Waveform inversion of seismic P‐wave attenuation from borehole compressional wave logs

1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Tang
Geophysics ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Goldberg ◽  
B. Zinszner

We computed compressional‐wave velocity [Formula: see text] and attenuation [Formula: see text] from sonic log waveforms recorded in a cored, 30 m thick, dolostone reservoir; using cores from the same reservoir, laboratory measurements of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] were also obtained. We used a resonant bar technique to measure extensional and shear‐wave velocities and attenuations in the laboratory, so that the same frequency range as used in sonic logging (5–25 kHz) was studied. Having the same frequency range avoids frequency‐dependent differences between the laboratory and in‐situ measurements. Compressional‐wave attenuations at 0 MPa confining pressure, calculated on 30 samples, gave average [Formula: see text] values of 17. Experimental and geometrical errors were estimated to be about 5 percent. Measurements at elevated effective pressures up to 30 MPa on selected dolostone samples in a homogeneous interval showed mean [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] to be approximately equal and consistently greater than 125. At effective stress of 20 MPa and at room temperature, the mean [Formula: see text] over the dolostone interval was 87, a minimum estimate for the approximate in‐situ conditions. We computed compressional‐wave attenuation from sonic log waveforms in the 12.5–25 kHz frequency band using the slope of the spectral ratio of waveforms recorded 0.914 m and 1.524 m from the source. Average [Formula: see text] over the interval was 13.5, and the mean error between this value and the 95 percent confidence interval of the slope was 15.9 percent. The laboratory measurements of [Formula: see text] under elevated pressure conditions were more than five times greater than the mean in‐situ values. This comparison shows that additional extrinsic losses in the log‐derived measurement of [Formula: see text], such as scattering from fine layers and vugs or mode conversion to shear energy dissipating radially from the borehole, dominate the apparent attenuation.


Geophysics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. C107-C123
Author(s):  
Ivan Pšenčík ◽  
Bohuslav Růžek ◽  
Petr Jílek

We have developed a practical concept of compressional wave (P-wave) traveltime inversion in weakly to moderately anisotropic media of arbitrary symmetry and orientation. The concept provides sufficient freedom to explain and reproduce observed anisotropic seismic signatures to a high degree of accuracy. The key to this concept is the proposed P-wave anisotropy parameterization (A-parameters) that, together with the use of the weak-anisotropy approximation, leads to a significantly simplified theory. Here, as an example, we use a simple and transparent formula relating P-wave traveltimes to 15 P-wave A-parameters describing anisotropy of arbitrary symmetry. The formula is used in the inversion scheme, which does not require any a priori information about anisotropy symmetry and its orientation, and it is applicable to weak and moderate anisotropy. As the first step, we test applicability of the proposed scheme on a blind inversion of synthetic P-wave traveltimes generated in vertical seismic profile experiments in homogeneous models. Three models of varying anisotropy are used: tilted orthorhombic and triclinic models of moderate anisotropy (approximately 10%) and an orthorhombic model of strong anisotropy (>25%) with a horizontal plane of symmetry. In all cases, the inversion yields the complete set of 15 P-wave A-parameters, which make reconstruction of corresponding phase-velocity surfaces possible with high accuracy. The inversion scheme is robust with respect to noise and the source distribution pattern. Its quality depends on the angular illumination of the medium; we determine how the absence of nearly horizontal propagation directions affects inversion accuracy. The results of the inversion are applicable, for example, in migration or as a starting model for inversion methods, such as full-waveform inversion, if a model refinement is desired. A similar procedure could be designed for the inversion of S-wave traveltimes in anisotropic media of arbitrary symmetry.


Geophysics ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. U27-U37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nizare El Yadari ◽  
Fabian Ernst ◽  
Wim Mulder

The effect of the near surface on seismic land data can be so severe that static corrections are insufficient. Full-waveform inversion followed by redatuming may be an alternative, but inversion will work only if the starting model is sufficiently close to the true model. As a first step toward determining a viscoelastic near-surface model, we assume that existing methods can provide a horizontally layered velocity and density model. Because near-surface attenuation is strongest, we propose a method to estimate the P-wave attenuation based on viscoacoustic finite-difference modeling. We compare energy decay along traveltime curves of reflection and refraction events in the modeled and observed seismic data for a range of attenuation parameters. The best match provides an estimate of the attenuation. First, we estimate only the attenuation of the top layer and study the sensitivity to depth and velocity perturbations. Then, we consider multiple layers. We apply the method to synthetic and real data and investigate the effect of source wavelet and topography. The method is robust against depth and velocity perturbations smaller than 10%. The results are sensitive to the source wavelet. Incorporating the surface topography in the computed traveltimes reduces the uncertainty of the attenuation estimates, especially for deeper layers.


