Impact of Environmental and Radiation Exposure on Flammability of Fiber
Optic Cable Materials for Nuclear Power Applications
Brian G. Risch, Ray Lovie, and Erin Bowman
Prysmian Group
P.O. Box 39
Claremont, NC 28610-0039
1-828-459-8435 · brian.risch@draka.com
Abstract
This study examines the impact of end of life thermal aging
simulations on materials flammability and cable burn test results
conducted according to IEEE 1202. Additionally, the impact of
radiation exposure simulations equivalent to cable radiation
exposure outside of the containment vessel during a severe Loss Of
Cooling Accident (LOCA) are examined with respect to both cable
operation as well as cable mechanical properties and flammability.
Several classes of cable materials are examined including a PVDF
compound, LSZH compounds with varying formulation, a CPE
jacketing compound, and an elastomeric tight buffer material. It is
demonstrated that cable safety, from a flammability standpoint and
rated burn test performance, is not compromised after 50 years or
more under normal service conditions or after radiation exposure
equivalent to that which could be experienced even in a very severe
nuclear accident.
The lifetime prediction techniques which
incorporate known failure mechanisms for these materials predict
practical service lifetimes for many combinations of materials that
exceed 50 years under normal service conditions.
Keywords: fiber optic cable, reliability, lifetime, Arrhenius,
nuclear power plant, cable burn testing.
1. Introduction
Currently there are over 400 operational nuclear power plants which
produce 14% of global electricity.1 In Europe the percentage of
electricity produced from nuclear power plants is about 30% and
increasing. Currently there are dozens of new nuclear reactors under
construction with 150 or more being planned for the coming years.
With the demand for nuclear power increasing due to concerns
about greenhouse gas emissions, limitations of fossil fuel resources,
and increasing global energy demands, continued growth in the
nuclear power industry is expected.
Especially with the recent nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power plant in March of 2011, there has been increasing
concerns about safety of nuclear power plants. A critical concern
for fiber optic cables in nuclear power plants is not only that they
continue to function during their lifetime and in the event of an
accident, but also that the cables do not propagate a fire in the event
of an emergency. A critical part of testing for any cable designed
for a nuclear power application includes testing of functional
parameters for sensitivity to service environment.
Critical
parameters investigated for the fiber optic nuclear power plant
cables in this study are sensitivity of cable and cable material
flammability to both thermal aging and radiation. .
2. The Arrhenius Approach to Thermal
Lifetime Simulation
Almost universally the simulation of long-term service for lifetime
estimation of cables used in nuclear power applications is achieved
by the use of isothermal aging at elevated temperature and using
Arrhenius extrapolation.2,3,4,5,6 Typically, for qualification of a
cable, the activation energy for degradation of the cable materials
must first be determined in order to establish the time and
temperature required to simulate an in-service lifetime. Then the
cable must be aged according to this criteria followed by some
functional and performance testing. Cable burn testing after
simulated in-service lifetime is important to examine if there are any
mechanisms present which could lead to degradation of cable flame
retardancy. It is important to assure that cable flame retardancy
does not degrade during the life of the cable as compromised cable
flame retardancy could lead to fire propagation in the event of an
accident.
The Arrhenius equation describes a specific rate constant (K) as a
function of an activation energy (Ea), the gas constant (R), and
temperature (T).
K=Ae
-[Ea/RT]
.
(1)
To determine the time to equivalent aging at different temperatures,
equation (1) can be expressed as:
t1 = t2 e
[(Ea/R)*(1/T1-1/T2 )]
,
(2)
where t1 is the time of accelerated aging at temperature T1, and t2
is the time of simulated lifetime at temperature T2.
