Anisotropic reverse-time migration for tilted TI media

Seismic anisotropy in dipping shales results in imaging and positioning problems for underlying structures. We develop an anisotropic reverse‐time depth migration approach for P‐wave and SV‐wave seismic data in transversely isotropic (TI) media with a tilted axis of symmetry normal to bedding. Based on an accurate phase velocity formula and dispersion relationships for weak anisotropy, we derive the wave equation for P‐wave and SV‐wave propagation in tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media. The accuracy of the P‐wave equation and the SV‐wave equation is analyzed and compared with other acoustic wave equations for TTI media. Using this analysis and the pseudo‐spectral method, we apply reverse‐time migration to numerical and physical‐model data. According to the comparison between the isotropic and anisotropic migration results, the anisotropic reverse‐time depth migration offers significant improvements in positioning and reflector continuity over those obtained using isotropic algorithms.     

TTI介质的交错网格伪P波正演方法

研究了三维弱各向异性近似下,利用伪P波(伪纵波)模拟弹性波场P分量在倾斜对称轴的横向各向同性(TTI)介质中的传播过程,并对比了分别基于弹性Hooke定律、弹性波投影和运动学色散方程所建立的三种二阶差分伪P波方程的正演特点.目前这些伪P波方程数值计算主要采用规则网格差分,但是规则网格在TTI模拟中有低效率、低精度以及不稳定的缺点.为了提高计算的精度,本文构建出相应方程的交错网格有限差分格式.通过对比伪P波方程在三维TTI介质中不同的数值模拟的表达形式,本文认为基于色散方程所建立的伪P波方程在模拟弹性波中P波传播的过程中具有最小的噪声.本文分析不同的各向同性对称轴空间角度的频散特征,并引入适当的横波速度维持计算的稳定.二维模型算例表明,本文提出的交错网格正演算法可以得到稳定光滑的伪P波正演波场.使用本文交错网格算法对二维BP TTI模型的逆时偏移也具有较稳定的偏移结果.     

S-wave in 2D acoustic transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis

In an acoustic transversely isotropic medium, there are two waves that propagate. One is the P-wave and another one is the S-wave (also known as S-wave artefact). This paper is devoted to analyse the S-wave in two-dimensional acoustic transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis. We derive the S-wave slowness surface and traveltime function in a homogeneous acoustic transversely isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis. The S-wave traveltime approximations in acoustic transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis can be mapped from the counterparts for acoustic transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis. We consider a layered two-dimensional acoustic transversely isotropic medium with a tilted symmetry axis to analyse the S-wave moveout. We also illustrate the behaviour of the moveout for reflected S-wave and converted waves.     

黏弹TTI介质中旋转交错网格高阶有限差分数值模拟

以Carcione黏弹各向异性理论为基础,给出了适用于黏弹性具有任意倾斜对称轴横向各向同性介质(黏弹TTI介质)的二维三分量一阶速度-应力方程,采用旋转交错网格任意偶数阶精度有限差分格式求解该方程,并推导出了二维黏弹TTI介质完全匹配层(PML)吸收边界条件公式和相应的旋转交错网格任意偶数阶精度有限差分格式,实现了该类介质的地震波场数值模拟.数值模拟结果表明:该方法模拟精度高,边界吸收效果好,可以得到高精度的波场快照和合成记录;并且波场快照和合成记录能较好地反映地下介质的各向异性特征和黏弹性特征.     

Pure quasi-P wave equation and numerical solution in 3D TTI media

Based on the pure quasi-P wave equation in transverse isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI media), a quasi-P wave equation is obtained in transverse isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis (TTI media). This is achieved using projection transformation, which rotates the direction vector in the coordinate system of observation toward the direction vector for the coordinate system in which the z-component is parallel to the symmetry axis of the TTI media. The equation has a simple form, is easily calculated, is not influenced by the pseudo-shear wave, and can be calculated reliably when δ is greater than ε. The finite difference method is used to solve the equation. In addition, a perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary condition is obtained for the equation. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation results with forward modeling prove that the equation can accurately simulate a quasi-P wave in TTI medium.     

