blown cable systems, the blown fiber system houses and constructs the same optical fiber types into fiber bundles
protected by a tough aerodynamic jacket that allows for fast blowing at long distances (Figure 2). The fiber bundles,
which utilize ripcords for easy bundle entry, are available in singlemode and multimode and in a variety of
counts from 2-to-72 optical fibers depending on the manufacturer. Among other compliances, these fiber bundles
meet IEEE 802.3 gigabit Ethernet standards. The optical fibers are individually color-coded per TIA standards.
FIGURE 2: For blown fiber systems, fiber bundles, rather than cables or micro-cables associated with conventional cabling and blown
cable systems respectively, house the optical fiber within an aerodynamic jacket to facilitate fast and long blowing distances. Shown
left to right: OS2 singlemode, OM1 62.5 μm, OM2 50 μm, and OM3/OM4 laser optimized 50 μm multimode fiber bundles.
UNDERSTANDING BLOWN FIBER TECHNOLOGY
In addition to the optical fiber bundles, the heart of a blown fiber system consists of tube cables that are used in
place of conventional innerduct to form the fiber pathways and LAN infrastructure. Unlike conventional cables and
the micro-cables for blown cabling systems, which are listed as riser, plenum, indoor-outdoor and so on, it is the tube
cable in the blown fiber system that possesses these classifications (Figure 3).
FIGURE 3: Blown fiber tube cables from left to right: Outdoor all-dielectric, outdoor armored, indoor riser rated, indoor plenum
rated, and outdoor-indoor special applications (used for mass transit, nuclear power plants, industrial, and Class I, Division 1 and 2
installations). Shown are the 7-tube cable constructions.
Rather than housing and constructing OS2 singlemode and OM1 to
OM4 multimode into optical fiber cables, as is done for conventional
cabling and the micro-cables used in blown cable systems, the blown
fiber system houses and constructs the same optical fiber types into
fiber bundles protected by a tough aerodynamic jacket that
38 I ICT TODAY
allows for fast blowing at long distances.