• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
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    • 专利摘要:
    SUBMARINE CABLE WITH FLOODABLE FIBER OPTIC CONDUCT. Subsea cable that includes fiber optic floodable conduits (which may be of limited length), tightly stored. May additionally include multiple resistance elements helically wound around or in conjunction with the floodable fiber optic conduits. There can be at least one hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit that has at least one shielded optical fiber joined to the optical fiber. Each of the fairly stored optical fibers can be matched with protected fiber for long-range communication. Flue flooding can be made possible through connectors at the ends of submarine cable, break sites where sensors are attached and/or through vents in the conduit wall. Methods suit subsea cable designs in a water body, which allows to place the interior of at least one floodable fiber optic conduit in fluid communication with the water body while supporting the extended use of communication signals, particularly in deep water where the temperatures are relatively low. The floodable conduits have pressure-equalized interiors made of materials that facilitate the process of attaching sensors to submarine cables.
    公开号:BR102015002772B1
    申请号:R102015002772-9
    申请日:2015-02-09
    公开日:2021-08-31
    发明作者:Jeremy Crane Smith；Robert Fernihough
    申请人:Pgs Geophysical As；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    Cross Reference to Related Order
    [0001] This order claims priority from provisional US Order No. 61/941,389 entitled "Pressure-Balanced Subsea Optical Cable" and filed February 18, 2014 by Jeremy Crane Smith and Robert Alexis Peregrin Fernighough, which is incorporated herein by reference. Background
    [0002] Optical fibers are commonly employed for data communication at high bandwidths. They have been considered by the telecommunications industry as a crucial ingredient for the evolution of the communications infrastructure to its current state, and, for this reason, investments in the development of optical communications technology have focused on providing bandwidth over long distances . Long distances additionally require the production of cables that are both affordable and robust. Telecommunications cables typically must withstand not only minor trauma associated with transportation and installation, but also the effects of aging and prolonged exposure to the elements.
    [0003] As an example, consider a well-known hydrogen-darkening effect. During long exposure times, hydrogen, arising from corrosion, biological processes or other causes associated with water, migrates into the fiber core and chemically reacts with coatings or other impurities to "stain" the glass. Through short uses, the effect of this blur may be barely noticeable, but over long distances the signal is overcome by the resulting attenuation. Two other water-related degradation mechanisms are stress corrosion and zero stress aging, both of which, over time, reduce the strength and transparency of unprotected optical fibers.
    [0004] To combat these effects and improve the robustness of the communications cable, the industry has, through much investment and effort, developed a standard design approach. To protect the optical fibers against hydrogen darkening and water-related degradation mechanisms, communication cables route the optical fibers through hermetically sealed stainless steel tubing. In the event of a hole or other flaw in the stainless steel piping that could allow water to penetrate the shield, gel and other filler material in the piping serves to prevent fluid migration along the length of the piping. Stainless steel piping is often sheathed to provide a redundant seal against water ingress, particularly in high pressure or marine applications.
    [0005] Rather than reinventing the wheel, the geophysical research industry has leveraged technology developed by the telecommunications industry for underground cables and undersea cables. Designs in the development of optical communication-based research strands and seabed cables typically employ commercially available subsea telecommunications cables and technology within the framework of system designs. Despite the manufacturing difficulties and costs caused by the standard design approach, these inherited precautions against exposing optical fibers to water represent the accepted wisdom of the industry: the good being shared by technicians, engineers and experts. summary
    [0006] Contrary to accepted wisdom, it has been found that subsea cables can successfully employ floodable fiber optic conduits for many extended exposure applications including permanent reservoir monitoring (PRM). This alternative cable design approach can result in substantial savings in manufacturing costs. In at least some embodiments, a subsea cable described includes one or more floodable fiber optic conduits, each having at least one optical fiber tight for carrying optical signals while in extended contact with water. Each tight optical fiber can be between 5 and 200 meters long, or in other embodiments, between 200 meters and 2 kilometers long. The cable may additionally include multiple resistance elements helically wound around or adjacent to one or more floodable fiber optic conduits. Additionally or alternatively, at least one hermetically sealable fiber optic conduit may be included having at least one shielded optical fiber which, in a completed cable, is coupled to one of the tight optical fibers. At least some implementations splice or otherwise connect each of the tight optical fibers to the corresponding protected fibers for long-range communications. The flooding of the floodable conduits can be provided through connectors at the ends of the cable, with break sites where sensors are attached and/or through ventilations in the conduit wall.