Similarly, equation 2 can be rewritten to determine a simulated
lifetime, t2, at temperature T2 that corresponds to environmental
exposure testing at temperature T1, and time, t2:
t2 = t1 e
[(Ea/R)*(1/T2-1/T1 )]
,
(3)
The Arrhenius activation energies of all materials investigated in
this study were determined earlier and have been published along
with experimental details in the 2010 IWCS proceedings. 7
3. Considerations for Radiation Testing of
Fiber Optic Cables
Optical fiber cables within nuclear power plants must be able to
maintain their mechanical integrity and fire retardancy throughout
their lifetime, even with thermal and radiation exposure. Testing
must be conducted to ensure that potential material changes
caused by radiation exposure do not hinder the fire retardancy of
the cable and introduce a possible mode of fire propagation in the
event of an accident.
A very important consideration for introduction of fiber optic
cables into nuclear power generation environments is the impact
of radiation on optical fiber cable performance. Ionizing radiation
can have the most profound and variable impact on optical fiber
performance.
The impact of radiation on optical fiber
performance is a function of variables such as fiber type, doping
of core/cladding, perform process, operation wavelength and light
power, total radiation dose, dose rate, annealing (time after dose),
as well as operation temperature.
It is therefore of critical
importance to match the fiber type for a given cable design to the
application environment within the nuclear power plant
environment.
The impact of total radiation dose as well as dose rate may a
strong function for optical fibers, cable materials, and biological
matter. Especially for optical fibers a high radiation dose over a
short time can be more damaging than a similar dose experienced
over a lifetime.8 When designing fiber optic cables for nuclear
power plants, both total accumulated dose and a single, high dose
event must be considered. In the event of a nuclear accident the
optical fiber cable must continue to function even during very
high peak dose rates which may occur for short periods of time.
The cable materials and optical fiber also must be robust enough
to withstand a large total integrated radiation dose. Some
examples of possible ranges of peak radiation doses and total
doses are given in Table 1 below (1 Gy = 1J absorbed/ Kg).
Table 1: Examples of Typical Gamma-Radiation Doses
for Specific Environments and Events.
Radiation Dose (Gy)
Environment or Event
0.06mGy
Chest x-Ray
400mGy/hr
Highest measured on campus dose outside
of
containment
structures
during
Fukushima Daiichi I nuclear accident.9
1 Gy/hr
Approximate peak dose during Fukushima
Daiichi I nuclear accident in immediate
vicinity of reactor within containment
structures.
5 Gy
Short-term 1 time full body gamma dose
fatal to ~50% of humans within one
month.10
>200 Gy/hr
Peak dose during 1986 Chernobyl nuclear
accident in reactor building.11
10 Gy
<5 Gy
Dose experienced by some emergency
workers at the April 26th, 1986 Chernobyl
nuclear accident.12
60 year integrated radiation exposure for
general areas outside of containment in a
nuclear power plant application.13,14
<5 Gy
Design Basis Accident (DBE) radiation
dose for general areas outside of
containment in a nuclear power plant
application.13,14
<100 000Gy
Typical 60 year integrated radiation
exposure for areas inside of secondary
containment but outside of primary
containment.14
<10 000 Gy
60 year integrated radiation exposure for
radioactive waste storage area in a typical
nuclear power plant.*
<100 000 Gy
60 year integrated radiation exposure for
radioactive waste tank cubicles inside a
typical nuclear power plant.*
400 000 –
Possible design basis accident total
radiation dose inside primary containment
for a typical modern nuclear reactor.*
3 000 000 Gy
*Normally, fiber optic cables are not installed in these locations
within a nuclear power plant.
When considering the specific route design within a nuclear
power generation campus, each link must be considered for
specific environmental and radiation exposure conditions. To
optimize cable performance for these specific conditions, both
cable design and fiber type must be selected appropriately. Often
standard fibers will not be suitable, and radiation resistant fibers
such as germanium doped PCVD phosphorous-free optical fibers
will be required for specific areas where radiation levels will be
elevated.15,16,17 For applications where even higher levels of
radiation resistance are required, fibers such as PCVD full
fluorine-doped optical fibers may be required.18
4. Experimental
4.1 Thermal Lifetime Simulation Based on
Arrhenius Testing of Materials.
