Air-spring compensation in a piston-type marine vibrator
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A marine vibrator comprising:
- a containment housing;
a piston plate configured to act on water surrounding the marine vibrator to produce acoustic energy;
a fixture coupled to the containment housing;
an interior volume at least partially defined by the containment housing and the piston plate;
a mechanical spring element coupled to the piston plate and the fixture;
a driver coupled to the piston plate and the fixture; and
a variable gas flow restrictor disposed in the interior volume of the marine vibrator, wherein the variable gas flow restrictor comprises adjustable openings moveable to seal off a portion of the interior volume.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments relate to the restriction of gas flow in a piston-type marine vibrator to compensate for air-spring effects. An embodiment provides marine vibrator comprising: a containment housing; a piston plate; a fixture coupled to the containment housing; a mechanical spring element coupled to the piston plate and to the fixture; a driver coupled to the piston plate and to the fixture; and a variable gas flow restrictor disposed in an interior volume of the marine vibrator, wherein the marine vibrator has a resonance frequency selectable based at least in part on the variable gas flow restrictor.
-
Citations
25 Claims
-
1. A marine vibrator comprising:
-
a containment housing; a piston plate configured to act on water surrounding the marine vibrator to produce acoustic energy; a fixture coupled to the containment housing; an interior volume at least partially defined by the containment housing and the piston plate; a mechanical spring element coupled to the piston plate and the fixture; a driver coupled to the piston plate and the fixture; and a variable gas flow restrictor disposed in the interior volume of the marine vibrator, wherein the variable gas flow restrictor comprises adjustable openings moveable to seal off a portion of the interior volume. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method comprising:
-
towing a marine vibrator in a body of water in conjunction with a marine seismic survey, wherein the marine vibrator comprises a variable gas flow restrictor, wherein the variable gas flow restrictor comprises adjustable openings moveable to seal off a portion of an internal volume of the marine vibrator; triggering the marine vibrator to cause one or more piston plates in the marine vibrator to move back and forth wherein one or more mechanical spring elements exert a biasing force against the one or more piston plates; and adjusting the adjustable openings based on depth of the marine vibrator in the body of water to vary the gas flow in the internal volume of the marine vibrator. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
Specification