Fault characteristic gas analysis is one of the important methods for monitoring the operating status of power equipment. This study presents the construction of a simulation model for a hollow-core photonic crystal fibre (HC-PCF)-based photothermal spectroscopy gas detection system. The relationship between the phase change of the probe beam and the acetylene concentration

pump power

ambient temperature and the modulation frequency is examined. It is achieved by simulating the wavelength modulation of the pump beam and the phase change of the probe beam. The findings demonstrate that there is a linear positive correlation between the pump power and the amplitude of the phase change of the probe beam and the acetylene concentration. For example

acetylene concentration grew from 1 to 10

000 ppm

whereas phase change amplitude increased from 4.71 × 10−4 to 3.70 rad. The pump power grew from 7 to 2000 mW

whereas phase change amplitude increased from 3.73 × 10−4 to 1.01 × 10−1 rad. The phase change of the probe beam is non-linearly and negatively correlated with the ambient temperature. The ambient temperature decreases from 373.15 to 173.15 K

and phase change amplitude increases from 5.05 × 10−3 to 2.15 × 10−2 rad

an enhancement of 4.26 times. The modulation frequency is needed to balance the thermal conduction process in the HC-PCF. In the 1–100 Hz range

the amplitude of the phase change is stable and almost independent of the modulation frequency. In the 100–40

000 Hz range

the amplitude of the phase change decreases rapidly with the increase of the modulation frequency. The results of the paper provide a reference for constructing the HC-PCF-based photothermal spectroscopy gas detection system.