After determination of the Arrhenius activation energy for materials
degradation, the required heat aging conditions corresponding to
simulated lifetimes at service temperatures can be determined using
equation 3. The simulated lifetimes corresponding to the aging
conditions for aged flammability testing are included in Table 2.
Table 2: Simulated Lifetime for Materials Flammability
Testing Determined from Materials Arrhenius Testing.
Aging
Temp.
(°C)
Simulated
Use Temp.
(°C)
T1
T2
Ea
(KJ/mo
l)
t2
320
80
50
110
28
60
100
50
110
40
320
100
50
110
213
320
110
50
110
537
110
146
70
110
299
Test Time
Simulated
Lifetime
(Years)
4.2 Co-60 Gamma Irradiation
Radiation exposure of cables was performed using a Co-60 gamma
source. Principal gamma ray energies for this source are 1.173 and
1.333MeV. Radiation dose rates were in the range of 0.5 – 2
KGy/hr for the cable radiation exposure. Initial target dose rates
were set at 10, 20, 50, and 100KGy at the test lab and actual
minimum and maximum radiation doses for each sample were
monitored through the use of dosimeters placed on the inside and
outside of the specimens.
Tesnile tests on dogbone and tube samples were measured using an
Instron model 4468 mechanical tester. A crosshead speed of
50mm/min was used for mechanical testing.
62.5micron multimode Germanium doped PCVD phosphorousfree optical fibers were used in the measurement test cables.
Cable function was verified through optical attenuation
measurements at 1310nm before and after irradiation on cabled fiber
and against an equivalent reference fiber irradiated at an equivalent
radiation dose and dose rate to ensure that no fiber to cable
interaction was present. Cabled fiber attenuation measurements
corresponded well with bare fiber attenuation measurements
performed on identical fiber types with equivalent histories. For
cables irradiated at 20KGy radiation induced attenuation was within
5% of the expected value for fibers with an equivalent radiation
history.
Target and actual sample radiation doses are listed in Table 3. The
dosimetry data indicates that in all cases the minimum sample dose
exceeded the target dose and, in most cases, was quite close to the
target dose. The dose range selected was well over typical worst
case total integrated radiation dose for 60 years of service life
followed by a Design Basis Accident (DBE) and an additional year
of post accident service required for the harshest applications where
class 1E fiber optic cables are currently deployed.13,14
Table 3: Target and Actual Radiation Doses for Radiation
Exposure Testing.
Target Dose
(KGy)
Actual Min. Dose
(KGy)
Actual Max.
Dose (KGy)
10KGy
15.1
18.6
20KGy
21.1
28
50KGy
51.9
60.8
100KGy
102.2
125.6
Figure 1: Tensile testing being performed on a cable
jacket material sample.
4.4 Cable Material LOI Testing
4.3 Cable Material Mechanical Testing
The mechanical testing of cable jacket materials was performed
according to FOTP-89. In the case of tight buffers where tensile
testing could not be completed due to the fact that practical samples
for testing could not be removed from the optical fibers, static bend
testing, mandrel wrap testing and tight buffer strip force testing was
completed according to the procedure specified in ICEA 596.
Mandrel diameters for mandrel wrap testing and coil formation were
selected using 20 times the buffer diameter for tight buffers and
loose tubes, the larger of 20 times diameter or 50mm for
interconnect cables, or 150mm for general purpose, riser and
plenum cables as explained in ICEA 596 Section 7.16 Low and
High Temperature Bend Test.
Limiting Oxygen Index (LOI) testing was performed in accordance
to ASTM D2863 at a flow rate of 4.0cm/s. Oxygen content was
monitored with an oxygen analyzer. After the oxygen analyzer
calibration was confirmed before each experiment, it was used to
verify the % oxygen for each burn. Normally the LOI test is
performed on compression molded plaques of with a thickness
3.19mm. Testing of cable jacket samples was performed on strips of
material cut from a cable jacket with a thickness of 1.4mm. The
reduced thickness of these cable jacket samples relative to the
3.19mm plaques results in a systematic shift of both the control and
experimental numbers to slightly lower values. Any change in
measured LOI of cable materials after environmental conditioning
could indicate a potential change in cable burn test performance for
cables containing these materials.
