A new generation low frequency seismic vibrator

Zhouhong Wei*, INOVA Geophysical Equipment Limited

Summary vibrator. Below are some highlights of this new generation

low frequency vibrator.
Extending the Vibroseis data bandwidth towards low
frequencies (below 5 Hz) can be very beneficial for land
seismic exploration. However, with most conventional
vibrators physical limitations in vibrator mechanical and
hydraulic systems limit the ground-force output at low
frequencies. To push the frequency into lower range (< 5
Hz), the vibrator output force must be significantly
increased. This requires an improved design of vibrator
mechanical and hydraulic system. This paper attempts to
present a newly designed low frequency vibrator.
Experimental results show with this new generation low
frequency vibrator the vibrator ground force at low
frequencies is significantly improved. Downhole results at
the depth of 7500 ft (2288 m) demonstrate that this new
generation low frequency vibrator can produce a
measurable force-energy from 0.5 Hz to 131 Hz (8
octaves).
Introduction
 Extended the reaction mass peak-to-peak stroke
to 7.12 inches or 18.1 cm;
 Increased the reaction mass weight to 13,460 lbs
or 6057 kg;
 Two P8 pumps and one additional auxiliary
pump, two built-in 2.5-gallon bladder types of
inline accumulators and two 10-gallon bladder
types of loop accumulators provide sufficient
flow and fast response of the flow;
 Stiffer baseplate (2.5 times stiffer than
conventional vibrator baseplates) with 12 hold-
down airbags and 2 centering airbags make the
hold-down weight be applied more uniformly on
the baseplate, thereby significantly improving the
coupling condition between the baseplate and
ground. This will lead to more radiated force-
energy.

Extending Vibroseis data bandwidth towards low

frequencies has drawn much attention recently (Mougenot,
2006; Bagaini, 2006, 2008; Baeten et al., 2010; Archer et
al., 2012). However, using the Vibroseis method to acquire
low frequency seismic data becomes very challenging in
land data acqusition. Due to mechanical and hysraulic
limitations most conventional seismic vibrators cannot
produce sufficient low frequency force for transmission of
seismic energy into the deep ground below 10 Hz. Because
of this fact many sweep design techniques aimed to
enhance the Vibroseis low frequency contents have been
developed (Bagaini, 2006, 2008; Sallas, 2010; Baeten,
2011). However, this approach often results in a longer
sweep length. The fundamental approach is to improve the
vibrator mechanical and hydraulic system so that the
vibrator can produce more ground force at low frequencies.
Based on this principle, a new generation low frequency
vibrator has been designed.
Figure 1. The new generation low frequency vibrator
actuator.
Figure 1 shows the actuator of this new generation low
frequency vibrator. It carries a new mass and baseplate
Table 1. The low frequency vibrator specifications
system. The new mass system is the result of a complete
redesign of the hydraulic fluid flow hoses, accumulators,
and flow passages in the reaction mass and so on. The new
design positions accumulators where they can be most
effective and sizes passageways so that they are not
restrictive. Table 1 lists the key specifications of this new
actuator. The peak force capacity is increased to 80,000 lbs
(355,840 N). The vibrator hold-down weight can be
configured as a 60,000-lbs vibrator or an 80,000-lbs

© 2015 SEG DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/segam2015-5713173.1

