Multi-channel surface NMR instrumentation and software for 1D/2D groundwater investigations

Multi-channel surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) instrumentation and software, developed in the United States, has been applied to investigate 1D and 2D hydrology at various locations in the Western US. The GeoMRI instrument offers several practical improvements over the previous state of the art in surface NMR instrumentation, including a multi-channel transmit/receive capability, a significantly shorter measurement dead-time of 10 ms, and an ultra-low receiver input noise density of less than 0.4 nV/sqrt (Hz). Two multi-channel NMR processing techniques, reference coil-based noise cancellation and integrated FID imaging, are shown to increase effective signal to noise ratios by an order of magnitude or more. These effective SNR gains enable multi-coil surface NMR to produce useful and reliable images when the post-averaged SNR is less than 1. We also suggest an alternate approach to imaging, in which NMR signals are initially isolated in the space domain, and then NMR parameter estimation is applied in the time domain. Experimental results are presented for recent surface NMR groundwater investigations conducted in Nebraska and Texas, USA.     

（T2,D）二维核磁共振测井识别储层流体的方法

当地层孔隙中油气和水同时存在时,在核磁共振T₂分布上不同流体信号往往重叠,很难有效识别.本文采用改变回波间隔测量多组自旋回波串序列实现了（T₂,D）二维核磁共振方法,为有效识别储层流体提供了基础.通过数值模拟系统研究了（T₂,D）方法在不同储层、不同测量信噪比以及不同外加磁场梯度条件下识别流体的效果.结果表明：（T₂,D）方法识别中、低黏度油层具有优势,随着信噪比增加和外加磁场梯度加大,分辨油和水的效果将变好.在气层,对磁场梯度有一定要求,并且,测量数据的信噪比越高,分辨气与水的效果越好,当测量数据信噪比低于70时（T₂,D）方法在气层可能失效.在2MHz共振频率下,利用MARAN核磁共振岩芯分析仪器,对含顺磁性物质的饱和流体岩样进行了实验测量,验证了（T₂,D）方法的有效性.     

核磁共振共轭梯度解谱方法研究

核磁共振（NMR）解谱技术是核磁共振资料应用的基础和关键.本文将核磁共振解谱的混定线性反演问题转化为求目标函数极小值的最优化问题,然后利用共轭梯度算法具有二次终止性、收敛速度快的特点解决上述最优化问题.将该方法应用于无噪声和不同信噪比的理论数据解谱以及岩心NMR实验解谱并与真谱及实验室国外软件解谱结果对比表明：在信噪比SNR≥5时解谱结果和真谱符合得很好,谱线光滑连续;随着信噪比的降低对初始点的要求随之提高;两块岩心解谱结果与实验室结果符合得很好,利用解谱结果计算的核磁孔隙度与实验室氦孔隙度绝对误差分别为0.78%和0.57%.因此,本文方法有效、实用,具有较强的抗噪能力,对初始点的要求不高,能够应用于生产和科研实践中.     

CARE Dose 4D技术联合低kV及低剂量对比剂在MSCT头颈CTA应用

目的:探讨128层螺旋CT头颈部血管成像(CTA)应用CARE Dose 4D技术联合低剂量对比剂优化扫描方案的可行性及价值。方法:前瞻性选取接受头颈部血管成像检查的60例患者,随机分为对照组(A组)和双低剂量组(B组),每组各30例。对照组(A组)管电压120 kV,采用CARE Dose 4D技术参考管电流120 mA,对比剂用量65 mL;双低剂量组(B组)管电压80 kV,采用CARE Dose 4D技术参考管电流120 mA,对比剂用量45 mL。测量双侧颈总动脉、双侧颈内动脉及双侧大脑中动脉M1段CT值、噪声、信噪比(SNR)进行客观图像质量评价。由两名高年资主治医师采用双盲法进行图像质量评分评价。对比A组与B组间辐射剂量。结果:两名主治医师对动脉图像量质评分的一致性较高(Kappa=0.782,P<0.05)。两组动脉图像质量评分、SNR比较,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。双低剂量组各动脉强化CT值均高于对照组;双低剂量组容积CT剂量指数、剂量长度乘积和有效剂量均明显低于对照组;差异均具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:128层MSCT头颈血管成像应用低kV及CARE Dose 4D技术联合低剂量对比剂扫描方案,不仅辐射剂量降低68%,同时造影剂用量降低30.7%,降低对比剂危害风险并节省费用,保证诊断图像质量值得临床推广。      

