Low-Diameter Seismic Streamer Cable with Sensor Cut-Outs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current seismic streamer cables face reliability and cost issues due to their large diameter, which increases storage space requirements and towing forces, limiting the efficiency of seismic operations.
Innovation Solution
A low-diameter seismic streamer cable design incorporating a buffer layer with cut-outs for sensor elements, including fibre optic hydrophones and accelerometers with optical fibre Bragg gratings, and a distributed strain sensor system to reduce strain on the optical fibre, allowing for efficient coiling and decoupling from cable strain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large diameter streamer cable is used, then sensor capacity and reliability are improved, but storage space requirements and towing forces increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cable is divided into modular sensor elements spaced along its length, with each element containing sensors for measuring acoustic and seismic parameters. This segmentation allows the cable to maintain sensor capacity while reducing the diameter of individual cable sections between sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a continuous sensor distribution approach to a discrete distributed sensor array, organizing sensors in spatial clusters rather than requiring continuous cable diameter for sensor capacity.
2Reliability
If a large diameter streamer cable is used, then sensor capacity is improved, but towing forces and vessel requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the cable into modular sensor elements with spacing between them, the cable's effective diameter is reduced, thereby decreasing the towing force required while maintaining sensor capacity through the distributed array configuration.
3Reliability
If optical fibre is used for sensors, then reliability is improved, but strain on the fibre increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a buffer layer surrounding the optical fibre that cushions and protects the fibre from mechanical strain and environmental factors, thereby maintaining fibre reliability while reducing strain during cable deployment and operation.
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 design enables a more reliable and cost-effective seismic streamer cable with reduced drag forces, allowing for longer cable lengths to be towed with less fuel consumption and emission, improving data capture and spatial resolution.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor element may be designed as a split-element sensor realized in its most basic form as a combination of a split-element sensor base and an optical fibre sensor coil
Implementation Method 2
The optical fibre also includes optical fibre Bragg gratings (FBG) forming optical fibre interferometers
Implementation Method 3
The optical fibre also includes optical fibre Bragg gratings (FBG) forming optical fibre interferometers
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a solid seismic streamer cable for use in seismic surveying in marine environments. The streamer is characterized by a buffer layer 2 which is provided with a cut-out 50 and a sensor element arranged in the cut-out 50. There is also provided an associated hydrophone for integration into the seismic streamer cable. The hydrophone is characteristic in a split-element sensor base 10, 11 being suited for efficient mounting into the cut-outs 50 of the seismic cable. There is also provided an associated accelerometer for integration into the seismic streamer cable. The accelerometer is characteristic by a split-element sensor base 30, 35 for being efficiently arranged into the cut-outs 50 of the seismic cable. A method of producing a seismic streamer cable according to the invention incorporating a hydrophone or accelerometer according to the invention is also provided.