PERFORMANCE OF 2000 AND 6000 PSI AIR GUNS: THEORY AND EXPERIMENT*

Abstract

AbstractAir guns have been used in various applications for a number of years. They were first used in coal‐mining operations and were operated at up to 16000 psi charge pressures. Later, single air guns, operated at 2000 psi, found application as an oceanographic survey tool. Air gun arrays were first used in offshore seismic exploration in the mid‐1960's. These early arrays were several hundred cubic inches in total volume and were operated at 2000 psi; they were either tuned arrays or several large guns of the same size with wave‐shape kits. Today's arrays have total volumes greater than 5000 cu in. and are typically operated at 2000 psi. Recently, higher‐pressure, lower‐volume arrays operated at 4000–5000 psi have been introduced; guns used in these arrays are descendants of the coal‐mining gun.On first thought one would equate increased gun pressure linearly with the amplitude of the initial pulse. This is approximately true for the signature radiated by a “free‐bubble” (no confining vessel) and recorded broadband. The exact relation depends on the depth at which the gun is operated; from solution of the free‐bubble oscillation equation, the relation is image If Pc,1= 6014.7 psia, Pc,2= 2014.7 psia and PO, 1=PO, 2= 25.8 psia (corresponding to absolute pressure at 25 ft water depth), then image Experiments were conducted offshore California in deep water to determine the performance of several models of air guns at pressures ranging from 2000 to 6000 psi and gun volumes ranging from 5 to 300 cu in. At a given gun pressure, the initial acoustic pulse Pa correlated with gun volume Vc according to the classical relation image For 1 ms sampled data the ratio image varied between 4.5 and 5.5 dB depending on gun model. Pulse width of the 2000 psi signatures indicated they are compatible with 2 ms sample‐rate recording while pulse width of the 6000 psi signatures was greater, indicating they are less compatible with 2 ms sample‐rate recording.Conclusions reached were that 2000 psi air guns are more efficient than higher pressure guns and are more compatible with 2 ms sample‐rate requirements.