Enclosures keep the global network infrastructure expanding

11th January 2018

Verotec Ltd

Alice Matthews

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Some 98% of all intercontinental telephone calls, internet traffic, emails, messaging and private data traffic are carried as digital data by fibre optic cables laid by specialist ships across the world’s oceans. Today’s cables, typically 25mm in diameter and weighing some 1.5 tonnes/km, are a far cry from the first working cables, laid in 1853 and linking Great Britain with Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Spellman manufactures ship-borne power feed equipment, PFE, used to power submarine fibre optic cable repeaters. A typical PFE system provides for 20kW capability with constant power performance between 8 and 10kV. Spellman systems are installed on many of the major cable laying ships around the world; they are the preferred choice of cable shipbuilders and owners for ship-borne power feed equipment.

Spellman has selected Verotec's IMRAK 19” racks as the enclosure of choice for its PFE because of its versatility and configurability, the range of standard sizes available and its strength and rigidity. Verotec supply a mix of 12, 17, 22 and 37U high, 600 wide and 800 deep racks to house the various elements of the PFE system.

The cabinets are fitted with lifting eyes to assist installation on board ship; bolting down brackets are also fitted to secure the units to the ship. Cable gland plates are provided in the base of each rack and custom fixing brackets enable two smaller units to be assembled one on top of the other to create a segregated but contiguous assembly.