Gen 4

Power Feed Equipment

(PFE)

9kV, 1.5A, 13.5kW

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 1

 Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
1.1 ISO 9001 ........................................................................................................................................................................ 5
1.2 SUBCONTRACTORS ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 DESIGN CHANGES .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.4 WITNESSING OF TESTS ................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.5 OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE DOCUMENTATION....................................................................................................... 5
1.6 NON-CONFORMANCES .................................................................................................................................................... 5
2 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS ........................................................................................................................................ 5
3 DEFINITION OF POWER FEED EQUIPMENT ........................................................................................................ 6
3.1 SCOPE OF PFE APPLICATION .......................................................................................................................................... 7
3.2 DESIGN CONCEPT ........................................................................................................................................................... 7
3.3 SYSTEM INTERFACES...................................................................................................................................................... 9
4 SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................... 12
4.1 ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATION SUMMARY....................................................................................................................... 12
4.2 MECHANICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATION SUMMARY........................................................................................ 13
4.3 ALARM AND SHUTDOWN SPECIFICATION SUMMARY ................................................................................................... 13
5 SAFETY AND PROTECTION ..................................................................................................................................... 15
5.1 SAFETY CERTIFICATION ............................................................................................................................................... 15
5.2 PROTECTION OF PERSONNEL ........................................................................................................................................ 15
5.2.1 Interlocks .................................................................................................................................................. 15
5.2.2 Safety Trips ............................................................................................................................................... 15
5.2.3 Discharge Circuits ................................................................................................................................... 15
5.2.4 Emergency Shut Down ............................................................................................................................. 15
5.2.5 Earthing Device........................................................................................................................................ 16
5.2.6 Warning Notices ....................................................................................................................................... 16
5.2.7 Operation and Maintenance ..................................................................................................................... 16
5.3 PROTECTION OF THE SUBMARINE SYSTEM ................................................................................................................... 16
5.3.1 System Protection ..................................................................................................................................... 16
5.3.2 Surge......................................................................................................................................................... 16
5.3.3 Voltage Limiting ....................................................................................................................................... 17
5.3.4 Output Current Control ............................................................................................................................ 17
5.3.5 Powering up ............................................................................................................................................. 17
5.3.6 Powering Down ........................................................................................................................................ 17
5.4 POWER PATH ................................................................................................................................................................ 17
6 DETAILED TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................................................... 18
6.1 POWER CONVERTER ..................................................................................................................................................... 18
6.2 LOCAL CONTROL UNIT (LCU) ..................................................................................................................................... 19
6.3 OUTPUT MONITOR UNIT (OMU) .................................................................................................................................. 19
6.3.1 Operating Modes ...................................................................................................................................... 20
6.4 TEST LOAD ................................................................................................................................................................... 20
6.5 CABLE TERMINATION UNIT (CTU) .............................................................................................................................. 20
6.6 IN-SERVICE REPAIR...................................................................................................................................................... 21
6.7 ROUTINE MAINTENANCE.............................................................................................................................................. 21
6.8 INPUT POWER ............................................................................................................................................................... 21
6.9 EARTH CONNECTIONS .................................................................................................................................................. 21
6.9.1 Power Feeding Earth (Ocean Ground) .................................................................................................... 21
6.9.2 Dedicated Station Earth (Building Ground)............................................................................................. 22
6.9.3 Rack Safety Earth ..................................................................................................................................... 22
6.10 CABLE ELECTRODING ............................................................................................................................... 22
6.11 POWER INDICATORS .................................................................................................................................. 22
6.12 ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................................................... 23
6.12.1 Requirements ............................................................................................................................................ 23
6.12.2 Regulation ................................................................................................................................................ 23

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 2

 6.12.3 Current Surges ......................................................................................................................................... 23
6.12.4 Output Voltage ......................................................................................................................................... 23
6.12.5 Electrical Noise ........................................................................................................................................ 23
6.12.6 Load Characteristics ................................................................................................................................ 23
6.13 MONITORING AND ALARM REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................. 24
6.13.1 Alarms ...................................................................................................................................................... 24
6.13.2 PFE Performance Monitoring .................................................................................................................. 26
6.14 MECHANICAL / ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................... 27
6.14.1 Dimensions / Loading / Power Consumption ........................................................................................... 27
6.14.2 Measurement And Maintenance Test Points ............................................................................................ 28
6.14.3 Plug-In Units ............................................................................................................................................ 28
6.14.4 Face Layout & Designations .................................................................................................................... 28
6.14.5 Controls, Supervisory Indicators and Connectors ................................................................................... 28
6.14.6 Equipment Color Scheme ......................................................................................................................... 28
6.14.7 Acoustic Noise .......................................................................................................................................... 29
6.14.8 Environmental Conditions ........................................................................................................................ 29
6.14.9 Cooling ..................................................................................................................................................... 29
6.14.10 Ingress of Dust.......................................................................................................................................... 30
6.14.11 Ionization .................................................................................................................................................. 30
6.14.12 ESD/EMC Conditions............................................................................................................................... 30
6.14.13 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) ................................................................................................................. 30
6.14.13 Shock and Vibration ................................................................................................................................. 32
6.14.14 Fire Protection and Access ...................................................................................................................... 33
6.15 RELIABILITY & REDUNDANCY .................................................................................................................. 33
6.15.1 Redundancy .............................................................................................................................................. 33
6.15.2 System Life and Overall Reliability .......................................................................................................... 33
6.15.3 Parallel Current Paths ............................................................................................................................. 33
7 SOFTWARE ................................................................................................................................................................... 34
7.1 GENERAL ..................................................................................................................................................................... 34
7.2 SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATION ...................................................................................................................................... 34
7.3 TRAFFIC & DATA PROTECTION .................................................................................................................................... 34
7.4 SOFTWARE TESTING ..................................................................................................................................................... 34
7.5 SOFTWARE QUALIFICATION ......................................................................................................................................... 34
7.6 SOFTWARE UPGRADES ................................................................................................................................................. 34
7.7 SOFTWARE PERFORMANCE........................................................................................................................................... 34
7.8 DATING COMPLIANCE .................................................................................................................................................. 35
8 ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................................................. 36

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 3

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 — Typical Cable Interface ............................................................................................................................................ 7

Figure 2 —PFE Front View......................................................................................................................................................... 9

Figure 3 — PFE System Interfaces ............................................................................................................................................ 10

Figure 4 – Gen4 HV Power Flow .............................................................................................................................................. 18

Figure 5 — Magnetic Field Limits............................................................................................................................................. 32

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1— Reference Documents .................................................................................................................................................. 6

Table 2 — Electrical Specifications ........................................................................................................................................... 12

Table 3 — Mechanical Specifications........................................................................................................................................ 13

Table 4 — PFE Alarms .............................................................................................................................................................. 14

Table 5 — Magnetic Field H (dB(μA/m)) .................................................................................................................................. 32

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 4

1 INTRODUCTION
This document provides the functional requirements for the undersea, high voltage, Power Feed
Equipment (PFE). The intent is to provide a low-cost 3-bay design, providing up to 12kV, 1.8A (9kV,
1.5A nominal) and 13.5kW continuous operation with switchable output polarity.

1.1 ISO 9001

The supplier shall be third party registered as an ISO 9001 manufacturer for the PFE Equipment.

1.2 Subcontractors
All relevant subcontractors shall also be ISO 9001 registered or, if not registered, the material
being used shall undergo appropriate incoming inspection and controls to ensure their
conformance.

1.3 Design Changes

The supplier shall notify customer of any and all changes with regards to design, materials,
components, process, or testing which may affect form, fit, function, and/or reliability of the
product being purchased.

1.4 Witnessing of Tests

The supplier shall allow the customer or its representative to witness Product Qualification and
Product Acceptance Tests prior to product shipment.

1.5 Operation and Maintenance Documentation

Complete documentation shall be provided by the supplier to facilitate operation and maintenance
of this equipment. The documentation package shall include:
• Installation Instructions (to include test procedures)
• Installation Drawing (Floor Plan)
• Operations Manual (including basic fault location / maintenance procedures).

