3-D finite‐difference modeling of elastic waves in borehole environments

Geophysics ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 793-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwi‐Hyon Yoon ◽  
George A. McMechan

Full‐wavefield sonic logs may be simulated for arbitrarily complicated three‐dimensional (3-D) borehole environments using 3-D elastic finite differences. To ensure reliability through large contrasts in Poisson’s ratio (across mud‐casing‐lithology contacts), a staggered grid finite‐difference formulation is used. Cylindrical symmetry is not assumed so the responses of features such as asymmetrical washouts and dipping structure are easily obtained. When features are asymmetrical, seismic responses vary significantly at various points around the hole circumference at any depth. Even for simple hole geometries, observed responses are complicated because of coupling between waves inside and outside the hole. Observations are also sensitive to the source‐receiver separation. Output formats include fixed‐time snapshots of displacement, divergence, and curl, and seismograms for the center and edge of a borehole; this allows detailed arrival identification and interpretation. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive and flexible scheme for modeling borehole waves that has been implemented to date.

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1569-1610
Author(s):  
J. J. Fürst ◽  
O. Rybak ◽  
H. Goelzer ◽  
B. De Smedt ◽  
P. de Groen ◽  
...  

Abstract. We present a novel finite difference implementation of a three-dimensional higher-order ice sheet model that performs well both in terms of convergence rate and numerical stability. In order to achieve these benefits the discretisation of the governing force balance equation makes extensive use of information on staggered grid points. Using the same iterative solver, an existing discretisation that operates exclusively on the regular grid serves as a reference. Participation in the ISMIP-HOM benchmark indicates that both discretisations are capable of reproducing the higher-order model inter-comparison results. This allows a direct comparison not only of the resultant velocity fields but also of the solver's convergence behaviour which holds main differences. First and foremost, the new finite difference scheme facilitates convergence by a factor of up to 7 and 2.6 in average. In addition to this decrease in computational costs, the precision for the resultant velocity field can be chosen higher in the novel finite difference implementation. For high precisions, the old discretisation experiences difficulties to converge due to large variation in the velocity fields of consecutive Picard iterations. Finally, changing discretisation prevents build-up of local field irregularites that occasionally cause divergence of the solution for the reference discretisation. The improved behaviour makes the new discretisation more reliable for extensive application to real ice geometries. Higher precision and robust numerics are crucial in time dependent applications since numerical oscillations in the velocity field of subsequent time steps are attenuated and divergence of the solution is prevented. Transient applications also benefit from the increased computational efficiency.


Geophysics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 484-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Newman ◽  
David L. Alumbaugh

A 3‐D finite‐difference solution is implemented for simulating induction log responses in the quasi‐static limit that include the wellbore and bedding that exhibits transverse anisotropy. The finite‐difference code uses a staggered grid to approximate a vector equation for the electric field. The resulting linear system of equations is solved to a predetermined error level using iterative Krylov subspace methods. To accelerate the solution at low induction numbers (LINs), a new preconditioner is developed. This new preconditioner splits the electric field into curl‐free and divergence‐free projections, which allows for the construction of an approximate inverse operator. Test examples show up to an order of magnitude increase in speed compared to a simple Jacobi preconditioner. Comparisons with analytical and mode matching solutions demonstrate the accuracy of the algorithm.


Author(s):  
Hessam Babaee ◽  
Sumanta Acharya

An accurate and efficient finite difference method for solving the three dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on curvilinear grids is developed. The semi-staggered grid layout has been used in which all three components of velocity are stored on the corner vertices of the cell facilitating a consistent discretization of the momentum equations as the boundaries are approached. Pressure is stored at the cell-center, resulting in the exact satisfaction the discrete continuity. The diffusive terms are discretized using a second-order central finite difference. A third-order biased upwind scheme is used to discretize the convective terms. The momentum equations are integrated in time using a semi-implicit fractional step methodology. The convective and diffusive terms are advanced in time using the second-order Adams-Bashforth method and Crank-Nicolson method respectively. The Pressure-Poisson is discretized in a similar approach to the staggered gird layout and thus leading to the elimination of the spurious pressure eigen-modes. The validity of the method is demonstrated by two standard benchmark problems. The flow in driven cavity is used to show the second-order spatial convergence on an intentionally distorted grid. Finally, the results for flow past a cylinder for several Reynolds numbers in the range of 50–150 are compared with the existing experimental data in the literature.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1133-1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Fürst ◽  
O. Rybak ◽  
H. Goelzer ◽  
B. De Smedt ◽  
P. de Groen ◽  
...  

Abstract. We present a finite difference implementation of a three-dimensional higher-order ice sheet model. In comparison to a conventional centred difference discretisation it enhances both numerical stability and convergence. In order to achieve these benefits the discretisation of the governing force balance equation makes extensive use of information on staggered grid points. Using the same iterative solver, a centred difference discretisation that operates exclusively on the regular grid serves as a reference. The reprise of the ISMIP-HOM experiments indicates that both discretisations are capable of reproducing the higher-order model inter-comparison results. This setup allows a direct comparison of the two numerical implementations also with respect to their convergence behaviour. First and foremost, the new finite difference scheme facilitates convergence by a factor of up to 7 and 2.6 in average. In addition to this decrease in computational costs, the accuracy for the resultant velocity field can be chosen higher in the novel finite difference implementation. Changing the discretisation also prevents build-up of local field irregularites that occasionally cause divergence of the solution for the reference discretisation. The improved behaviour makes the new discretisation more reliable for extensive application to real ice geometries. Higher accuracy and robust numerics are crucial in time dependent applications since numerical oscillations in the velocity field of subsequent time steps are attenuated and divergence of the solution is prevented.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Tackley

<p>In order to treat a free surface in models of lithosphere and mantle dynamics that use a fixed Eulerian grid it is typical to use "sticky air", a layer of low-viscosity, low-density material above the solid surface (e.g. Crameri et al., 2012). This can, however, cause numerical problems, including poor solver convergence due to the huge viscosity jump and small time-steps due to high velocities in the air. Additionally, it is not completely realistic because the assumed viscosity of the air layer is typically similar to that of rock in the asthenosphere so the surface is not stress free.  </p><p>In order to overcome these problems, Duretz et al. (2016) introduced and tested a method for treating the free surface that instead detects and applies special conditions at the free surface. This avoids the huge viscosity jump and having to solve for velocities in the air. They applied it to a two-dimensional staggered grid finite difference / finite volume scheme, a discretization that is in common use for modelling mantle and lithosphere dynamics. Here I document the application of this approach to a three-dimensional spherical staggered grid solver in the mantle simulation code StagYY. Some adjustments had to be made to the two-dimensional scheme documented in Duretz et al. (2016) in order to avoid problems due to undefined velocities for certain boundary topographies. The approach was applied not only to the Stokes solver but also to the temperature solver, including the implementation of a mixed radiative/conductive boundary condition applicable to surface magma oceans/lakes.</p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Crameri, F., H. Schmeling, G. J. Golabek, T. Duretz, R. Orendt, S. J. H. Buiter, D. A. May, B. J. P. Kaus, T. V. Gerya, and P. J. Tackley (2012), A comparison of numerical surface topography calculations in geodynamic modelling: an evaluation of the ‘sticky air’ method, Geophysical Journal International,189(1), 38-54, doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2012.05388.x.</p><p>Duretz, T., D. A. May, and P. Yamato (2016), A free surface capturing discretization for the staggered grid finite difference scheme, Geophysical Journal International, 204(3), 1518-1530, doi:10.1093/gji/ggv526.</p>


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