Telecommunication and Information Technology services

Blown Optical Fiber Technology

Blown Optical Fiber technology provides flexibility in network design, while anticipating and facilitating future changes as the network evolves. It delivers the best fiber solution for backbone, specialty, Fiber-To-The-Desk (FTTD) and Fiber-To The-Home (FTTH) applications. NextGen ® Brand’s GenLite ™ Blown Optical Fiber (BOF) System from General Cable provides numerous advantages over conventional fiber optic systems, including increased flexibility for the designers of fiber optic networks as well as significant and measurable time, cost and service benefits to the network throughout its life cycle. Offered as 1-12 single fibers per microduct or as 1-3 bundles of 6 fibers per microduct, the GenLite BOF System accommodates Moves, Adds and Changes (MACs) easily and quickly with minimal disruption.

Blowing Method

Cable installation by using high speed air flow combined with additional mechanical pushing force is called as “blowing or jetting”. Cable blowing is the process of installation of optical fiber cable into a pre-installed duct. Compressed air is injected in the duct inlet after few hundred meters of cable is pushed into the duct. Compressed air flows at high speed through the duct and along the cable. The pushing force is applied mainly near the cable inlet by a pushing device. Standard optical fiber cables (like uni-tube, multi-tube, unarmored & armored), microduct cables, and micro-ducts can be installed by using this method. It is possible to install micro- duct cable using blowing method in continuous lengths of more than 1000 meters depending upon the duct route. There are two methods for blowing which are discussed below.

Method 1: High air speed blowing

This method requires pushing the cable with tractor mechanism by traction rollers in blowing device for a few hundred meters and then introducing compressed air to make the cable inside the ducts remain in floating condition, which reduces friction between the cable outer surface and duct inner wall by reducing area of contact

Method 2: Push/Pull (Piston) blowing

In this type of blowing unit, an air-tight piston is attached to the front of the cable. The air pushes this piston, and the piston “pulls” the cable as shown in Figure 3. Installers should be aware that a pulling force exists in piston blowing, and the pulling force shouldn’t cross the maximum cable tension. This method is preferred for larger size ducts (32/40mm and 42/50mm) and in “straight” trajectories to achieve longer cable blowing distance.

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