1.6 Non-conformances
The supplier shall provide customer with copies of all non-conformances associated with
contractually agreed upon requirements at the earliest point in the manufacturing process.

2 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
Document No. Title
EN60950 Safety of Information Technology Equipment
Telcordia
NEBS™ Requirements: Physical Protection
GR-63-CORE

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 5

 Equipment Engineering (EE) Environmental Considerations and Environmental Tests for
ETS 300 019-1-1 Telecommunications Equipment Part 1-1 Classification of Environmental Conditions
Storage
Equipment Engineering (EE) Environmental Considerations and Environmental Tests for
ETS 300 019-1-2 Telecommunications Equipment Part 1-2 Classification of Environmental Conditions
Transportation
Equipment Engineering (EE) Environmental Considerations and Environmental Tests for
ETS 300 019-1-3 Telecommunications Equipment Part 1-3 Classification of Environmental Conditions
Stationary Use at Weather Protected Locations
ETS 300 753 Equipment Engineering (EE) Acoustic Noise Emitted by Telecommunication Equipment
Classification of Environmental Conditions-Part 3: Classification of Groups of
IEC 721
Environmental Parameters and Their Severities Transportation
Equipment Engineering (EE) Power Supply Interface at the Input to Telecommunications
ETS 300 132-2
Equipment Interface- Part 2: Interface Operated by Direct Current (DC)
CEPTT/TR02-02 Rack/Telecommunications Centre Power Supply Interface
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) –Part 4-2 Testing and Measurement Techniques-
IEC 61000-4-2
Section 2: Electrostatic Discharge Immunity Test
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) –Part 4-3 Testing and Measurement Techniques-
IEC 61000-4-3
Section 3: Radiated, Radio Frequency, Electromagnetic Field Immunity Test
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) –Part 4-4 Testing and Measurement Techniques-
IEC 61000-4-4
Section 4: Electrical Fast Transient/Burst Immunity Test
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) –Part 4-5 Testing and Measurement Techniques-
IEC 61000-4-5
Section 5: Surge Immunity Test
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) –Part 4-6 Testing and Measurement Techniques-
IEC 61000-4-6
Section 6: Immunity to Conducted Disturbances Induced by Radio Frequency Fields
Information Technology Equipment- Radio Disturbance Characteristics- Limits and
IEC CISPR 22
Methods of Measurement
EN50081-2 Electromagnetic Compatibility- Generic Emissions Standard Part 2: Industrial Environment
EN50082-2 Electromagnetic Compatibility- Generic Immunity Standard Part 2: Industrial Environment
Information Technology Equipment- Radio Disturbance Characteristics- Limits and
EN55022
Methods of Measurement
Table 1— Reference Documents

3 DEFINITION OF POWER FEED EQUIPMENT

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 6

The Power Feeding Equipment (PFE), shall comprise the equipment for safely converting the terminal
station power supply into the form required to energize the submersible plant with a high degree of
powering availability.

3.1 Scope of PFE Application

The PFE operates in conjunction with other power equipment within the cable station. A typical
cable interface is shown below in Figure 1. Actual implementation of the cable interface is site
specific. PFE earthing is discussed in detail within Section 0 6.9 Earth Connections.
Cable
Station
Entrance
Ocean Ground
Station Earth Array
Protection Panel Ocean Ground Conduit
Ground Jointing Box
(OGPP)
Station Ground Ocean Ground
Conduit to PFE Conduit to PFE

Power Beach
Feed Manhole
Equipment Stress Cone
Power Feed Conduit
Closure
Submarine
Cable Duct
Splice
Fiber Distribution Panel Fiber Optic Conduit
Closure
fig 0036

Line Terminal Equipment

Figure 1 — Typical Cable Interface

The PFE shall be capable of double end feed (DEF) and single end feed (SEF) powering of the
system. The design shall not prevent the system from DEF powering when there is a short circuit
cable fault at any point along the route provided that the line current remains within the design
limits specified herein.
In a DEF system, the near-end PFE shall be capable of being balanced with the far-end PFE. An
order wire access connection shall be provided on the PFE to facilitate far-end communication.

3.2 Design Concept

The PFE shall be capable of producing up to 12kV, 1.8A with a 13.5kW continuous operation
limit along with reversible output polarity. All elements of the PFE shall be contained in three,
ETSI compliant, 2200mm x 600mm x 600mm bays. The Power Converters shall be capable of
being operated in a series n+1 redundant configuration for a combined output power of 13.5kW.
The power transfer interval upon an individual Power Converter failure shall be less than 50ms.
The equipment bay shall contain:

Test Load
• Capable of dissipating 13.5kW continuously

Local Control Unit (LCU)

• PC Server

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 7

• LKM
• LCD Monitor
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Ethernet switch
• HV ON/OFF enable
• alarm, trip, and ramp-up/ramp-down functions
• system monitoring via 10/100 Base-T Ethernet
• LCU hot-swap capability
• human interface

Network Switch Unit (NSU)

• Contains 2 Network switches
• Secondary Converter Network
• Data Acquisition

Power Converter
• hot-swap capability
• four converters required for n+1 redundancy
• operation in either Constant Current or Constant Voltage mode
• ramping the output regardless of the operating mode
• autonomous operation

Output Protection Unit (OPU)

• output clamps and protection diodes
• E-stop and ACO pushbuttons

Output Monitor Unit (OMU)

• monitoring access points
• cable access port
• normal, isolated, and open circuit modes.

Cable Termination Unit (CTU)

• Termination for high voltage and Power Feed Earth
• Analog ammeter for measurement of Cable current
• Safety measure to prevent unsafe access

An open or short circuit condition on the PFE output terminals shall not cause damage to the PFE.
The PFE shall be capable of ramping current into a short circuit, and capable of ramping voltage
into an open circuit.
The system polarity shall be reversible. The polarity reversal mechanism and procedure shall
ensure the safety of operating personnel. The system shall be protected against incompatible
polarity settings. Polarity indication shall be shown on the front panel of the Output Monitor Unit
(OMU)

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 8

 Access to all areas of high voltage within the PFE shall be controlled by a key-interlocking
sequence.
See Figure 2 below for mechanical outline of the PFE

CV DC DISTRIBUTION
(CV DCD)

PFE CONTROL BAY CONVERTER BAY

LCU
PFE
MONITOR
NETWORK
SWITCH
1A
ASSA

TL DC DISTRIBUTION
BAT A

1 2 3
A
4 5
CONVERTERS (MAIN)

6 1 2 3
B
4 5 6
(PFE DCD)
(PFE DCD) BAT B

BATTERY
VOLTAGE
+ -
2A
A
ASSA
B BATTERY
+ - A CONVERTERS (AUX) B VOLTAGE
+ -
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 A
B
+ -

(OPU)

NETWORK SWITCH
NSU

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
SPEED

(NSU)
POWER L/A
ERROR F/H

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
SPEED
POWER L/A
ERROR F/H

POWER
ERROR
SPEED
L/A
F/H
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
LCU

IN PLACE FOR PROPER

CV1
LOCAL CONTROL
ORDER WIRE

(LCU) 1V = 1kV

1V = 1A
EMERGENCY STOP
+

+
-
VOLTAGE

-
CURRENT
ALARM CUTOFF

ACO ACTIVE
HV ACTIVE

MINOR ALARM

MAJOR ALARM
ACTIVE TEST LOAD
(ATL)
IN SERVICE

OUT OF SERVICE
CAUTION
2 PERSON HANDLING
REQUIRED

CAUTION
UNIT WEIGHS
XX kg (XXX lbs) CONVERTER

tyco submarice systems ltd.

IN PLACE FOR PROPER

CV2
- + ALARM CUTOFF
1V = 1kV VOLTAGE POWER EMERGENCY STOP
+ -
- + POSITIVE 1V = 1kV VOLTAGE ACO ACTIVE
1V = 1A CURRENT POLARITY
NEGATIVE + - HV ACTIVE

OUTPUT MONITOR
- + STATION 1V = 1A CURRENT
NORMAL MINOR ALARM
1V = 1A GROUND PFE
CURRENT TEST OUTPUT MAJOR ALARM
- + OCEAN STATUS
1V = 10V GROUND BYPASS IN SERVICE
VOLTAGE
OUT OF SERVICE
CAUTION
2 PERSON HANDLING
REQUIRED

CAUTION

(OMU)
UNIT WEIGHS
XX kg (XXX lbs) CONVERTER

PASSIVE TEST LOAD1

tyco submarice systems ltd.

