dBX

Purpose-built explosive provides better data, safer operations

For the past 20 years, most explosives readily available to the seismic community were based on mining industry applications, but the energy source experts at WesternGeco and Dyno Nobel have developed the first purpose-built seismic explosive.

Based on decades of field experience and incorporating reactive metal technology, the new compound dBX is a dual-composition explosive that offers significant geophysical, safety and logistical advantages over conventional explosive compounds. One of its unique features is the ability to optimize energy transfer through the borehole wall, thus producing more usable energy than attainable with conventional explosives. To the geophysicist who requires enhanced reservoir imaging, dBX provides signal-to-noise ratios of 4 dB or greater and an average 20% improvement in seismic bandwidth. This unique energy-coupling feature also allows the explorationist to use smaller charge weights or drill shallower holes, further optimizing field operations.

Safety, prior to and during the acquisition phase, is another benefit. Because dBX is a binary explosive, it can be mixed onsite, allowing the field engineer to prepare only the amount needed to satisfy daily drilling and loading requirements without storage problems commonly associated with explosives operations. Its unique formulation allows the dBX arming sequence to be delayed, further minimizing safety concerns associated with explosive handling. Upon detonation, the concentrated energy of the compound produces less gas, which reduces the incidence of blowouts.

Among its environmental advantages, dBX is water-soluble and incorporates a self-disarming mechanism to render it inert if the unexploded charge remains down hole for any length of time. If the packaging has not been breeched, the product can remain in the ground for up to 1 year and will still shoot; after such time the disarming process begins. If exposed to water, dBX will become inert in less than 48 hours. In addition, the byproducts of detonation are naturally occurring substances found in the Earth's crust.

If shipped in its binary form, the two inert substances (a solid and a liquid) used in the formulation of dBX do not have to be declared as explosive components, which facilitates customs clearance. dBX is the first seismic explosive developed exclusively for seismic applications. Geophysical, safety and logistical considerations were part of the development mix - and the result is a truly effective explosive source for improved data quality and safer handling.