Pure acoustic wave propagation in transversely isotropic media by the pseudospectral method

Seismic wave propagation in transversely isotropic (TI) media is commonly described by a set of coupled partial differential equations, derived from the acoustic approximation. These equations produce pure P‐wave responses in elliptically anisotropic media but generate undesired shear‐wave components for more general TI anisotropy. Furthermore, these equations suffer from instabilities when the anisotropy parameter ε is less than δ. One solution to both problems is to use pure acoustic anisotropic wave equations, which can produce pure P‐waves without any shear‐wave contaminations in both elliptical and anelliptical TI media. In this paper, we propose a new pure acoustic transversely isotropic wave equation, which can be conveniently solved using the pseudospectral method. Like most other pure acoustic anisotropic wave equations, our equation involves complicated pseudo‐differential operators in space which are difficult to handle using the finite difference method. The advantage of our equation is that all of its model parameters are separable from the spatial differential and pseudo‐differential operators; therefore, the pseudospectral method can be directly applied. We use phase velocity analysis to show that our equation, expressed in a summation form, can be properly truncated to achieve the desired accuracy according to anisotropy strength. This flexibility allows us to save computational time by choosing the right number of summation terms for a given model. We use numerical examples to demonstrate that this new pure acoustic wave equation can produce highly accurate results, completely free from shear‐wave artefacts. This equation can be straightforwardly generalized to tilted TI media.     

The offset‐midpoint travel‐time pyramid for P‐wave in 2D transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis

For pre‐stack phase‐shift migration in homogeneous isotropic media, the offset‐midpoint travel time is represented by the double‐square‐root equation. The travel time as a function of offset and midpoint resembles the shape of Cheops’ pyramid. This is also valid for transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis. In this study, we extend the offset‐midpoint travel‐time pyramid to the case of 2D transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis. The P‐wave analytical travel‐time pyramid is derived under the assumption of weak anelliptical property of the tilted transverse isotropy media. The travel‐time equation for the dip‐constrained transversely isotropic model is obtained from the depth‐domain travel‐time pyramid. The potential applications of the derived offset‐midpoint travel‐time equation include pre‐stack Kirchhoff migration, anisotropic parameter estimation, and travel‐time calculation in transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis.     

Numerical simulation of seismic wave in elastic and viscoelastic TTI media*

Based on the two-dimensional (2D) three-component first-order velocity-stress equation, the high order staggered mesh finite difference numerical simulation method was used to simulate the elastic and viscoelastic tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media. The perfect matched layer (PML) absorption boundary condition was selected to eliminate the boundary effect. The results show that: ① Under the condition of fixed elastic parameters of elastic TTI medium, when the polarization angle and azimuth are 60° and 45° respectively, the degree of shear wave splitting is significantly greater than the angle of 0°; ② The influence of viscoelasticity on TTI medium is mainly reflected in the amplitude. If the quality factor decreases, the attenuation of the seismic wave amplitude increases, causing the waveform to become wider and distorted. If the quality factor increases, the viscoelastic medium becomes closer to elastic medium; ③ For TTI medium with different polarization angle and azimuth angle in the upper and lower layers, the shear wave can multiple splits at the interface of medium. The symmetry of seismograms is affected by the polarization angle and azimuth angle of TTI medium; ④ Viscoelasticity has a great influence on reflected wave, transmitted wave and converted wave in the low-velocity model. When the viscoelasticity is strong, the weaker waves may not be shown.     

