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US 8,570,835 B2Granted
Marine vibratory sound source for beneath water seismic exploration
OwnerStephen Chelminskiinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A marine vibratory sound source for producing swept or pulse coded signals in a body of water and within geological structures beneath a body of water, primarily for seismic exploration of the strata beneath the bottom of the water. More particularly, a high power, servo controlled hydraulic, sound source that can readily be towed in water, towed along the bottom surface under the water or be used in a stationary position on the bottom surface under the water.
Claims22
A marine vibratory sound source, comprising:
- an elongated cylindrical housing having an axis concentric therewith;
- said elongated cylindrical housing having a plurality of cylindrical chambers;
- an axially reciprocatable hollow, cone-shaped piston and a hollow, stationary cone-shaped bulkhead within each of the cylindrical chambers;
- said stationary bulkhead attached to the elongated cylindrical housing;
- an elongated piston shaft connected to the cone-shaped pistons and extending along the axis;
- a first and second actuator piston connected to the elongated piston shaft;
- a streamlined towing head affixed to the fore end of said elongated cylindrical housing;
- a streamlined tail head affixed to the opposing end of said elongated cylindrical housing;
- said elongated cylindrical housing having a plurality of ports therein at each of said cylindrical chambers;
- a computer controllable hydraulic fluid circuit for feeding power delivery fluid alternatively to first and second hydraulic actuator pistons while simultaneously removing power delivery fluid from the other of the first and second hydraulic actuator pistons thereby moving the first and second actuator pistons to a forward position and alternatively to an aft position and thereby axially vibrating the piston shaft and cone-shaped pistons for vibrationally moving water out and in through the ports for propagating vibratory sound.
7 more elements
A dual marine vibratory sound source towable behind an exploration vessel for performing marine seismic exploration, said source comprising:
- first and second elongated vibratory source assemblies affixed end to end along an axis extending longitudinally therein and concentric with said vibratory source assemblies;
- a plurality of piston chamber assemblies within each of said first and second vibratory source assemblies;
- said piston chamber assemblies being axially spaced at positions along a piston assembly shaft and each having a hollow, cone-shaped piston and spacer sleeve
- said piston chamber assemblies each having a hollow, cone-shaped stationary bulkhead affixed to a cylindrical housing;
- a series of ports formed within each cylindrical housing of the plurality of piston chamber assemblies;
- a streamlined towing head affixed to a fore end of the first elongated vibratory source;
- a streamlined tail head affixed to an aft portion of the second elongated vibratory source;
- a first tandem actuator piston assembly connected to a first piston shaft and a second tandem actuator piston assembly to a second piston shaft;
- and
- a computer controllable hydraulic fluid circuit for delivering fluid alternatively to each of the first and second tandem actuator piston assemblies to move each of a first and second actuator pistons alternately fore and aft thereby axially vibrating said first and second piston shafts and each first and second vibratory sources in opposing directions for vibrating water through said ports transmitting vibratory sound into the surrounding body of water.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.