Experimental Research on and Optimization of Plasma Emitter Sources
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Principle
2.2. Experiment
2.3. Results
3. Enhancement
3.1. Validation
3.2. Enhancement
3.3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- Traditional acoustic detection relies on piezoelectric emitters. The radiation frequency of these emitters is constrained by the limited downhole space, fixed within the range of 0 kHz to 25 kHz. Additionally, low radiation energy allows for detection only within a few tens of meters around the wellbore. This limitation makes them inadequate for future exploration of deeper reservoirs, smaller-scale formations, and more complex conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs.
- (2)
- A plasma emitter was proposed, and discharge experiments of the plasma needle–plate emitter in liquid were conducted. The needle–plate emitter achieved a conductive breakdown discharge in a water medium, with the first impulse wave peak measured by a PCB pressure sensor reaching 5 MPa.
- (3)
- The structure of the needle–plate emitter was innovatively improved. A cylindrical cavity was introduced at the center of the needle structure, forming a hollow needle design. Additionally, a spherical tip was added to the needle’s tip, resulting in a spherical-tip needle structure. This optimization led to the development of a novel hollow spherical-tip needle–plate emitter. Compared with the needle–plate emitter, the impulse wave amplitude of the hollow spherical-tip needle–plate emitter increased by 27.2%, the electromechanical conversion efficiency improved by 28.1%, and the radiation frequency band can cover up to 100 kHz.
- (4)
- The novel hollow spherical-tip needle–plate emitter enables long-range and high-precision acoustic wave transmission. It can detect small structures such as residual oil, thin interlayers and tiny fractures, as well as large structures such as oil–water–gas interfaces and large fractures at distances of hundreds of meters. It has enormous application potential in onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and unconventional resource development. This study presents a preliminary investigation of the hollow spherical-tip needle–plate emitter. Future work will focus on a detailed examination of the effects of different hollow and spherical-tip structure sizes on the emitter’s performance, aiming to determine the optimal structural parameters. Additionally, a physical prototype of the hollow spherical-tip needle–plate emitter will be fabricated for discharge experiments.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Structural Part | Parameters |
---|---|
Needle tip radius/mm | 0.1 |
Needle base radius/mm | 0.5 |
Needle tip height/mm | 1 |
Needle shaft height/mm | 10 |
Plate structure radius/mm | 1 |
Plate structure height/mm | 1 |
Measured Results | Simulated Results | Relative Error | |
---|---|---|---|
Pre-breakdown phase time/ms | 0.19 | 0.181 | −4.74% |
Peak discharge current/kA | 25 | 25.18 | 0.72% |
Peak impulse wave intensity/MPa | 5 | 5.08 | 1.60% |
Electroacoustic energy conversion efficiency | 3.91 | 3.95 | 1.02% |
Peak Discharge Current (kA) | Maximum Impulse Wave Pressure (MPa) | Electroacoustic Conversion Efficiency (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Needle–Plate Emitter Source | 25.18 | 5.08 | 3.91 |
Hollow Spherical Tip Needle–Plate Emitter Source | 25.77 | 6.46 | 5.01 |
Growth Rate | 2.3% | 27.2% | 28.1% |
Emitter Source | Radiation Frequency | Propagation Attenuation | Detection Range | Detection Resolution | Directional Directivity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monopole Emitter [42] | 10–15 kHz | Fast | A few meters | Good | Poor |
Dipole Emitter [43] | Below 5 kHz | Medium speed | Tens of meters | Poor | Moderate |
Phased-Array Emitter [44] | 14 kHz | Fast | Tens of meters | Moderate | Good |
Multipole Emitter [45] | 15–25 kHz | Slow | Tens of meters | Good | Moderate |
Hollow Spherical-Tip Needle–Plate Emitter | Below 100 kHz | Dependent on frequency, adjustable | Hundreds of meters | Dependent on frequency, adjustable | Good (with focusing device) |
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Gao, X.; Zhou, J.; Du, X. Experimental Research on and Optimization of Plasma Emitter Sources. Sensors 2025, 25, 1715. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061715
Gao X, Zhou J, Du X. Experimental Research on and Optimization of Plasma Emitter Sources. Sensors. 2025; 25(6):1715. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061715
Chicago/Turabian StyleGao, Xu, Jing Zhou, and Xiao Du. 2025. "Experimental Research on and Optimization of Plasma Emitter Sources" Sensors 25, no. 6: 1715. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061715
APA StyleGao, X., Zhou, J., & Du, X. (2025). Experimental Research on and Optimization of Plasma Emitter Sources. Sensors, 25(6), 1715. https://doi.org/10.3390/s25061715