What is the Fabric Innerduct?

With the advent of 4K video, 8K video, V.R., AR, and cloud computing, the bandwidth demand significantly increases, which imposes a heavy load on the communications network. Internet service providers are forced to expand the capacity of the cabling system. Thus the Fabric Innerduct comes into play.

Fabric innerduct is a flexible, multi-celled textile innerduct system designed to significantly enlarge existing facilities’ capacity without disrupting the internet service. It helps to capitalize on your conduit capacity by overlaying additional cables in a conduit filled with rigid innerduct or lines. Also, you can safely remove the rigid innerduct from actual pipes. 

Fabric innerduct is the ideal solution for service providers, as it minimizes or even eliminates the need for new conduits. It can recover up to 90% of conduit space and add nine new cables; therefore, no dig, no new trenches, and no Right-of-Way red tape, saving high costs. Compared to the HDPE innerduct, the Fabric innerduct provides cable pathway functionality at a fraction of the cost, labor, energy, space, and carbon emissions.

Features

•     Light construction
• The tensile strength exceeds 2,500 lbs.
• The melting point is 419°, almost twice that of HDPE
• Long-lasting with a design life of 30-50 years, while in contrast, the life of the P.E. sub-tube is only 15 years.
• The textile tube’s thermal expansion and contraction rate are 1/7 of the HDPE sub-tube.
• Accept cables up to 1.37″ O.D.
• Standard and custom lengths
• Add up to 9 new cables.
• Resistant to ground chemicals and petroleum products
• Unaffected by mud, silt, or debris after placement of cable
• Pre-lubricated for lower friction during production and cable installation
• Pre-installed color-coded pull tapes for quick identification
• No reel memory and will not spiral when installed with a swivel
• Designed to work with standard cable reel carriers
• Provide cable sheath protection

 

Benefits

• Recover up to 90% of conduit space
• Save on network construction
• Eliminate new network construction
• Place 300% more cables
• Install 2x faster
• Reduce freight and storage costs
• No engineering costs
• No new trenches
• No new conduit
• No trenching permits are required
• No EPA oversight
• No Right-of-Way red tape
• No property restoration costs from trenching or boring
• No Disruption of Service
• Safer than trenching or boring around current infrastructure
• Service customer needs faster
• Fast process, a no-dig solution
• Reduces material and labor costs by 50% or more in most applications
• Minimizes labor to help keep projects on schedule
• Conforms to tight vault spaces
• More environmentally friendly than HDPE innerduct

• Types of Fabric innerduct

  Fabric innerduct often comes in various configurations, including one, two, and three cell designs for use through 1.25″ to 4″ or larger conduits. Most are available in Standard, Plenum, and Detectable versions.

  4″ 3-Cell

  Designed for 4″ or larger conduits, the 4″ 3-Cell product can hold larger backbone cables up to 1.50″ in diameter in each cell. Two packs can be placed in a 4″ conduit.

  3″ 3-Cell

  Designed for  3″ or larger conduits, the 3″ 3-Cell product can hold cables up to 1.05″ in diameter in each cell. Three packs can be placed in a 4″ pipe.

  2″ 3-Cell

  Designed for 2″ conduits, the 2″ 3-Cell product can hold three cables up to 0.85” in diameter in each cell.

  2″ 2-Cell

  Designed for 2″ conduits, the 2″ 2-Cell product can hold two cables up to 0.85″ in diameter in each cell. It’s ideal for overlay in an occupied 2” line.

  2″ 1-Cell

  Designed for 1.5″ and 2″ conduits, the 2″ 1-Cell product can hold cables up to 0.85″ in diameter in each cell.

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  Applications

  • Cable T.V.
  • TelecomWireless Backhaul
  • Power/Utilities
  • Municipalities
  • University, Corporate, and Hospital Campuses
  • Military and Government Installations
  • Data Centers
  

  Solutions

  Long Pulls (minimize splicing)

  Wherever short pulls are not cost-effective, the Fabric Innerduct can be pulled through multiple maintenance holes, resulting in faster cable placement, eliminating some cable splices, saving many costs, and reducing overall set-up time.

  Cellular Backhaul

  Wherever Cellular Backhaul has problems, such as short underground connections to aerial plants, longer links to underground plants, the

  Fabric Innerduct can create pathways for the insertion of new cables in these already densely occupied smaller conduits.