1A
NORMAL
OCEAN
GROUND

STATION
IN PLACE FOR PROPER
CV3
(PTL1)
HV GROUND
CABLE
SHORT

TEST OG
ALARM CUTOFF
JACK EMERGENCY STOP
+ -
TEST 1V = 1kV VOLTAGE ACO ACTIVE
JACK HV ACTIVE
+ -
1V = 1A CURRENT
MINOR ALARM
OMU
MAJOR ALARM
IN SERVICE

OUT OF SERVICE
CAUTION
2 PERSON HANDLING
REQUIRED

CAUTION
UNIT WEIGHS
XX kg (XXX lbs) CONVERTER
tyco submarice systems ltd.

CV4
OMU OUTPUT INTERLOCK:
THIS MODULE MUST BE PULLED OUT 9" MINIMUM TO ENABLE INSERTION OR REMOVAL OF OMU
IN PLACE FOR PROPER

SHORTING DRAWER 9" PASSIVE TEST LOAD2

ALARM CUTOFF
EMERGENCY STOP

(SD)
+ -
1V = 1kV VOLTAGE ACO ACTIVE

(PTL2)
+ - HV ACTIVE
1V = 1A CURRENT
MINOR ALARM

MAJOR ALARM

IN SERVICE
OUT OF SERVICE
CAUTION
2 PERSON HANDLING
REQUIRED

CAUTION
UNIT WEIGHS
XX kg (XXX lbs) CONVERTER
tyco submarice systems ltd.

PFE BAY CV BAY TL BAY

Figure 2 —PFE Front View

3.3 System Interfaces

The PFE provides interfaces for the following:
• High voltage output and return
• Earths
• Battery input
• Alarms, remote shutdown and telemetry
• Tests points and electroding.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 9

A block diagram of the PFE system interfaces is shown in below in Figure 2.
CTRL

Emergency *Dedicated
Stop Input Station Earth

* PWRA
HV Out
* PWRB Power
* PWRAR Feed
Power Feeding Earth
* PWRBR Equipment
100 Base-T Office Alarms
Ethernet
Electroding ACO
Interface

Cable *
Rack Earth
Access (Safety
Port Ground) fig 0038

Figure 3 — PFE System Interfaces

• The PFE bays shall accommodate dual –48VDC feeds up to 750MCM cable.

• The interface for the high voltage output and power feeding earth interface shall
accommodate 6 AWG, Type MV-105 cable. Conduit fittings and pre-drilled holes shall be
sized to accommodate #6 AWG Type MV-105 cable.

• The interface for the Dedicated Station Earth shall accommodate two (2) independent #6
AWG cables.

• The Rack Safety Earth interface shall accommodate #6 AWG cable.

• The Ethernet interface shall be 10/100 Base-T Ethernet with an RJ-45 connector.

• The office alarm interface shall be a 25-pin D-Sub connector.

• The Remote Emergency Shutdown interface shall be via the office alarm connector.

• The order wire interface shall be RJ-45.

• Test points (banana jacks) shall be provided to monitor the following at the output of the
PFE
o Voltage
o Current
o Dedicated Station Earth Current
o Power Feed Earth Voltage.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 10

• Test points (banana jacks) shall be provided to monitor the following at the output of each
Power Converter
o Voltage
o Current.

• The cable access port interface shall be standard banana jacks.

• The externally provisioned electroding interface shall be via the Test Jack port.

• The remote Alarm Cutoff (ACO) interface shall be via the office alarm connector.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 11

4 SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
4.1 Electrical Specification Summary
Table 1 below summarizes the high level PFE electrical performance specifications.
Electrical Parameters Value

Output current (nominal) 1.5A max.

Output voltage (nominal) 9 kV max.

Output limited current 1.8A max.

Output limited voltage 12.0kV max.

Output continuous power 13.5kW max.

Output voltage long term stability
0.10%
over the full voltage range
Better than 5% current regulation (based on
Regulations/load characteristics slope compensation algorithms). Better than
5% voltage regulation.
Output current stability (constant
0.10%
load)
Power transfer interval upon an
<50ms
individual Power Converter failure
PFE reconfiguration time between
normal and zero voltage and vice- Dynamic regulation better than 250msec
versa
Electroding performance 4-50Hz, 0-150mA RMS

Output current ripple 10mA pk-pk at any output current

Output voltage ripple 0.20% pk-pk

Input surge current from PFE
Complies with ETS 300 132-2
switch on
Maximum voltage between Return
200V
Earth System and Station Earth
Table 2 — Electrical Specifications

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 12

4.2 Mechanical/Environmental Specification Summary
Table 2 below summarizes the high level PFE mechanical and environmental performance specifications.
Mechanical Parameters Value / Specification Standard

ETSI Bay Dimensions (per 2200mm x 600mm x

bay, 3 bays total) 600mm
Weight of Entire PFE
~1155 kg (~2540 lbs) GR-63-CORE
(max)
Weight for Single PFE Compatible with handling
GR-63-CORE
Element (max) per GR-63-CORE
Input Power (max)
17.0kW
(normal operation on cable)
Input Power (max)
(operation on cable and test 21.0kW
load)
Power Dissipation (max)
3.5kW
(normal operation on cable)
Power Dissipation (max)
(operation on cable and test 17.0kW
load)
Normal Operating Ambient
5 to 40 °C GR-63-CORE
Temperature
Short Term Operating
-5 to 50 °C GR-63-CORE
Ambient Temperature
5 to 85% RH , not to
Normal Operating
exceed (0.024 kg GR-63-CORE
Humidity
H2O)/(kg dry air)
5 to 90% RH , not to
Short Term Operating
exceed (0.024 kg GR-63-CORE
Humidity
H2O)/(kg dry air)
Acoustic Noise - normal
60 dBA GR-63-CORE
PFE operation
Acoustic Noise - test load
83 dBA GR-63-CORE
operation
Table 3 — Mechanical Specifications

4.3 Alarm and Shutdown Specification Summary

Table 3 below summarizes the high level PFE alarms.
Severity
Alarm Type Type Limits (Major /
Minor/Shutdown)
High Voltage Programmable 0 – 12000V Minor

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 13

Low Voltage Programmable 0 – 12000V Minor
Very High Voltage Programmable 10 – 12000V Major – Shutdown
Very High Voltage 12000V
Fixed Shutdown
(hardware)
High Current Programmable 0 – 1800mA Minor
Low Current Programmable 0 – 1800mA Minor
Very High Current Programmable 10 – 1800mA Major – Shutdown
Very High Current Fixed 1800mA Major – Shutdown
Very Low Current Programmable 0 – 1800mA Major – Shutdown
Battery (A/B) Low 40.5V
Fixed Minor
Voltage
Battery (A/B) Very 36V
Fixed Major – Shutdown
Low Voltage
Power Feeding Earth 200V
Fixed Minor
Fail
Dedicated Station n/a
Fixed Minor
Earth Fail
Power Converter n/a Major – Converter
Fixed
Fan Failure Shutdown
Test Load Fan n/a Minor – Converter
Fixed
Failure Shutdown
Power Converter n/a Major – Converter
Fixed
Over Temperature Shutdown
Test Load Over n/a Minor – Converter
Fixed
Temperature Shutdown
Converter High n/a
Fixed Minor
Temperature
Test Load High n/a
Fixed Minor
Temperature
LCU High n/a
Fixed Minor
Temperature
Power Converter n/a Major – Converter
Fixed
Fault Shutdown
n/a Minor – Converter
Test Load Fault Fixed
Shutdown
Emergency Stop Fixed n/a Major –Shutdown
Door Open Fixed n/a Major –Shutdown
Station Alarms n/a
Fixed Minor
Disabled
Table 4 — PFE Alarms

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 14

5 SAFETY AND PROTECTION
The PFE design and manufacture shall ensure the protection of operating personnel from all safety
hazards. Special attention must be paid to prevent electrical shock hazards during installation, operation,
and maintenance of this equipment, taking into account all relevant international standards.

