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Product

Marine seismic source array umbilicalISO 13628-52,000–3,000 psiSeismic Source

Seismic Airgun Umbilical2,000–3,000 psi high-pressure air & solenoid firing towed marine seismic gun umbilical

Heavy-duty towed seismic source umbilical integrating 138–207 bar (2,000–3,000 psi) polyaramid-reinforced air supply lines, individually screened solenoid firing pairs, near-field hydrophone quads and high-load tow armour per ISO 13628-5.

Water-resistant
Anti-torsion braid
EMC screen
Oil-resistant
Order designation
SAU-INT-34-24P-3K
Nominal OD
47.5 mm
Weight in air
2,360 kg/km
Weight in sea
540 kg/km
Breaking load
220 kN
All sizes (12)
Request a quoteDatasheetWhatsApp
Engineering reply in 2 business hoursCut-to-length export drumsEN 10204 3.1 certificate per drum
Air pressure
2,000–3,000 psi
138–207 bar WP · 4:1 burst safety
Electrical
10–48 Pairs
Solenoid firing + time-break + NFH
Firing voltage
600/1000 V
Capacitive discharge solenoid pulse
Breaking load
80–350 kN
Polyaramid braid or contra-helical GIPS
Min. bend R
10 × OD
Over stern gun-slipway & winch drum
Outer jacket
Heavy PUR
Acoustic shock & stern-chock resistant

Typical values for this cable type, based on ISO 13628-5 / SAE J517 100R8 / IEC 60092-350 — confirmed in the datasheet and quotation for your order.

Application fit

Is Seismic Airgun Umbilical right for your machine?

Engineered for 2D/3D/4D marine seismic survey vessels towing high-pressure airgun sub-arrays through stern slipways and booms.

Trailing & towing

Suitable

Polyaramid or contra-helical steel tow armour absorbs 6-knot vessel towing drag and acoustic airgun firing shockwaves.

Immersion & wet locations

Suitable

Water-blocked electrical quads and hydrolysis-stabilised PUR sheath endure continuous seawater immersion and 100 g acoustic peak shock.

Offshore platform & shipboard deck trays

Suitable

Extra-thick polyether PUR outer jacket resists stern-slipway friction, paravane line chafe and hydraulic oils.

Cylindrical / multi-layer drum

Suitable

Planetary cabled hose-and-pair geometry spools smoothly onto stern gun-array winches without hose ovalisation.

Energy chain / drag chain

Not suitable

Towed marine airgun source umbilical is not intended for factory automation drag chains.

Use M12 Cordset Assembly
Typical machines3D/4D Marine Seismic SurveyOcean Bottom Node (OBN) SourceHigh-Resolution Site SurveyGeophysical Academic VesselsSubsea Carbon Storage Monitoring

Construction

Layer by layer

Representative gun-array umbilical: central 1/2″ or 3/4″ 3,000 psi HP air hose surrounded by screened solenoid/hydrophone quads and polyaramid/steel tow armour.

123456
Schematic, not to scale — generated from the layer data
#LayerMaterial & reference
1Solenoid & sensor conductors16 AWG (1.5 mm²) tinned copper pairs for airgun solenoid firing + 20 AWG (0.5 mm²) low-noise pairs for near-field hydrophones (NFH) and depth sensorsSeparates high-current solenoid pulse from millivolt acoustic time-break signals
2High-pressure air supply hose1/2″, 3/4″ or 1″ ID polyamide-11 liner with double polyaramid braid (2,000 psi / 138 bar or 3,000 psi / 207 bar WP, 4:1 burst)Delivers rapid air-gun chamber recharge with minimal pressure drop
3Shock-resistant core insulationCrosslinked polyolefin / thick-wall PP insulation rated for 600/1000 V capacitive solenoid firing pulsesWithstands repeated 100 g acoustic peak pressure waves without insulation cracking
4Individual pair & overall EMC shield100 % Al/PET tape + tinned copper drain wire on every sensor pair plus overall tinned copper braidPrevents solenoid firing transients from corrupting time-break and NFH waveforms
5Towed array tensile memberTorque-balanced high-modulus polyaramid braid or double contra-helical galvanised steel wire armourSupports 80–350 kN tow and recovery tension
6Heavy-duty marine PUR outer sheath5.0 mm nominal wall black or yellow polyether polyurethane (PUR) outer jacketResists stern gun-slipway abrasion, barnacle growth and UV exposure

