Date: Apr 25, 2013 Source: Company Data (
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Applied Physical Sciences Corp. (APS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics Corporation, has been awarded a multi-year contract to develop an electro-acoustic projector for use as a seismic sound source. This Marine Vibrator is expected to generate a signal within the seismic frequency band similar in output to a conventional air gun source array and will be designed to meet technical specifications determined by the Marine Vibrator Joint Industry Project (MVJIP). The goal of the MVJIP is to develop a commercially viable marine vibrator source that could be used for areas where a better seismic signature is needed, for marine seismic surveys in environmentally sensitive areas, and for an improved source for certain operational environments, such as shallow water, where air gun arrays perform sub-optimally.
The APS project structure has a number of phases with the projector design concept being validated at each stage; starting with a quarter-scale model. Once this step is complete a full-scale prototype will be fabricated and subjected to an extensive series of qualification tests. Ultimately, an entire system, which comprises of a fully-instrumented array of marine vibrators and ancillary equipment, will be fabricated for seismic field trials.
The MVJIP was established through the Global Petroleum Research Institute (GPRI), a research center for the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, a member of The Texas A&M University System. The founding sponsors of the project are Exxon Mobil, Shell, and Total. For more information about the APS marine vibrator concept please contact James McConnell or David Horne. For more information about the GPRI joint industry project please contact David Burnett.
