WHAT IS OPGW?

Optical earth cable is a type of cable used in the construction of electrical transmission and distribution lines. The grounding function of this type of cable allows communication to be unified. An OPGW cable is surrounded by layers of steel, aluminum wire. One or more optical fibers contain a tube-shaped structure.

The conductive part of the cable serves as adjacent towers connected to the ground and acts as a shield against high voltage from lightning and is protected from external influences.

The optical fibers inside the cable are used for high-speed transmission of data. These optical fibers serve as protection and control of the transmission line for voice and data communication, but also as an interconnection between a leased or third city. Since optical fiber itself is insulating, it provides protection against power transmission lines and high-voltage lines such as lightning.

Typically, OPGW cables contain single-mode optical fibers that provide long-distance data transfer at high speeds and low transmission loss. The external appearance of OPGW is similar to ACSR cable used for shielding wires.

There are several different types of OPGW, the first type is 8 to 48 glass optical fibers placed in a tube. To avoid stress on the glass tube, the fibers are placed inside a loose, long, stainless steel, aluminum-coated steel tube. To protect the fiber unit of these tubes against water and other substances, the steel tubes are filled with oil.

For very large fiber counts, 144 fibers and multiple tubes are used in a single cable. Since the inner diameter of these fibers is larger than the outer diameter, loose buffer tubes are used. Optical fibers have a lower installation cost per kilometer. Since the overall dimensions and weight of an OPGW are similar to normal ground wire, the towers supporting the line use separate power cables, which is an alternative to OPGW.

In the application of optical cables, many fibers can also be installed that can be leased or sold to telecom companies, as well as for their own internal communications. The rental fees for these fibers have also created a valuable source of income for electricity.