Abstract:
A towing link consists of spaced-apart head and tailpieces. The headpiece includes a towing eye and a pair of lugs for receiving the stress members of a streamer and a lead-in cable. The tailpiece defines a pair of bores through which the stress member and electrical conductors of the two cables are inserted and sealed. A pair of mating connector plugs are provided to interconnect corresponding conductors of the two cables. The assembly is enclosed in a watertight plastic boot.
Abstract:
An improved seismic measuring cable includes a series of hose sections containing hydrophones or the like joined together by coupling devices having cylindrical sections carrying sleeves joined to the hoses and half-tube portions joinable to each other. Each half-tube portion has castellations which interlock with a like half-tube portion to form a tension-resisting cylindrical closed volume for containing electrical connectors to interconnect wires leading to the hydrophones, the interlocked half-tubes being then covered by a cylindrical jacket. Tension load cables extend between the coupling devices at opposite ends of a hose section. The hoses can be oil filled. Embodiments of hose supporting members, hydrophone supports and joining means are disclosed.
Abstract:
A vibration isolation module is interposed between a sonar array and its ing cable. A number of nylon cords contained within the vibration isolation module normally bear the load induced by the hydrodynamic drag of the array. Since the nylon cords are encased in a rubber-like envelope, noise and vibrations created by the towing cable are damped and prevented from overly interfering with the responsiveness of the sonar array. When, however, the array's drag is increased by, for example, a faster towing speed, the cords stretch and a central braided member bears the load. The braided member has a strength considerably in excess of the nylon cords to assure that the towed sonar array is not lost. Since the braided member is filled with a viscous material and there are no other voids in the rubber-like envelope, the module can be pulled through a hull penetrator to deploy or retrieve the sonar array.
Abstract:
Receiver of continuous structure adapted to be laid on the ground surface or underground, for seismic prospecting on land, comprising at least one support member for geophones, made of a flexible material having an elongated central portion and two lateral portions defining therewith at least one recess, said geophones being fastened to the central portion of the support member and coupled to the earth therethrough and said lateral portions being provided with longitudinal channels housing conductor cables.
Abstract:
A connector assembly for splicing two sections of a multiconductor seismic drag cable. The assembly consists of threaded stress-member extension pins that are swaged to the central stress members of the cable sections that are to be joined. Union couplings, interconnected by a flexible stress section, are screwed to the threaded extension pins, thereby mechanically joining the cable sections. The extension pins are surrounded by perforated bulkheads. Corresponding conductors from each multiconductor cable are inserted through the perforations and are electrically interconnected by suitable plug means. The entire assembly is enclosed by a sealed, kerosenefilled, flexible boot.
Abstract:
A device for reducing noise in a towed hydrophone system caused by cable strum is provided by producing a signal that is proportional to the strum signal but is uninfluenced by the acoustic signal. A geophone, an accelerometer or a strain gauge may be suitably positioned to be sensitive only to the distortion caused by cable strum. The strum signal thus detected is introduced in opposition to the combined acoustic and strum signal received by the hydrophone so that strum noise in the acoustic signal is erased or substantially deleted.
Abstract:
A hydrophone assembly for use in a marine streamer having a cable core includes a piezoelectric crystal in the form of a cylinder that is mounted in concentric relation on the cable core by cap assemblies. Each cap assembly is formed in two separate halves that can be fitted together and sealed with respect to the cylinder and core after the crystal is in place and has been connected to the electrical conductors inside the core.
Abstract:
Acoustic wave receiver for underwater seismic prospecting comprising a plurality of tubular sections filled with liquid and containing coupled pressure sensors, at least one impedance adapter, electric wires interconnecting said sensors, a multiconductor cable and towing cables, end couplers at the extremities of section comprising means for anchoring the towing cables and means for electric connection to the multiconductor cable, said sections being coupled by means of coupling sleeves surrounding the end couplers in a tight manner.
Abstract:
A streamer cable is disclosed that has a plurality of float members inside its outer sheath to add buoyancy and allow the diameter of the cable to be kept to a minimum. The sensors or hydrophones carried by the cable are connected accoustically to the water by a filler having good accoustic properties. The filler is either an elastomeric material cured in place or a high temperature-low viscosity, low temperature-high viscosity, grease-like material. A method of locating the float members for uniform buoyance is also disclosed.
Abstract:
Seismic hydrophone streamer assemblies are constructed utilizing hydrophones which comprise cylindrical segments of crystals disposed with the axis of the crystals transverse to the axis of the streamer cable. This construction permits usage of a crystal having a diameter significantly larger than the diameter of the cable regardless of whether the crystal is disposed internally of a streamer cable. A crystal mounting means is provided which can be affixed to the exterior of a central stress member streamer cable and which supports the crystal solely by the edge of the crystal segment parallel to the cylindrical axis of the cylinder.