SAU-INT (Integrated Air + Electrical)

Single-umbilical construction with central 2,000/3,000 psi air hose, 16–36 electrical pairs and polyaramid tow braid

SAU-ELEC (Dedicated Gun Slip-In / Lead-In)

All-electrical armoured gun control umbilical (12–48 pairs/quads) when HP air is routed via separate manifold hose

Technical data

Ratings & operating limits

Typical values: Typical values for this cable type, based on ISO 13628-5 / SAE J517 100R8 / IEC 60092-350. Values for your order are confirmed in the datasheet and quotation.

Electrical

Solenoid pair voltage
600/1000 V AC/DC pulse rated
Solenoid conductor resistance
≤ 13.7 Ω/km (1.5 mm² / 16 AWG tinned copper)
Sensor pair impedance
100 ± 10 Ω screened twisted pair
Cross-talk attenuation
≥ 75 dB between solenoid and NFH pairs
AC dielectric test
3.0 kV AC rms for 5 min

Thermal

Operating seawater temperature
−5 °C to +50 °C
Deck winch operation
−30 °C to +75 °C
Compressed air temperature
Up to +85 °C discharge temperature

Mechanical

Air hose working pressure
138 bar (2,000 psi) or 207 bar (3,000 psi)
Air hose min. burst pressure
552 bar (8,000 psi) or 828 bar (12,000 psi)
Min. breaking load (MBL)
80 kN to 350 kN
Acoustic shock endurance
Tested to 100 g peak acoustic shock wave
Min. bend radius
10 × OD dynamic · 8 × OD static

Resistance

Water blocking
Gel/compound-filled interstices + water-swellable tapes
Abrasion resistance
DIN ISO 4649 ≤ 35 mm³ heavy-wall PUR
Oil & hydraulic fluid
IEC 60811-404 resistant

Reference standards

Umbilical standard
ISO 13628-5 / API Spec 17E
High-pressure hose
SAE J517 100R8 / ISO 3949
Marine cable construction
IEC 60092-350 / IEC 60228 Class 5

Identification

Outer jacket colour
Black or High-Visibility Yellow PUR
Pair identification
Numbered & colour-coded quads per gun station
Customs tariff (HS)
8544.49 / 8544.42

Sizes

12 standard seismic airgun source umbilical configurations

Covers integrated HP air + electrical gun umbilicals and dedicated multi-pair gun array lead-in cables.

Dimensions, air pressure & tow ratings
Order designationAir Hose Bore + Electrical PairsAir WP
psi (bar)		Nominal OD
mm		Weight in air
kg/km		Weight in sea
kg/km		MBL
kN		Min. bend R
mm		Enquiry
Integrated HP Air + Electrical Gun Array Umbilicals
SAU-INT-12-10P-2K1/2″ Air + 6×2×1.5 + 4×2×0.5 mm²2000 (138)34.01,180240100340
SAU-INT-12-16P-3K1/2″ Air + 10×2×1.5 + 6×2×0.5 mm²3000 (207)38.51,520340140385
SAU-INT-34-20P-2K3/4″ Air + 12×2×1.5 + 8×2×0.5 mm²2000 (138)44.21,980430180442
SAU-INT-34-24P-3K3/4″ Air + 14×2×1.5 + 10×2×0.5 mm²3000 (207)47.52,360540220475
SAU-INT-34-32P-3K3/4″ Air + 18×2×1.5 + 14×2×0.5 mm² + 4FO3000 (207)52.02,840680260520
SAU-INT-100-36P-3K1″ Air + 20×2×1.5 + 16×2×0.5 mm² + 6FO3000 (207)58.53,590850320585
SAU-INT-2X12-24P-3K2×1/2″ Air + 14×2×1.5 + 10×2×0.5 mm²3000 (207)54.03,120720280540
All-Electrical Gun String & Slip-In Control Umbilicals
SAU-ELC-12P-ARM8×2×1.5 + 4×2×0.75 mm² (Gun Slip-In)N/A (Elec)22.874032085228
SAU-ELC-20P-ARM12×2×1.5 + 8×2×0.75 mm²N/A (Elec)27.41,060460125274
SAU-ELC-28P-ARM16×2×1.5 + 12×2×0.75 mm²N/A (Elec)31.61,410610165316
SAU-ELC-36P-ARM20×2×1.5 + 16×2×0.75 mm² + 4FON/A (Elec)35.81,820790210358
SAU-ELC-48P-ARM28×2×1.5 + 20×2×0.75 mm² + 8FON/A (Elec)40.52,3401,020250405
  • Typical values for this cable type; dimensions and weights for your order are confirmed in the quotation.
  • All pneumatic hoses are hydrostatically proof-tested at 1.5 × working pressure (3,000 or 4,500 psi) prior to umbilical extrusion.