基于能量运算的磁共振信号尖峰噪声抑制方法

磁共振探测信号微弱,使用高灵敏度的核磁共振地下水探测仪,极易受到环境噪声干扰.其中,工频谐波噪声和尖峰噪声,是影响信号质量最严重的两类噪声.国内外研究表明,通过参考线圈的布设,依据探测线圈和参考线圈中噪声相关性,利用自适应参考对消算法,能够有效抑制工频谐波噪声.然而,尖峰噪声的存在严重影响了主通道与参考道的数据相关性,成为了参考对消算法应用的难题与障碍.为解决这一问题,本文提出磁共振信号中尖峰噪声的抑制方法,推导了能量域磁共振信号表达式,通过计算信号能量,可有效检测尖峰噪声并突出不易识别的小幅度尖峰噪声,采用基于中位数的绝对偏差法确定阈值,进而剔除尖峰噪声.为了验证去噪效果,与应用较广的统计叠加法进行对比研究.仿真结果表明,对于干扰幅度较大、持续时间较长的尖峰噪声,能量运算法和统计叠加法均能识别并剔除,且不损失有效的磁共振信号,标准差偏差控制在0.3%以内,可以满足实际应用的要求;对于小于信号幅度1.5倍的尖峰噪声,能量运算法可有效识别并剔除,而统计叠加法无法实现.针对多通道探测系统,使用能量运算法剔除尖峰噪声后,可明显提高主通道和参考道的数据相关性,为后续自适应参考对消算法的应用奠定了基础.实测数据处理结果进一步证明了本文方法的实用性.     

(T2,D)二维核磁共振测井混合反演方法与参数影响分析

一维核磁共振(1D NMR)测井技术在流体识别中具有一定的局限性.二维核磁共振(2D NMR)测井能同时测量到多孔介质中横向弛豫时间(T₂)和扩散系数(D)等信息,利用这两个参数区分流体性质,较一维核磁共振测井技术具有明显的优越性.针对梯度场下的2D NMR测井弛豫机理和数学模型,提出了适用于求解大型稀疏矩阵方程的反演方法-基于非负最小二乘法(LSQR)和截断奇异值分解(TSVD)法的混合算法.为验证方法的有效性,先根据多回波观测模式合成回波串数据,然后再用混合反演算法进行反演,反演得到横向弛豫时间(T₂)和扩散系数(D),并构建T₂-D二维谱图.结果对比表明,该混合反演算法得到的T₂-D二维谱与流体模型一致性好,计算精度均比单一反演方法有较大改善,表明该混合反演方法可用于油气储集层2D NMR测井的反演和流体识别.此外,分别对油水同层和气水同层模型进行了正演模拟和反演实验, 系统考察了不同磁场梯度、不同回波间隔组合对反演效果的影响,为2D NMR参数设计提供依据.     

3D S-wave velocity structure of the Ningdu basin in Jiangxi province inferred from ambient noise tomography with dense array

The Ningdu basin, located in southern Jiangxi province of southwest China, is one of the Mesozoic basin groups which has exploration prospects for geothermal energy. A study on the detailed velocity structure of the Ningdu basin can provide important information for geothermal resource exploration. In this study, we deployed a dense seismic array in the Ningdu basin to investigate the 3D velocity structure and discuss implications for geothermal exploration and geological evolution. Based on the dense seismic array including 35 short-period (5 s-100 ?Hz) seismometers with an average interstation distance of ～5 ?km, Rayleigh surface wave dispersion curves were extracted from the continuous ambient noise data for surface wave tomographic inversion. Group velocity tomography was conducted and the 3D S-wave velocity structure was inverted by the neighborhood algorithm. The results revealed obvious low-velocity anomalies in the center of the basin, consistent with the low-velocity Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. The basement and basin-controlling fault can also be depicted by the S-wave velocity anomalies. The obvious seismic interface is about 2 ?km depth in the basin center and decreases to 700 ?m depth near the basin boundary, suggesting spatial thickness variations of the Cretaceous sediment. The fault features of the S-wave velocity profile coincide with the geological cognition of the western boundary basin-controlling fault, which may provide possible upwelling channels for geothermal fluid. This study suggests that seismic tomography with a dense array is an effective method and can play an important role in the detailed investigations of sedimentary basins.     