    [0007] Some embodiments of the method develop the cable designs described in a body of water, placing the interior of at least one floodable fiber optic conduit in fluid communication with the body of water. Due to the limitation on exposed fiber length or other precautions provided here, the cable may withstand extended use for signal communication through fibers in flooded conduits, particularly in deep water where temperatures are relatively low. To limit the length of the exposed fibers while at the same time providing greater distance communication capability, the exposed fibers can be joined to the protected fibers in hermetically sealed conduits. Since floodable conduits have pressure-equalized interiors, they can be formed from plastic or other materials that facilitate the process of attaching sensors to the cables and reduce the total cost of the raw cable. Brief Description of Drawings
    [0008] The drawings include multiple figures.
    [0009] Figure 1 illustrates an illustrative hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit;
    [0010] Figure 2 illustrates an illustrative floodable fiber optic conduit;
    [0011] Figure 3 illustrates an illustrative galvanized steel wire;
    [0012] Figure 4 illustrates an illustrative submarine cable having floodable fiber optic conduits;
    [0013] Figure 5 illustrates an illustrative "junction" connector
    [0014] Figure 6 illustrates a simplified communication architecture scheme.
    [0015] It should be understood, however, that the specific modalities provided in the figures and detailed description below do not limit the description. Rather, they provide the foundation for anyone skilled in the art to discern the alternative forms, equivalences, and other modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims. Terminology
    [0016] The terminology used here is for the purpose of describing particular modalities only, and should not be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the", "a" include singular and plural referents unless the content clearly shows otherwise. Additionally, the word "may" is used throughout this order in a permissive sense (ie, possessing the potential for, being capable of), not in the obligatory sense (ie, must). The term "include" and its derivations mean "including, but not limited to". The term "coupled" means directly or indirectly coupled. Detailed Description
    [0017] Fiber optic cables can be deployed in various subsea environments, including subsea applications such as permanent reservoir monitoring (PRM), where there is exposure to water for relatively long periods of time (eg, months or years) . In particular, PRM systems can be designed for decades of operation in ultra-deep waters (eg, depths greater than 1500 meters), while also remaining suitable for use in shallower waters. General knowledge for such applications dictates the use of gel-filled stainless steel conduits for the optical fibers with robust hermetic seals at each connection and each of the sensor junctions, which typically total hundreds and possibly thousands. Each seal represents a cost, an investment of time, and a potential point of failure for the system. Where the need for such seals (and associated costs and risks) can be eliminated, manufacturing times can be reduced and manufacturing efficiency improved.
    [0018] Following this line, it is noted that for short lengths of optical fiber (eg, on the scale of meters rather than kilometers), exposure to water has typically not been the main cause of failure. It is believed that hydrogen browning and water-related degradation mechanisms need not be a major concern (particularly when considered in a PRM environment) as long as the exposed fiber length is kept relatively short. For example, the length of exposed optical fiber can, in some cases, be 1 meter, 2 meters, 3 meters, 4 meters, 5 meters, 10 meters, 20 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters 400 meters, 500 meters, or any suitable range up to a maximum of about 2 kilometers or more (depending on precise application).
    [0019] Through such lengths, it is believed that the darkening caused by hydrogen will have a relatively negligible effect, even if it occurs. But at the low temperatures typically found in most subsea applications (particularly those below 500 meters deep), hydrogen diffusion occurs so slowly that no noticeable darkening is expected during the life of a typical PRM application. Furthermore, in the anticipated operating environments for PRM, the low levels of hydrogen available make such darkening an even less concern.
