# US 4,396,088 A · Flexible marine seismic source

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- Number: US 4,396,088 A
- Document ID: US4396088A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/232,095
- Filed: 1981-02-06
- Granted: 1983-08-02
- Earliest claimed: 1981-02-06
- Assignees: Exxon Production Research Company
- Inventors: Joseph F. Bayhi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4396088A

## CPC

- G01V 1/135: by deforming or displacing surfaces of enclosures {, e.g. by hydraulically driven vibroseis™}
- Y10S 367/912: Particular transducer
- G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02)
- Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

## Abstract

The invention relates to a marine seismic source which emits an FM signal linearly increasing from 10 Hz to about 100 Hz. The source has a number of transducers which are flexible sleeves containing a pulsing hydraulic fluid.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A marine seismic source comprising:
a plurality of flexible elongated sleeve-shaped transducers adapted to generate acoustic seismic signals upon application of a pulsing fluid to the interior of the sleeve, each having a first end and a second end and containing a feed pipe which is inside and approximately concentric to said sleeve-shaped walls and extending from the first end to the vicinity of the second end wherein the lead pipe releases said pulsing fluid and is in communication at the first end to said source of pulsing fluid,
an outlet in said transducers' first end in communication with the space between the sleeve-shaped wall and the feed pipe allowing said pulsing liquid to leave said transducers,
a source of pulsing fluid,
a plurality of stiff-walled conduits connecting the plurality of transducers to the source of pulsing liquid and each adapted to be of equal hydraulic length between said source and said transducers,
whereby said flexible transducers can oscillate and produce a seismic signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sleeve-shaped transducers have walls comprised of a member selected from the group of rubber and neoprene.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 additionally including a conduit connected to the outlet in the first end and adapted to recycle the pulsing liquid back to the source of pulsing liquid.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 additionally including means connected to the outlet in the first end adapted to maintain pressure on each of said transducers.

### Claim 5

The apparatus of 1, 3 or 4 wherein the pulsing liquid is seawater.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the source of pulsing fluid is adapted to increase the frequency of pulsing linearly with time between about 10 Hz and about 10 Hz.

### Claim 7

A marine seismic source comprising:
at least one transducer having flexible sleeve-shaped walls and adapted to generate acoustic marine signals upon application of a pulsing fluid to the interior of said transducer, and also having a first end and a second end and containing a feed pipe which is inside and approximately concentric to said flexible sleeve-shaped walls and which feed pipe extends from said first end to the vicinity of said second end and is in communication at the first end with a source of pulsing fluid and said at least one transducer having an outlet in the first end in communication with the space between said sleeve-shape walls and the feed pipe whereby pulsing fluid can exit said at least one transducer, and
a source of pulsing fluid,
means for modulating the pressure of the pulsing fluid at a frequency in the range of 10 Hz to 100 Hz,
whereby said at least one transducer is capable of generating a marine seismic signal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein each of said at least one transducer includes a billet within the flexible walls which serves to lower the volume of the transducer, said walls enclosing but not contacting said billet.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the source comprises at least one array of said transducers each connected to said source of hydraulic fluid by conduits having substantially the same hydraulic length.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said source comprises four arrays of transducers in three rows of five each.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7 additionally including a conduit connected to the outlet in the first end and adapted to recycle the pulsing liquid back to the source of pulsing liquid.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7 additionally including means connected to the outlet in the first end adapted to maintain pressure on each of said transducers.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7, 11, 12)

The apparatus of claim 7, 11 or 12 wherein the hydraulic fluid is seawater.

### Claim 14 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the source of pulsing fluid is adapted to increase the frequency of pulsing linearly with time between about 10 Hz and about 100 Hz.