SOTEM数据一维OCCAM反演及其应用于三维模型的效果

本文基于垂直磁场分量研究了SOTEM数据的一维OCCAM反演方法,并将其应用于理论三维数据及野外实测数据的反演.对于大部分一维模型,OCCAM反演可取得较好的反演效果,且反演结果不依赖于偏移距;噪声对SOTEM数据的OCCAM反演具有较大影响,但当信号含噪水平不超过5%时,反演结果仍具有较好的准确性;若浅层存在较厚的低阻层,OCCAM反演结果对下部地层的分辨能力下降,仅能获得具有平均效应的电阻率.将一维算法应用于SOTEM三维数据的反演,会产生较大的误差,尤其是在异常体边缘地带影响最为严重.该影响程度与异常体和背景电阻率之间的差异有关,对于大多数电性近似呈连续变化的真实大地而言,一维OCCAM反演算法仍可获得较好的效果.最后通过陕西某煤田深部富水性调查的实测SOTEM数据反演验证了本文的研究成果.     

Improving waveform inversion using modified interferometric imaging condition

Similar to the reverse-time migration, full waveform inversion in the time domain is a memory-intensive processing method. The computational storage size for waveform inversion mainly depends on the model size and time recording length. In general, 3D and 4D data volumes need to be saved for 2D and 3D waveform inversion gradient calculations, respectively. Even the boundary region wavefield-saving strategy creates a huge storage demand. Using the last two slices of the wavefield to reconstruct wavefields at other moments through the random boundary, avoids the need to store a large number of wavefields; however, traditional random boundary method is less effective at low frequencies. In this study, we follow a new random boundary designed to regenerate random velocity anomalies in the boundary region for each shot of each iteration. The results obtained using the random boundary condition in less illuminated areas are more seriously affected by random scattering than other areas due to the lack of coverage. In this paper, we have replaced direct correlation for computing the waveform inversion gradient by modified interferometric imaging, which enhances the continuity of the imaging path and reduces noise interference. The new imaging condition is a weighted average of extended imaging gathers can be directly used in the gradient computation. In this process, we have not changed the objective function, and the role of the imaging condition is similar to regularization. The window size for the modified interferometric imaging condition-based waveform inversion plays an important role in this process. The numerical examples show that the proposed method significantly enhances waveform inversion performance.     

碳酸盐岩溶洞成像要素分析与研究

碳酸盐岩油气藏储集空间以裂缝和溶洞为主,在地震剖面上主要表现为＂串珠状＂。为了研究溶洞成像规律,本文通过大量的数值模拟,分析溶洞的成像分辨率,探讨溶洞成像与上覆地层、信噪比（SNR）、覆盖次数、偏移速度和偏移方法之间的定量关系。研究认为：①无论是溶洞的纵向分辨率还是横向分辨率,均满足1/4波长调谐规律,可以将薄层机理转用至溶洞分辨率解释;②溶洞的存在会对上覆地层产生下拉效应,使溶洞在地震剖面上呈塌陷等＂非串珠状＂特征;③高覆盖和小道距（面元）可提高串珠能量,压制偏移附带的背景噪声;④叠前偏移能改善资料的SNR,提高成像精度,特别是低SNR资料;⑤偏移速度偏小,串珠边缘下拉,反之会上翘,速度偏大带来的成像质量变差的程度要大于速度偏小;⑥不同偏移方法对缝洞成像效果存在差异,对于低SNR资料,溶洞成像拟选取频率域或频波域方法。     

Experimental study of seismic behavior of two hilly sites in Tehran and comparison with 2D and 3D numerical modeling