    [0020] In addition to limiting the lengths of the exposed fiber, certain modalities described provide that the exposed fiber is properly coated ("stored fairly") with a suitably chosen polymer that mitigates the effects of water molecule diffusion. In unprotected optical fibers, water molecules can expand pre-existing surface flaws, causing the crack to propagate in a manner similar to water freezing and crack expansion within a cementitious surface. If this coating resists delamination or otherwise remains adhered to the optical fiber, it can impede the water molecule diffusion process resulting in failure. In some cases, you can achieve this in the following way: as water diffuses through the polymeric store, a silica layer may form on the surface of the glass, but it will typically not migrate, remaining instead in compliance with the store and blocking further diffusion of other water molecules. In this way, the store essentially stops the mechanical degradation caused by crack growth.
    [0021] Earlier PRM cable designs fixed sensors (eg accelerometers, hydrophones, etc.) to the PRM cable at regular distances (eg every 50 meters in some cases). Optical fibers in the outer cable layer were accessed (broken from the cable) at these locations for attachment to the sensors. These access points were then pressure sealed to prevent water ingress. In contrast, the PRM cable designs described here can be specifically configured to use the locations of each of the sensors attached to the sensor array as water entry points to flood the fiber optic conduits between the sensor locations. These conduits may, in some embodiments, be a worked polymeric material or corrosion resistant steel. They can also be considered "dry" in the sense that they do not need to be gel-filled as has typically been done in submarine cables. With this approach, conduits can become pressure-balanced (no differential pressure across the pipe wall) in the subsea environment. This allows for a much wider selection of low-cost materials and processing methods, as well as removing the need to create high pressure seals through the system.
    [0022] To allow exposed fiber optic lengths to be limited to long cables, some cable embodiments described also incorporate the traditional gel-filled, hermetically sealed tubes within an inner layer in the cable. At the end of each cable section (cable section lengths can range from 500 meters to 5 kilometers), these hermetically sealed conduits can be accessed to connect selected optical fibers to exposed optical fibers in the outer cable layer and connect the rest from inner conduit fibers to hermetically sealed conduits in adjacent sections. Space for connecting the sections and protecting the junctions is provided by pressure-sealed modules (referred to as "junction cans") which are typically held at 1 atmosphere while deployed at sea. Thus, at least some cable arrangements have hermetically sealed strands of fiber optic conduit that can extend the entire length of the cable. Therefore, these internal fibers do not need to be exposed to the external environment. Within the pressure-sealed modules, the outer flooded fibers can be joined (or otherwise connected) to the inner sealed fibers in subsequent sections, thus limiting the exposed fiber to a manageable length. In addition to splicing, suitable connection methods include coupling via passive splitters, amplifiers and active multiplexers of any kind. Active multiplexers can include amplifiers, filters, switches, frequency changers, demodulators, stores, protocol converters, and modulators.
    Turning now to the figures, Figure 1 illustrates an illustrative hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit 100. The illustrative hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit 100 carries twenty optical fibers 102 within a gel-filled interior 104 of a hollow tube of stainless steel 106 having an outer impermeable layer 108. In other words, the optical fibers 102 are shielded optical fibers. (Different modality can have more or less number of optical fibers 102). In at least some embodiments, the optical fibers 102 are each 250 micron diameter, low water peak, single-mode, double acrylate optical fibers in accordance with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) ITU standard. -T G.652.D. In at least some embodiments, the water blocking gel fills at least 85% of the remaining volume of the interior of tubing 104. The gel can include carbon or other coatings to capture available hydrogen before diffusing it into the fiber. In at least some embodiments, the hollow tube 106 consists of 316L stainless steel with an outside diameter of about 2 mm and a wall thickness on the order of 50 microns. The impermeable layer 108 provides a redundant seal against imperfections in the tube 106, and can be a sheath of a high density polyethylene (HDPE) with a PolyBond™ additive (or other compatibilizing agent that reduces interfacial surface energy to promote bonding) with the metal tube) and an optional colorant, giving the hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit 100 a total outside diameter of approximately 3.0 mm. Optical fibers 102 may be provided with a minimum of 0.3% excess length relative to the length of tube 106 to accommodate different voltages of various conduit materials.