Geophysics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 202-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge O. Parra

A transversely isotropic model with a horizontal axis of symmetry, based on the Biot and squirt‐flow mechanisms, predicts seismic waves in poroelastic media. The model estimates velocity dispersion and attenuation of waves propagating in the frequency range of crosswell and high‐resolution reverse vertical seismic profiling (VSP) (250–1250 Hz) for vertical permeability values much greater than horizontal permeability parameters. The model assumes the principal axes of the stiffness constant tensor are aligned with the axes of the permeability and squirt‐flow tensors. In addition, the unified Biot and squirt‐flow mechanism (BISQ) model is adapted to simulate cracks in permeable media. Under these conditions, the model simulations demonstrate that the preferential direction of fluid flow in a reservoir containing fluid‐filled cracks can be determined by analyzing the phase velocity and attenuation of seismic waves propagating at different azimuth and incident angles. As a result, the fast compressional wave can be related to permeability anisotropy in a reservoir. The model results demonstrate that for a fast quasi-P-wave propagating perpendicular to fluid‐filled cracks, the attenuation is greater than when the wave propagates parallel to the plane of the crack. Theoretical predictions and velocity dispersion of inter‐well seismic waves in the Kankakee Limestone Formation at the Buckhorn test site (Illinois) demonstrate that the permeable rock matrix surrounding a low‐velocity heterogeneity contains vertical cracks.


2020 ◽  
Vol 222 (1) ◽  
pp. 560-571
Author(s):  
Lingli Gao ◽  
Yudi Pan ◽  
Thomas Bohlen

SUMMARY 2-D full-waveform inversion (FWI) of shallow-seismic wavefields has recently become a novel way to reconstruct S-wave velocity models of the shallow subsurface with high vertical and lateral resolution. In most applications, seismic wave attenuation is ignored or considered as a passive modelling parameter only. In this study, we explore the feasibility and performance of multiparameter viscoelastic 2-D FWI in which seismic velocities and attenuation of P and S waves, respectively, and mass density are inverted simultaneously. Synthetic reconstruction experiments reveal that multiple crosstalks between all viscoelastic material parameters may occur. The reconstruction of S-wave velocity is always robust and of high quality. The parameters P-wave velocity and density exhibit weaker sensitivity and can be reconstructed more reliably by multiparameter viscoelastic FWI. Anomalies in S-wave attenuation can be recovered but with limited resolution. In a field-data application, a small-scale refilled trench is nicely delineated as a low P- and S-wave velocity anomaly. The reconstruction of P-wave velocity is improved by the simultaneous inversion of attenuation. The reconstructed S-wave attenuation reveals higher attenuation in the shallow weathering zone and weaker attenuation below. The variations in the reconstructed P- and S-wave velocity models are consistent with the reflectivity observed in a ground penetrating radar (GPR) profile.


Geophysics ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 854-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Ming Tang

A new technique for measuring elastic wave attenuation in the frequency range of 10–150 kHz consists of measuring low‐frequency waveforms using two cylindrical bars of the same material but of different lengths. The attenuation is obtained through two steps. In the first, the waveform measured within the shorter bar is propagated to the length of the longer bar, and the distortion of the waveform due to the dispersion effect of the cylindrical waveguide is compensated. The second step is the inversion for the attenuation or Q of the bar material by minimizing the difference between the waveform propagated from the shorter bar and the waveform measured within the longer bar. The waveform inversion is performed in the time domain, and the waveforms can be appropriately truncated to avoid multiple reflections due to the finite size of the (shorter) sample, allowing attenuation to be measured at long wavelengths or low frequencies. The frequency range in which this technique operates fills the gap between the resonant bar measurement (∼10 kHz) and ultrasonic measurement (∼100–1000 kHz). By using the technique, attenuation values in a PVC (a highly attenuative) material and in Sierra White granite were measured in the frequency range of 40–140 kHz. The obtained attenuation values for the two materials are found to be reliable and consistent.


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