5. Results and Discussion
LOI test results on thermally aged jacket samples from cable lifetime
simulation testing are summarized in Tables 4A-C. For all materials
examined no significant impact of thermal aging was observed on
measured LOI, even for aging simulation conditions that well
exceeded cable lifetime requirements.
No impact of aging
temperature was observed between temperatures with low
acceleration factors and temperatures with high acceleration factors.
Table 4A: LOI Test Results for LSZH Jacketing
Compound Thermal Lifetime Simulation.
Aging
Time
(days)
Aging
Temp.
(°C)
Simulated
Use Temp.
(°C)
-
-
-
35.6
320
80
50
28
35.6
320
100
50
213
35.6
320
110
50
537
36.0
Control
Figure 2: LOI testing of cable jacket material sample.
Simulated
Lifetime
(Years)
LOI (%)
4.5 Cable Burn Testing
Cable burn testing according to IEEE Standard 1202-2006 was
completed before and after environmental exposure conditioning of
1f simplex cables at 100°C for 90 days and radiation exposure
testing of cables to different radiation doses. The cables tested
included two control cable burns, two cable burns of environmental
exposure lifetime simulation cables, and cables subjected to
21.1KGy as well as 102.2KGy of gamma irradiation. The criteria
for passing the IEEE 1202 burn test is that sample damage does not
exceed 1.5 m (59 in) when measured from the center of the ribbon
burner.
Table 4B: LOI Test Results for CPE Jacketing Compound
Thermal Lifetime Simulation.
Aging
Time
(days)
Control
320
Aging
Temp.
(°C)
Simulated
Use Temp.
(°C)
Simulated
Lifetime
(Years)
-
-
-
34.6
110
50
537
34.3
LOI (%)
Table 4C: LOI Test Results for PVDF Jacketing
Compound Thermal Lifetime Simulation.
Aging
Time
(days)
Aging
Temp.
(°C)
Simulated
Use Temp.
(°C)
-
-
-
67.2
320
80
50
28
67.0
320
100
50
213
67.2
110
146
70
299
67.5
Control
Figure 3. Schematic Diagram of IEEE 1202 Cable Burn
Test.
Simulated
Lifetime
(Years)
LOI (%)
LOI test results as well as other mechanical properties of irradiated
3.19mm thick plaques of LSZH compound are summarized in Table
5A. No impact of irradiation at radiation dose up to 100KGy was
observed for LOI test results. Type IV tensile bars cut from the
compression molded plaques showed a slight increase in both
tensile strength and ultimate elongation as a function of increasing
radiation dose up to 100KGy. A slight increase in modulus was
observed for the samples which may indicate that a low level of
radiation induced crosslinking may be occurring during cable
irradiation. The increase in modulus was also evident though a
slight increase in Shore hardness from about a 60D instantaneous
value for the unaged specimens to about a 65D instantaneous value
for the sample irradiated to a dose of 50KGy, as shown in Table 5B.
Table 5A: LOI and Mechanical Test Results for LSZH
Compound Radiation Exposure Testing.
Radiation
Dose
(KGy)
Tensile
Strength
Retention
Elongation
Retention
LOI
(%)
Modulus
(MPa)
0
(Control)
100%
100%
42.6
248 ± 20
15.1
105%
72%
42.1
270 ± 20
21.1
138%
78%
42.1
320 ± 20
51.9
119%
111%
41.9
339 ± 20
102.2
134%
143%
42.9
310 ± 20
Table 5A: Modulus and Shore Hardness for LSZH
Compound Radiation Exposure Testing.
Radiation
Dose
(KGy)
Shore D Hardness
Modulus (MPa)
(Instantaneous)
Tables 7A and 7B summarize mechanical test results on tight buffer
samples from irradiated cables at various radiation doses. The tight
buffer material did not exhibit any signs of degradation due to
irradiation in the dose range studied.
