Compensator block for marine seismic source and method

A seismic source configured to generate acoustic waves, the seismic source comprising:

• a housing having a firing chamber filled with gas, a triggering chamber, and a hydraulic chamber filled with liquid, the hydraulic chamber having at least one opening port communicating with an ambient;
• a movable shuttle having a first piston separated from a second piston by a neck, wherein the first piston separates the firing chamber from the hydraulic chamber when the movable shuttle is in a closed position, and the second piston separates the firing chamber from the triggering chamber when the movable shuttle is in the closed position;
• a compensator block located in the gas inside the housing and separating the triggering chamber from a purge chamber, wherein the compensator block is configured to move along a longitudinal axis X of the housing;
• a first static seal system configured to seal a first interface between the housing and the first piston in the closed position;
• and
• a second static seal system configured to seal a second interface between the second piston and the compensator block in the closed position,
• wherein the compensator block moves less along the longitudinal axis than the movable shuttle.

A method of generating seismic waves with a seismic source, the method comprising:

• pressurizing a firing chamber inside a housing of the seismic source;
• pressurizing an energizing chamber inside the housing so that a movable shuttle located inside the housing is in a closed position;
• balancing plural pressures applied on a compensator block located inside the housing maintain the movable shuttle in the closed position;
• increasing a triggering pressure inside a triggering chamber to move the compensator block away from the movable shuttle;
• and
• generating the seismic waves by releasing a compressed gas from the firing chamber into the ambient of the housing while the movable shuttle moves to an open position,
• wherein a first static seal system seals a first interface between the housing and the movable shuttle when the movable shuttle is in the closed position, and
• wherein a second static seal system seals a second interface between the movable shuttle and the compensator block when the movable shuttle is in the closed position.