US 12,117,575 B2 · Seismic source apparatus

Abstract

The embodiments herein describe a seismic source that includes at least two firing heads connected to a shared reservoir of compressed gas. When underwater, a controller can instruct the firing heads to fire at the same time or at different times to create gas bubbles that generate seismic energy for identifying structures underneath a body of water. If the firing heads fire at the same, the resulting gas bubble may coalesce to form a single bubble, depending on the size of the respective bubbles and the separation distance between the firing heads. In one embodiment, the firing heads are attached at opposite ends of the shared reservoir (although this is not a requirement). The length of the reservoir, which dictates in part the separation distance of the firing heads, can be set so that gas bubbles generated by the firing heads at substantially the same time coalesce.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A seismic source comprising:

a reservoir configured to hold compressed gas;
a first firing head coupled to the reservoir, the first firing head configured to generate seismic energy by releasing a first portion of the compressed air from the reservoir to form a first gas bubble in a seismic medium;
and
a second firing head coupled to the reservoir, the second firing head configured to generate seismic energy by releasing a second portion of the compressed gas from the reservoir to form a second gas bubble in the seismic medium,
wherein the reservoir comprises a baffle dividing the reservoir into a first sub-chamber containing the first portion of the compressed gas and a second sub-chamber containing the second portion of the compressed gas, and
wherein the baffle comprises a pressure regulation feature for equalizing pressures in the first and second sub-chambers.

3 more elements

A method, comprising:

generating seismic energy using a first firing head by releasing a first portion of compressed air stored in a reservoir to form a first gas bubble in a seismic medium;
and
generating seismic energy using a second firing head by releasing a second portion of compressed air stored in the reservoir to form a second gas bubble in the seismic medium,
wherein the reservoir comprises a baffle dividing the reservoir into a first sub-chamber containing the first portion of the compressed gas and a second sub-chamber containing the second portion of the compressed gas, and
wherein the baffle comprises a pressure regulation feature for equalizing pressures in the first and second sub-chambers.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Seismic source apparatus

Life of this patent

Seismic source apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18