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US 9,753,168 B2Granted
Marine streamer having variable stiffness
AssigneePGS Geophysical AS
InventorRune Sindre Voldsbekk
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Abstract
Disclosed are methods and systems for performing marine geophysical surveys that utilize a streamer having variable stiffness. An embodiment discloses a sensor streamer comprising: an outer surface; tension members within the outer surface extending along a length of the sensor streamer; spacers disposed within the outer surface along the length of the sensor streamer; a geophysical sensor disposed in an interior of one of the spacers; and an actuator assembly configured to apply tension to the tension members.
Claims21
A sensor streamer comprising:
- an outer surface;
- tension members within the outer surface extending along a length of the sensor streamer;
- spacers disposed within the outer surface along the length of the sensor streamer;
- a geophysical sensor disposed in an interior of one of the spacers, wherein the tension members are disposed through channels in the spacers, the tensions members being axially translatable with respect to the spacers;
- and
- an actuator assembly configured to apply tension to the tension members, wherein the sensor streamer has a storable configuration and an operational configuration, the operational configuration having a higher stiffness than the storable configuration, wherein the actuator assembly is configured to apply the tension to the tension members for placement of the sensor streamer in the operational configuration, and wherein the spacers are compressed together in the operational configuration of the sensor streamer such that the spacers are aligned in a rigid line.
3 more elements
A marine survey system comprising:
- a survey vessel;
- and
- a sensor streamer configured to be towed from the survey vessel, wherein at least one streamer segment of the sensor streamer comprises tension members, spacers, and sensors disposed on the sensor streamer at spaced apart locations, wherein at least 50% of the interior volume of the streamer segment comprises the spacers, wherein the sensor streamer is configured to have a storable configuration and an operational configuration that has a higher stiffness than the storable configuration, wherein an axial end of each of the tension members comprises springs, wherein the tension members are disposed through channels in the spacers, the tensions members being axially translatable with respect to the tension members.
A sensor streamer comprising:
- an outer surface;
- tension members within the outer surface extending along a length of the sensor streamer;
- spacers disposed within the outer surface along the length of the sensor streamer, wherein at least 50% of the interior volume of the sensor streamer comprises the spacers;
- a geophysical sensor disposed in an interior of one of the spacers, wherein the tension members are disposed through channels in the spacers, the tensions members being axially translatable with respect to the spacers;
- and
- an actuator assembly configured to apply tension to the tension members.
3 more elements
A marine survey system comprising:
- a survey vessel;
- and
- a sensor streamer configured to be towed from the survey vessel, wherein at least one streamer segment of the sensor streamer comprises tension members, spacers, and sensors disposed on the sensor streamer at spaced apart locations, wherein the spacers are compressed together in the operational configuration of the sensor streamer such that the spacers are aligned in a rigid line, wherein the sensor streamer is configured to have a storable configuration and an operational configuration that has a higher stiffness than the storable configuration, wherein an axial end of each of the tension members comprises springs, wherein the tension members are disposed through channels in the spacers, the tensions members being axially translatable with respect to the tension members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.