Classified as Confidential Internal by SEC - )‫الشركة السعودية للكهرباء مصنف مقيد (داخلي‬

December 18, 2023

Classified as Confidential Internal by SEC - )‫الشركة السعودية للكهرباء مصنف مقيد (داخلي‬
TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 PURPOSE

1.2 SCOPE

1.3 ACRONYMS

2.0 CONCEPT AND REQUIREMENTS OF DTS

3.0 REQUIREMENTS OF TEMPERATURE SENSOR CABLE

4.0 SENSOR CABLE HANDLING, DEPLOYMENT AND INSTALLATION

5.0 PRECAUTIONS ON USAGE AND INSTALLATION

6.0 POST INSTALLATION TEST (ON POWER CABLES)

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose

This Fiber Optic Sensor Cable (FOC) Installation, Construction Requirements

Standard defines the basic design and requirements during Fiber Optic Sensor Cable
Installation, considering the general technical and operational conditions.

The purpose of this construction standard is to provide considerations for Fiber Optic
Sensor Cable Installation for DTS of Power cables of National Grid, SA/Saudi
Electricity Company (NG SA/SEC).

1.2 Scope

The scope of this standard is to describe the minimum requirements of Fiber Optic
sensor Cable Installation for DTS of Power cables of National Grid, Saudi
Arabia/Saudi Electricity Company (NG SA/SEC).

1.3 Acronyms

DTS Distributed Temperature Sensing

EHV/HV Extra High Voltage/ High Voltage
FRNC Flame Retardant Non-Corrosive
FOC Fiber Optic Cable
HDD Horizontal Directional Drilling
HDPE High Density Polyethylene
MFD Mode Field Diameter
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer
OTDR Optical Time Domain Reflectometer
RTTR Real Time Thermal Rating
SEC Saudi Electricity Company
UV Ultra Violet

2.0 CONCEPT AND REQUIREMENTS OF DTS (Working Principle of DTS)

2.1 DTS stands for Distributed Temperature Sensing. DTS is a technology, which
provides the user with a technique to measure the temperature distribution along a
fiber optic line at any time and to repeat such measurements as required. The fiber
optic line can be of any length up to about 40km depending on use of DTS System
and sensor cable. With the exception of the recording instrumentation at one or both
ends of the fiber, there are no electronics, no sensors, no electrical wires or electrical
connections along the line.
.
2.2 The DTS system uses ultra-short pulses of light as a seed that is injected into the
optical fiber, and the fiber system collects backscattered Raman signal. When there
are disturbances in the fiber link, the refractive index of the fiber changes, resulting
in changes of the light at that position, which leads to the changes of the scattering
light intensity.

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

2.3 Through real-time detection of the light intensity, the system compares the Stokes
and Anti-Stokes reflected light. The location of the disturbance that causes the light
intensity changes is determined by calculating the time difference between the
injected light pulse and the reflected light, Figure 1.

2.4 A DTS has applications wherever the temperature distribution is a factor such as in
electrical power cable. The temperature of the power cable can indicate overloading
or that excess capacity exists, thereby allowing more power to be conveyed safely
over the cable. Monitoring such cables can be determined if they are dangerously
overloaded or are underutilized and safely capable of carrying more power. DTS can
help National Grid SA, to utilize such assets more efficiently and effectively.
Therefore, National Grid SA started installing sensor FOC along with underground
power cables for DTS to closely monitor and supervise cable temperature, current
load and predicative maximum load, Figure 2.

2.5 The aim of this construction specification is to give users guidance on how to install
fiber optic sensing cables in association with Distributed Temperature Sensing
Technology (DTS) and Real Time Thermal Rating system (RTTR), Figure 3.

3.0 REQUIREMENTS OF TEMPERATURE SENSOR FIBER OPTICAL CABLE

The distributed optical fiber sensing technology has the following characteristics:

3.1 Since, the temperature-sensing element is the Optical Fiber made of glass, which is
passive, therefore, immune to electromagnetic interference, water, acid, lightning,
and explosion.