5.1 Safety Certification

The PFE shall be designed and manufactured in accordance with EN60950 and shall be formally
certified for compliance.
The PFE shall be CE marked and shall be formally certified to bear this mark.

5.2 Protection of Personnel

The design of the PFE shall insure that high voltages circuits are automatically discharged when
the PFE is de-energized. The PFE shall incorporate a minimum of two levels of protection to
ensure that during normal operation or during maintenance procedures personnel cannot gain
access to dangerous potentials whether generated at the near end or the far end of the System.
Trips and/or earthing devices shall be provided on all access doors/panels. Warning Signs do not
count as one level protection. The supplier shall recognize that a system of sequenced and
captive-key interlocked switches constitutes a single level of safety.

5.2.1 Interlocks

The PFE shall be interlocked to prevent personnel gaining access to dangerous potentials.
The interlocks shall only allow access to potentially hazardous areas, when the equipment
is de-powered.

5.2.2 Safety Trips

The PFE shall be automatically de-energized on access being obtained to a potentially

hazardous area.

5.2.3 Discharge Circuits

The PFE shall include circuits that automatically discharge to a safe level and clamp to
earth potential all high voltage circuits and capacitors when the equipment is switched off
or access obtained to hazardous areas. This shall not require any action by the operator.

5.2.4 Emergency Shut Down

The PFE shall include a facility, by which the PFE may be de-energized by any untrained
staff should a safety hazard exist. Each Power Converter shall contain a red Emergency
Stop Button mounted on the faceplate to ensure that the Emergency Shut Down is not
operated inadvertently. The facility shall be distinctively marked. Also, contact points
shall be provided for external Emergency Stop circuits.
The PFE Emergency shut down shall be also operable from a remote extension in the
Cable Station. Operation of the Emergency Shut Down shall not cause any damage to
either the PFE or the submersible plant.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 15

 5.2.5 Earthing Device

The PFE shall include an adequately insulated device to enable potentially high voltage
points, in particular the power conductor feeding the submarine cable and/or charged
capacitors, to be discharged to Rack Safety Earth before handling. This shall be
permanently connected to the frame Rack Safety Earth such that it cannot be accidentally
disconnected during use. The PFE shall have the capability to allow visual inspection to
verify the integrity of this ground connection prior to its use. It shall be possible to test
the integrity of the earthing device before each use using external testing equipment. It
shall be possible to use the earthing device at all points of the PFE.
This earthing device is not intended to discharge the undersea cable capacitance, only
residual internal PFE charges.

5.2.6 Warning Notices

Appropriate warning notices in internationally accepted symbols shall be fitted at all

locations where potentially hazardous voltages or currents could exist.

5.2.7 Operation and Maintenance

Plug-in units for sub-assemblies taken out of service for maintenance purposes shall be
safe for handling and testing by station staff.
IT SHALL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO CARRY OUT ANY PFE OPERATIONS FROM
ANY REMOTE FACILITY, OR LOCATION NOT VISIBLE FROM THE PFE WHILE
PERSONNEL HAVE ACCESS TO THE PFE.

5.3 Protection of the Submarine System

5.3.1 System Protection

The PFE design shall ensure that, for every possible PFE configuration and taking into
account earth potential differences, the PFE shall be fully protected in the following
events:
• Cable fault anywhere in the System
• Lightning strike or any other natural phenomena (e.g., magnetic storms) at or close
to any cable station
• Voltage out-of-limits between Power Feeding Earth and Dedicated Station Earth.
This shall remain true even while the PFE is feeding any value up to its maximum
output including earth potential differences of up to 1500V between the terminal
stations.

5.3.2 Surge

The design shall ensure that no current or voltage is applied to the cable system at any
time sufficient to cause damage to the cable, either during normal operating conditions or
under fault conditions arising from faults external or internal to the PFE.
The design shall ensure that the PFE is protected in the event of a lightning strike at or
adjacent to the cable station or any power surge which may result from a cable fault
anywhere on the system when the PFE is feeding its maximum rated output. It should be
noted that current surges on the cable can reach 200A.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 16

 5.3.3 Voltage Limiting

The output voltage from the PFE shall be inherently restricted to a maximum value of
12kV. The limiting action shall not rely on alarm devices.

5.3.4 Output Current Control

Current control device(s) shall be capable of adjusting the current from zero to +120% of
the nominal line current.

5.3.5 Powering up

The design shall incorporate a closely controlled powering up sequence for energizing the
submersible plant.
POWER-UP SEQUENCE CAN ONLY BE INITIATED LOCALLY. NO PROVISION
FOR REMOTE INITIATION OF THE POWER-UP SEQUENCE MAY BE PROVIDED.

5.3.6 Powering Down

The method employed for de-energizing the PFE shall not cause power surges sufficient
to damage the Cable.

5.4 Power Path

The design shall ensure that the PFE is protected against natural electromagnetic events such as
lightning strikes, magnetic storms, etc., or any power surge due to a cable fault anywhere on the
System.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 17

6 DETAILED TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
This section provides the detailed requirements for the PFE functional elements. See below Figure 4
showing the High Voltage Power Flow throughout the PFE

PFE CONTROL BAY

OUTPUT PROTECTION UNIT OUTPUT MONITOR UNIT
CONVERTER BAY
CABLE OPEN/SHORT
CONVERTER 1 PFE SWITCH
+ SD CTU

+
TL

V/I
MONITOR
PWB
CONVERTER 2

V/I
MONITOR
PWB

CONVERTER 3

CONVERTER 4

OMU CONTROL BOARD

PFE
_

_
TL

PTL1

K1

ATL TEST LOAD BAY

K2

PTL2

Figure 4 – Gen4 HV Power Flow

6.1 Power Converter

Power Converters shall individually nominally provide 3kV, 1.5A (4.5kW maximum per
converter). Each Power Converter shall monitor and display its output voltage and current using a
Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) with an accuracy of 1% or better.

The Power Converter shall incorporate a built-in ramp-to-zero facility. The Power Converter shall
relinquish ramp control to the LCU when the LCU is properly connected and functioning. The
LCU shall be capable of receiving remote ramp-up/ramp-down rates via the 10/100 Base-T
Ethernet interface. Power Converters shall include a recessed ramp-down button. This button will
allow the converter to ramp down to zero output when the converter is operating in autonomous
mode.

The Power Converter polarity shall be displayed on the OMU front panel. The Power Converter
shall have indicators displaying whether its output is connected to the Cable (In Service) or to the
Test Load (Out of Service).

The Power Converter shall NOT be capable of ramping up without an LCU. However, an
operating Power Converter shall continue operating autonomously if the LCU fails.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 18

 ALL PERSONNEL SAFETY PARAMETERS MUST BE MAINTAINED DURING
AUTONOMOUS OPERATION.

The Power Converter shall have hot-swap capability and provide audible alarm notification

6.2 Local Control Unit (LCU)

The PFE shall include a LCU for local maintenance of the equipment. The LCU shall contain a
computer which is an integral part of the PFE. The LCU shall be capable of monitoring all alarms
and performance information generated by the PFE and controlling all electronically configurable
features of the PFE.
The LCU shall provide fine-tune control for the output voltage and current and shall have hot-
swap capability. The LCU graphical user interface (GUI) shall contain the following:
• Human interface
• Manual voltage control
• Manual Current control
• Ramping voltage control
• Ramping current control
• Two 4½ digit displays (for total PFE output voltage and current) with a display accuracy of 1%
or better
• A trip alarm notification when the output voltage exceeds a second adjustable threshold. The
trip alarm shall be higher than the audible alarm threshold and shall be realized in hardware at
the appropriate location in the PFE. The maximum trip set-point shall not be allowed to
exceed 110% of the output voltage. The status of trips and alarms shall be indicated on the
LCU faceplate
• Alarm Cut-Off (ACO)
• Output Voltage polarity indication. Polarity shall be indicated even when the output high
voltage is switched off
• Indication of Power Converter status (on cable or on Test Load)
• Output voltage and current data reporting though the 10/100 Base-T Ethernet connection.