Table 7A: 18mm Dynamic Mandrel Wrap Test Results for
Tight Buffered Fibers After Radiation Exposure Testing.
Radiation Dose
Observation:
Result:
Control nonIrradiated
No splitting, cracking, or
other damage.
Pass
20 KGy
No splitting, cracking, or
other damage.
Pass
100 KGy
No splitting, cracking, or
other damage.
Pass
Table 7B: Tight Buffer Strip Force Testing After Radiation
Exposure Testing.
Radiation Dose
Requirement:
Result:
Control nonIrradiated
>1.3N & <13.3N
(>0.3lb & <3.0lb)
7.7 ± 0.5 N
(Pass)
>1.3N & <13.3N
60 ± 1
248 ± 20
20 KGy
21.1
63 ± 1
320 ± 20
100 KGy
51.9
65 ± 1
339 ± 20
0
(Control)
(>0.3lb & <3.0lb)
Tables 6A and 6B summarize mechanical test results on cable jacket
samples from irradiated cables at various radiation doses. The cable
jacket samples exhibited either no substantial impact of radiation on
the mechanical properties of the LSZH compound or a slight
increase in tensile strength.
Table 6A: Mechanical Test Results of Type IV Tensile
Bars Cut From 24f Breakout Cable Jacket.
Radiation
Dose
(KGy)
Elongation
Retention
%
Tensile
Strength
(Psi)
1637
Tensile
Strength
Retention
%
0
100%
15.1
140%
1784
109%
21.1
148%
1775
108%
102.2
132%
2024
124%
100%
Elongation
Retention
%
0
Stress at
Max Load
(Psi)
Tensile
Strength
Retention
%
1628
21.1
99%
1649
101%
102.2
96%
1697
104%
>1.3N & <13.3N
7.5 ± 0.5 N
(Pass)
(>0.3lb & <3.0lb)
Table 8 summarizes the IEEE 1202 cable burn testing results on
thermally aged cable samples. No significant impact of simulated
thermal aging to end of life was observed on cable burn test
performance. The cable burn test results are consistent with LOI
test results on samples from aged cables in that no impact of thermal
lifetime simulations well in excess of required service lifetimes was
observed on these materials. The safety margin is the margin by
which the test requirement was exceeded for burn length.
Table 8: IEEE 1202 Cable Burn Test Summary on Heat
Aged and Unaged Cables.
Cable
Identification
:
Unaged
Cable 1
Unaged
Cable 2
Aged
Cable 1
Aged
Cable 1
Time
to
Ignition (s)
0:07
0:06
0:06
0:07
Afterflame
(min:s)
1:01
0:23
0
0
Cable
Damage:
Melt:
91.4cm
Melt:
88.9cm
Melt:
81.3cm
Melt:
91.4cm
Char:
63.5cm
Char:
60.1cm
Char:
55.9cm
Char:
58.4cm
Ash:
17.8cm
Ash:
20.3cm
Ash:
17.8cm
Ash:
27.9cm
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Table 6B: Mechanical Test Results of Tubular Jacket
Samples From LSZH Simplex Cable Jacket.
Radiation
Dose
(KGy)
8.2 ± 0.5 N
(Pass)
Pass/Fail
Safety Margin
39%
41%
46%
39%
Peak Smoke
(m2/s)
0.0015
0.0025
0.0031
0.0014
Total Smoke
(m2)
0.577
0.680
1.522
0.692
Table 9 summarizes the cable burn testing results on cables
irradiated to dose levels of up to 100KGy. No impact of cable
irradiation was seen on burn performance within this range of
radiation doses. The cable burn test results are consistent with LOI
test results in that no impact of radiation was seen on the
flammability of these materials within the dose range studied.
