Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
 An optical ground wire also known as an OPGW or, in the IEEE standard
 An OPGW cable contains a tubular structure with one or more optical
fibers in it, surrounded by layers of steel and aluminum wire.
Outer Strand
 It is installed at top most of High Power Transmission lines to serve two
purpose
1) To Ground the lightning strikes over transmission line occur
during bad weather.
2) The fiber optics inside the cable carries high speed data thus
serve the purpose of communication
Optical Fiber
(Steel, Aluminum or
Aluminum Alloy)
Metal Tube
(Aluminum, Steel or
Aluminum coated
steel)
• Optical Ground Wire
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Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
Communication
 The optical fiber itself is an insulator and is immune to power transmission line and
lightning induction, external electrical noise and cross-talk.
Outer Strand
(Steel, Aluminum or
Aluminum Alloy)
Metal Tube
(Aluminum, Steel or
Aluminum coated
steel)
Optical Fiber
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
Communication
 Optical Fibers are used for high speed data transmission
 Control
 Protection
Outer Strand
(Steel, Aluminum or
Aluminum Alloy)
 Voice or data communication
 May be leased or sold to third parties to serve as a
high-speed fiber interconnection between cities
Optical Fiber
Metal Tube
(Aluminum, Steel or
Aluminum coated
steel)
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
 The OPGW cable is run between the tops of high-voltage electricity pylons.
 It is a type of cable that is used in overhead power lines and it combines the
functions of grounding and communications.
 The conductive part of the cable serves to bond adjacent towers to earth
ground, and shields the high-voltage conductors from lightning strikes.
Conductive Part
OPGW
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
 The optical fibers within the cable can be used for high-speed transmission of data, either for the electrical
utility's own purposes of protection and control of the transmission line

for the utility's own voice and data communication, or may be leased or sold to third parties to serve as a
high-speed fiber interconnection between cities.
Optical Fiber
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
 The optical fiber itself is an insulator and is immune to power transmission line and lightning induction,
external electrical noise and cross-talk.
 Typically OPGW cables contain single-mode optical fibers with low transmission loss, allowing long distance
transmission at high speeds.
Optical Fiber
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
History
 An OPGW cable was patented by BICC in 1977 and installation of optical ground wires became widespread
starting in the 1980s. In the peak year of 2000, around 60,000 km of OPGW was installed worldwide.
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
Construction
 Several different styles of OPGW are made. In one type, between 8 and 48 glass optical fibers are placed in a
plastic tube.
 The tube is inserted into a stainless steel, aluminum, or aluminum-coated steel tube, with some slack length
of fiber allowed to prevent strain on the glass fibers.
 The tube is stranded into the cable with aluminum, aluminum alloy or steel strands, similar to an ACSR cable.
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
Construction
 The steel strands provide strength, and the aluminum strands provide
electrical conductivity.
 For very large fiber counts, up to 144 fibers in one cable, multiple tubes
are used.
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
Types
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
Comparison with other methods
 Optical fibers are used by utilities as an alternative to private point to point microwave systems, power line
carrier or communication circuits on metallic cables.
Advantages
OPGW as a communication medium has some advantages over buried optical fiber cable.
 Installation cost per kilometer is lower than a buried cable.
 Effectively, the optical circuits are protected from accidental contact by the high voltage cables below
 A communications circuit carried by an overhead OPGW cable is unlikely to be damaged by excavation
work road repairs or installation of buried pipelines
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
Advantages
OPGW as a communication medium has some advantages over buried optical fiber cable.
 Installation cost per kilometer is lower than a buried cable.
 Effectively, the optical circuits are protected from accidental contact by the high voltage cables below the
ground
 A communications circuit carried by an overhead OPGW cable is unlikely to be damaged by excavation
work road repairs or installation of buried pipelines
Optical Ground Wire (OPGW)
Application
 A utility may install many more fibers than it needs for its internal communications both to allow for future
needs and also to lease or sell to telecommunications companies
 Lower-voltage distribution lines may also carry OPGW wires for bonding and communications; however,
utilities may also install all-dielectric self-supporting (ADSS) cables on distribution pole lines
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