Acoustic analysis of marine vibrators based on LES/FW-H model

Abstract

In the process of marine acoustic data processing, the information on acoustic traces is acquired by correlating the control signals of marine vibrators with the acoustic data in the seawater. Since the signals controlled by marine vibrators are fixed, the resolution of marine profiles is highly dependent on acoustic signals. However, conventional fluid models have lower accuracy in measuring (or predicting) the waveform, resulting in significant differences between the data received at sea and the actual designed signal. To avoid this, a hybrid method based on Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW-H) equations with the large eddy simulation (LES) is proposed to simulate the process of interactions between marine vibrators and seawater, and ultimately predict the acoustic waveform. Experiment results demonstrate the method discussed in this paper is in accord with the experimental data and provides a powerful tool for the development and design of marine vibrators.