1. 10 PowerSource
Exploring the underground for oil and gas requires a seismic source
that is well-suited for extended work intervals, whether in the
country or city.
Telsa Exploration Ltd., based in Denver, Colorado, is a worldwide
provider of seismic acquisition services. The company operates a
large and diverse fleet of seismic equipment for collecting seismic
readings around the world. Among them: four truck-mounted seismic
recording vibrators — completely refurbished and repowered by a
new PowerTech PVX 9.0L Interim Tier 4/Stage III B engine.
Telsa Exploration is currently in the process of repowering these
four seismic recording trucks with John Deere engines at its
maintenance locations in Elmira, New York and Castle Rock,
Colorado. The original 2-stroke engines had become “very loud and
leaked a lot of oil,” says technician Mike Vance. He says repowering
with the PowerTech PVX 9.0L engine dramatically improves
emissions, noise, and fuel economy — important characteristics,
especially when working in urban environments. “By repowering,
we are able to cut noise in half, and the fuel efficiency of the
John Deere engine is probably 30 percent better,” states Vance.
Looks are important too. John Deere engine distributor Bell
Power Systems custom paints the John Deere engines white. “Low
emissions, low noise, and the overall look are important to our
clients,” explains Vance. “A machine must give a good impression.
That’s especially important in urban seismic settings.”
Telsa Exploration sources the PowerTech PVX 9.0L engines from
Five Star Equipment, a local John Deere industrial dealer that serves
New York and Pennsylvania. Vance says the five-week delivery
time of the John Deere engine was 27 weeks shorter than a major
competitive engine manufacturer. He also liked the John Deere
technology approach to meet Interim Tier 4/Stage III B emissions.
RefurbishedseismicrecordersUpgrades and repowers make these seismic vehicles well suited for work in both rural and urban areas
TheJohn Deere-poweredseismictrucksendssoundpulsesasdeepas5kilometers
(16,000feet)undergrounddeepbelowtheearth’ssurface,generatinga3-dimensional
imageofthegeologicstructure.

2. 11PowerSource
Thesetruck-mounted
seismicrecordingvibrators
arenowcompletely
refurbishedandrepowered
byanewPowerTech
PVX9.0LInterimTier4/
Stage III Bengine.
“We looked at other engines, and it came down to the John Deere
because a lot of Interim Tier 4 engines use diesel exhaust fluid, and
the John Deere Interim Tier 4 engines don’t.” (In choosing a solution
for Interim Tier 4/Stage III B, John Deere elected not to use selective
catalytic reduction (SCR). The John Deere cooled exhaust gas
recirculation (EGR) and exhaust filter approach provides OEMs and
end-users with a proven single-fluid solution.)
The 224 kW (300 hp) PowerTech PVX 9.0L engine hydraulically powers
the vibrator assembly on a solid-steel, 3-metric-ton (6,500 pound)
reaction mass that transfers vibration waves deep into the ground.
These sweeps vary from 5 to 200 Hertz (movements per second).
Clients determine the length, interval, depth, and zone of interest.
Vance says “Seismic equipment continues to become more
sophisticated. Years ago, it was difficult to collect seismic data in
cities because of extraneous noise. Now computer technology allows
them to filter out noise like city traffic.”
Upgrading to a more technologically advanced engine only
enhances the sophistication of these seismic machines. “We’ve
seen it coming; noise and emissions are becoming more important
on jobsites,” explains Vance. “The John Deere engine is much
cleaner (than the engine it replaces). At maximum load during a
sweep, you could see a puff of black smoke with the old engines.
With these John Deere engines, you don’t even know they’re
running. Everyone loves them.”
EmissionsCert. InterimTier4/StageIIIB
EngineModel PowerTechPVX6090HFC94
Displacement 9.0L
RatedPower 224kW(300hp)@2200rpm
Cylinders 6
Aspiration Air-to-airaftercooled
Distributor
BellPowerSystems,LLC
Essex,Connecticut
(860)767-7502
www.bellpower.com