Office alarms originate from the Power Converters and are not routed through the LCU.
Audible alarms shall be fitted with both remote and local Alarm Cut-Off (ACO) capability. If a
new alarm condition occurs when the ACO is active, the audible alarm shall be re-instated.

The LCU shall include ramp-up/ramp-down capability to control the voltage ramp rate up to a
maximum of 1,000V per minute (note that earth potential can vary by as much as 10V per
second).

In the event of a LCU failure, the Power Converters shall continue to operate autonomously. A
failed LCU shall produce an alarm condition.
ALL PERSONNEL SAFETY PARAMETERS MUST BE MAINTAINED DURING
AUTONOMOUS OPERATION.

6.3 Output Monitor Unit (OMU)

The OMU provides the means to configure the PFE hardware elements. The components within
the OMU shall be connected to the Power Converters, Test Load, Rack Safety Earth, Power

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 19

 Feeding Earth and Dedicated Station Earth. Pull-out drawers and modules shall allow
interconnection as required.
The OMU shall allow a maintenance disconnect mode, such that the local PFE can be safely
maintained while the system is single-end fed from the far end. Maintenance mode shall be fail
safe and, as such, shall be manually operated without the use of electro-mechanical relays.

6.3.1 Operating Modes

NORMAL:
• PFE connected to Cable
• Test Load disconnected
ISOLATED:
• PFE disconnected from Cable
• PFE connected to Test Load
• Cable shorted
OPEN CIRCUIT:
• PFE disconnected from Cable
• PFE connected to Test Load
• Cable open circuit.

It shall be possible to connect some of the Power Converters to the Cable, and the
remaining Power Converter to the Test Load simultaneously.
The supplier shall provide appropriate procedures.
The OMU module shall include the following features:
• monitoring access points
• cable access port.

The OMU shall provide safe access to the physical cable head without the need to
dismantle the equipment. Cable access port connectors which meet the safety
requirements of this specification shall be provided. This is provided by the Test Jack
feature

6.4 Test Load

The PFE shall include a facility to enable the PFE to be tested over its entire operating range. It
shall be possible to connect one or all six converters (electrically in series) to the Test Load.
The Test Load shall be continuously variable from zero to full load and shall be manually
adjustable from the LCU. The Test Load shall be capable of handling 9kV, 1.5A (13.5kW max)
continuously. The Test Load shall be replaceable when the PFE is in normal operation, without
interruption of service.
Front Panel Indicators are as follows:
• POWER ON
• TEST LOAD FAULT
• TEST LOAD ACTIVE.

6.5 Cable Termination Unit (CTU)

The Cable Termination Unit shall consist of:

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 20

 • Termination points for the high voltage and Power Feeding Earth cables
• Analog Cable current indicator.

6.6 In-Service Repair

Any Converter, LCU, Test Load, or NSU can be replaced while the PFE is in-service shall be
capable of being replaced without disturbing the PFE output.

6.7 Routine Maintenance

Routine maintenance shall be possible without disturbing the PFE output.

6.8 Input Power

The PFE shall be connected to a nominal battery voltage of -48VDC and shall meet all
performance requirements over the range of -40.5 to -57.0VDC, measured at the input to the PFE
bay, as specified in ETS 300 132-2. The PFE shall operate reliably and be capable of a cold start
over the entire voltage range. No damage shall occur if less than -40.5VDC or greater than -
57.0VDC is applied, up to a maximum of -60.0VDC as specified in ETS 300 132-2. No damage
to the PFE shall result from input voltage surges exceeding -60VDC, as specified in ETS 300
132-2.
Redundant battery power shall be provided to the PFE equipment bay from dual power feed
circuits (designated “BATA” and “BATB”). The equipment shall operate and meet all
requirements (except Power Converter redundancy) when one of the redundant power inputs has
been removed. All primary wiring within the PFE shall be protected with an appropriate current
limiting device.

The maximum current drain at any input voltage (0 to -60VDC) lasting for longer than 1 second
shall not exceed 1.5 times the current drain at nominal working voltage of -48VDC per ETS 300
132-2. For shorter times, larger in-rush currents are allowed. Refer to ETS 300 132-2 for short-
duration in-rush current values.

6.9 Earth Connections

The PFE shall be capable of being interconnected to three earths as follows:
• Power Feeding Earth
• Dedicated Station Earth (redundant)
• Rack Safety Earth.

6.9.1 Power Feeding Earth (Ocean Ground)

Forms part of the circuit for powering the submersible plant. The PFE shall be capable of
switching, by means of a manually-controlled, rotating switch, between Power Feeding
Earth and the Dedicated Station Earth detailed below to enable maintenance of the Power
Feeding Earth system. The switching sequence shall ensure that the connection to the
Dedicated Station Earth is made before the connection to the Power Feeding Earth is
broken. The operation of this switch shall not affect the PFE output. The PFE shall be
capable of working with earth potentials of up to 200V with reference to Power Feeding
Earth System. Protection and or switching devices shall be provided to ensure that the
voltage between the Power Feeding Earth System and Dedicated Station Earth does not
rise above 200V.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 21

 6.9.2 Dedicated Station Earth (Building Ground)

The Dedicated Station Earth is for safety use, auxiliary supplies and signaling earth. For
redundancy, this shall be provided by two (2) independent cables connected directly to
the station earth system, referred to as BG1 And BG2. The PFE shall provide for the
independent monitoring of these cables.

6.9.3 Rack Safety Earth

All racking and external metalwork shall be capable of being connected to the general
station earth. This is provided by a dedicated cable connected directly to the station earth
system.

The PFE shall limit the voltage difference between the Power Feeding Earth (Ocean
Ground) and the station earth and the rack earth to safe levels (less than 200V). An alarm
shall be provided to monitor this voltage difference.

In the event of an Ocean Ground failure or if the maximum acceptable potential

difference between the power feeding earth and the Dedicated Station Earth is exceeded,
Power Feeding Earth shall be automatically connected to Dedicated Station Earth and
LATCHED in that state. The operation of the device shall not cause interruption or
permanent interference to the PFE output or permit rises in power equipment earth
potential sufficient to damage the equipment or endanger personnel. This device shall be
maintainable in-service. A monitor shall be provided to indicate any current fed to
Dedicated Station Earth.

The threshold voltage difference (between Power Feeding Earth and Dedicated Station
Earth) for automatic shunting of Power Feeding Earth to Dedicated Station Earth shall be
200V.

Whenever Power Feeding Earth and Dedicated Station Earth are connected together
(either automatically or manually) latched audible and visual alarms shall be activated.

6.10 Cable Electroding

The PFE shall provide in-service electroding capability via a low frequency tone (4 to 50Hz +/-
0.1Hz) for undersea cable locating and fault localization. The electroding tone shall be internally
generated by the PFE equipment. Also, an external electroding access port shall be available for
external tone-injecting equipment (via TEST JACK mode on the OMU)
Electroding amplitude shall be adjustable from 0 to 150mA rms while the PFE is providing is
providing a DC current (this level is sufficient to produce 10mA at a point 500km downstream
from the PFE, the level necessary for cable detection with conventional sensing equipment). The
electroding signal shall be superposed on the DC output. The amplitude shall be controlled such
that the minimum output current is greater than 200 mA and the maximum current is less than
1.8A.

6.11 Power Indicators

A device shall be permanently connected to indicate the presence of current on the Cable. The
presence of current on the Cable shall be indicated even if the Cable is Single End Fed from
another station. The indicator shall be visible from the outside of the CTU.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 22

 Indicators shall be provided to reflect the connectivity of each Power Converter (on Cable or on
Test Load). These shall be labeled “In-Service” and “Out-of-Service”.

6.12 Electrical Requirements

The power for feeding the submersible plant shall be derived from the station power supply by
means of solid state devices. The equipment shall operate at ultrasonic frequencies (>20 kHz).

6.12.1 Requirements

Output current stability under a constant load shall be better than 0.1% over any 24 hour
period in the temperature range of 5 to 40°C and over the range of 40°C to 50°C for not
more than 24 hours.
Output current ripple shall be less than 10mA peak-to-peak at any output current.
Output voltage ripple shall be less than 0.2% peak-to-peak of any output voltage.

