Thermodynamic Modeling and Analysis of an Optical Electric-Field Sensor

The stability of the optical electric field sensor (OEFS) in actual operation is affected by environmental factors such as temperature and SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride). To analyze the operational environment parameters affecting the optical properties of crystals, a thermodynamic model of the OEFS in which the optical properties of the crystal are changed by the first-order effects and the second-order effects was established. The intensity parameters such as electric, stress and temperature fields were introduced. The theoretical analysis results show that under temperature, stress and electric field conditions, the optical properties of the sensing crystals are no longer changed only by the electro-optic effect, but also by the temperature and the stress fields. Further synthesis suggests the expected optical property changes under the effect of the environment fields. OEFS tests show that the accuracy of OEFS is dependent on temperature with a ratio error of -0.8%~1.5% in the temperature range from -25 °C to +40 °C.