Seismic energy sources can be impact sources like sledgehammers or drop-weight devices, or vibratory sources. Sledgehammers provide an easily repeatable and cheap source by striking a rubber baseplate. Drop-weight devices use momentum transfer from falling weights, with portable systems using small electromagnet-released weights and trucks using controlled drops of heavier weights. However, drop-weight sources have disadvantages for control and safety that have reduced their use in hydrocarbon exploration.
Seismic energy sources can be impact sources like sledgehammers or drop-weight devices, or vibratory sources. Sledgehammers provide an easily repeatable and cheap source by striking a rubber baseplate. Drop-weight devices use momentum transfer from falling weights, with portable systems using small electromagnet-released weights and trucks using controlled drops of heavier weights. However, drop-weight sources have disadvantages for control and safety that have reduced their use in hydrocarbon exploration.
Seismic energy sources can be impact sources like sledgehammers or drop-weight devices, or vibratory sources. Sledgehammers provide an easily repeatable and cheap source by striking a rubber baseplate. Drop-weight devices use momentum transfer from falling weights, with portable systems using small electromagnet-released weights and trucks using controlled drops of heavier weights. However, drop-weight sources have disadvantages for control and safety that have reduced their use in hydrocarbon exploration.
Seismic energy sources can be impact sources like sledgehammers or drop-weight devices, or vibratory sources. Sledgehammers provide an easily repeatable and cheap source by striking a rubber baseplate. Drop-weight devices use momentum transfer from falling weights, with portable systems using small electromagnet-released weights and trucks using controlled drops of heavier weights. However, drop-weight sources have disadvantages for control and safety that have reduced their use in hydrocarbon exploration.
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Seismic energy sources
Seismic energy sources
• Source: A device that releases energy (signal) large enough
into the ground to ensure sufficient depth penetration and high enough resolution to image the subsurface.
• Seismic source: impact, impulsive and vibrator
• Trade-off between depth penetration and minimum
resolution, which is dependent upon one-quarter wavelength. Seismic energy sources Seismic energy sources Seismic energy sources
Sledge hammer • A standard sledge hammer is struck against a heavy-duty rubber baseplate. • The source is easily repeatable • Cheap, causes minimal environmental damage and is extremely easy to use. Seismic energy sources
Drop-weight devices • The depth of penetration dependent upon the momentum of the mass as it strikes the ground.
• For lightweight portable systems, a small weight is suspended
from an electromagnet at the top of a tube 3 m long.
• On triggering the seismic recording system, the electromagnet
releases the weight, causing it to fall through the tube and strike a baseplate. Seismic energy sources
Drop-weight devices • The converse of this system is for a small hollow metal cylinder (e.g. 5 kg) to fall from a height guided by a pole down which the weight slides until it strikes a base plate
• A special weight-drop trucks have gantries that can drop a 3
tonne weight from 4 m height routinely with reproducible source characteristics.
• The control of the source characteristics, the environmental
footprint and safety issues, weight-drop sources have fallen out of favour recently in the hydrocarbon exploration industry