3.2 Its distributed nature can achieve large-scale long-distance monitoring and accurate
positioning along the entire length of the sensing cable.

3.3 The system is simple to install. The cable has a long working life and low
maintenance need and it can be buried as well.

3.4 Using the RTTR (Real Time Thermal Rating) system key attributes of the power
cable can be calculated including:

✓ Temperature of the cable conductor

✓ Short term predicted load
✓ Guidance on future load and cable lifetime.
✓ Identification of hotspots and bottlenecks in order to minimize the risk of
power cable failure.
3.5 The positioning and installation of the sensing cable can be critical to the results of
both the DTS and RTTR.

3.6 Even fibers of the same type can perform differently in sensing applications, so, it is
best to engage both the sensor cable and DTS system suppliers during the project
design phase.

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

4.0 OPTIC FIBER SENSOR CABLE HANDLING, DEPLOYMENT AND INSTALLATION

Care must be taken, when handling the FO sensor cable as the DTS system performance
may be affected if it is damaged or incorrectly installed. Following the basic below Do nots
will help in doing this:

Do not exceed the maximum tensile (pulling) load rating of the sensor cable as specified by
the manufacturer.

Do not twist, bend or kink the cable below the stated minimum bend radius of the cable
specified by the manufacturer.

Do not allow the sensor cable to be left on the ground when unattended and stepped/driven
over. Optical Fiber inside the FOC is very strong under tensile load but will break easily if
pinched or crushed, exceeding the critical cable bend radius will allow light to escape
increasing the optical loss in the system and will damage the cable.

4.1 SENSOR CABLE DEPLOYMENT

4.1.1 AWARDING THE INSTALLATION CONTRACT

The installation of the cable and ducts should be delegated to appropriate

trained from DTS System Manufacturer (OEM) installers and / or specialized
National Grid SA approved contractor, with necessary resources and
experience in dealing with fiber optic sensor cables and related accessories.

4.1.2 PRE-INSTALLATION TEST

➢ Before installation of sensor cable, pre-installation test shall be

performed. This test is carried out to measure the length of the fiber
and to ensure that it is free from any defect during shipping, loading
and unloading.

➢ A laser pulses of short time will be injected to the one end of the fiber
through an OTDR, the length of the fiber and point defect shall be
checked by this method including Transmission Loss.

➢ Measured result shall be recorded, and the result shall be verified with
the factory Test Reports.

4.2 STORAGE OF SENSOR CABLE

4.2.1 Fiber optic sensor cable reels must always stand upright. Place a wedge to
avoid that the reel can roll.

4.2.2 If several reels are stored at the same place, take care that flanges of a reel
don’t damage the cable of another reel.

4.2.3 On fiber optic Sensor cable a cap must be placed at both ends to avoid water
infiltration.

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

4.2.4 Storage temperature range for sensor cable as specified by sensor cable
manufacturer, must be respected.

4.2.5 Indoor cables (e.g. termination cables, to be used in substations) must not be
stored outside to prevent water infiltration and UV damages.

4.3 DOCUMENTATION OF SENSOR CABLE LENGTH SEGMENTS

The sensor cable shall be labeled with cable brand, product number and a meter
marking. The sensor cable meter marks are vital in mapping sensor cable to power
cable for determination of hotspot position; therefore, contractor must note the cable
meters of zone boundaries e.g. soil or HDD to facilitate the zone setup during
commissioning. In addition, the installation distance shall be read off the cable
pulling. Zone lengths are:

4.3.1 Transit cable length

4.3.2 First ambient loop length

4.3.3 Length of sensor cable segments on power cable

4.3.4 Breakout to joint pits

4.3.5 Temperature reference loops

4.3.6 Power cable marks occurring in different thermal section, e.g. soil or HDD.

4.3.7 End termination

Note: The installer must provide the power cable meter marks and associated sensor cable
meter marks e.g. soil or HDD as part of submittal, which are very important for real
time thermal rating (RTTR) of power cable.