Two hilly sites were selected to study seismic site response due to topography effects. The sites were selected in a manner to be as much as possible homogenous and free of the soft soil layers effects. The hills were instrumented by nine velocimetric stations to record microtremors and the obtained data were analyzed using horizontal to vertical spectral ratios. Some standard spectral ratio tests were performed on noise as well. Then the instrumented hills were modeled (both 2D and 3D) assuming a linear elastic constitutive behavior subjected to vertically propagating SV and P Ricker wavelets. All calculations were performed in time domain using direct boundary element method. Different transfer function components, amplification patterns and spectral ratios were calculated in frequency domain. The frequency of vibration, obtained by experimental studies, is between 4 and 5 Hz for both of the hills. The spectral ratios derived by numerical simulations were compared with the observed spectral ratios. They show relatively good similarities between the results of these two methods. The frequencies of vibration derived from different methods seem to be nearly identical. The agreement in term of resonance frequency between microtremors and numerical modeling suggests that noise measurements could represent a simple, even if preliminary, tool in order to identify possible topographic amplification.     

Noncausal f–x–y regularized nonstationary prediction filtering for random noise attenuation on 3D seismic data

Seismic noise attenuation is very important for seismic data analysis and interpretation, especially for 3D seismic data. In this paper, we propose a novel method for 3D seismic random noise attenuation by applying noncausal regularized nonstationary autoregression (NRNA) in f–x–y domain. The proposed method, 3D NRNA (f–x–y domain) is the extended version of 2D NRNA (f–x domain). f–x–y NRNA can adaptively estimate seismic events of which slopes vary in 3D space. The key idea of this paper is to consider that the central trace can be predicted by all around this trace from all directions in 3D seismic cube, while the 2D f–x NRNA just considers that the middle trace can be predicted by adjacent traces along one space direction. 3D f–x–y NRNA uses more information from circumjacent traces than 2D f–x NRNA to estimate signals. Shaping regularization technology guarantees that the nonstationary autoregression problem can be realizable in mathematics with high computational efficiency. Synthetic and field data examples demonstrate that, compared with f–x NRNA method, f–x–y NRNA can be more effective in suppressing random noise and improve trace-by-trace consistency, which are useful in conjunction with interactive interpretation and auto-picking tools such as automatic event tracking.     

3D Marchenko applications: implementation and examples

We implement the 3D Marchenko equations to retrieve responses to virtual sources inside the subsurface. For this, we require reflection data at the surface of the Earth that contain no free-surface multiples and are densely sampled in space. The required 3D reflection data volume is very large and solving the Marchenko equations requires a significant amount of computational cost. To limit the cost, we apply floating point compression to the reflection data to reduce their volume and the loading time from disk. We apply the Marchenko implementation to numerical reflection data to retrieve accurate Green's functions inside the medium and use these reflection data to apply imaging. This requires the simulation of many virtual source points, which we circumvent using virtual plane-wave sources instead of virtual point sources. Through this method, we retrieve the angle-dependent response of a source from a depth level rather than of a point. We use these responses to obtain angle-dependent structural images of the subsurface, free of contamination from wrongly imaged internal multiples. These images have less lateral resolution than those obtained using virtual point sources, but are more efficiently retrieved.     

Broadband synthetic aperture borehole radar interferometry

Trials in mines have established that wideband VHF borehole radars (BHR), working in the 10–100-MHz band, can be used to probe the rockmass between boreholes over ranges from <5 m to as much as 150 m with submeter resolution. There is evidence that ore bodies reflect these radar signals both specularly and diffusely, much as the ground/air interface does when overflown by synthetic aperture radar (SAR). In both SAR and BHR, multiple flight lines, together with diffuse reflections admit the possibility of developing interferometric 3D images of the object. This paper examines the possibility of imaging buried objects in three dimensions by interferometrically combining broadband VHF borehole radar profiles shot in adjacent pairs of boreholes. Broadbanding in BHR has the advantage of releasing the image from 2nπ phase ambiguities, but practically, interferometric borehole radar (InBHR) needs high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) to avoid noise capture. This means that 3D InBHR is limited to ranges in wavelengths which are less than the rock's attenuation factor Q. Interferometric methods are developed which are capable of mapping ore bodies and other structures in three dimensions. Tangent plane migration methods are developed here in order to reconstruct surfaces that lie in the near-field of sparse interferometric arrays.     

