Electromagnetically driven marine vibrator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9411060-B2
Application number	US-201313855601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2013
Priority date	Apr 3, 2012
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

A marine vibrator has a housing that comprises a displacement member, the displacement member having a first position and a second position, the housing and the displacement member together defining an internal volume. A linear electromagnetic motor interacts with the displacement member so as to move the displacement member between a first position and a second position and correspondingly strokes the displacement member to cover a volume. The linear electromagnetic motor comprises magnets and coils that when energized create an electromagnetic force there between, wherein the linear electromagnetic motor comprises a piston and a guide that substantially surrounds the piston. The piston has incorporated therein either the coils or the magnets, and the guide having incorporated therein the other of the coils or the magnets. The piston is in interaction with the displacement member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A marine vibrator, comprising:
a housing;
a displacement member that interacts with the housing, thereby defining an internal volume, the displacement member having a retracted position and an extended position;
a linear electromagnetic motor that interacts with the displacement member and alternates the displacement member between the retracted position and the extended position, wherein the linear electromagnetic motor comprises a piston and a guide for the piston, the piston being in connection with the displacement member and the guide having incorporated therewith electromagnetic coils and the piston having incorporated therewith magnets, so that as a magnetic field of the motor changes by direction from a controller, the piston has forces applied thereto and moves linearly within the guide.

2. The marine vibrator of claim 1 , comprising a piston having a piston cap that interacts with the displacement member and the housing thereby defining the internal volume.

3. The marine vibrator of claim 1 , wherein the volume covered by the stroke from the retracted position to the extended position is at least 25 L.

4. The marine vibrator of claim 1 , wherein the piston is connected with the displacement member.

5. The marine vibrator of claim 1 , wherein the displacement member is a flexible tubular shaped member.

6. The marine vibrator of claim 1 , wherein the displacement member extends around the piston.

7. The marine vibrator of claim 6 , wherein the flexible tubular shaped member and the piston share a central axis.

8. The marine vibrator of claim 1 , wherein the piston comprises a disk shaped member that is near an end of the piston that is distal from the portion of the piston that interacts with the guide.

9. The marine vibrator of claim 8 , wherein the disk shaped member connects with the displacement member.

10. The marine vibrator of claim 1 , wherein the piston connects with a displacement member that is disk shaped and is flexible, wherein the displacement member interacts with the housing.

11. The marine vibrator of claim 10 , wherein when in the retracted position the displacement member is in a concave shape and when in the extended position the displacement member is in a convex shape.

12. The marine vibrator of claim 1 , wherein the volume covered by the stroke from the retracted position to the extended position is at least 50 L.

13. A method of marine seismic exploration, comprising:
operating a marine vibrator that has a housing and a displacement member, the housing and the displacement member together defining an internal volume that is separate from an external volume;
driving a linear electromagnetic motor to move the displacement member between a retracted position and an extended position wherein the volume covered by a stroke between the retracted position and the extended position is at least 25 L and the frequency of the stroke is in the range of 1-15 Hz, wherein the linear electromagnetic motor comprises a piston and a guide for the piston, the piston being in connection with the displacement member and the guide having incorporated therewith electromagnetic coils and the piston having incorporated therewith magnets, so that as a magnetic field of the motor changes by direction from a controller, the piston has forces applied thereto and moves linearly within the guide.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein a piston, the housing and the displacement member together define the internal volume.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the volume covered by the stroke between the retracted position and the extended position is at least 25 L and the frequency of the stroke is in the range of 1-20 Hz.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the volume covered by the stroke between the retracted position and the extended position is at least 50 L and the frequency of the stroke is in the range of 1-15 Hz.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the volume covered by the stroke between the retracted position and the extended position is at least 50 L and the frequency of the stroke is in the range of 1-20 Hz.

Assignees

• Westerngeco Llc

Inventors

• Coste Emmanuel

Classifications

• G01V1/145 Primary

  by deforming or displacing surfaces {, e.g. by mechanically driven vibroseis™} · CPC title

• G01V1/133 Primary

  using fluidic driving means, e.g. highly pressurised fluids; {using implosion}(G01V1/104 takes precedence) · CPC title