Patent ID: 8230704

Claim:
An optical fiber cooling system comprising an optical fiber cooling tube positioned in and substantially coaxial with a cooling fluid supply plenum, wherein the optical fiber cooling tube comprises: an optical fiber pathway extending along an axial length of the optical fiber cooling tube; a plurality of cooling fluid inlets positioned along the axial length of the optical fiber cooling tube and configured to direct a flow of cooling fluid across the optical fiber pathway from at least two different directions; at least one cooling fluid vent disposed along the axial length of the optical fiber cooling tube between first and second ends of the optical fiber cooling tube, wherein the at least one cooling fluid vent has a cross sectional area which is larger than a cross sectional area of a cooling fluid inlet and the at least one cooling fluid vent is operable to exhaust cooling fluid from the optical fiber cooling tube and thereby prevent bulk axial flow of cooling fluid through the optical fiber cooling tube; and a cooling fluid exhaust plenum positioned in the cooling fluid supply plenum and fluidly coupled to the at least one cooling fluid vent.