3D modelling of near-surface, environmental effects on AEM data

This study considers the three-dimensional (3D) modelling of compact, at-surface conductive bodies on frequency domain airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey data. The context is the use of AEM data for environmental and land quality applications. The 3D structures encountered are typically conductive, of limited thickness (<20 m) and form ‘point’ source locations carrying potential environmental risk. The scale of such bodies may generate single-profile, ‘bulls-eye’ anomalies. In attempts to recover geological information, such anomalies may be considered to represent noise. In environmental AEM, the correct interpretation of such features is important. The study uses a combination of theoretical models and trial-fixed-wing survey data obtained in populated areas of the UK. Scale issues are discussed in terms of the volumetric footprints of the induced electric field generated by systems flown at both low and high elevation. One of the primary uses of AEM survey data lies in the assessment of conductivity maps. These are typically obtained using one-dimensional (1D) conductivity models at individual measurement points. In order to investigate the limitations of this approach, 3D modelling of conductive structures with dimensions less than 350×350 m and thicknesses extending to 20 m has been carried out. A 1D half space inversion of the data obtained at each frequency is then used to assess the behaviour of the spatial information. The results demonstrate that half space conductivity values obtained over compact 3D targets generally provide only apparent conductivity results. For thin, at-surface bodies, conductivity values are biased to lower values than the true conductivity except at high frequency. The spatial perturbation to both coupling ratios and 1D conductivity models can be laterally extensive. The results from 3D modelling indicate that the use of horizontal derivatives applied to the conductivity models offers enhanced edge detection. The practical application of such derivatives to both regional- and local-scale survey data is presented.. The special case of a near-surface, metallic pipeline has been modelled. The problem constitutes an inductive limit (current gathering) response in which the perturbation is largely confined to the in-phase coupling ratios. The main perturbations, in data and conductivity models, are within about 40 m of each side of the pipeline. The maximum perturbation to the conductivity model is only a factor of 1.5 above background. Detailed survey data across a former compact landfill (about 100×100 m) are used to compare the model behaviour predicted by the 3D modelling with survey results. The survey, conducted at two separate altitudes, provides a demonstration of 3D effects on 1D survey models as a function of frequency and elevation. Although the nature of the landfill materials and their location are not known precisely, the mapping information appears realistic.     

Research on the imaging of concrete defect based on the pulse compression technique

When the synthetic aperture focusing technology (SAFT) is used for the detection of the concrete, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and detection depth are not satisfactory. Therefore, the application of SAFT is usually limited. In this paper, we propose an improved SAFT technique for the detection of concrete based on the pulse compression technique used in the Radar domain. The proposed method first transmits a linear frequency modulation (LFM) signal, and then compresses the echo signal using the matched filtering method, after which a compressed signal with a narrower main lobe and higher SNR is obtained. With our improved SAFT, the compressed signals are manipulated in the imaging process and the image contrast is improved. Results show that the SNR is improved and the imaging resolution is guaranteed compared with the conventional short-pulse method. From theoretical and experimental results, we show that the proposed method can suppress noise and improve imaging contrast, and can also be used to detect multiple defects in concrete.     

Efficient amplitude encoding least‐squares reverse time migration using cosine basis

Least‐squares reverse time migration provides better imaging result than conventional reverse time migration by reducing the migration artefacts, improving the resolution of the image and balancing the amplitudes of the reflectors. However, it is computationally intensive. To reduce its computational cost, we propose an efficient amplitude encoding least‐squares reverse time migration scheme in the time domain. Although the encoding scheme is effective in increasing the computational efficiency, it also introduces the well‐known crosstalk noise in the gradient that degrades the quality of the imaging result. We analyse the cause of the crosstalk noise using an encoding correlation matrix and then develop two numerical schemes to suppress the crosstalk noise during the inversion process. We test the proposed method with synthetic and field data. Numerical examples show that the proposed scheme can provide better imaging result than reverse time migration, and it also generates images comparable with those from common shot least‐squares reverse time migration but with less computational cost.     