Table 9: IEEE 1202 Cable Burn Test Summary on
Irradiated Cables
Cable
Identification
:
Unaged
Cable 1
Unaged
Cable 2
20KGy
Exposure
100KGy
Exposure
Time
to
Ignition (s)
0:11
0:12
0:14
0:07
Afterflame
(min:s)
4:45
3:21
2:45
0
Cable
Damage:
Melt:
106.7cm
Melt:
91.4cm
Melt:
91.4cm
Melt:
91.4cm
Char:
58.4cm
Char:
45.7cm
Char:
50.8
Char:
55.9cm
Ash:
15.2cm
Ash:
12.7cm
Ash:
10.2cm
Ash:
20.3cm
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Safety Margin
29%
39%
39%
39%
Peak Smoke
(m2/s)
0.0014
0.0016
0.0006
0.0009
Total Smoke
(m2)
0.949
1.396
0.614
0.657
Pass/Fail
technologies were observed to be insensitive to thermal aging and
radiation and each has have an application depending on flame
retardancy and use environment requirements for the cable.
Functional testing of cables for attenuation also verified that with
properly selected fibers, cables would maintain their ability to
function without radiation induced attenuation becoming too high to
compromise network integrity. No cable material changes were
observed which could induce unexpected changes in cabled fiber
attenuation performance.
Finally, it should be noted that lifetime prediction based on
Arrhenius lifetime extrapolation combined with cable environmental
exposure testing is only one part of a comprehensive cable and
system reliability approach. The reliability of the system is
dependent on each fiber, cable, and component. Optical fibers,
cable designs, and materials must be properly selected to meet the
reliability requirements for normal service conditions as well as
extreme situations that may be encountered during an accident or
natural disaster even at the end of the rated lifetime.
7. Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge Boyce Lookadoo for his help in
materials testing and monitoring samples during testing. I would
also like to thank Jan Pirrong for editorial input.
8. References
1
International Atomic Energy Agency Nuclear Technology
Review; International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (2009).
2
6. Conclusions
Arrhenius activation energies determined in an earlier study were
used to determine thermal aging conditions required to simulate
service lifetimes of fiber optic cables for nuclear cable applications.
After a thermally simulated lifetime and radiation exposure,
mechanical and burn testing was conducted on cables and cable
materials. Mechanical properties of the materials selected for the
cable designs studied were found to be insensitive to thermal aging
equivalent to a lifetime under service conditions. Additionally both
LOI testing on materials and cable burn tests were found to be
unaffected by thermal aging equivalent to a lifetime under service
conditions.
In addition to thermal lifetime service simulations, cables and
materials designed for use in nuclear power applications must also
be tested for sensitivity to radiation. Radiation exposure testing on
cables and cable materials was conducted to the highest extrapolated
dose levels for outside of containment in nuclear power plant
environments. Mechanical properties of the materials tested showed
almost no impact of this high level of radiation exposure other than
a slight increase in modulus which would be attributed to an
expected low level of radiation induced crosslinking. LOI testing on
the cable materials as well as IEEE 1202 burn tests on cables also
showed no degradation even after high radiation exposure levels.
In this study three materials systems were investigated which
contained a common mineral based flame retardant system as well
as an inherently flame retardant polymer. The flame retardant
S.K. Aggarwal, et. al., Assessment and management of ageing of
major nuclear power plant components important to safety: Incontainment instrumentation and control cables (Volumes 1 &2),
IAEA-TECDOC-1188; International Atomic Energy Agency,
Vienna (2000).
3
P. Holzmann and G. Slitter, Eds., Nuclear Power Plant
Equipment Qualification Reference Manual, EPRI, TR 100516
(1992).
4
IEE std. 323-2003: IEEE Standard for Qualifying Class 1E
Equipment for Nuclear Power Generating Stations.
5
IEC 60216 : Guide for the Determination of Thermal Endurance
Properties of Electrical Insulating Materials. Ageing Procedures
and Evaluation of Test Results.
