Modeling air gun signatures in marine seismic exploration considering multiple physical factors

Based on analyzing the limit of Ziolkowski’s bubble oscillation formulation, a new model with various physical factors is established to simulate air gun signatures for marine seismic exploration. The practical effects of physical factors, such as heat transfer across the bubble wall, air gun port throttling, vertical rise of the bubble, fluid viscosity, and the existence of the air gun body were all taken into account in the new model. Compared with Ziolkowski’s model, the signatures simulated by the new model, with small peak amplitude and rapid decay of bubble oscillation, are more consistent with actual signatures. The experiment analysis indicates: (1) gun port throttling controls the peak amplitude of air gun pulse; (2) since the hydrostatic pressure decreases when the bubble rises, the bubble oscillation period changes; (3) heat transfer and fluid viscosity are the main factors that explain the bubble oscillation damping.