Optimization Design for the Sandwich Piezoelectric Transmitters in Acoustic Logging

An optimized transducer prototype with a sandwich structure vibrated longitudinally is proposed for a transmitter in acoustic logging, especially in acoustic logging while drilling, by taking account of drilling environments with high temperature and pressure, as well as strong collar drilling vibration during the drilling process. Aimed to improve the transmitting performance, numerical and experimental studies for the transducer optimization are conducted. The impact of location and length of the piezoelectric stack on resonance characteristics and effective electromechanical coupling coefficient is calculated and analyzed. Admittance and transmitting performance of the proposed transducer are measured in laboratory experiments, and the results are compared with simulated ones. It is shown that the newly proposed transducer has higher transmitting performance with lower resonance frequencies. This work provides theoretical and experimental bases for transducer designing and acoustic wave measurements in acoustic logging, especially in acoustic logging while drilling.