CDP mapping in tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media. Part I: Method and effectiveness

Transverse isotropy with a tilted axis of symmetry (TTI) causes image distortion if isotropic models are assumed during data processing. A simple anisotropic migration approach needs long computational times and is sensitive to the signal-to-noise ratio. This paper presents an efficient, general approach to common-depth-point (CDP) mapping to image the subsurface in TTI media from qP-wave seismic data by adding anisotropic and dip parameters to the velocity model. The method consists of three steps: (i) calculating traveltimes and positions of the CDP points; (ii) determining CDP trajectories; (iii) CDP imaging. A crucial step is the rapid computation of traveltimes and raypaths in the TTI media, which is achieved by the Fermat method, specially adapted for anisotropic layered media. The algorithm can image the subsurface of a given model quickly and accurately, and is suitable for application to a bending reflector. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by comparing the raypaths, the traveltimes and the results of CDP mapping, when assuming isotropic media, transversely isotropic media with a vertical axis of symmetry (TIV), and TTI media.     

横向各向同性介质拟声波方程及其在逆时偏移中的应用

地下岩石的速度各向异性影响地震波的传播与成像.横向各向同性(TI)介质为最普遍的等效各向异性模型.引入TI介质拟声波方程可以避免复杂的弹性波方程求解以及各向异性介质波场分离,以满足对纵波成像的实际需要.本文从垂直横向各向同性(VTI)介质弹性波方程出发,推导出正应力表达的拟声波方程以及相应的纵波分量的表达式,进而分析从频散关系得到的拟声波方程的物理意义,而后将拟声波方程扩展到更一般的倾斜横向各向同性(TTI)介质中.波前快照与群速度平面的对比验证了拟声波方程可以很好地近似描述qP波的运动学特征.在此基础上,将拟声波方程应用在逆时偏移中并与其特例声波近似方程进行对比,讨论了计算效率、稳定性等实际问题.数值试验表明VTI介质情况下采用声波近似方程可以提高计算效率,而TTI介质qP-qSV波方程则在效率相当的情况下可以保证稳定性.SEG/HESS模型和逆冲模型逆时偏移试验验证了本文TI介质拟声波方程的实用性.     

带正则化校正的TTI介质qP波方程及其逆时偏移方法和应用

各向异性研究对地下介质精确成像有着重要的意义,在当前计算机硬件迅速发展及宽方位地震数据采集日益普遍的情况下,成像必须考虑介质的各向异性.逆时偏移是基于双程波动方程的较为精确的数值解的成像方法,所以相对于其他地震成像方法,它具有很大的优势,譬如不受反射界面的倾角限制、偏移速度结构合适时能够使回转波及多次波正确成像.在各向同性介质中,可使用标量波方程来模拟波场.而在各向异性介质中,P波和SV波是相互耦合的,即不存在单纯的标量波传播,通常利用能代表耦合波场中P波分量运动学特征的拟声波(qP波)进行偏移成像.本文中,我们推导出了TTI介质下qP波控制方程.该方程可采用显式有限差分格式进行求解.通过声学近似,若沿对称轴方向的剪切波速度为零,对于对称轴方向不变且ε≥δ的模型来说,可得到稳定的数值解.但对于TTI介质来说,由于沿对称轴方向各向异性参数是变化的,声学近似会引起波场传播及数值计算的不稳定.因此,我们提出了正则化有限横波的方法,很好地解决了这一问题.最后,给出了Foothill模型的测试结果及某探区实际资料试算结果,展示了采用这个方程进行复杂TTI模型正演和高质量逆时偏移成像结果,证实了该方法的正确性和实际资料应用中的有效性.     

