Determination of Additional Tension in Towed Streamer Cable Triggered by Collision with Underwater Moving Object

Abstract

Abstract The paper deals with issues connected with the behaviour of a streamer cable towed by a survey seismic vessel when the cable undergoes a strike triggered by collision with an underwater moving object. The consequences of such collisions may be both threat to the life of marine animals or damage to underwater units and large economic losses suffered by vessel owners. The risk of such collisions has increased over the last years as a result of increased offshore seismic survey operations. Therefore, a towed streamer should be very robust. To assure its robustness, we should know the deformation mechanism of a single streamer cable. This in turn requires the development of an appropriate mathematical model of such a phenomenon. In particular, the paper presents the characteristics of seismic survey vessels and streamers; an analysis of collisions that have occurred in the past; a statement of the problem, and a computer-aided system supporting simulation of the cable behaviour. To obtain all the necessary design parameters regarding the deformation mechanism of a streamer cable, we set up a dedicated computer-aided system that supports their calculation.