scale international research project with RI,” said Gaétan Duplain, President of OpSens Solutions. “We believe this represents worldwide recognition of OpSens’ fiber optic sensing technology and are optimistic this will be a tremendous business opportunity for the Company going forward. Thanks to the outstanding performance of our fiber optic sensing technology and more specifically to the recently developed and patented fiber-optic differential pressure sensor, the most precise of its kind on the market, we have been able to demonstrate significant advantages for monitoring critical parameters in harsh environments such as those found at ITER.”
“We are delighted to work with OpSens Solutions for the ITER project and rely on the high quality of their pressure sensors which will be essential for the functionality of our valve boxes. The combination of compactness, precision and robustness make these the ideal choice for this demanding application,” said Dr. Peter vom Stein, Senior Project Manager at RI.
