Method and apparatus for hydrophone streamer manufacture

Abstract

A hydraulic reel is used to organize the streamer harness inside a tank having a nozzle. A piston attached to the harness is inserted into one end of the streamer jacket affixed to the tank nozzle. The tank is filled with a liquiform fluid, hereinafter called oil. Pressure is applied to the tank, the piston is pushed through the jacket, towing the harness. Pressure causes some jacket expansion. Initially, with the jacket in place on the nozzle, a main pump fills the tank rapidly, almost to overflow. A metering pump then fills the tank until oil enters a gage glass, indicating a full tank. A flow meter is set to zero with gage valve closed. Oil is metered into the tank, forcing the harness into the jacket. All oil entering the tank is metered until the end bulkhead is in banding position. The metering pump is reversed to extract excess oil until the required quantity is present in the jacket, as indicated by the net meter reading. The loaded section is exercised to relax the jacket skin, then is banded, trimmed and terminated. Alternatively, when tank is full and oil is visible in gage glass, air is admitted to tank above oil to force oil and harness into jacket, oil is then metered into tank until oil is at some level in gage glass. Then gage valve is closed and requisite oil extracted from jacket by reversing meter pump as in first method.