A fluidic hammer as a high-fidelity seismic-while-drilling source: A direct, quantitative comparison with conventional drill bits

We performed a direct comparative analysis of the seismic wavefields radiated from three distinct drilling mechanisms under controlled laboratory conditions: percussion-rotary drilling with a fluidic hammer, and conventional rotary drilling with roller-cone and polycrystalline-diamond-compact (PDC) bits. The results reveal the comprehensive superiority of the fluidic hammer. A quantitative analysis of the peak signals indicates that the fluidic hammer radiates approximately 12.2 times more seismic energy than the roller-cone bit and over 809.3 times more than the PDC bit. Further analysis demonstrates that the fluidic hammer produces a high-energy and broadband (50–150 Hz) wavefield. The kinematic fidelity of this wavefield was robustly validated against an independent benchmark experiment using a traditional instrumented hammer source. Its highly repeatable wavelet and unwavering kinematic response across all energy levels cement its status as a truly high-fidelity source. Crucially, its energy output exhibits a strong linear relationship ( R 2 = 0.9360) with the operational flow rate, proving the source is quantitatively controllable. These findings demonstrate that the fluidic hammer source mechanism can overcome the fundamental energy and stability limitations of traditional drill-bit seismic-while-drilling (DB-SWD), offering a promising pathway toward high-fidelity, quantitative subsurface imaging.