SEG New Orleans Annual Meeting Page 211
 A new generation low frequency seismic vibrator
Vibrator maximum theoretical force at low frequencies
At low frequencies (< 10 Hz), the ground force output from
a vibrator is dominated by the reaction-mass force and can
be expressed as
F = Mrm Arm (1)
where F is the ground force, Mrm is the mass of the
reaction mass, and Arm is the acceleration of the reaction
mass. Because the sinusoidal sweep is frequently used to
operate the vibrator, the vibrator ground force at a single
frequency, f, can be expressed as
F = −4Mrm Xrm f 2 sin(2πft) (2)
where Xrm is the amplitude of the reaction-mass
displacement and t is time. Taking the absolute value of
equation (2), the maximum theoretical force can be
obtained.
Fmax = 4π2 Mrm Xrm f 2 (3)
If the vibrator is a perfect machine, equation (3) shows that
the maximum theoretical force from a vibrator at low
frequencies is determined by two factors, the mass and the
displacement of the reaction mass. Figure 2 is plotted using
equation (3). It shows a comparison of maximum
theoretical forces between the new low frequency vibrator
and an AHV-IV model 364 vibrator. It can be seen that
theoretically, below 3 Hz the new low frequency vibrator
can produce twice more force than the AHV-IV model 364
vibrator. Figure 2 is also used to determine the lowest
frequency for a vibrator to achieve a full drive force. For
example, the lowest frequency for the new low frequency
vibrator is approximately 3.5 Hz while it is 5.2 Hz for the
AHV-IV model 364 vibrator. At these frequencies, pump
flow limits are possibly reached if the dwelling time (low
sweep rate) is longer.
Figure 2. The comparison of maximum low frequency
force profiles of two different vibrators.
© 2015 SEG
SEG New Orleans Annual Meeting
Hydraulic pump flow and supply pressure
In theory, the hydraulic power supply pressure maintains an
approximate constant pressure of 3000 psi where the
system high pressure is 3200 psi and the system return
pressure is 220 psi respectively. The supply pressure is
equal to the system high pressure minus the system return
pressure. To maintain this constant supply pressure, the
hydraulic pump needs to provide sufficient flow.
Unfortunately, for most vibrators in use today, hydraulic
pumps are incapable of delivering adequate flow at low
frequencies (< 8 Hz). Insufficient pump flow causes the
supply pressure to drop that leads to the reduction of the
vibrator force output at low frequencies. Additionally,
within a cycle at low frequencies, peak flow demand
generally changes dramatically ranging from 0 to 250
gallon/minute. These large changes in flow demand
throughout a sweep cycle are generated as the proportional
servo-valve meters and redirects flow into the vibrator
actuator. Eventually, these cyclical changes in flow demand
can create huge supply pressure ripple dominated by the 2nd
harmonics.
Figure 3 shows two comparisons of pump flows and supply
pressures on two vibrators performing a linear sweep from
1 Hz to 11 Hz in 20 seconds at 70% force level (42,000
lbs). The top graph shows the pump flow comparison and
the bottom shows the supply pressure comparison. The red
and blue traces correspond respectively to the new low
frequency vibrator and the AHV-IV 364 vibrator. It can be
seen that the new low frequency vibrator provides a clean
supply pressure at 3000 psi (Figure 3b). The supply
pressure ripples are completely eliminated. This
elimination is due to sufficient pump flow offered by the
new design of the actuator of the low frequency vibrator
(Figure 3a). Because of low sweep rate (0.5 Hz/s) is used to
run both vibrators, at 3.5 Hz and 5 Hz both vibrator reach
their pump limits for very shot frequency duration.
Figure 3. Comparisons of pump flows and supply pressures
on two different vibrators. (a) The pump flows; (b) The
supply pressures.
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/segam2015-5713173.1
Page 212
 A new generation low frequency seismic vibrator

Experimental test 1 Particularly, at frequencies less than 4 Hz, compared to the

AHV-IV 364 vibrator, the new low frequency vibrator can
In order to evaluate the low frequency performance of the output approximately 5-dB more fundamental force.
new low frequency vibrator, a field test was carried out.
The goal was to compare the weighted-sum ground forces
of the low frequency vibrator and the AHV-IV 364
vibrator. Two vibrators were placed on a gravel track.

Figure 4 shows the fundamental forces of weighted-sum

ground force wiggle-traces produced by two vibrators. The
fundamental forces are obtained by removing all harmonics
with a heavy filter. The top and bottom graphs are
produced by vibrators shaking 0.5 Hz and 1 Hz
monochromatic frequency sweeps, respectively. The red
trace represents the new low frequency vibrators and the
blue trace represents the AHV-IV 364 vibrator. Maximum
theoretical force limits (red and blue dash lines) are added
to quantify the performance of both vibrators at low
frequencies. The simplest conclusion can be made that the
low frequency vibrator significantly increases the
fundamental force at both 0.5 Hz and 1 Hz. The
fundamental force produced by the low frequency vibrator
is approximately twice more than that generated by the
AHV-IV 364 vibrator.
Figure 4. Weighted-sum ground force traces produced by
vibrators using monochromatic frequency sweeps. (a) 0.5
Hz, 20s; (b) 1 Hz, 10s.
Figure 5. The amplitude spectra of weighted-sum ground
forces produced using a linear sweep from 1 Hz to 11 Hz in
20s at 70% force level (42,000 lbs).
Figure 6 displays a frequency-time (F-T) variant plot of
weighted-sum ground forces where two vibrators are run
using customized low frequency sweeps from 1 Hz to 81
Hz in 10s. F-T plots are used to present the vibrator ground
force in fundamental frequency and its harmonic
components. Because the new low frequency vibrator can
produce more fundamental force, the dwelling time at low
frequencies in the customized low frequency sweep is
designed to be shorter (2 seconds short). This indicates that
with the new low frequency vibrator the total sweep length
of the customized low frequency sweep can be reduced due
to its improved force output. Therefore, potentially this
vibrator can significantly increase the productivity.
Furthermore, it can be seen in Figure 6 that overall the new
low frequency vibrator significantly enhances the strength
of the fundamental force. In particular, it produces a
measurable fundamental force at very low frequencies
(below 3 seconds).

Figure 5 shows an amplitude spectrum comparison of

weighted-sum ground forces produced by two vibrators.
Vibrators are run using a linear sweep from 1 Hz to 11 Hz
in 20s at 70% force level (42,000 lbs). Again, the red trace
is produced by the new low frequency vibrator while the
blue trace is produced by the AHV-IV 364 vibrator.
Because of the low sweep rate (0.5 Hz/s) this sweep can
make the vibrators dwell for a longer time at each low
frequency so that the steady state of the vibrator can be
achieved. Thus, the maximum force at each low frequency Figure 6. The Frequency-Time plot of weighted-sum
can be produced. Figure 5 clearly demonstrates that below ground forces using a nonlinear low frequency sweep from
7 Hz the new low frequency vibrator generates much more 1 Hz to 81 Hz in 10s at 70% force level, (a) AHV-IV 364
fundamental force than the AHV-IV 364 vibrator generates. vibrator; (b) the new low frequency vibrator.