Quality & approvals

Testing & inspection

Routine tests on every production length, sample and type tests per batch — documented on an EN 10204 3.1 inspection certificate.

  1. ConductorClass 5 stranding
  2. Spark test100 % in-line
  3. Lay-upCores, earth, fillers
  4. SheathingInner, braid / screen, outer
  5. Electrical testsAC voltage, resistance
  6. DimensionsOD, wall thickness
  7. Inspection documents & dispatchDrum & dispatch
Testing & inspectionTest value / referenceFrequency
Routine tests
Hydrostatic proof test on high-pressure air hose207 bar / 310 bar (1.5 × WP) hold for 30 min with zero pressure decayEvery umbilical length
3.0 kV AC dielectric & pair cross-talk test3.0 kV AC for 5 min + ≥ 75 dB near-end cross-talk isolationEvery pair & quad
Sample tests
Acoustic impulse & flex fatigue testSimulated airgun pressure pulse & cyclic sheave bendingQualification lot
Break load & termination pull testVerify rated MBL (85–320 kN) on potted tow socketType approval

Inspection certificate

Issued with every drum, listing the routine test results for that length.

Product approvals

ISO 13628-5 Marine Seismic Umbilical CompliantSAE J517 100R8 / ISO 3949 High-Pressure Core

Company certificates

ISO 9001ISO 14001ISO 45001VDE marks approvalUL / cULCE · LVD / EMC

Marking & supply

Ordering & delivery

Sheath marking

TEBAOFLEX SAU SEISMIC AIRGUN UMBILICAL ISO 13628-5 [WP PSI] [MBL kN] [METRE]
Delivery form
Heavy-duty marine steel winch reels
Standard array lengths
150 m · 250 m · 350 m · 500 m · 800 m
Factory terminations
Chinese fingers / towing socks, potted sockets & waterproof deck/subsea breakouts
Lead time
5–7 weeks ex-works

Technical documents

Downloads

PDFSeismic Airgun Umbilical – technical datasheet12 sizes · construction, technical data, approvalsXLSXSeismic Airgun Umbilical spec data (Excel)All 12 sizes with dimensions and data, for your BOM or quotation
Revision
2026-10-20
Updated
2026-10-20

FAQ

Questions engineers ask first

Not covered here? Send your drawing — an engineer replies within 2 business hours.

How does Seismic Airgun Umbilical survive the intense acoustic shockwave near firing airgun clusters?
Airgun arrays generate peak pressures exceeding 100 bar-m within a few metres of the gun ports. We use void-free elastomeric water-blocking, resilient crosslinked polyolefin core insulation, and a 5.0 mm wall polyether PUR jacket so acoustic impulses cannot delaminate layers or fatigue conductors.
How do you prevent capacitive discharge solenoid firing pulses from inducing false triggers on hydrophone pairs?
Solenoid drive pairs (1.5 mm²) and low-level near-field hydrophone / time-break pairs (0.5–0.75 mm²) are laid in separate concentric layers or opposing quad pitches, each wrapped with a 100 % Al/PET tape screen and drain wire achieving ≥ 75 dB cross-talk isolation.
What is the difference between 2,000 psi and 3,000 psi airgun umbilical grades?
Standard marine airgun arrays operate at 2,000 psi (138 bar), while high-output or compact source arrays operate at 3,000 psi (207 bar). Both grades use a 4:1 burst safety factor (8,000 psi and 12,000 psi minimum burst pressure respectively).
Can the umbilical be supplied with pre-installed towing grips and gun-plate breakouts?
Yes. We supply bare reel lengths or fully terminated gun umbilicals with stainless-steel/polyaramid towing grips, strain-relief bend restrictors, high-pressure JIC 37° stainless fittings, and overmoulded multi-pin deck/subsea connectors.

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