Modeling wave generation by borehole orbital vibrator source

Geophysics ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. F1-F11
Author(s):  
Seiji Nakagawa ◽  
Thomas M. Daley

An orbital vibrator source (OVS), a fluid-coupled shear-wave source, has many properties useful for crosswell, single-well, and borehole-to-surface imaging of both P- (compressional) and S- (shear) wave velocities of reservoir rocks. To this day, however, only a limited number of quantitative models have been developed to explain its properties. In this article, we develop both 2D and 3D models of an OVS, allowing us to examine source characteristics such as radiation patterns, frequency dependence of wave amplitudes, and guided-wave generation. These models are developed in the frequency-wavenumber domain using the partial wave expansion of the wavefield within and outside the borehole. The models predict many unique characteristics of an OVS, including formation-property-dependent vibrator amplitudes, uniform isotropic S-wave radiation pattern, and small tube-wave generation.

Geophysics ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. WCA211-WCA223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Ming Tang ◽  
Douglas J. Patterson

Single-well S-wave imaging has several attractive features because of its directional sensitivity and usefulness for fracture characterization. To provide a method for single-well acoustic imaging, we analyzed the effects of wave radiation, reflection, and borehole acoustic response on S-wave reflection measurements from a multicomponent dipole acoustic tool. A study of S-wave radiation from a dipole source and the wave’s reflection from a formation boundary shows that the S-waves generated by a dipole source in a borehole have a wide radiation pattern that allows imaging of reflectors at various dip angles crossing the borehole. More importantly, the azimuthal variation of the S-waves, in connection with the multicomponent nature of a cross-dipole tool, can determine the strike of the reflector. We used our theoretical foundation for borehole S-wave imaging to formulate an inversion procedure for field data processing. Application to field data validates the theoretical results and demonstrates the advantages of S-wave imaging. Application to near-borehole fracture imaging clearly demonstrates S-wave azimuthal sensitivity to fracture orientation.


Geophysics ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Meadows ◽  
Don F. Winterstein

A shear‐wave (S‐wave) VSP experiment was performed at Lost Hills Field, California, in an attempt to detect hydraulic fractures induced in a nearby well. The hydrofrac well was located between an impulsive, S‐wave source on the surface and a receiver well containing a clamped, three‐component geophone. Both direct and scattered waves were detected immediately after shut‐in, when the hydraulic pumps were shut off and recording started. The scattered energy disappeared within about an hour, which is consistent with other measurements that indicate some degree of fracture closure and leak‐off within that period. Although S‐wave splitting was evident, no change was detected in the fast wave (polarized parallel to the fracture). However, the slow wave (polarized perpendicular to the fracture) did change over a period of about an hour, after which the prehydrofrac wavelet shape was recovered. The fact that only the wave polarized perpendicular to the fracture was affected is a dramatic confirmation of both theoretical predictions and laboratory observations of S‐wave behavior in a fractured medium. Subtracting the prehydrofrac wavelet from the wavelets recorded within the first hour after shut‐in revealed scattered wavelets that were diminished and phase‐rotated versions of the incident (prehydrofrac) wavelet. Arrival times of the direct and scattered waves were matched by ray tracing. We accounted for the scattered‐wave amplitudes by using numerical solutions of S‐wave diffractions off of ribbon‐shaped fractures. Amplitudes derived from full‐wavefield Born scattering, however, did not match recorded amplitudes. The phase of the scattered wavelets was matched very well by Born scattering when the incident wavelet was input, but only for fracture lengths no larger than half those predicted from fracture‐simulator models. These results show that a carefully controlled experiment, combined with accurate modeling, can provide important information about the geometry of induced fractures.


Geophysics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. Q27-Q36 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Gaiser ◽  
Ivan Vasconcelos ◽  
Rosemarie Geetan ◽  
John Faragher

