Development of hydrophone for sonar applications

This paper demonstrates the development of a sub-array hydrophone in a frequency range 2-24 kHz, which can be used for detection of buried objects or signals from targets. The array consists of 4 sub-array channels and each sub array consists of 5 elements wired in series. The inter element spacing between elements is 50 mm. Sub array hydrophone in series connection works as a single element there by maintaining low frequency of interest and at the same time enhancement in receiving sensitivity as well. A receiving sensitivity of -185 dB re 1 V/μPa @ 1m has been achieved at 9 kHz which can be improved to any suitable level using a suitable preamplifier.