Seismic Cable Negative Buoyancy Snagging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Seismic cables used in marine environments face challenges such as snagging, binding, and tangling due to connectors and buoyancy issues, which affect accurate placement and retrieval of seismic sensor units, posing risks to personnel and compromising data quality.
Innovation Solution
A flexible seismic cable with a specific gravity greater than water, featuring connectors that prevent signal transmission between segments and minimize snagging risks, and a streamlined design to reduce injury hazards, along with adjustable buoyancy to ensure precise placement and retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional buoyant cables are used, then seismic sensor units can be easily deployed, but the cable snags, binds, and tangles during deployment and retrieval operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the buoyancy parameter of the cable by incorporating weighted sections that provide negative buoyancy. This transforms the cable from being positively buoyant (causing snags and tangles) to negatively buoyant (allowing smooth deployment and retrieval without snagging), directly resolving the contradiction between ease of deployment and operational reliability
2Ease of operation
If connectors are used to attach seismic sensor units, then quick connection is enabled, but the connectors create noise and pose injury risks to personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes traditional metallic connectors from the cable system and replaces them with a lashing system using flexible ropes or chains. This extraction of the harmful connector component eliminates the noise and injury risks while maintaining the ability to quickly attach and detach seismic sensor units
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simple, inexpensive lashing materials (ropes or chains) that can be easily attached and removed without requiring complex, expensive metallic connectors. These simple lashing elements provide sufficient functionality while eliminating the harmful effects of traditional connectors
3Ease of operation
If the cable is made flexible for easy handling, then deployment is simplified, but the cable drifts and fails to reach the bottom accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the density parameter of the cable by incorporating weighted sections with specific gravity greater than water. This creates negative buoyancy that anchors the cable to the sea bottom, preventing drift and ensuring accurate placement while maintaining flexibility for easy handling during deployment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the accuracy and safety of seismic surveys by reducing cable drift and snagging, allowing for precise placement and retrieval of seismic sensor units, thereby improving data quality and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible cable comprises a specific gravity that is greater than a specific gravity of water in the water column
Implementation Method 2
adjustable buoyancy to ensure precise placement and retrieval
Data Source
AI summary
A method for performing a seismic survey in a water column includes providing a length of flexible cable from a cable storage device disposed on a vessel to a cable handling device adjacent the cable storage device. The flexible cable comprises a specific gravity that is greater than a specific gravity of water in the water column. The method further comprises routing the flexible cable to pass adjacent a workstation disposed on the vessel, deploying a free end of the flexible cable into the water column, attaching at least one of a plurality of seismic sensor units to the cable as the cable passes the workstation, and controlling the motion of the vessel and the rotational speed of the cable handling device to allow the flexible cable to rest on the bottom of the water column.