© 2015 SEG DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/segam2015-5713173.1

SEG New Orleans Annual Meeting Page 213
 A new generation low frequency seismic vibrator
Experimental test 2
To further demonstrate the improvements seen from
experimental test 1, a down-hole test was carried out in
southeast of Texas. Unfortunately, in this test, the AHV-IV
364 vibrator was not available. The new low frequency
vibrator was placed on a gravel track where it is 190 ft (60
m) away from the borehole. All data presented here were
correlated data from the deepest sensor at the depth of 7500
ft (2288 m). Figure 7 shows the spectra of 0.5 Hz and 1 Hz
data. It is obvious that such low frequency signals are
generated by the vibrator and radiated down to the depth of
7500 ft. In other words, the new low frequency vibrator is
capable of shaking such low frequencies with good force
strength.
Figure 7. The spectra of the down-hole sensor at the depth
of 7500 ft (2288 m), (a) 0.5 Hz; (b) 1 Hz.
Figure 8 shows the downhole data and its frequency-time
variant spectrum produced by the vibrator shaking a linear
sweep from 1 to 11 Hz in 10s at 70% force level. It can be
observed that the first arrival seen between 0.5 s and 1 s
contains all sweep frequency components. The 1-Hz signal
can be clearly seen. Figure 9 illustrates the downhole data
and its frequency-time variant spectrum when the vibrator
vibrates a linear sweep from 1 to 131 Hz in 10s. The
purpose of this figure is to demonstrate that the new low
frequency vibrator is also good at producing and radiating
high frequencies as well. It can be seen that the frequencies
up to 130 Hz can be identified. This mainly is due to
© 2015 SEG
SEG New Orleans Annual Meeting
improvements made on the enhancing the baseplate
stiffness and evenly distribution of the hold-down weight.
Figure 8. The down-hole data (top graph) and its
frequency-time variant spectrum (bottom graph) using a
linear sweep from 1 Hz to 11 Hz in 10s.
Figure 9. The down-hole data (top graph) and the
frequency-time variant spectrum (bottom graph) using a
linear sweep from 1 Hz to 131 Hz in 10s.
Conclusions
Pushing Vibroseis data bandwidth towards low frequencies
(below 5 Hz) becomes attractive in land seismic
exploration. Due to mechanical and hydraulic limitations
most conventional vibrators cannot generate sufficient
ground force-energy at low frequencies. Low frequency
sweeps are needed to compensate for this insufficient low
frequency force-energy. This low frequency sweep will
results in longer sweep time and reduce the production rate.
The new low frequency vibrator presented in this paper
significantly increases the force amplitude at low
frequencies. Field tests show that the frequency as low as
0.5 Hz can be produced and radiated into the deep ground.
Moreover, almost 8 octave frequency bandwidth can be
produced by this new vibrator (0.5 Hz to 131 Hz).
Potentially, this new low frequency vibrator can lead to
increasing the production rate in high productivity slip-
sweep operation.
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/segam2015-5713173.1
Page 214
 EDITED REFERENCES
Note: This reference list is a copyedited version of the reference list submitted by the author. Reference lists for the 2015
SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts have been copyedited so that references provided with the online metadata for
each paper will achieve a high degree of linking to cited sources that appear on the Web.

REFERENCES
Archer, J., L. Bell, M. Hall, G. Margrave, K. Hall, and M. Bertram, 2012, Obtaining low frequency
seismic data, onshore and in shallow water: First Break, 30, no. 1, 79–87.
Baeten, G., 2011, Method and system for performing seismic surveys with a low frequency sweep: U. S.
Patent Application 2011/0205842 A1.
Baeten, G., A. Egreteau, J. Gibson, F. Lin, P. Maxwell, and J. Sallas, 2010, Low-frequency generation
using seismic vibrators: 72nd Conference & Exhibition, EAGE, Extended Abstracts, B015.
Bagaini, C., 2006, Enhancing the low-frequency content of Vibroseis data: 76th Annual International
Meeting, SEG, Expanded Abstracts, 75–79.
Bagaini, C., 2008, Low-frequency Vibroseis data with maximum displacement sweeps: The Leading
Edge, 27, 582–591, http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/1.2919575.
Mougenot, D., 2006, Toward the low frequencies: Land and marine equipment: First Break, 24,
no. 7, 37–41.
Sallas, J. J., 2010, How do hydraulic vibrators work? A look inside the black box: Geophysical
Prospecting, 58, no. 1, 3–18, http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2478.2009.00837.x.

© 2015 SEG DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1190/segam2015-5713173.1

SEG New Orleans Annual Meeting Page 215