from ocean to cloud UNDERSEA JOINTING PROGRESS Gathering No Moss

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1 UNDERSEA JOINTING PROGRESS Gathering No Moss Maurice E. Kordahi, Jeremiah Mendez, Michael M. Sanders, Robert K. Stix, Ryan Wilkison (TE SubCom) TE SubCom, 250 Industrial Way West, Eatontown, New Jersey, USA Abstract: Undersea telecommunication network reliability is determined by the scores of cable system elements as well as an assortment of external influences. Of these, the undersea cable joint is one of the most important and pervasive. This element is essential to the system lifecycle including: assembly, integration, installation, expansion, and repair. Often improvements and enhancements go unnoticed and are taken for granted, largely due to the success of the infrastructure that supports it. Nevertheless, progress continues as evidenced by numerous development activities, ranging from dual-conductor undersea cable jointing to digital x-ray equipment to lower-loss optical fiber splicing. This paper provides an overview of the state of cable jointing, recent progress, and future directions. 1. OVERVIEW Typically, undersea cable joints are used in both powered and unpowered systems (repeatered and non-repeatered networks). In addition to keeping pace with new cable designs and various interconnections, jointing is finding an important role in new markets. Increasingly, Oil & Gas communication systems and undersea scientific observatories are being specified and engineered. [1] These relatively new applications also require robust and reliable jointing tailored to their specific needs and environments. 2. CABLE JOINTING NOW Customers and users continue to reap the benefits from the global jointing infrastructure that has been built up within the industry over the decades. These include: design and manufacturing of joint components, procurement of jointing kits including supply chain management, vendor qualification and parts traceability systems, jointing schools and qualification procedures, jointing tools and methods, metrics collection and, most importantly, trained jointing personnel. Reliability, ease of use, short jointing times, compatibility with many cable types, and low cost are key drivers that customers demand. [ 2 ] Undersea network reliability is determined by many elements in the cable system including its cable joints. Even small design changes ripple through the entire supply chain and require careful management to prevent inadvertent disruptions. 3. RECENT PROGRESS Often, changes and improvements are not readily apparent. Unless there is a failure or problem, progress is difficult to gage. Existing approaches, training, kits, and improvements appear similar to previous jointing approaches. Existing methods, kits, training, and performance are working well and improvements are easy to overlook. Nevertheless, jointing moves forward as evidenced by qualifications and wider application continue. In this paper we provide an overview of the state of cable jointing, recent progress, and future directions. Expanding Applications Copyright SubOptic2013 Page 1 of 5

2 The relentless effort to qualify new cable types or combinations and their associated fiber types has neither stopped nor slowed down. Non-traditional applications such as Oil & Gas related applications, scientific research projects, and other noncommercial developments have been key drivers in moving jointing forward. Key indications of jointing s advancement are evidenced by diverse development activities ranging from their use on highervoltage systems to added qualified interconnections (and splice combinations) to dual-conductor cable undersea Millennia Jointing to digital x-ray equipment to lower-loss optical fiber splicing. [3],[4] Higher Voltage Systems Long-haul system voltages have climbed from 7500 volts to nearly 15,000 volts in the last two decades. While demands for these increased system operating requirements continue, suppliers carry on with their diligent pursuit of performanceenhanced and cost-reduced products cables, joints, and processes. By using rigorous qualification regimens as well as implementing robust and reliable processes in system assembly, installation, and repair, jointing has anticipated and kept up with the expanding demands. Careful implementation, materials procurement, equipment design, and training are key ingredients in establishing undersea jointing capabilities that continue to meet these performance challenges. Dual-Conductor Cable Jointing Dual-conductor cable jointing is an advancement conceived for installing and repairing undersea systems containing newly-developed dual-conductor long-haul cables. Figure 1 shows a dual-conductor lightweight cable with its conventional primary (inner) conductor along with the added secondary (outer) conductor. Figure 1. SubCom dual conductor cable Similar to conventional single-conductor jointing, this jointing takes on a modular approach whereby the core cable joint uses end-specific termination hardware kits along with various end-specific armor termination kits depending on the cable type encountered. TE SubCom has taken a novel approach to reinstating the outer conductor path that allows for design re-use of all of the outer protection hardware presently used for SL21 cables, as seen in Figure 2. Figure 2. Novel second-conductor bypass Other than the outer-conductor operations, the joint follows the same steps presently in use for existing cables. Once the molding operation is completed, all other operations follow commonly used procedures. For example, the armor packages for SL dual-conductor joints are the same as existing SL21 armored joints. Copyright SubOptic2013 Page 2 of 5

3 Digital X-Ray Usage Real-time or near-real-time X-ray technology has advanced enough to achieve the resolutions and clarity required for high-reliability system use. The UJ Consortium recently provided information that a digital x-ray system (Figure 3) is becoming available soon. [5] The aim is to keep current inspection requirements while facilitating the tools used to determine compliance. Some of the more touted potential improvements include: quicker processing, reduced consumable materials (and associated safety/shipping issues), elimination of film processing facilities, flexible data archiving, and software-based features for measuring and/or automating defects. [ 6 ] Images can also be sent electronically for expert review. conventional methods currently in place is likely to be cost-prohibitive in the current market with the exception of site-specific or new equipage needs. Improved Splicing High-strength, reliable, low-loss fiber splices are essential elements of the jointing process. TE SubCom has invested in and incorporated the use of new splicing equipment that consistently provides lower-loss splices for system assembly and field use. Figure 4 shows an example of a compact machine. Figure 3. Example digital X-ray equipment Although digital radiography equipment will soon be packaged and available for field use, the decision to move to digital X- ray equipment is dependent on budgets, cost studies, and training. This technology is heavily software driven and the associated software training is essential. Deploying this technology in place of By scanning conventional film-based radiographs, image data and files may also be sent electronically for outside evaluation. Figure 4. Example improved splicer Specific qualification requirements include extensive field demonstration of the new equipment platform. Its use must match or exceed the performance of current field equipment. Qualification of critical fiber splice combinations was carried out to international standards (MJ, UJ, etc). Splice qualification data were collected on multiple machines to confirm repeatability of the splicing process on the new platform. Copyright SubOptic2013 Page 3 of 5

