Geophysical sensor cables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018321402-A1
Application number	US-201815957705-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 19, 2018
Priority date	May 3, 2017
Publication date	Nov 8, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Geophysical sensor cables. At least some of the example embodiments are sensor cable sections including hydrophone groups defined along a geophysical sensor cable section, the hydrophone group may include: a substrate of flexible material having electrical traces thereon, the substrate within the internal volume or embedded within the outer jacket, and the substrate having has a length measured parallel to the longitudinal axis; and a plurality of hydrophones mechanically coupled to the substrate. The substrate may have a variety of shapes, including one or more strips, helix, double helix, and cylindrical.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A geophysical sensor cable section comprising:
an outer jacket that defines an internal volume, a longitudinal axis, and a length; a hydrophone group defined along the geophysical sensor cable section, the hydrophone group comprising:
a substrate of flexible material having electrical traces thereon; and
a plurality of hydrophones mechanically coupled to the substrate,
each hydrophone comprising a die of an integrated circuit, and the electrical traces electrically coupling to the plurality of hydrophones.

2 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising the plurality of hydrophones having a density of one hydrophone per meter or greater, the density measured along a length of the substrate measured parallel to the longitudinal axis.

3 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 2 wherein the density of the hydrophones is at least one selected from a group consisting of: 10 hydrophones per meter or greater; and 100 hydrophones per meter or greater.

4 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 wherein each hydrophone further comprises a plurality of hydrophone elements electrically coupled in parallel.

5 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 wherein at least some of the plurality of hydrophones are electrically coupled in series.

6 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 wherein each hydrophone further comprises a plurality of hydrophone elements electrically coupled in parallel, and at least some of the plurality of hydrophones electrically coupled in series.

7 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 wherein the die of each hydrophone has a largest dimension being at least one selected from the group comprising: 10 millimeters or less; and 5 millimeter or less.

8 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising a gel within the internal volume of the outer jacket.

9 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising:
a plurality of hydrophone groups contiguously defined along the geophysical sensor cable section;
wherein the length of the outer jacket is about 75 meters;
wherein each hydrophone group spans about 3 meters measured along the longitudinal axis of the outer jacket.

10 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising:
the substrate of flexible material resides within the internal volume;
the substrate comprises a strip of flexible material that has a length and a width, and the length of the substrate extends parallel to the longitudinal axis.

11 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 10 further comprising the substrate abuts an inside diameter of the outer jacket.

12 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 10 further comprising the hydrophones periodically spaced along the length of the substrate, and the spacing at intervals being at least one selected from the group comprising: 50 centimeter (cm) intervals; 10 cm intervals; and 1 cm intervals.

13 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising:
the substrate of flexible material resides within the internal volume;
the substrate is a strip of flexible material having a length, and the length of the substrate forms a helix around the longitudinal axis.

14 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 13 further comprising the substrate abuts an inside diameter of the outer jacket.

15 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 13 further comprising the hydrophones periodically spaced along the length of the substrate such that the hydrophones are spaced at intervals along the longitudinal axis being at least one selected from the group comprising: 50 centimeter (cm) intervals; 10 cm intervals; and 1 cm intervals.

16 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising:
the substrate of flexible material resides within the internal volume;
the substrate defines a cylinder with a central axis, the central axis of the cylinder coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the outer jacket; and
the plurality of hydrophones define a grid pattern on the cylinder.

17 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 16 wherein the substrate abuts an inside diameter of the outer jacket.

18 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 16 wherein the plurality of hydrophones are disposed at a location selected from the group consisting of: an outside surface of the cylinder; and an inside surface of the cylinder.

19 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 16 further comprising the hydrophones define the grid pattern such that:
the hydrophones are radially spaced around outer jacket, and at each axial location there are between 10 and 20 hydrophones inclusive; and
the hydrophones are spaced at intervals along the longitudinal axis being at least one selected from the group comprising: 50 centimeter (cm) intervals; 10 cm intervals; and 1 cm intervals.

20 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising:
the substrate of flexible material is embedded within the outer jacket;
the substrate comprises a strip of flexible material that has a length and a width, and the length of the substrate extends parallel to the longitudinal axis.

21 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 20 wherein the substrate further comprises a plurality of strips of flexible material that extend parallel to each other.

22 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 20 further comprising the hydrophones periodically spaced along the length of the substrate, and the spacing at intervals being at least one selected from the group comprising: 50 centimeter (cm) intervals; 10 cm intervals; and 1 cm intervals.

23 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising:
the substrate of flexible material is embedded within the outer jacket;
the substrate is a strip of flexible material, and a length of the substrate forms a helix around the longitudinal axis.

24 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 23 wherein the substrate further comprises a plurality of strips of flexible material in a double helix.

25 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 23 further comprising the hydrophones periodically spaced along the length of the substrate such that the hydrophones are spaced at intervals along the longitudinal axis of the outer jacket, the intervals being at least one selected from the group comprising: 50 centimeter (cm) intervals; 10 cm intervals; and 1 cm intervals.

26 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 1 further comprising:
the substrate of flexible material is embedded within the outer jacket;
the substrate defines a cylinder with a central axis, the central axis of the cylinder coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the outer jacket; and
the plurality of hydrophones define a grid pattern on the cylinder.

27 . The geophysical sensor cable section of claim 26 further comprising the hydrophones define the grid pattern such that:
the hydrophones are radially spaced around outer jacket, and at each axial location there are between 10 and 20 hydrophones inclusive; and
the hydrophones are spaced at intervals along the longitudinal axis being at least one selected from the group comprising: 50 centimeter (cm) intervals; 10 cm intervals; and 1 cm intervals; and at each axi

Assignees

• Pgs Geophysical As

Inventors

• Mattsson Anders Göran
• Tenghamn Stig Rune Lennart
• Barr Jr Frederick James

Classifications

• G01V1/186

  Hydrophones · CPC title

• G01V1/202 Primary

  Connectors, e.g. for force, signal or power · CPC title

• G01V2001/207

  Buoyancy · CPC title

• G01V1/201

  Constructional details of seismic cables, e.g. streamers (integrated optoseismic systems G01V1/226; line connectors in general H01R, transducer mountings in general G10K11/004) · CPC title