    [0024] Figure 2 illustrates an illustrative floodable fiber optic conduit 200. The illustrative conduit floodable optical fiber 200 carries four optical fibers 202 within a "dry" (i.e., not gel-filled) interior 204 of a plastic tube loose 206 potentially having periodic vents 207 to provide fluid communication through the pipe wall. (Vents 207 are optional, as flooding or fluid communication between the exterior and interior 204 may alternatively or additionally be allowed from the ends of the floodable fiber optic conduit 200 and anywhere breaks are made to access the optical fibers 202). The optical fibers 202 are each provided with a tight-fitting storage layer 203. That is, the storage layers 203 conform to the outer surface of the optical fibers 202 and adhere in a way that resists separation from the outer surface in the presence of Water. In other words, the optical fibers 202 are tightly stored optical fibers.
    [0025] In at least some embodiments, optical fibers 202 are single-mode, low-water peak optical fibers conforming to International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard ITU-T G.657.A1, having a 250 micron acrylate outer diameter and a 500 to 900 micron storage layer outer diameter. The tight-fitting storage layer 203 can be polymeric, utilizing a thermoplastic elastomer such as Hytrel® from DuPont or a thermoplastic fluoropolymer such as Kynar®, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) from Arkema, both of which offer tight conforming coatings that resist to delamination. Although both materials are extremely stable in water, the latter offers particularly low hydrogen permeability. Dyes can be added to the storage material to make the optical fibers readily distinguishable.
    [0026] In at least some embodiments, the loose plastic tube 206 consists of polypropylene or PVDF with an outer diameter of 3.0 mm and an inner diameter of 2.0 mm. Dyes may be included to make such floodable fiber optic conduits 200 readily distinguishable. Optical fibers 202 can be supplied with a minimum of 0.3% excess length relative to the length of loose plastic tube to accommodate different stresses of various conduit materials.
    [0027] Figure 3 illustrates an illustrative galvanized steel wire 300. In at least one embodiment, the galvanized steel wire 300 consists of high strength steel with an outer diameter of about 3.2 mm. 300 Galvanized Steel Wire is galvanized for corrosion resistance or can alternatively be supplied with a Galfan coating. It is noted that galvanized steel wire primarily functions as a long-lasting flexible resistance element and for some applications may be substituted for other wire or wire materials that provide adequate design strengths. Such materials can include other metals, polymers and natural fibers.
    [0028] Figure 4 illustrates an illustrative submarine cable 400 having one or more floodable fiber optic conduits. Illustrative subsea cable 400 has three layers of wire, with a central layer consisting of a 300A galvanized steel wire. Helically wound around the central layer is a second layer of six strands. The second layer has three 300B galvanized steel strands interspersed with three hermetically sealed fiber optic conduits 100. Counter-wrapped helically around the second layer is an outer layer of twelve strands. (Relative winding slopes can be chosen to provide torque balance between layers). Two out of every three outer wires is 300C galvanized steel wire, and the third out of every three outer wires is a 200 floodable fiber optic conduit. Alternative modalities include other combinations and configurations of hermetically sealed 100 fiber optic conduit, fiber optic conduit floodables 200, and galvanized steel wire 300 within subsea cable 400. Enclosing the wires is an outer cable jacket 404, potentially having periodic vents 406 to provide fluid communication between the exterior and interior of the cable. (Vents 406 are optional as flooding or fluid communication between the exterior and interior may alternatively or additionally be allowed from the ends of subsea cable 400 and wherever breaks are created to access fiber conduits floodable optics 200. Vents 406 can be any size or shape capable of providing flooding or fluid communication between the exterior and interior of outer cable jacket 404). A polymeric bed layer 402 can enclose the outer wire layer, extending into the interstices between the wires of the outer layer to provide additional cable break strength and minimize bending-induced support forces exerted by the galvanized steel wires. in the floodable flues. If vents 406 are provided in outer cable jacket 404, vents 406 can also penetrate polymer bed layer 402. In at least some embodiments, outer cable jacket 404 consists of a high density polyethylene (HDPE) material.
