Streamer Cable Wiring Slack Design for Bending Stress
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing of solid streamer cables for seismic data acquisition is complicated due to the challenge of managing wire stresses caused by bending forces, which leads to wire deformations and breaks, and existing solutions like twisting wires complicate the manufacturing and repair processes by making it difficult to access and connect sensors and electronics.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an elastic elongation local wiring scheme that runs inline with the cable core, incorporating S-shapes or corrugations to provide slack, allowing the wiring to withstand tension and bending forces, and enabling easier access and connection during the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wires are twisted around the central core with a certain lay length to cancel compressional and tensional forces, then wire reliability under bending forces is improved, but manufacturing complexity and difficulty of connecting sensors and electronics increases
Solution Approach 1:
The streamer cable is divided into multiple streamer sections, each containing a subset of sensors and local wiring. This segmentation allows sensors and wiring to be pre-assembled and tested independently before integration into the final cable assembly, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining wire reliability through the twisted configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors and local wiring are pre-assembled and pre-tested in separate streamer sections before being integrated into the complete streamer cable. This preliminary action allows for easier connection and repair operations, as components can be prepared and verified independently prior to final assembly.
2Ease of operation
If wires are run external to the stress member armoring, then ease of connecting sensors and electronics is improved, but wire susceptibility to deformation and breakage from bending forces increases
Solution Approach 1:
The local wiring is nested within the streamer section structure, which itself is nested within the larger streamer cable assembly. This nested arrangement protects the wiring from external bending forces while allowing access to connection points through the streamer section interface, balancing ease of connection with wire integrity.
3Productivity
If sensors and wiring are pre-assembled before integrating into the streamer section, then manufacturing time is reduced, but access to wiring for connection becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The streamer cable is segmented into multiple modular streamer sections, each containing pre-assembled sensors and wiring. This segmentation enables parallel pre-assembly of multiple sections, significantly improving manufacturing productivity. Simultaneously, each section remains independently accessible for connection and repair operations through its external interface.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors and wiring are pre-assembled and pre-tested within each streamer section before final integration. This preliminary action accelerates the overall manufacturing process by enabling concurrent preparation of multiple sections, while the modular design ensures that pre-assembled units remain accessible for future connection and maintenance operations.
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
This approach simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing pre-assembly of seismic sensors and wiring before integrating them into the streamer section, reducing the risk of wire breaks and facilitating easier maintenance by distributing tensional forces effectively.
Implementation Method 1
A local wiring scheme that imparts elastic elongation in a simple manner. The wiring scheme may be designed to run inline with the cable core and may be S-shaped or corrugated to thus incorporate the desired slack such that the wiring scheme can withstand both tension variations as well as bending forces
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a streamer cable includes connecting seismic devices using slacked wire and disposing a polymer body having a channel defined therein around the seismic devices and the wire such that the wire extends through the channel.