I wonder if fibre-optics could be used to measure depth of fluid, hence the rate of change in volume over time (or delivery rate), of fluid in a container of fixed dimensions? Techniques using pulses of different wavelengths can be used to detect where the optical characteristics of a fibre change along its length can't they? Characteristics of fibres change when the ratio of the index of refraction of fibre core or sheath changes. What is the ratio for glass/air and glass/water? How are breaks, losses in transmission or step-changes in fibre characteristics along a fibre measured in fibre-optic sytems? I wonder if fast processing methods could resolve small, rapid, fluctuation in rate deivery over all ranges of measurement to improve on current systems. Or whether the method could minimise errors by adapting the measurement technique for different ranges of measurement?
