REFLECTION OF ACOUSTIC WAVES IN BUBBLE CURTAIN WATER CONTAINING HYDRATE BUBBLES

The dynamics of an acoustic signal passing through a bubble curtain has been studied by mathematical modeling. The case is considered where the gas (methane) in the bubbles is under hydrate formation conditions. The effects of the hydrate formation process, the initial bubble radius, and the volume gas fraction on the attenuation coefficient and phase velocity of the wave propagating in a deep-water bubble curtain are investigated. The reflection and transmission coefficients of acoustic waves at the boundaries separating single- and two-phase regions are obtained. It is found that the hydrate formation process increases the wave attenuation coefficient by more than two orders of magnitude at low frequencies (below 1 kHz).