    [0029] Figure 5 illustrates a partially exploded view of a connector illustrative of the "junction tin" variety for coupling different segments of submarine cable 400. A connector cone 502 is located on the end of each segment and secured to submarine cable 400 preferably by mechanically fastening to galvanized steel wires 300. Connector cones 502 provide space to spread and route optical fibers from hermetically sealed conduits 100 and floodable conduits 200. The optical fibers can be routed through plate feeds of pressure plates 504, which feeds are then sealed before being mounted to the connector cones 502. On the pressure controlled side of the pressure plates 504, the optical fibers are labeled 508. The frame rails 506 secure the pressure plates 504 together and support a connection module assembly 510 that interconnects the appropriate optical fibers 508. As previously mentioned, such interconnects can be performed using junction, passive couplers, amplifiers and/or active multiplexers.
    [0030] A housing 514 attaches to the pressure plates 504, forming a hermetically sealed can that protects the optical fibers 508 and the connection module assembly 510 from exposure to pressure or water. Connecting cones 502 are unsealed, and consequently allow for flooding of the interiors. Vents 518 can be provided to facilitate such flooding. The floodable conduits 200 are connected to the space within the connector cones 502 so that the interiors are fluidly coupled to the exterior of the submarine cable 400 through these spaces.
    [0031] Figure 6 illustrates a simplified communication architecture scheme, to illustrate how the interconnection of optical fibers from the hermetically sealed conduits and floodable conduits can be performed. Figure 6 illustrates a segment 602 of submarine cable 400 coupled by connectors 604 to its neighboring segments 606. Spaced along the length of segment 602 (and neighboring segments 606) are geophysical survey energy sensors 608. Each of these sensors 608 is coupled (as represented by dots 610) to an associated fiber 612 in a floodable conduit. In connectors 604, each of the floodable conduit fibers 612 is coupled (as represented by points 614) to a fiber in a hermetically sealed conduit 616. Connectors 604 thereby provide coupling between the corresponding fibers in the hermetically sealed conduit of the segment 602 and its neighboring segments 606.
    [0032] Segmented cables can be assembled with geophysical energy sensors (eg, seismic, electromagnetic) and deployed in a body of water as cables spatially distributed on the bottom. The deployable cables have at least one floodable fiber optic conduit with an interior in fluid communication with the body of water. The cables are coupled at one end to an interface that supplies optical interrogation signals for optical fibers in the structure, ie, in hermetically sealed conduits. The connection module assemblies cooperatively distribute the interrogation signals to the sensors and return the modulated measurement signals from the sensors to the interface, where they can be captured in digital form by a measured data acquisition system and stored for further processing .
    [0033] Between the connection module assemblies and the sensors, the optical signals are each communicated through at least one optical fiber tightly stored along the floodable optical fiber conduit, and between the interface and the assemblies of connection module, the optical signals are each carried through at least one optical fiber protected in a hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit. The tightly stored optical fiber has a length of no more than 2 kilometers, although lengths of 5 meters are also contemplated, and may have a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic fluoropolymer as a conforming storage layer material.
    [0034] Bottom cables can be deployed in water bodies having depths exceeding 500 meters, and must be employed periodically over a period of at least ten years, for example, for PRM operations. PRM operations may involve seismic firing to generate seismic waves or source controlled electromagnetic transmissions (CSEM) to generate electromagnetic fields, or such operations may be fully passive, monitoring sensor responses to background sources of such waves and fields. Sensor signals are processed to map the subsurface distributions of fluid and rock properties and track changes in such distributions over time, for example, as hydrocarbons are produced from subsurface reservoirs.