6.12.2 Regulation

The PFE shall provide a regulated supply which shall tolerate:

• The failure of one Power Converter
• The failure of LCU or NSU
• Variation of Input power supply voltages and any transient such as those produced
when switching to the station battery due to failure of the primary power supply
• Ambient temperature changes within the operating range detailed in the
specification.

6.12.3 Current Surges

The PFE shall be designed such that a current surge caused by a short circuit applied to
the output of the PFE while feeding its maximum design voltage is not sufficient to
damage the Cable.
The supplier shall define the response of the PFE to the application of a short circuit
applied to the output while feeding its maximum design voltage. This response shall
include the maximum current, surge duration and shutdown characteristics if applicable.

6.12.4 Output Voltage

The output voltage of the PFE shall automatically adjust to maintain the normal line
current in the presence of naturally induced voltages.

6.12.5 Electrical Noise

The PFE shall not generate or pass on to the Cable any appreciable AC energy other
than the allowable ripple present at the fundamental switching frequency.

6.12.6 Load Characteristics

The PFE shall be capable of powering into a resistive, capacitive, or inductive load. As
such, it requires a controlled ramp-up/ramp-down capability.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 23

6.13 Monitoring and Alarm Requirements
The PFE shall provide operation and performance monitoring and to initiate station alarms as
necessary. All programmable alarms shall be capable of being tested with the PFE in-service and
without disturbing the PFE output or leaving the PFE unprotected.
Fixed alarms and shutdown mechanisms shall be testable out-of-service.
Under all operating conditions the alarms and monitors shall clearly indicate conditions that can
affect the long term performance of the PFE.

6.13.1 Alarms

Alarms shall be provided in accordance with the requirements below. Alarms shall be
generated to enable fault finding and easy maintenance in the event of a PFE or Cable
fault.
Tripping alarms shall be provided which will shut the PFE down to prevent risk to
personnel and any hazardous conditions being applied to the System. The trip alarm
threshold shall be higher than the audible alarm threshold and shall be realized in
hardware at the appropriate locations in the PFE. The sequencing of trips and alarms shall
be such as to minimize the risk of unnecessary shut down while ensuring full protection
of personnel and equipment.
Alarm limits shall be adjustable around the voltage and current operating setpoints.
Alarm severity shall be configurable via the LCU.
Alarms shall be raised for:
• High Voltage. This is an indication that the output is above that normal operating setting
but below that which would constitute a risk to the system or performance.
• Low Voltage. This is an indication that the output is below that normal operating setting
but above that which would constitute a risk to the system or performance.
• Very High Voltage. This is an indication that the output is above that normal operating
setting and which would constitute a risk to the system. This alarm shall cause an
immediate shut down of the equipment.
• High Current. This is an indication that the output is above that normal operating
setting but that which would constitute a risk to the system or performance.
• Low Current. This is an indication that the output is below that normal operating
setting but above that which would constitute a risk to the system or performance.
• Very High Current. This is an indication that the output is above that normal
operating setting and which would constitute a risk to the system. This alarm shall
cause an immediate shut down of the equipment.
• Battery Voltage Out of Limits. This is an indication that the primary supply voltage
is such that correct operation of the PFE cannot be guaranteed. This alarm shall cause
an immediate shut down of the equipment.
• Very Low Current. This is an indication that the system is open circuit or that the
current has fallen to a level that could damage the system. This alarm shall be
programmable to levels as low as zero amperes (i.e., disabled) and shall initiate a
shutdown of the equipment.
• Power Feeding Earth Fail. This is an indication that the primary return earth system
has failed. Under these conditions power feeding current should automatically be
routed to the Dedicated Station Earth.
• Shut down This is an indication that the PFE has been shutdown either automatically
by generation of another failure, manually or via emergency shutdown

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 24

• Electroding This is an indication that the electroding feature is active.
• Power Converter Fan Failure This is an indication that the fan on a Power
Converter has failed. This alarm shall cause an immediate shutdown of the affected
Power Converter
• Test Load Fan Failure This is an indication that a fan on a Test Load has failed.
This alarm shall cause an immediate shutdown of the power converter(s) feeding the
Test Load and of the Test Load itself
• Power Converter Over Temperature This is an indication that the Power Converter
temperature has exceeded safe operating limits. This alarm shall cause an immediate
shutdown of the affected Power Converter
• Test Load Over Temperature This is an indication that the Test Load temperature
has exceeded safe operating limits. This alarm shall cause an immediate shutdown of
the power converter(s) feeding the Test Load and of the Test Load itself
• Power Converter High Temperature This is an indication that the Power Converter
temperature has reached the maximum safe operating limit.
• Test Load High Temperature This is an indication that the Test Load temperature
has reached the maximum safe operating limit.
• LCU High Temperature This is an indication that the LCU temperature has reached
the maximum safe operating limit.
• Power Converter Fault This is an indication that the Power Converter has failed.
This alarm shall cause an immediate shutdown of the affected Power Converter
• Test Load Fault This is an indication that the Test Load has failed. This alarm shall
cause an immediate shutdown of the power converter(s) feeding the Test Load and of
the Test Load itself
• Door Open This is an indication when any access panel or door is improperly closed.
This alarm shall cause an immediate shutdown of the PFE
• Emergency Stop This is an indication that the PFE has been shutdown via either the
local or remote emergency shutdown
• Station Alarms Disabled This is an indication that the alarm extension feature has
been disabled.

All PFE alarms, performance information and status shall be passed to the Maintenance
Controller via the LCU 10/100 Base-T Ethernet interface. The PFE shall date and time
stamp all alarm and performance reports. The timestamps shall be accurate to 15 seconds
per year and conform to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) standard. The accuracy
of the timestamp will be maintained by synchronizing with the network clock via
Maintenance Controller.

Re-setting of Alarms
All major alarms (shutdown) shall remain active until reset by the operating personnel.

Failure of Alarm Circuit

Failure of any alarm or tripping alarm circuit shall cause an alarm to be signaled.

Alarm Display After Shut Down

The alarm system shall be arranged so that the alarm conditions resulting from a fault are
readily apparent after the PFE has shut down.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 25

 Alarm Extensions
Facilities shall be provided which allow the equipment alarms to be extended to a station
alarm scheme by means of a connection which has a set of normally open free contacts
with an impedance to earth of not less than 1 Mega Ohm.
Alarm Categories shall be:
• Major Audible
• Minor Audible
• Major Visual
• Minor Visual.

PFE shall provide the ability to temporarily disable alarm extensions for testing purposes.
Disabling the alarm extension shall raise an alarm.

Alarm Cut-Off (ACO)

Audible alarms shall be fitted with Alarm Cut-Off capability. If a new alarm condition
occurs when the ACO is active, the audible alarm shall be re-instated.
A facility shall be provided to permit the silencing of an audible alarm under the given
conditions:
• alarm remains registered in the LCU
• transmitted to the Maintenance Controller
• active on a Cable Station alarm
• shall not mask subsequent PFE alarms.

Alarm Centering Facility

The PFE shall include a one-step facility by which the current alarms are centered at ± 2%
and the voltage alarms are centered at ± 15% of the present output.

6.13.2 PFE Performance Monitoring

The following PFE performance information shall be continuously monitored:

• Power Feeding voltage
• Power Feeding current
• Dedicated Station Earth current
• Power Feeding Earth current
• Voltage difference between Dedicated Station Earth and Power Feeding Earth
• Alarm Status.

The above values shall be reported to the Maintenance Controller via the LCU 10/100
Base-T Ethernet every 5 seconds. Provisions shall be made to accommodate queries from
the maintenance controller for supporting data regarding alarms and status.

Meters
The PFE shall incorporate metering devices to indicate voltages, currents and other
relevant parameters at principal points in the PFE, to include the output of each Power

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 26

 Converter, Dedicated Station Earth current, Power Feeding Earth current and high
voltage output to the line.
• Meters shall be located on the front of the PFE at working height
• Meters fitted in high voltage sections of the circuit shall be fitted with external shunt
resistors and static free glass. If fitting of such glass affects the ability to read the
meter, then meter illumination shall be provided
• The accuracy of all meters provided shall be 0.1% on currents and 0.5% on voltage.
• It shall be possible for these metered outputs to be accessible externally to the PFE,
for monitoring by test equipment.