核磁共振测井的正则化-启发式阈值降噪研究

核磁共振(NMR)测井是在高温、高压的极端条件下进行,样品体积小,回波幅度微弱.受到来源复杂的噪声影响,NMR信号通常被淹没在噪声中,测量数据的信噪比较低.提出正则化-启发式阈值算法(Regularization Heursure, R-Heursure)对小波分解后的细节系数阈值降噪,正则化因子的选取与地层孔隙结构和测量数据的原始信噪比相关.通过最大相关系数能量准则选取最优化的母小波函数、消失矩和分解层次,采用正则化因子约束估计的阈值,使选取的阈值恰好能大于噪声水平而不损失小孔(或微孔)的响应信息.数值模拟和实际测井资料处理验证了R-Heursure算法的降噪性能,NMR测井数据的信噪比得以有效改善,为储层评价提供更准确的信息.     

Noise characteristics of an electromagnetic sea-ice thickness sounder on a fixed wing aircraft

In this paper, the noise sources of an airborne electromagnetic frequency domain instrument used to measure sea-ice thickness are studied. The antennas are mounted on the wings of an aircraft. The paper presents real data examples showing that strong noise limited the accuracy of the thickness measurement to ± 0.5 m in the best case. Even drift cor­rection and frequency ?ltering did not reduce the noise to a level necessary for sea ice thickness measurements with an accuracy of 0.1 m. We show results of 3D ?nite element modeling of the coupling between transmitter and receiver coils and the aircraft, which indicate that wing ?exure is the primary cause of the strong noise. Wing de?ection angles below 5° relative to the fuselage are large enough to cause changes higher than the wanted signal from the seawater under the ice. Wing ?exure noise can be divided into an inductive and geometric contribution, both of the same order. Most of the wing ?exure signal appears on the inphase component only, hence the quadrature component should be taken for sea ice thickness retrievals when wing ?exure is present even when the inphase produces a larger ocean sig­nal. Results also show that pitch and roll movements of the aircraft and electromagnetic coupling between seawater and aircraft can contribute signi?cantly to the total noise. For ?ight heights of 30 m over the ocean these effects can change the sig­nal by about 10% or more. For highly quantitative measurements like sea-ice thickness all these effects must be taken into account. We conclude that a ?xed wing electromagnetic instrument for the purpose of measure­ments in a centimeter scale must include instrumentation to measure the relative position of the antenna coils with an accuracy of 1/10 mm. Furthermore the antenna separation distance should be as large as possible in order to increase the measured ratio of secondary to primary magnetic field strength.     

2D and 3D potential-field upward continuation using splines

The dominant upward‐continuation technique used in the potential‐field geophysics industry is the fast Fourier transform (FFT) technique. However, the spline‐based upward‐continuation technique presented in this paper has some advantages over the FFT technique. The spline technique can be used to carry out level‐to‐uneven surface 2D and 3D potential‐field upward continuation. An example of level‐to‐uneven surface upward continuation of 3D magnetic data using the spline technique is shown, and it is evident that the continued anomalies are very close to the theoretical values. The spacing can be irregular. Synthetic examples using the spline technique to continue noise‐contaminated gravity and magnetic data upward to an altitude of 15 km on irregular grids are shown. Gaussian noise with a zero mean and a standard deviation of 1% does not cause much error and can readily be tolerated. Through comparison with the FFT technique, it is found that for low‐altitude gravity and magnetic upward continuation, both the FFT technique and the spline technique are suitable; for high‐altitude upward continuation, the FFT technique is inaccurate, whereas the spline technique works very well. Also, upward continuation by the spline technique has a smaller edge effect than upward continuation by the FFT technique. The spline‐based upward continuation technique works fairly well even when the periphery of a grid is not quiet: it is rather robust in general. A real example shows that the spline technique can be employed to perform upward continuation of total‐field magnetic data and to de‐emphasize near‐surface noise.