    [0035] Processing can additionally produce geophysical data at intermediate processing stages such as re-sampled and stacked traces, migrated and filtered data volumes, and created image sub-volumes. Each of these, including the acquired raw data and the final maps of subsurface property distributions, can be packaged as a geophysical data product and recorded on a tangible, non-volatile computer readable storage medium suitable for importing the product. of geophysical data on the coast. Such geophysical data products can be further subjected to geophysical analysis and interpretation, for example, to develop and optimize reservoir production strategies.
    [0036] According to an embodiment of the invention, a geophysical data product can be produced. The geophysical data product may include seismic data communicated as signals through an optical fiber tightly stored along a floodable fiber optic conduit that can be stored on a tangible, non-transient, computer-readable medium. The geophysical data product can be produced offshore (that is, by equipment on a vessel) or onshore (that is an onshore installation) within the United States or in another country. If the geophysical data product is produced offshore or in another country, it can be imported offshore to a facility in the United States. Once ashore in the United States, geophysical analysis, including additional data processing, can be performed on the geophysical data product.
    [0037] Although the above description presents specific cable modalities that can be used to satisfy various deviations presented by the extreme environments presented by the PRM installation and design lifetime, such modalities can also provide a solution that is applicable across multiple other situations - actions and applications. Additionally, there are other types of subsea or underground cable within the scope of this description having greater or lesser numbers of floodable fiber optic conduits with greater or lesser numbers of fairly stored optical fibers. Where long length cables are desired, such cables may additionally include hermetically sealed conduits with shielded optical fibers that couple to optical fibers from the floodable conduits in a way that limits the lengths of the exposed fibers. As required by other design restrictions, additional strength elements can be included along with protective jackets. Rated lifetimes for the cables described may exceed 10 years, 20 years, 25 years, or more.
    [0038] Although specific modalities have been described above, these modalities should not limit the scope of this description, even where only a single modality is described with respect to a particular feature. Examples of features provided in the description should be illustrative rather than restrictive unless otherwise noted. The above description should cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalences as would be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of that description. The scope of this description includes any feature or combination of features described herein (explicitly or implicitly), or any generalization thereof, whether or not it mitigates all or any of the issues addressed here. Various advantages of the present description have been described here, but embodiments may provide some, all or none of said advantages or may provide other advantages.
    权利要求:
    Claims (21)
    [0001]
    1. A submarine cable comprising: one or more floodable fiber optic conduits, each having: a loose tube having periodic tube vents to provide fluid communication through a wall of the loose tube; and at least one optical fiber snugly stored within an interior of the loose tube for carrying optical signals while in extended contact with a body of water; and an outer jacket surrounding the one or more floodable fiber optic conduits and having periodic cable vents to provide fluid communication between an exterior of the submarine cable and an interior of the submarine cable.
    [0002]
    2. Submarine cable, according to claim 1, characterized in that each optical fiber stored fairly has a length between 5 meters and 2 kilometers.
    [0003]
    3. Submarine cable, according to claim 1, characterized in that it additionally comprises multiple resistance elements helically wound around or together with one or more floodable fiber optic conduits.
    [0004]
    4. Submarine cable, according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises at least one hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit having at least one protected optical fiber joined to a tightly stored optical fiber from one or more floodable fiber optic conduits.
    [0005]
    5. Submarine cable according to claim 4, characterized in that each of the multiple optical fibers tightly stored from one or more floodable optical fiber conduits is joined to a corresponding protected optical fiber in at least one conduit hermetically sealed fiber optics.
    [0006]
    6. Submarine cable, according to claim 5, characterized in that it additionally comprises: two segments of cable; and a connector for joining one end of one segment of cable to one end of the other segment of cable, where junctions between the tightly stored optical fibers and the shielded optical fibers are created within the connector.
    [0007]
    7. Submarine cable, according to claim 6, characterized in that the interiors of one or more floodable fiber optic conduits are in fluid communication with an exterior of the submarine cable through the connector.
