Improving the Performance of Seismic Vibrators can be the Key to Break Through the Limits of Vibroseis Data Quality

Vibroseis is the principal source of seismic energy in land seismic exploration. It seems that this method has been extended to its limits as we continue the search for energy resources. The vibroseis method uses the vibrator to generate a controlled force at the source point. It has been recognized that the hydraulic vibrator is not perfect and does not perform exactly as we expect. In spite of significant success using vibroseis technology in land seismic exploration, many practical issues arising from field operations have remained theoretically unexplained. Many people believe that these problems are attributed to the nonlinearities in the complex system involving the vibrator and the ground. This paper will focus on a few such examples.