Data Logging
The PFE shall be able to capture data at a minimum frequency of 10ms or 100 samples
per second. The device shall have the storage capacity to record data for 7 days minimum.
The device shall communicate to both the PFE central maintenance processor and the
EMS via Ethernet connectivity. The device shall use a java type web browser for easy
recording configuration and channel setup and shall be integrated into the central
maintenance processor tasking architecture.
The following data points shall be available for logging:
• PFE Output Voltage
• PFE Output Current
• Station Ground Current
• Ocean Ground Voltage

Equipment Faults
PFE fault location shall result in an unambiguous identification of a single field-
replaceable module. Fault location shall utilize the Alarm indications, monitor points, test
points and displays to identify the unit to be changed.
A fault location tree shall be provided.

6.14 Mechanical / Environmental Requirements

6.14.1 Dimensions / Loading / Power Consumption

The entire PFE, including the Test Load, LCU, Power Converters, Patch Panel, PFE
Monitor, and OMU shall be contained in a single ETSI compliant bay 2200mm H x
600mm W x 600mm D.
The weight of a fully populated PFE shall not exceed 1300kg (~2860 lbs.) consistent with
the distributed floor loading requirements (560 kg/m2) of GR-63-CORE.

The weight of any single PFE element shall adhere to the guidelines below per GR-63-
CORE. If any single element exceeds 25kg labeling indicating safe carrying methods
shall be prominently displayed.
• 10 to 25 kg (22 – 55.1 lb) One person carrying
• 25 to <50 kg (55.1 -110.2 lb) Two Person carrying
• 50 to <100 kg (110.2 – 220.5 lb) Two person carrying w/ Mechanical Assistance.

Mounting means shall include provision for electrical isolation of the bay from the
building and overhead racking. For this purpose the cabinet shall be equipped with 5/8”-

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 27

 11 UNC 2B internal threaded fasteners in each of the top four (4) corners. (These may be
also used for removable lifting eyes).

The floor mounting shall be compatible with the Hendry 08022K01 seismic anchor kit
and the Hendry 08021-V66 or 08024-V12 isolation pad or equivalent.

6.14.2 Measurement And Maintenance Test Points

The PFE shall include measurement and maintenance test points to carry out installation
and maintenance tests. The PFE shall be designed with the minimum number of types of
electrical test connectors.
Test points and jacks shall be accessed on the equipment front face where practical. The
connection of any impedance including short circuit to a test or monitor point shall not
affect the PFE performance.

6.14.3 Plug-In Units

Any plug-in units or sub-assemblies which perform the same functions shall be identical
and interchangeable physically and electrically, excluding any initial configuration
adjustments. The design of the PFE shall be such that modules plugged into an incorrect
location shall not cause electrical or mechanical damage to any part of the equipment and
shall not pose a safety hazard.

6.14.4 Face Layout & Designations

The function of each plug-in unit shall be apparent from its designation and from its
relative location. The direction of the power paths between plug-in units and between
shelves shall form a horizontal and vertical progression where practical.
Racks, shelves and cards shall show their relative designations. Adequate designations
shall be printed at each test, alarm and control point, etc. Designations of jacks, meters,
test points, etc. printed on the equipment shall be in English.

6.14.5 Controls, Supervisory Indicators and Connectors

The PFE design shall reflect good ergonomic design principles. In particular the function
of controls, supervisory indicators and test points shall be readily apparent from its
location, designation or coloring, or a combination thereof. Controls or connectors, which
represent a safety hazard to personnel or to the System, shall be so identified, and
protected as necessary. The variety of controls and connectors to be used shall be as a
minimum consistent with the above requirements. Regularly used operational controls,
supervisory indicators and test points shall be mounted at convenient working height.
Frequently used controls may be left exposed.

6.14.6 Equipment Color Scheme

The PFE shall be painted beige in color. The surface finish shall be durable for the life of
the PFE.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 28

6.14.7 Acoustic Noise

Any power converter used within the PFE shall operate at ultrasonic frequencies. No
discomfort shall be caused to station personnel due to acoustic or vibration effects of
noise generated by the equipment. The PFE shall comply with ETSI requirements of ETS
300 753.
Acoustic noise requirements for the Test Load should meet ETS 300 753 on a best effort
basis.

6.14.8 Environmental Conditions

General
The reference ambient temperature shall be measured at a height of 1.5 meters above the
floor and 0.4 meters from the face of the rack.
The maximum long-term aisle operating temperature shall be 40°C. The maximum short-
term aisle operating temperature shall be 50°C for a period of 24 hours per GR-63-CORE.

Normal Ambient Conditions

The equipment shall operate at ambient conditions as indicated in ETSI requirement ETS
300 019-1-3:1992, Class 3.1, while complying with the performance requirements.

Severe Ambient Conditions

The PFE shall operate at ambient conditions as indicated in ETSI requirement ETS 300
019-1-3:1992, Class 3.1E, but not necessarily fully complying with the performance
requirements. The PFE shall revert to normal performance after the normal ambient
conditions, as specified above, have been restored. The supplier shall specify the
performance degradation and define the maximum amount of time the PFE can be
operated under these conditions in order not to affect the PFE’s Design Life.

Transport Ambient Conditions

The PFE adequately packed shall, during transport, withstand the ambient conditions
indicated in ETSI requirement ETS 300 019-1-2:1992, Table 1, class 2.3 without causing
impairment to the PFE performance and life. Exposure of properly packed PFE to these
ambient conditions shall not exceed 30 days.

Storage Ambient Conditions

The unpacked PFE shall withstand during temporary storage the ambient conditions
indicated in ETSI requirement ETS 300 019-1-1:1992, Class 1.1 without any damage.

6.14.9 Cooling

Forced air cooling fans may be used in this PFE. The fans and filters shall be replaceable
without interrupting the PFE output. A single fan failure shall not cause a PFE shutdown,
failure or degradation in PFE output. The fans shall be alarmed such that the failure of a
single fan triggers an alarm.

All forced air cooling shall flow from front to back, and shall cause a positive pressure
within each shelf. Cooling air shall enter the shelf from the front only, and shall exit from
the front, back, or top of the shelf. Ventilation shall not be through the sides of the shelf.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 29

 All blank spaces in the equipment bay shall be covered. The exhaust air temperature out
of the top of the cabinet shall not exceed 20°C above ambient under continuous full load
conditions.

The design of the exhaust shall not constitute a safety hazard to personnel.
If an overheating condition occurs, a two-stage alarm shall first issue a warning alarm
and then, if the overheating condition worsens, shall cause the equipment to
automatically shut down to protect itself from permanent damage. In the event of an
over-temperature shutdown condition, all outputs shall be ramped down to zero volts and
latched OFF until an operator intervenes.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL THE HIGH VOLTAGE OUTPUT BE

ALLOWED TO RE-ENERGIZE AUTOMATICALLY; THIS WOULD CONSTITUTE
A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD!

The fans shall operate and meet all requirements when either of the redundant power
inputs has been removed.

All fans shall be powered by -48VDC (nominal) and shall operate over the range of -40.5
to -57.0VDC. No equipment damage shall occur if less than -40.5VDC is applied, or if
greater than -57.0VDC is applied, up to a maximum of 60.0VDC. If necessary, lower
voltage DC fans (12VDC or 24VDC) may be used, provided their power input is properly
regulated. Fans shall operate reliably and be capable of a cold start over the entire voltage
range.

6.14.10 Ingress of Dust

The PFE shall be designed to minimize the effect of dust on its operation. Unless the
ingress of dust can be entirely prevented all high voltage parts shall be suitably protected.

6.14.11 Ionization

The corona test shall be made at a DC voltage of 9.0 kV. The corona test reference shall
be 15 pico-coulombs and 20 discharges or more exceeding this level in 90 seconds in one
successive 90 second interval shall be considered a failure. The relative humidity
requirement for the test is 30% to 40%.

