Marine Seismic Streamer Skin Stiffness for Flow Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gel-filled seismic streamers suffer from increased turbulent noise due to the concentration of leaked turbulent flow around sensors, compromising data quality, as they have a soft skin that fails to effectively mitigate flow noise.
Innovation Solution
Increasing the skin stiffness of the seismic streamer to a modulus of elasticity of at least 30 MPa, potentially incorporating ribs on the skin, and using a thermal plastic polyurethane elastomer to reduce turbulent flow noise and maintain flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the skin is made soft for flexibility and handling, then the streamer is easier to deploy and handle, but turbulent flow noise increases and data quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the skin by increasing its modulus of elasticity from conventional soft values to at least 30 MPa. This parameter change allows the skin to resist turbulent flow noise while maintaining sufficient flexibility for deployment and handling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction with multiple layers including an outer skin layer and an inner skin layer with different material properties. The outer skin provides noise resistance while the inner skin maintains flexibility, creating a composite structure that resolves the contradiction between hardness and flexibility.
2Measurement precision
If the skin stiffness is increased to reduce turbulent flow noise, then data quality improves, but the streamer loses flexibility and becomes harder to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the modulus of elasticity parameter to a specific range (at least 30 MPa) that balances noise reduction capability with flexibility requirements. This controlled parameter change ensures data quality improvement without excessive loss of handling ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-layer composite skin structure allows different layers to perform different functions: the outer layer provides stiffness for noise reduction while inner layers maintain flexibility, thus preserving ease of handling while improving measurement precision.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional soft skin is used, then the streamer maintains flexibility, but pressure leakage increases and turbulent noise concentrates around sensors
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the skin's modulus of elasticity to at least 30 MPa, the patent reduces pressure leakage while maintaining controlled flexibility. This parameter optimization prevents turbulent noise concentration around sensors while preserving necessary streamer flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite skin structure with outer and inner layers creates a barrier that reduces pressure leakage more effectively than single-layer soft skin, while the layered construction maintains flexibility through the inner layer material properties.
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 increased skin stiffness reduces turbulent flow noise by minimizing pressure leakage and maintaining flexibility to dampen pressure waves, thereby enhancing data quality in seismic surveys.
Implementation Method 1
the streamer skin has a modulus of elasticity of at least 30 MPa
Implementation Method 2
maintaining flexibility to dampen pressure waves
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a streamer having one or more seismic data acquisition devices enclosed within a skin. The skin has a modulus of elasticity of at least 30 MPa to attenuate a flow noise.