Earthquake location in transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis

The conventional intersection method for earthquake location in isotropic media is developed in the case of transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis (TTI media). The hypocenter is determined using its loci, which are calculated through a minimum travel time tree algorithm for ray tracing in TTI media. There are no restrictions on the structural complexity of the model or on the anisotropy strength of the medium. The location method is validated by its application to determine the hypocenter and origin time of an event in a complex TTI structure, in accordance with four hypotheses or study cases: (a) accurate model and arrival times, (b) perturbed model with randomly variable elastic parameter, (c) noisy arrival time data, and (d) incomplete set of observations from the seismic stations. Furthermore, several numerical tests demonstrate that the orientation of the symmetry axis has a significant effect on the hypocenter location when the seismic anisotropy is not very weak. Moreover, if the hypocentral determination is based on an isotropic reference model while the real medium is anisotropic, the resultant location errors can be considerable even though the anisotropy strength does not exceed 6.10%.     

S‐wave kinematics in acoustic transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis

Acoustic transversely isotropic models are widely used in seismic exploration for P‐wave processing and analysis. In isotropic acoustic media only P‐wave can propagate, while in an acoustic transversely isotropic medium both P and S waves propagate. In this paper, we focus on kinematic properties of S‐wave in acoustic transversely isotropic media. We define new parameters better suited for S‐wave kinematics analysis. We also establish the travel time and relative geometrical spreading equations and analyse their properties. To illustrate the behaviour of the S‐wave in multi‐layered acoustic transversely isotropic media, we define the Dix‐type equations that are different from the ones widely used for the P‐wave propagation.     

忽略TTI介质对称轴倾角的可行性

假设横向各向同性(TI)介质的对称轴是垂直的(VTI)或者水平的(HTI)能给实际资料处理带来便利,然而实际TI介质的对称轴往往是倾斜的(TTI),忽略对称轴倾角可能给各向异性参数提取和成像带来偏差,因此需要研究是否能、以及什么条件下能忽略TTI介质对称轴倾角.本文通过理论研究和数值分析研究了与TTI介质弹性性质最接近的VTI介质(OAVTI)的弹性常数和各向异性参数与原TTI介质的弹性常数和各向异性参数之间的联系与差别.结果表明:OAVTI介质各向异性参数与原TTI介质各向异性参数之间的差别可统一表示成F(α₀/β₀,ε,δ,γ)ξ²的形式,其中F(α₀/β₀,ε,δ,γ)是无量纲各向异性参数(ε, δ, γ)的线性函数,ξ是对称轴倾角;ξ的大小对各参数的误差起主导作用,一般不建议忽略20°~25°以上的对称轴倾角;当ξ较小时,即使是对强各向异性的TTI介质作VTI近似,引起的P波各向异性参数误差也很小,因此在纵波资料处理中忽略TTI介质对称轴倾角通常是可行的;即使在小ξ条件下,倾斜对称轴对SV波也有显著影响,因此在转换波资料处理中,不建议忽略TTI介质的对称轴倾角.本文的研究为分析忽略TTI介质对称轴倾角的可行性提供了理论依据和简便的判据.     

TTI介质隐式有限差分平面波偏移

文章研究了TTI介质隐式有限差分(IFD)波场外推算子和TTI介质平面波偏移.与各向同性和VTI介质相比,TTI介质频散关系要复杂的多,很难得到频散关系的显性表达,也不能再只用对称的偶函数表示,需要加入一个奇函数.文中设计TTI介质IFD波场外推算子并用非线性优化方法求解算子系数.将各向同性介质下平面波偏移理论与TTl...     

A tilted transversely isotropic slowness surface approximation

The relation between vertical and horizontal slownesses, better known as the dispersion relation, for transversely isotropic media with a tilted symmetry axis (TTI) requires solving a quartic polynomial equation, which does not admit a practical explicit solution to be used, for example, in downward continuation. Using a combination of the perturbation theory with respect to the anelliptic parameter and Shanks transform to improve the accuracy of the expansion, we develop an explicit formula for the vertical slowness that is highly accurate for all practical purposes. It also reveals some insights into the anisotropy parameter dependency of the dispersion relation including the low impact that the anelliptic parameter has on the vertical placement of reflectors for a small tilt in the symmetry angle.     