6
IEEE P1682 : Standard for Qualifying Fiber Optic Cables,
Connections, and Optical Fiber Splices for Use in Safety Systems
of Nuclear Power Generating Stations.
7
Brian G. Risch, Shawn Fox, and Richard A. van Delden,
“Lifetime Prediction of Fiber Optic Cable Materials for Nuclear
Power Applications: Evaluation of Failure Mechanism, End of
Life Criteria, and Test Methodology”, 59ht International Wire
and Cable Symposium Proceedings, (2010) 183-191.
8
T. Wijnands, L.K. De Jonge, J. Kuhnhenn, S.K. Hoeffgen, U.
Weinand, “Optical Absorption in Commercial Single Mode
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Transactions on Nuclear Science, (2008) 55, 2216 – 2222.
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John Matson, “Fast Facts about Radiation from the Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Reactors”, Scientific American, March 16, 2011.
10
"Fact Sheet on Biological Effects of Radiation", Publication
date December 2004. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC).
11
G. Medvedev , Chernobyl Notebook, JPRS-UEA-034-89,
Published in Novy Mir. (June 1989).
12
A.K. Guskova, et. al., Acute radiation effects in victims of the
Chernobyl accident, UNSCEAR 1988 Report Appendix to Annex
G.
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United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Issued Design
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2, Chapter 3: Design of Structures, Components, Equipment and
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H. Lydtin, “A Technique Suitable for Large-Scale Fabrication
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(1986) 8, 1034-1038.
16
S. Girard, J. Keurinck , Y. Ouerdane, J-P. Meunier,
A.Boukenter, “Gamma-rays and pulsed X-ray radiation responses
of germanosilicate single-mode optical fibers : influence of
cladding codopants”, Journal of Lightwave Technology (2004) ,
22 (8), 1915-1922.
Erin Bowman
Prysmian Group
Fiber Optic Cable
Development
2512 Penny Rd.
P.O. Box 39
Claremont, NC 28610
Erin Bowman is the Senior Materials Engineer at the fiber-optic
cable plant in Claremont, NC. She holds a B.S. in Chemistry and
a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from North Carolina State
University. She has more than 10 years experience in the areas of
analytical chemistry and polymer characterization in the fiberoptic, aerospace, and specialty textiles industries. Before working
for the Prysmian Group Erin worked on Lockheed Martin Space
Shuttle Materials for NASA.
Ray Lovie
Prysmian Group
Fiber Optic Cable
Development
2512 Penny Rd.
P.O. Box 39
Claremont, NC 28610
17
H. Henschel, “Radiation hardness of present optical fibers”,
SPIE Vol. 2425 Optical Fiber Sensing and Systems in Nuclear
Environments, 21-31 (1994).
18
B.T. Huffman, C. Issever, N.C. Ryder1 and A.R. Weidberg,
“The radiation hardness of specific multi-mode and single-mode
optical fibres at -25◦C beyond a full SLHC dose to a dose of 500
kGy(Si)”, Journal of Instrumentation (2010) 5, C11023.
Brian G. Risch
Prysmian Group
Fiber Optic Cable
Development
2512 Penny Rd.
P.O. Box 39
Claremont, NC 28610
Brian G. Risch is the Materials Technology Manager at the
Prysmian fiber optic cable plant in Claremont, NC. He holds a
B.A. degree in physics from Carleton College and a Ph.D. in
Materials Science and Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University. Brian has studied structure
property relationships in polymeric materials and materials
reliability for the last 20 years. Prior to working for Draka, Brian
worked for Alcatel for 7 years at Alcatel’s Optical Fiber Cable
R&D center specializing in cable materials and fundamental
material reliability and then for 6 years at Hewlett Packard as a
failure analysis engineer.
Ray Lovie is Product Development Manager at the Prysmian
fiber optic cable plant located in Claremont, N. Carolina, USA.
He holds a B.Sc (Mechanical Engineering) degree from the
University of Manitoba and has over 20 years’ experience in the
design, development, and manufacture of Outside Plant and
Premises optical fiber cables.