Noise and Drag Reduction on Seismic Streamers

This paper presents measurements of drag and flow noise on commercial seismic streamers that are treated with a superhydrophobic surface coating. More specifically, an overall drag reduction of 5% and a flow noise reduction of 10% were measured during sea trails. Furthermore, for frequencies below 10Hz a reduction in the flow noise level of nearly 50% was observed. This implies that superhydrophobic surface coatings have the potential to significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio of hydrophone array measurements.