2025_programme: Low-Cost Inert Implosive Impulsive Sound Source

• Day: June 19, Thursday
    Location / Time: TBA at 15:30 - 16:30
• Last minutes changes: -
• Session: Poster session
  Organiser(s): N/A
  Chairperson(s): N/A
• Lecture: Low-Cost Inert Implosive Impulsive Sound Source
  Paper ID: 2343
  Author(s): Brian Graybill, Jed Wilbur, Elliot Goodman, Christopher Cluett, Lee Freitag, Julien Bonnel
  Presenter: Brian Graybill
  Abstract: High-energy impulsive underwater acoustic sources are useful for oil and gas exploration,, seafloor mapping and characterization, and oceanographic research . Explosive charges (such as SUS) are popular as they are small, expendable, and readily deployable from surface or airborne platforms. However, explosives require special, burdensome, and expensive shipping, storage, and handling. Air guns are also popular but are bulky, expensive, require significant infrastructure and are limited in their deployment depth. \nHere we present a low-cost, easy-to-deploy, implosive impulsive sound source. Using implosive, rather than explosive, methods, we can generate peak source levels on par with explosive and air gun impulses while remaining completely inert. The design expands on legacy impulsive sources such as light bulbs and the Rupture Induced Underwater Sound Source (McNeese et al, 2020) to improve source repeatability and reduce cavitation noise and peak-to-bubble ratio while also improving manufacturability, lowering cost, and simplifying deployment. \nTo generate and refine our design, we developed a computational model to predict system behavior (velocity at impact, cavitation inception, effect of residual gas, and effect of impact surface profile) as a function of chamber shape. We supplemented the model with multiple iterations of prototype testing. We demonstrated that our baseline design achieves clear, high-level impulses with minimal noise from inrush cavitation or post-impact bubble collapse and sufficient low-frequency energy to measure clear modal dispersion on the seafloor 7 km away from the source. \n
• Corresponding author: Dr Brian Graybill
  Affiliation: Creare
  Country: United States