4.4 INSTALLATION TECHNIQUES

▪ Place the sensor cable alongside the power cable. You can use a drum stand
to uncoil the cable drum similar outlined in Figure 4.

▪ Secure the sensor cable on top of the power cable e.g. using heavy-duty cable
ties like shown in Figure 5.

▪ Maintain a minimum distance between fixing points to hold sensor cable on

top of the power cable. Consider the final process of filling in the ditch. The
sensor cable should not be displaced by the backfill of successive compacted
layers.

▪ For substation sensor cable, entries it might be required to lay cable ducts
prior even if the cable is, directly buried.

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

▪ If sensor cables need to cross the EHV/HV cables to be connected in joint

pits, cable ducts provide an additional protection during construction work as
well as final backfilling process.

▪ Do not exceed the minimum cable bend radius recommended by Optic fiber
sensor cable manufacturer.

▪ Exceeding rated loads can break the fibers, which may then fail immediately
or later during operation. Such damage is not necessarily visible from the
outside.

▪ Do not pinch or crimp the cable.

▪ The minimum / maximum installation temperature, which is specified by

sensor cable manufacturer shall be complied.

▪ Do not install the cable near excessive heat sources.

4.5 INSTALLATION OF SENSOR CABLE INSIDE DUCTS

When power cable is installed through horizontal directional drilling (HDD), the ducts
are needed for DTS sensor cable.

In such cases, a compact tube has to be placed/fixed on top of the EHV/HV power cable
duct to accommodate the DTS sensor cable.

4.5.1 Duct / tube types and sizes

The inner duct diameter should be large enough to support the installation of the
sensor cable to be used. Long pulling lengths require low volume fill, i.e. 35%
maximum.

Short pulling lengths may be filled up to 50%. Push-blow installation methods

for long length fiber cables utilize higher-volume fills, i.e. up to 70% max.
Length and filling volume depends on several factors:

• Duct material and inner duct structure

• Filling volume of duct

• Friction coefficient between cable jacket and duct material and lubricants

• Topology

• Cable tension limit

• Installation method

The nature of environmental stresses over the service life determines the wall-
thickness of the duct.

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

CAUTION:

The ducts may be contaminated with dust and/or debris originated from a
construction site. Ducts should be sealed at both ends to prevent contamination.
Calibration and leak testing prior to backfilling the ditch provides the greatest
assurance for successful cable installation.

Examples of Sensor Cables in ducts:

When power cables are installed in ducts or pipes, typically the sensor cable is
also installed in a duct to protect the sensor cable from being crushed during
cable pulling (Figure 6).

The sensor cable in duct can be either attached directly to the power cable or
attached to the power cable duct as shown in Figure 7.

4.6 SENSOR CABLE SPLICING

There will be always a requirement for in field splice solutions. This can be in a
number of environments from buried through to internal clean environment. There
will also be differing levels of accessibility, which should also be considered.

4.6.1 It is recommended always to carry out fusion splices technique which

provides minimum splicing losses. When carried out correctly, these can be
essentially invisible to the sensing instrumentation and will not affect
performance, Figure 8.

4.6.2 Typically standard telecom components and procedures shall be followed and
so this should be addressed on a project by project basis.

4.6.3 Splicing of sensor fibers shall be done in controlled environment as per the
detailed recommendations given by the manufacturer. The splicing of sensor
optical fibers shall be done by qualified person. Visual appearance test of
spliced fiber for jointing work result, judgment of fiber (good or bad) using
the display monitor of Fusion Splicer. Results shall be recorded on specified
format.

4.6.4 The splicing loss shall be minimum at the splice point and keep it within 0.1
dB. If the measured splicing loss exceeds 0.1 dB, splicing shall be repeated.
Spliced part of optical fiber with protection sleeve should be accommodated,
in approved waterproof joint box and sensor fibers shall be free from tension
after arranging in joint box.

4.7 DEPLOYMENT OF TRANSIT CABLE BETWEEN DTS AND EHV/HV CABLES

4.7.1 HDPE sensor cables are very good for burial construction in soil, because of
resistance against humidity. If the sensor cable is to be installed, in substation
(as transit connections from EHV/HV cable to the DTS system) fire safety
regulations need to be considered and transit cable may be used.

