Review of contemporary energy harvesting techniques and their feasibility in wireless geophones

Summmary Energy harvesting converts ambient energy to electrical energy providing numerous opportunities to realize wireless sensors. Seismic exploration is a prime avenue to benefit from it as energy harvesting equipped geophones would relieve the burden of cables which account for the biggest chunk of exploration cost and equipment weight. Since numerous energies are abundantly available in seismic fields, these can be harvested to power up geophones. However, due to the random and intermittent nature of the harvested energy, it is important that geophones must be equipped to tap from several energy sources for a stable operation. It may involve some initial installation cost but in the long run, it is cost-effective and beneficial as the sources for energy harvesting are available naturally. Extensive research has been carried out in recent years to harvest energies from various sources. However, there has not been a thorough investigation of utilizing these developments in the seismic context. In this survey, a comprehensive literature review is provided on the research progress in energy harvesting methods suitable for direct adaptation in geophones. Specifically, the focus is on small form factor energy harvesting circuits and systems capable of harvesting energy from wind, sun, vibrations, temperature difference, and radio frequencies. Furthermore, case studies are presented to assess the suitability of the studied energy harvesting methods. Finally, a design of energy harvesting equipped geophone is also proposed.

Automated summary

Energy harvesting converts ambient energy into electrical energy, offering opportunities for realizing wireless sensors. Seismic exploration can benefit significantly from this technology as energy harvesting equipped geophones can reduce the costs and weight associated with cables. However, due to the random and intermittent nature of harvested energy, geophones must be designed to tap into multiple energy sources for stable operation. Extensive research has been conducted on energy harvesting from various sources, but its application in the seismic context has not been thoroughly investigated. This survey provides a comprehensive literature review on energy harvesting methods suitable for direct adaptation in geophones, focusing on small form factor circuits and systems capable of harvesting energy from wind, sun, vibrations, temperature difference, and radio frequencies. Case studies are presented to assess the suitability of these methods, and a design for an energy harvesting equipped geophone is proposed.