Cable Fault Localization

Fiber Splicer and OTDR

External aggression on submarine cable remains the primary cause of cable faults.  Activity such as fishing, anchoring, geological events, abrasion and dredging make up most external aggression categories.  Most faults continue to occur in less than 200m of water depth.   High performance fault location techniques are key to achieving economical submarine cable repairs. 

Cable faults can typically be classified into the following categories:  cable break, open fault, shunt fault or optical fiber fault.  Depending on the cable fault category, the method of cable fault localization will vary.

L-3 MariPro engineers are trained in various methods of fault locating techniques such as single end dc measurements, single end capacitance measurements, current-balance method or optical path methods.

State-of-the-art fiber optic and metallic cable fault localization utilizing long-range optical and metallic time domain reflectometers (OTDR & MTRD) are used by experienced L-3 MariPro engineers. Cable faults can be precisely located and characterized in preparation for repair operation scenarios. Post cable installation and repair certification can also be performed.