marine hydrophone arrays for hire

A hydrophone array comprises several hydrophones strategically placed in known locations, such as in a line on the seafloor, moored vertically in the water column, or towed horizontally behind a vessel. When sound from a distant source, like a submarine, reaches the array, each hydrophone detects it at slightly different times, depending on the sound’s direction. This time difference, known as time-of-arrival-difference, can be converted into a direction. Combining the data from all hydrophones in the array allows for pinpointing the direction of the sound source.

With even two hydrophones, the direction of the sound’s origin can be roughly estimated, as humans do in the air with their two ears. Sound arriving from a source reaches each ear at slightly different times depending on the direction, allowing for directional determination.

Hydrophone arrays surpass single hydrophones in detecting a single specific sound since they can filter out noise from all directions and concentrate on sounds coming from a particular direction, thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, sounds that are typically indiscernible to a single hydrophone can be detected using an array. If a hydrophone array is utilized to receive a specific sound source, it allows the source to be quieter while still being detected. For instance, the projector in an underwater communication system can be quieter if the receiver is an array pointed at the source.

Hydrophone arrays have diverse applications, including locating submarines, monitoring marine mammal movements, and detecting temperature changes to study global climate change.

EEL stock a wide variety of hydrophone arrays for hire, with fast delivery to anywhere in the world. View our range here, or contact us for more information.