In this study, elastic-wavefield interferometry was used to recover P- and S-waves from the 3D P-wave vibrator VSP data at Wamsutter field in Wyoming. S-wave velocity and birefringence is of particular interest for the geophysical objectives of lithology discrimination and fracture characterization in naturally fractured tight gas sand reservoirs. Because we rely on deconvolution interferometry for retrieving interreceiver P- and S-waves in the subsurface, the output fields are suitable for high-resolution, local reservoir characterization. In 1D media where the borehole is nearly vertical, data at the stationary-phase point is not conducive to conventional interferometry. Strong tube-wave noise generated by physical sources near the borehole interfere with S-wave splitting analyses. Also, converted P- to S-wave (PS-wave) polarity reversals occur at zero offset and cancel their recovery. We developed methods to eliminate tube-wave noise by removing physical sources at the stationary-phase point and perturbing the integration path in the integrand based on P-wave NMO velocity of the direct-arrival. This results in using nonphysical energy outside a Fresnel radius that could not have propagated between receivers. To limit the response near the stationary-phase point, we also applied a weighting condition to suppress energy from large offsets. For PS-waves, a derivative-like operator was applied to the physical sources at zero offset in the form of a polarity reversal. These methods resulted in effectively recovering P-wave dipole and PS-wave quadrupole pseudosource VSPs. The retrieved wavefields kinematically correspond to a vertical incidence representation of reflectivity/transmissivity and can be used for conventional P- and S-wave velocity analyses. Four-component PS-wave VSPs retrieve S-wave splitting in transmitted converted waves that provide calibration for PS-wave and P-wave azimuthal anisotropy measurements from surface-seismic data.


Geophysics ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 1308-1314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myung W. Lee ◽  
A. H. Balch

This paper concerns far‐field radiation of compressional P and shear S waves into the surrounding medium from a fluid‐filled borehole in an infinite medium and tube waves propagating along a borehole, using a low‐frequency approximation. Two kinds of sources are considered: (1) a volume displacement point source acting on the axis of a borehole, and (2) a uniform radial stress source acting on the wall of a borehole. When the tube‐wave velocity is close to the shear‐wave velocity, the effect of the borehole fluid on the P‐wave radiation pattern and on the S‐wave radiation pattern is substantial.


2019 ◽  
Vol 219 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhoutuo Wei ◽  
Xiaoming Tang ◽  
Jingji Cao

SUMMARY With the comparison to the resistivity ultra-deep measurement, the single-well reflection survey in acoustic logging-while-drilling (ALWD) measurement lags far behind, especially ALWD dipole measurement has long been thought to be little added value. In this paper, we extended the dipole shear-wave (S-wave) reflection survey technology in wireline logging into ALWD and demonstrated the theoretical feasibility of adopting a dipole source–receiver system to perform ALWD reflection survey. For this purpose, we investigated the radiation patterns of radiantSH, SV and P waves, the energy fluxes of guided and radiant waves and their acoustical radiation efficiencies from an LWD dipole acoustic source by comparisons with the wireline results. The analysis results reveal that a dominant excitation-frequency band does exist in ALWD dipole S-wave reflection. Consequently, the expected excitation frequency should be located in the band of the signal with high radiation efficiency, guaranteeing the best radiation performance. In fast formations, SH wave is the best candidate for ALWD reflection survey due to its highest radiation efficiency. In contrast, the dominant excitation-frequency band of SH wave gets wider in a slow formation. Besides, the SV- and P-wave radiation efficiencies are also remarkable, implying that both waves can also be used for ALWD reflection survey in slow formations. We expounded the SH-, SV- and P-reflection behaviours at three typical excitation frequencies by our 3-D finite difference. Simulations to single-well reflection validate the key role of dominant excitation-frequency band and demonstrate the theoretical feasibility of applying the technology to ALWD. Our results can guide the design and measurement methods of ALWD dipole S-wave reflection survey tool, which could have extensive application prospect for geo-steering.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillaume Flé ◽  
Guillaume Gilbert ◽  
Pol Grasland-Mongrain ◽  
Guy Cloutier

AbstractQuantitative mechanical properties of biological tissues can be mapped using the shear wave elastography technique. This technology has demonstrated a great potential in various organs but shows a limit due to wave attenuation in biological tissues. An option to overcome the inherent loss in shear wave magnitude along the propagation pathway may be to stimulate tissues closer to regions of interest using alternative motion generation techniques. The present study investigated the feasibility of generating shear waves by applying a Lorentz force directly to tissue mimicking samples for magnetic resonance elastography applications. This was done by combining an electrical current with the strong magnetic field of a clinical MRI scanner. The Local Frequency Estimation method was used to assess the real value of the shear modulus of tested phantoms from Lorentz force induced motion. Finite elements modeling of reported experiments showed a consistent behavior but featured wavelengths larger than measured ones. Results suggest the feasibility of a magnetic resonance elastography technique based on the Lorentz force to produce an shear wave source.


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