3D P‐wave traveltime computation in transversely isotropic media using layer‐by‐layer wavefront marching

Subsurface rocks (e.g. shale) may induce seismic anisotropy, such as transverse isotropy. Traveltime computation is an essential component of depth imaging and tomography in transversely isotropic media. It is natural to compute the traveltime using the wavefront marching method. However, tracking the 3D wavefront is expensive, especially in anisotropic media. Besides, the wavefront marching method usually computes the traveltime using the eikonal equation. However, the anisotropic eikonal equation is highly non‐linear and it is challenging to solve. To address these issues, we present a layer‐by‐layer wavefront marching method to compute the P‐wave traveltime in 3D transversely isotropic media. To simplify the wavefront tracking, it uses the traveltime of the previous depth as the boundary condition to compute that of the next depth based on the wavefront marching. A strategy of traveltime computation is designed to guarantee the causality of wave propagation. To avoid solving the non‐linear eikonal equation, it updates traveltime along the expanding wavefront by Fermat's principle. To compute the traveltime using Fermat's principle, an approximate group velocity with high accuracy in transversely isotropic media is adopted to describe the ray propagation. Numerical examples on 3D vertical transverse isotropy and tilted transverse isotropy models show that the proposed method computes the traveltime with high accuracy. It can find applications in modelling and depth migration.     

Simulation of improved pure P-wave equation in transversely isotropic media with a horizontal symmetry axis

Characterizing the expressions of seismic waves in elastic anisotropic media depends on multiparameters. To reduce the complexity, decomposing the P-mode wave from elastic seismic data is an effective way to describe the considerably accurate kinematics with fewer parameters. The acoustic approximation for transversely isotropic media is widely used to obtain P-mode wave by setting the axial S-wave phase velocity to zero. However, the separated pure P-wave of this approach is coupled with undesired S-wave in anisotropic media called S-wave artefacts. To eliminate the S-wave artefacts in acoustic waves for anisotropic media, we set the vertical S-wave phase velocity as a function related to propagation directions. Then, we derive a pure P-wave equation in transversely isotropic media with a horizontal symmetry axis by introducing the expression of vertical S-wave phase velocity. The differential form of new expression for pure P-wave is reduced to second-order by inserting the expression of S-wave phase velocity as an auxiliary operator. The results of numerical simulation examples by finite difference illustrate the stability and accuracy of the derived pure P-wave equation.     

Weak‐anisotropy approximation for P‐wave reflection coefficient at the boundary between two tilted transversely isotropic media

Existing and commonly used in industry nowadays, closed‐form approximations for a P‐wave reflection coefficient in transversely isotropic media are restricted to cases of a vertical and a horizontal transverse isotropy. However, field observations confirm the widespread presence of rock beds and fracture sets tilted with respect to a reflection boundary. These situations can be described by means of the transverse isotropy with an arbitrary orientation of the symmetry axis, known as tilted transversely isotropic media. In order to study the influence of the anisotropy parameters and the orientation of the symmetry axis on P‐wave reflection amplitudes, a linearised 3D P‐wave reflection coefficient at a planar weak‐contrast interface separating two weakly anisotropic tilted tranversely isotropic half‐spaces is derived. The approximation is a function of the incidence phase angle, the anisotropy parameters, and symmetry axes tilt and azimuth angles in both media above and below the interface. The expression takes the form of the well‐known amplitude‐versus‐offset “Shuey‐type” equation and confirms that the influence of the tilt and the azimuth of the symmetry axis on the P‐wave reflection coefficient even for a weakly anisotropic medium is strong and cannot be neglected. There are no assumptions made on the symmetry‐axis orientation angles in both half‐spaces above and below the interface. The proposed approximation can be used for inversion for the model parameters, including the orientation of the symmetry axes. Obtained amplitude‐versus‐offset attributes converge to well‐known approximations for vertical and horizontal transverse isotropic media derived by Rüger in corresponding limits. Comparison with numerical solution demonstrates good accuracy.