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Plenum Fiber Optic Cables
Plenum Fiber Cables Manufacturer, Direct Sales from Factory
DATA CENTER CABLING
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Plenum Cable – What Is It
CMR (Riser) vs. CMP (Plenum)
Why Plenum Fiber Optic Cable, OFNP, OFNR, and LSZH Matter
Plenum Zone: Refers to the channels or spaces in a building’s HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system used to circulate air. It is usually located above the ceiling or below the floor and can act as a receiving chamber, heating or cooling the air before distributing it to the living area. Because the plenum space contains few fire barriers and forced air circulation, the fiber optic cables deployed here need to be more fire resistant than those used in the riser space.
Plenum-rated cables are jacketed in flame-retardant plastics, such as PVC or FEP. Even in a fire, less toxic fumes are emitted as the shell melts. Plenum fiber optic cables can be used in riser areas, but riser fiber optic cables cannot be used in plenum areas. Using the wrong fiber optic cable can cause legal problems in the event of a fire. Using the correct type of fiber optic cable not only ensures personal safety, but also reduces building damage and avoids liability.
OFNP(Plenum) is the highest-grade optical cable. When a fan is used to force the flame to blow on the optical cable, the cable will extinguish itself within 5 meters of the flame spread. At the same time, the cable will not emit toxic smoke or steam. It is usually installed in ventilation ducts in communication wiring applications. Or the return air used by the air handling equipment in the booster system.
OFNR is the second-ranked fiber optic cable. Under the condition of forced air blowing by the fan, the fiber optic cable must extinguish itself within 5 meters of flame spread. This situation is usually encountered in trunk fires, so this fire-resistant fiber optic cable is usually used. In floor mains and horizontal cables.
In Europe and the US (regarding specialized installations), there is a strong emphasis on “clean” fumes. Therefore, many tests measure the amount of toxic or corrosive elements in the smoke. But for general commercial and residential use, the U.S. fire safety philosophy on cables is based on two basic principles: first, give people time to evacuate the building, and second, don’t block exits and signs directing people to leave. NEC flame test requirements involve testing to measure resistance to flame spread to varying degrees and under different conditions depending on the intended use of the cable. These requirements fulfill one of the concepts of delaying the spread of fire. Since plenum cables are installed in air-handling spaces, smoke from burning cables may spread through HVAC fans into the occupied part of the building, where visible smoke can obscure exits or suffocate people (before plenum cables were defined in the code, This has happened with some large hotel fires).
Huihongfiber makes Rizer/LSZH/Plenum rated cables for your choice. These cables are widely used in data centers and FTTX projects.
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In the US market, optical cables generally have two kinds of sheaths, one is Plenum fire protection grade and the other is Non-plenum non-fire protection grade. The Plenum fire rating is the highest fire rating. The Plenum Cable described in optical fiber communication is OFNP optical cable ,OPNP is called Optical Fiber Non-conductive Plenum. When the Plenum cable is burned, it will release a small amount of toxic gas, so the relevant agencies in the United States will require that all heating, exhaust and air-conditioning channels must be laid with Plenum cables. In addition, non-plenum cables can be considered in other places. Non-plenum cables generally use PVC materials or LSZH materials (LSZH is an optical cable sheath material that meets EU environmental protection/safety standards). huihongfiber’s optical cables and optical fiber jumper products can be made into rizer, plenum or LSZH grades according to customer needs.