Dynamic interaction of a spherical radiator in a fluid-filled cylindrical borehole within a poroelastic formation

Harmonic acoustic radiation from a modally oscillating spherical source positioned at the center of a fluid-filled cylindrical cavity embedded within a fluid-saturated porous elastic formation is studied in an exact manner. The formulation utilizes the Biot theory of dynamic poroelasticity along with the cylindrical to spherical wave-field transformations, and the pertinent boundary conditions to obtain a closed-form series solution. The analytical results are illustrated with a numerical example in which the spherical source, with its polar axis oriented along the main axis of a water-filled borehole and embedded within a water-saturated Ridgefield sandstone formation, is excited in vibrational modes of various orders. The magnitude of the reflected component of acoustic pressure along the axis of the borehole for a pulsating (n = 0), an oscillating (n = 1), and also a multipole (n = 0–3) spherical source as a function of the excitation frequency is calculated and discussed for representative values of the parameters characterizing the system. Special attention is paid to the effects of source excitation frequency, size, surface velocity profile, and internal impedance as well as borehole interface permeability condition on the reflected pressure magnitudes. Limiting cases are considered and fair agreements with well-known solutions are obtained.