  Occupied conduits

  Wherever existing outer ducts are occupied with cables, HDPE rigid innerducts, or both, and you don’t want to utilize the last empty duct reserved for future expansion, in this case, the Fabric Innerduct can override existing channels, allowing for additional cables, while avoiding new construction of additional outer duct/innerducts.

  Bridges

  Bridges generally have limited conduit space, tightened space to maneuver equipment, and elements that cause expansion and contraction of HDPE conduit and microducts. Luckily, the Fabric Innerduct, with a lower expansion coefficient, can be used in an overlay or new construction, which optimizes space with actual conduit structure and provides future pathways.

  Space Recovery / Renewal

  Whenever you want to upgrade your cabling system smoothly from copper to fiber, or you find a single duct in the outer duct is wasting space, in these situations, you shall consider overbuilding with the Fabric Innerduct and placing fiber before removing copper,  allowing service to remain intact until network switchover and faster installation.

  Curbs to building

  In these scenarios, there’re typically congested ducts made of PVC or HDPE, which short runs <500ft, with poor design with so many sweeps and bends that it’s challenging to place conduit or microduct. Fortunately, the Fabric Innerduct can be placed in an empty duct or overlayed in an existing congested duct, with no special installation kits needed.

  Premise-Riser

  Where congested riser space in buildings or multi-dwelling units makes drop cable placement difficult, or there is limited space for new electrical metal tubing necessitating conduit fill, in both cases, you shall consider adding Fabric Innerduct in new construction for pathways or overlay existing cables in riser with Fabric Innerduct. In this way, you can minimize the disruption in the building with easier installation by hand.

  Right of Way Obstacles

  The construction planned at railroad crossings requires high permitting costs and time; besides, this would inhibit traffic and create safety hazards for the crew; therefore, using Fabric Innerduct will save time and expenses and minimize traffic disruption.

  

• How to install the Fabric Innerduct?

  Let’s take the example of Maxcell, the Gigant of Fabric innerduct, to illustrate the installation steps better.

  When installing MaxCell Innderduct, ensure swivels are continually used, and the 1250lb pull tapes free-float during installation.

  Installation Instructions for Single-Packs

  First, cut a 2″ incision through the Maxcell Innerduct, 18″ from the end, parallel to the product, made 1/2″ from the colored stitch edge of the product.

  Second, take out all pull tapes through this incision and cut off the surplus. Push remaining ends of pull tapes back into the cells. Make sure the tapes installed can free-float during installation.

  Third, tie a 6-foot piece of pull tape or rope through the incision and secure with a non-slip knot.

  Fourth, with the tied-on pull tape or rope, create three to four half-hitch knots down to the end of the MaxCell. The number of half-hitch knots is proportional to the length of the pull. Under tension, tighten the half-hitch knots in succession, beginning with the closest to the incision. Apply black vinyl tape over the last two half-hitch knots and to the end of MaxCell.

  Fifth, tie the end of the exposed pull tape to a swivel using a non-slip knot. Tie the end of the pull tape or rope from the conduit to the other end of the swivel.

  Finally, begin pulling MaxCell into the conduit. Hand guide the Fabric Innerduct into the conduit opening, maintaining the angle and face of the Maxcell pack all the time. Ensure the MaxCell does not spiral during installation.

  Installation Instructions for Multiple Packs

  First, repeat the first four steps for each individual MaxCell “pack” being installed.

  Next, tie a 6-foot piece of pull tape or rope to all MaxCell sleeves, and create your three to four half-hitch knots around all the sleeves at one time. All tapes should be free-floating.

  Note: It is recommended that the center MaxCell sleeve in a 3-way pull be aligned 1/2 turn coming off the reel so that the color stitching is opposite the top 1/2 bottom sleeve.

  Lastly, begin pulling the MaxCell packs in. It’s better to hand-feed the packs into the conduit, keeping them together, and face the same way through the entire pull.

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• Summary

  As mentioned above, thanks to the invention of Fabric Innerduct, more cables in fewer conduits than ever possible with rigid innerduct. Many partially occupied ducts have used Fabric Innerduct to override existing cables, avoiding the need for new lines and significantly reducing expensive infrastructure projects. The main functionalities of Fabric Innerduct lie in flexibility and space compression.

  In short, using Fabric Innerduct means more space, more productivity, and even more green as it reduces carbon emissions by 86.6% versus HDPE innerduct.

  Do you want to increase your productivity, improve your bottom line and reduce your carbon footprint? Then Pareto Fabric Innerduct is ideally the solution you need.