    [0008]
    8. Submarine cable, according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a set of sensors fixed along a length of the submarine cable, each sensor in the set coupled to at least one optical fiber tightly stored from a floodable fiber optic conduit and providing fluid communication between an interior of the floodable fiber optic conduit and an exterior of the submarine cable.
    [0009]
    9. Submarine cable, according to claim 1, characterized in that each optical fiber which is tightly stored has a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic fluoropolymer conforming to a storage layer material.
    [0010]
    10. Method, characterized in that it comprises: obtaining a submarine cable deployed in a body of water, the submarine cable having: at least one floodable fiber optic conduit comprising: a loose tube having periodic tube vents to provide communication by fluid through a loose tube wall; and an outer cable jacket surrounding the at least one floodable fiber optic conduit and having periodic cable vents to provide fluid communication between an exterior of the submarine cable and an interior of the submarine cable; and signal communication via at least one tightly stored optical fiber along at least one floodable optical fiber conduit, the tightly stored optical fiber having a length of no more than 2 kilometers.
    [0011]
    11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the optical fiber stored fairly has a length of at least 5 meters.
    [0012]
    12. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the submarine cable is deployed at a depth of the body of water that exceeds 500 meters.
    [0013]
    13. The method of claim 10, wherein said communication signals include the transport of signals over a portion of the submarine cable length in at least one optical fiber protected in a hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit.
    [0014]
    14. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that said communication signals occur at least periodically through at least ten years.
    [0015]
    15. The method of claim 10, characterized in that at least one snugly stored optical fiber has a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic fluoropolymer in accordance with a storage layer material.
    [0016]
    16. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing data in the signals to produce a geophysical data product.
    [0017]
    17. Method according to claim 16, characterized in that it further comprises recording the product of geophysical data in a computer-readable, non-volatile and tangible medium suitable for import to the coast.
    [0018]
    18. Method according to claim 17, characterized in that it further comprises performing the geophysical analysis on the coast in the product of geophysical data.
    [0019]
    19. Apparatus, characterized in that it comprises: a tube having a length between 1 and 100 meters and periodic tube vents to provide fluid communication through a tube wall; and an optical fiber disposed within the tube and having a polymeric store accordingly disposed on an outer surface thereof; and a jacket surrounding the tube and having periodic jacket vents to provide fluid communication between an exterior of the jacket and an interior of the jacket; wherein, when the apparatus is submerged in a fluid, the tube and jacket are configured to allow the fluid to contact the polymeric store and equalize an internal tube pressure and an external jacket pressure.
    [0020]
    20. Apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the polymeric storage is a thermoplastic elastomer or a thermoplastic fluoropolymer.
    [0021]
    21. Apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the apparatus further comprises a hermetically sealed fiber optic conduit having at least one protected optical fiber disposed therein to carry the stored optical fiber signals of the polymer over a distance which exceeds the length of the tube.
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    法律状态:
    2016-02-10| B03A| Publication of a patent application or of a certificate of addition of invention [chapter 3.1 patent gazette]|
    2018-10-30| B06F| Objections, documents and/or translations needed after an examination request according [chapter 6.6 patent gazette]|
    2020-04-22| B06U| Preliminary requirement: requests with searches performed by other patent offices: procedure suspended [chapter 6.21 patent gazette]|
    2021-06-01| B09A| Decision: intention to grant [chapter 9.1 patent gazette]|
    2021-08-31| B16A| Patent or certificate of addition of invention granted [chapter 16.1 patent gazette]|Free format text: PRAZO DE VALIDADE: 20 (VINTE) ANOS CONTADOS A PARTIR DE 09/02/2015, OBSERVADAS AS CONDICOES LEGAIS. |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    US201461941389P| true| 2014-02-18|2014-02-18|
    US61/941.389|2014-02-18|
    US14/452,211|US10175437B2|2014-02-18|2014-08-05|Subsea cable having floodable optical fiber conduit|
    US14/452.211|2014-08-05|
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