4 Fiber and Cable Combinations The number of fiber splice and cable joint combinations is immense. Over the last 30 years, dozens and dozens of cable connections have been developed and qualified to meet construction, installation, and maintenance needs. As systems proliferate and system designs change and cost-improvements are introduced, changes to joints, couplings, and optical fiber splicing programs are required. One way to assess or measure the progress made is to consider the Universal Jointing Consortium s (UJC) qualification records. In the last three years or so, the number of entries for Universal Joints (UJ) and Universal Quick Joints (UQJ) has increased about 27% to about Similarly, based on the UJC s qualification listings, the number of fiber splice combinations for all machines has increased by about 30% in the last three years to nearly FUTURE DIRECTIONS The number of combinations of various suppliers cable and fiber types has proliferated over the last two decades. This, in turn, makes maintenance and repair more challenging as system owners may have existing spare cable inventory and routinely look to make efficient and economical use of their investments. Generally, jointing continues to follow a common approach in which the suite of tools and equipment is rather standard while the parts are customized for each particular cable type. This serves the industry well and has established a level of understanding and training for how this benefits owners, customers, suppliers, and users. Even as the industry continues to Since many entries cover multiple cable combinations, the actual number of qualified joints is much greater. see new cable offerings with state-of-theart transmission and cost-reduced structures, jointing is charged with keeping pace with if not anticipating these varied needs while maintaining reliable and speedy application. Although it seldom receives visibility, it remains an essential element in repeatered and nonrepeatered systems. Cable jointing is an enabler for system assembly, installation, and repair that, while bound by legacy equipment-cablesand parts kits, is adapting to meet new challenges. [ 7 ] This flexibility has enabled and is allowing the installation, interconnection, and repair for various world-wide systems that incorporate a multitude of cables from different suppliers. By-and-large, owing to the nature of the cable interconnections, fiber combinations, legacy systems, customer-owned hardware, and deployed tooling, jointing s future is likely to continue on an incremental improvement trajectory. Changes, as described here, are not trivial but at the same time allow cost-effective implementation for system owners and maintenance authorities alike. Competition and efficiency demands will continue to move jointing toward new technologies, processes, and innovations. However, it appears unlikely that there will be any radical change to the current operational and supply paradigm. 5. SUMMARY Although undersea fiber optic jointing has been around now for 30 years, it continues to adapt and expand to meet a variety of industry needs. Jointing is one of the fundamental enablers of the ever-growing vast undersea telecommunication cable infrastructure that is charged with Copyright SubOptic2013 Page 4 of 5

5 anticipating and supporting new cables while maintaining legacy systems. Some key indications of jointing s advancement are evidenced by the varied development activities that include: use on higher-voltage systems, use on newly-designed cables including dualconductor cable, added qualified interconnections (and splice combinations), digital X-ray equipment, and improved optical fiber splicing. While these and other advancements in equipment, versatility, inspection, and processes may not be readily apparent, nevertheless jointing is successfully accommodating a variety of industry and customer needs including non-traditional applications in the Oil & Gas and scientific research fields. [4] Kordahi ME, Mendez J and Stix RK, Undersea Information Pipeline Solutions for Offshore Oil & Gas Fields, SubOptic 2010, May 2010, Yokohama, Japan. [5] UJ Consortium Presentation, April 2012 IPRS Meeting, Lisbon, Portugal, Slides [6] A. P. Robinson, P. L. Lewin, S. G. Swingler, Detection of Manufacturing Defects in Polymeric Cable Joint Insulation Using X-rays, 2006 IEEE International Symposium on Electrical Insulation, Toronto, Canada, June [7] Kordahi ME, Mendez J, Spalding MA and Stix RK, Innovative Jointing & Stable Technology Closer Than We Think, SubOptic 2007, May 2007, Baltimore, MD, USA. 6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful for the diligent support, contributions, and guidance we received from our colleagues too numerous to name individually. 7. REFERENCES [1] Thomas R, Tully G, Spalding M, Buffitt D, Mendez J, Munier R, Long Term Real Time Observatories for Environmental Monitoring in Offshore Drilling and Production Areas, SubOptic 2013, April 2013, Paris, France. [2] Kordahi ME, Mendez J, Stix RK, Grassi SW, Ash S and Beech C, Undersea Cable Jointing Time Analysis Worldwide, SubOptic 2004, May 2004, Monte Carlo, Monaco. [3] Kordahi ME, Spalding MA, Sanders MM, Ma CS, Issa J, Mendez J, Stix RK, Underwater Hardware Design Challenges for the Offshore Platform Market, SubOptic 2007, May 2007, Baltimore, MD, USA. Copyright SubOptic2013 Page 5 of 5