Development of a novel accelerometer sensor for broadband seismic acquisition

Improved seismic resolution and imaging accuracy require the acquisition of a broader seismic bandwidth.Geophones, therefore, need to evolve toward high fidelity sensors that are sensitive across a broad frequency band, and yield ideal amplitude and phase responses to meet the demand for broadband seismic acquisition.By combining the advantages of existing electromagnetic moving-coil geophones and microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based digital geophones, a novel accelerometer sensor is designed.The proposed geophone outperformed three types of industry geophones over a broad frequency band:MEMS-based digital geophone and moving-coil geophones with 10-Hz, 5-Hz natural frequency.Field data analysis indicated the novel geophone could obtain a wider frequency band and potentially provide more abundant stratigraphic information, which would improve seismic resolution and imaging accuracy.There are a range of future applications for these novel geophones, including oil and gas exploration, micro-seismic monitoring, and engineering seismology, that present potential application prospects.