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4.7.2 The Transit cable shall be flame retardant with features such as low smoke
and halogen free jacket material. The sensor cables based on FRNC (Flame
Retardant Non-Corrosive) jacket material address such requirements.

4.7.3 When outdoor HDPE sensor cable and the universal FRNC sensor cable need
to be connected, the splicing shall be done in splice enclosure. The FRNC
sensor cables shall be placed in cable ducts, because the FRNC jacket cables
are not considered transversely watertight. The Termination of Transit Sensor
cable with DTS Equipment shall be arranged as per Fig. 9.

5.0 PRECAUTIONS ON USAGE AND INSTALLATION OF SENSOR CABLE

In addition to the above general precautions, the following usage and installation
precautions must be observed.

5.1 NO REFLECTION

The sensor optical fiber must be reflection free. Thus, fusion splicing must be used
and the optical fiber far end must include anti-reflection termination, which may be
achieved through an angled cleave or a fused connector. For single-ended
measurement, a large optical loss on the far end of the sensor optical fiber is fine.

5.2 BENDING LOSS

Optical fibers (and sensor optical fibers) have their own minimum bending radius.
Ensure that laid optical fibers satisfy these requirements. Pay special attention when
optical fibers must be bent within a tight space. If the requirements are not satisfied,
the optical fibers (and sensor optical fibers) may exhibit larger loss, leading to
unstable distributed temperature measurement.

5.3 STRESS

Optical fibers (and sensor optical fibers) used must satisfy the maximum stress
requirement. Excessive stress will cause torsion and thus increase optical loss or
even shorten the optical fiber service life. Pay special attention to the bending radius
and the stress of a sensor optical fiber at its exit from the optical connector which is
connected to the DTS System. If the DTS System is installed in a cabinet, ensure that
the cabinet door does not touch/press the optical fibers when the door is closed.

5.5 DARKENING

Optical fibers (and sensor optical fibers) have service life, which is affected by
temperature and humidity. For example, a sensor optical fiber with a service life of
20 years under normal temperature-humidity conditions may suffer darkening and
deteriorate much earlier under high-temperature, high-humidity conditions. The rate
of deterioration depends on the optical fiber used and the usage environment. If
optical fibers are used under unfavorable conditions, replace them regularly just like
consumables. Optical fiber darkening leads to optical fiber loss increase, which
varies with optical wavelengths and in turn adversely affects the temperature

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

resolution and temperature measurement accuracy of the DTS. While minor

darkening may be compensated through temperature calibration with the DTS, more
severe darkening will necessitate optical fiber replacement.

6.0 SENSOR CABLE POST INSTALLATION TEST (ON POWER CABLES)

6.1 This test shall be carried out, after the installation of the sensor cables on power
cable. The same procedure as for pre-installation shall be adopted to ensure the
required length and to ensure sensor cable free from any defect while/after
installation.

6.2 Measured attenuation and length result shall be recorded in a brief format for later
submission.

6.3 Splice Loss shall be checked with the OTDR. Measurement shall be taken in both
directions of the entire spliced link for the specified wavelength and the average
value of these two measurements shall be recorded on a specified report.

Actual Splice Loss= (Loss of Direction A+ Loss of Direction B) /2.

Figure 1: Raman anti-Stokes signal changes its amplitude significantly

with changing temperature

Figure 2: Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) System

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

Figure 3: DTS with single-ended setup / one channel

Figure 4. Drum Stand Used for Easy Uncoiling of Sensor Cable

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

Figure 5: Cable Tie to Secure Sensor Cable on Power Cable

Figure 6. Power cable and Sensor cable in duct

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

Figure 7. Cable ducts for power cable and sensor cable

Figure 8. Sensor Fiber Optic Cable Fusion Splicing

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TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION STANDARD TCS-T-111.13, Rev.0

Figure 9. Termination of Sensor cable with DTS Equipment

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