AFL has today introduced its Verrillon VHS400 Series of specialty optical fibers, designed to withstand ultra-harsh environments within the oil and gas, industrial, geothermal and military markets.
The VHS400 Series is billed as a pure silica core dual-wavelength single-mode optical fiber that is optimized for use at both 1310 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths.
As reckoned by the manufacturer of optical fibers, fiber-optic cable, and fiber connectivity accessories and equipment, with an "entirely down-doped" cladding design, the Verrillon VHS400 Series fibers are engineered to yield a 9x bend loss improvement over commercial pure silica core fiber designs.
Additionally, AFL contends that the VHS400 Series fibers' pure silica core chemistry will deliver "the ultimate performance against hydrogen darkening."
To wit, available at proof test levels of 100 kpsi and 200 kpsi, the VHS400 fiber is manufactured with various coatings, including carbon, silicone/PFA, mid-temp acrylate and polyimide, allowing it to withstand high temperatures and hydrogen-containing atmospheres.
AFL notes that carbon coating can provide hermeticity against water and hydrogen in downhole applications and improves fatigue resistance in long-term deployments.
Dr. Abdel Soufiane, general manager and CTO for AFL’s specialty fiber division, explained:
“Our VHS500 is a pure silica core single mode fiber designed for 1550 nm operation and has been deployed in hundreds of harsh environment applications since 2012. The new VHS400 will allow our customers to use this same fiber design for applications that require single-mode operation at 1310 nm and 1550 nm. The VHS400 has unmatched performance when exposed to harsh environments with exceptionally low bend loss.”
In the following video, Dr. Soufiane talks about AFL's ultra-high temperature optical fibers.
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