6.14.12 ESD/EMC Conditions

The equipment once installed shall meet the following EMC/ESD standards and
requirements:

6.14.13 Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

The PFE shall withstand perturbation from ESD and provide a connection point for an
ESD wrist strap.
IEC 61000-4-2 (formerly 1000 PT 4-2) Issue 1.2 - 2001 - Electrostatic Discharge:
• Test level 2: Test result 1 (normal performance).
• Test level 3: Test result 2 (reduced performance).
• Test level 4: Test result 3 (loss of functionality, e.g., customer reset).

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Conducted Susceptibility
• IEC 61000-4-4 (formerly 1000 PT 4-4) - 1995 - Electrical fast transient/burst
immunity, level 2 (normal performance)
• IEC 61000-4-5 (formerly 1000 PT 4-5) - 1995 - Surge Immunity, level 2 (normal
performance)
• IEC 61000-4-6 (formerly 1000 PT 4-6) Issue 1.1 - 2001 - Conducted Interference,
level 2 (normal performance).

Radiated Susceptibility
• IEC 61000-4-3 (formerly 1000 PT 4-3) Issue 1.2 - 2001 - Radiated Immunity, level 3
(normal performance)
• The immunity to the radiated electric fields shall comply with carrier frequency at
900MHz, 1300 MHz and 1800 MHz).

Conducted Emissions
• IEC CISPR 22 Issue 3 - 1997 - Class A Radiated & Conducted Emissions from
Information Technology Equipment.

Radiated Emissions
• IEC CISPR 22 issue 3 - 1997 - Class A Radiated & Conducted Emissions from
Information Technology Equipment

Electric Field
The electric field shall be measured in the range of:
• - 1000 MHz according to IEC CISPR 22 Class A, E < 47db (µv/m)
• 1000 - 2000 MHz, < 47db (µv/m) and measuring method as IEC CISPR 22.

Magnetic Field
• The magnetic field shall be measured in the range 10 kHz - 30 MHz, at 1 meter of the
equipment. The requirements are given in Table 4 below for three type of equipment:
• Static power feeding equipment (> 5 kVA)
• Video Display Terminals (with CRT)
• Other equipment.

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 Magnetic Field H (dB (μA/m))
Static
Video
Frequency Power
Display
(MHz) Feeding Other
Terminal
Equipment Equipment
with
(Power >5
CRT
kVA)
0.01 66 56 46
0.15 66 56 46
1.6 20 10 16
30 20 10 16
Table 5 — Magnetic Field H (dB(μA/m))

Figure 5 — Magnetic Field Limits

Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC)

The electro-magnetic compatibility of the PFE or any of its component units shall not
exceed the limits as defined in Cenelec EN 55022 category B.

6.14.13 Shock and Vibration

Particular precautions shall be taken to physically secure all components used in the
equipment to prevent them vibrating free. A fully populated PFE bay shall be capable of

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 withstanding a seismic zone level-4 earthquake, per spec GR-63-CORE. External bracing,
if required, shall be supplied with the PFE.
The PFE shall meet the shock and vibration limitations applicable to the packed and
unpacked material during transportation, which are compliant with IEC 721, ETS 300
019-1-1, ETS 300 019-1-2 and ETS 300 019-1-3 recommendations.
The shipping container/packaging shall be part of the PFE design, subject to the
requirement for design change approval per section 1.3 of this document.

6.14.14 Fire Protection and Access

The use of flammable materials shall be minimized. The product design shall be such that
the PFE cabinet meets the requirements of a fire enclosure per EN 60950.

6.15 Reliability & Redundancy

6.15.1 Redundancy

The PFE shall contain redundant voltage sharing Power Converters and be capable of
series operation with a PFE of opposite polarity at the far end of the Cable system. In the
event of a Power Converter failure the redundant converters shall automatically adjust the
output to assume the full station voltage within 50ms, without affecting the total PFE
output. In the event of an entire PFE failure for a DEF configuration, the far end PFE
shall automatically adjust its output to assume the full system voltage.

6.15.2 System Life and Overall Reliability

The design life of this equipment shall be a minimum of 15 years. However, a 25 year
design life is highly desirable and should be the initial design goal unless a significant
cost penalty would result.

The Mean-Time -To-Repair (MTTR) for any PFE repair shall not exceed 4 hours.

The PFE shall have a service-affecting failure rate of <500 FITs. In order to meet this
objective, it is expected that the PFE supplier will have Power Converter redundancy and
will have an LCU whose failure will not disturb the operation or setting of the PFE at the
time the LCU fails.

The supplier shall recommend the required level of sparing based upon the quantity and
reliability of each unit along with the repair times.

6.15.3 Parallel Current Paths

All of the less reliable components in the high voltage output power circuit, e.g., meters,
shall be provided with parallel current paths.

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7 SOFTWARE
7.1 General
Any software and firmware (“Software”) to be provided as part of the PFE shall be modular in
structure, written in internationally recognized high-level language where appropriate and shall be
fully protected against changes being inadvertently introduced during operational use. The
supplier shall provide software and firmware support throughout the PFE Design Life including
but not limited to correction of faults and porting to a different hardware platform in the event of
equipment obsolescence. The operating systems utilized on the PFE shall be no older than that
which was current at the time of contract signature.

7.2 Software Documentation

The supplier shall not include in the Software any facility that is not described in the
documentation supplied with the PFE.

7.3 Traffic & Data Protection

Any operator initiated software action that may impact the PFE output or alarm limits shall be
access limited by passwords and give a warning and require confirmation by the operator. Any
software reset shall not impact the traffic nor cause loss or corruption of the already collected
information.

7.4 Software Testing

All software and software upgrades shall be fully tested before delivery on either a fully
representative set of system hardware or by using independently produced software simulation of
the hardware, or a combination of fully representative hardware and software simulation.

7.5 Software Qualification

Qualification of all software shall be qualified before delivery on a fully representative set of
hardware.

7.6 Software Upgrades

Updating of software, if found necessary and if agreed by the Purchasers shall meet the following
requirements:
• It shall not impact the PFE output
• Retrieval of the previous information in the database shall be possible
• Any software upgrade and upgrade procedures shall be tested
• It will be fully documented and unambiguously identified
• Shall be a process than can be performed in the field without the disassembly of any
hardware
• All PFE settings are preserved through upgrade process.

7.7 Software Performance

Any event which causes any software application to stop working shall be considered as a fault.
The supplier shall fully investigate the problem and provide full details of the cause of the failure.
Restarting the computer and the software application is not considered to be a long term solution
to the failure. The supplier shall provide all software “bug” fixes over the lifetime of the hardware.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 34

 This software may be provided as an interim software patch or through a new release of the entire
software package.

7.8 Dating Compliance

The Dating changes shall have no impact on the functionality of the PFE. The following
requirements apply to the PFE:
• Leap years shall be correctly calculated until at least 2040
• No improper use shall be made of date fields. (For example the value 99 in a year field
shall not mean “unlimited”)
• Counters used to determine the date and time shall not overflow between now and the
year 2040. (For example Global Positioning System counters)
• There shall be no other date-related problems before the year 2040
• If any date of time information is transmitted to or received from any other system it shall
not cause any problems before the year 2040
• All date information shall be correctly displayed and or printed up to the year 2040
• The display and printing of date information shall be DD/MM/YYYY
• The time format shall adhere to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) standard.

High Voltage | Gen4 PFE Specification 35

8 ACRONYMS
API Application Programming Interface
ACO Alarm Cut-Off
AWG American Wire Gauge
DEF Double End Feed
FIT Failure-In-Time
LCU Local Control Unit
LKM LCD Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse
MTBF Mean-Time-Between-Failure
MTTR Mean-Time-To-Repair
NSU Network Switch Unit
OMU Output Monitor Unit
OPU Output Monitor Unit
PFE Power Feed Equipment
PTM Power Termination Module
BATA Power “A”
BATB Power “B”
RH Relative Humidity
RMI Remote Method Invocation
SEF Single End Feed
UTC Coordinated Universal Time
VFD Vacuum Fluorescent Display

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