Steel Armored Temperature Sensing Cables
Distributed Temperature Sensing for Critical Infrastructure
Clearfield’s Steel Armored Temperature Sensing Cable is a distributed fiber-optic cable designed for Raman- and Brillouin-based DTS systems. Fiber-in-Metal-Tube construction combines bend-insensitive optical fibers, a gel-filled 316L stainless-steel loose tube, stainless-steel wire armoring, and a durable PA outer sheath.
The result is a compact, mechanically resilient sensing cable designed to establish continuous thermal visibility across long routes, remote assets, and hard-to-access environments. When paired with a compatible DTS interrogator and analytics platform, the cable supports temperature-monitoring designs where early identification of abnormal thermal conditions is important.
Product Details
Data Centers and Digital Infrastructure
Support data center facilities and campus infrastructure where conventional point sensors may not provide continuous route-level visibility.
Energy and Industrial
Monitor pipeline routes, process areas, tank farms, compressor stations, terminals, and utility corridors where thermal variation can signal an abnormal condition.
Transportation and Civil Infrastructure
Support thermal-monitoring designs for tunnels, bridges, rail corridors, underground structures, and other assets exposed to changing environmental or operating conditions.
Utilities and Renewable Energy
Deploy along buried electrical routes, substations, generation sites, battery-energy-storage support areas, and remote utility infrastructure.
Defense and Critical Facilities
Create a protected sensing path around remote power systems, fuel infrastructure, underground utilities, protected facilities, and other mission-critical assets.
Agriculture, Water, and Remote Operations
Support temperature monitoring across irrigation infrastructure, water-management routes, storage and processing facilities, and rural field infrastructure.
Features & Benefits
Integrity
- Fiber-in-Metal-Tube construction encapsulates sensing fibers in a hermetically sealed 316L stainless-steel loose tube.
- Supports Raman- and Brillouin-based distributed temperature sensing architectures.
- Fast temperature response supports continuous thermal monitoring along critical routes and assets.
Protection
- Steel-wire armoring provides high tensile strength and crush resistance for demanding installations.
- PA outer sheath delivers strong chemical resistance and abrasion protection, while the armored construction helps protect against rodent damage.
- Designed for outdoor, direct-buried, conduit, structure-attached, subsea, and harsh-environment deployments.
Access
- Compact construction and bend-insensitive optical fibers support routing through constrained pathways and complex infrastructure routes.
- Available in cable diameters from 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm, with bend radii of 20x cable diameter under tensile load and 15x without tensile load.
- Custom options include meter marking, outer-sheath labeling, loops, fan-outs, connectors, mounting brackets, and custom fiber types.
Investment
- Available with singlemode, multimode, or combined fiber configurations to support sensing and communication requirements within the same route.
- Supports up to eight optical fibers, depending on the selected cable configuration and application.
- Cable testing complies with IEC 60794-1-2, helping support reliable deployment across critical infrastructure environments.
Technical Specifications
| Temperature Sensing Cable | Mid-Temperature Sensing Cable | High Temperature Sensing Cable | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Optical Fiber | A range of cable variants are available, with either multimode or single-mode fibers, or a combination thereof. Up to 8 optical fibers (*) | A range of cable variants are available, with either multimode or single-mode fibers, or a combination thereof. Up to 2 optical fibers (*). | |
| Standards | Cable tests complying with IEC 60794-1-2 | ||
| Jacket Color | Red, similar to RAL 3000 | Fiber Color: Natural | |
| Operating Temperature | -40 °C … +85 °C | 0 °C … +300 °C | |
| Storage Temperature | -40 °C … +85 °C | ||
| Installation Temperature | -10 °C … +50 °C | -5 °C … +50 °C | |
| Short-term Temperature | -50° C …+150°C | ||