Approximate traveltime inversion in downhole microseismic monitoring

In downhole microseismic monitoring, accurate event location relies on the accuracy of the velocity model. The model can be estimated along with event locations. Anisotropic models are important to get accurate event locations. Taking anisotropy into account makes it possible to use additional data – two S-wave arrivals generated due to shear-wave splitting. However, anisotropic ray tracing requires iterative procedures for computing group velocities, which may become unstable around caustics. As a result, anisotropic kinematic inversion may become time consuming. In this paper, we explore the idea of using simplified ray tracing to locate events and estimate medium parameters. In the simplified ray-tracing algorithm, the group velocity is assumed to be equal to phase velocity in both magnitude and direction. This assumption makes the ray-tracing algorithm five times faster compared to ray tracing based on exact equations. We present a set of tests showing that given perforation-shot data, one can use inversion based on simplified ray-tracing even for moderate-to-strong anisotropic models. When there are no perforation shots, event-location errors may become too large for moderately anisotropic media.     

Source-independent waveform inversion for attenuation estimation in anisotropic media

In previous publications, we presented a waveform-inversion algorithm for attenuation analysis in heterogeneous anisotropic media. However, waveform inversion requires an accurate estimate of the source wavelet, which is often difficult to obtain from field data. To address this problem, here we adopt a source-independent waveform-inversion algorithm that obviates the need for joint estimation of the source signal and attenuation coefficients. The key operations in that algorithm are the convolutions (1) of the observed wavefield with a reference trace from the modelled data and (2) of the modelled wavefield with a reference trace from the observed data. The influence of the source signature on attenuation estimation is mitigated by defining the objective function as the ℓ₂-norm of the difference between the two convolved data sets. The inversion gradients for the medium parameters are similar to those for conventional waveform-inversion techniques, with the exception of the adjoint sources computed by convolution and cross-correlation operations. To make the source-independent inversion methodology more stable in the presence of velocity errors, we combine it with the local-similarity technique. The proposed algorithm is validated using transmission tests for a homogeneous transversely isotropic model with a vertical symmetry axis that contains a Gaussian anomaly in the shear-wave vertical attenuation coefficient. Then the method is applied to the inversion of reflection data for a modified transversely isotropic model from Hess. It should be noted that due to the increased nonlinearity of the inverse problem, the source-independent algorithm requires a more accurate initial model to obtain inversion results comparable to those produced by conventional waveform inversion with the actual wavelet.     

横向各向同性介质和斜方介质各向异性参数的约束条件

Thomsen提出的横向各向同性(TI)介质各向异性参数(α0、β0、ε、δ、γ)是各向异性理论研究和实际资料处理中的常用参数,Thomsen参数的取值必须符合物理学定律和实际地学情况,随意的取值可能导致无意义乃至错误的结果.本文根据热力学定律和弹性常数的物理意义,结合大量的实测数据,提出常见TI介质的Thomsen参数需要满足以下约束条件:1/4f=1-β02/α02ε>-f/2; 1/2f-1δf-1); -1/2γε)/4(1-f)-1/2.Thomsen参数ε、δ、γ的取值区间主要受P、S波参考速度比β0/α0的约束,其值可正可负,实测参数中ε和γ正多负少;δ、γ、β0/α0的取值范围都有上下界,而ε没有上限;γ与ε正相关且取值上限受到ε的限制;ε、γ与δ之间不存在明显的约束.鉴于椭圆各向异性介质和薄互层等效TI介质在实际应用中的普遍性,专门给出了这两种介质各向异性参数的附加约束条件.一些在实际资料中可观测到的P波特殊偏振方向和SV波三叉现象也能为各向异性参数提供额外的约束.之后,我们将TI介质弹性常数和各向异性参数的约束条件扩展到对正交各向异性介质弹性常数和各向异性参数的约束.本文提出的各向异性参数约束条件简单实用,为各向异性理论研究和数值模拟中参数的选择提供依据,为实际资料的各向异性参数反演提供约束,既能避免出现无物理意义的研究结果,又能加速反演的搜索过程,提高生产效率,具有理论指导意义和实际应用价值.     

Multi-parameter reflection waveform inversion for acoustic transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis

Full waveform inversion in transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis provides an opportunity to better match the data at the near and far offsets. However, multi-parameter full waveform inversion, in general, suffers from serious cycle-skipping and trade-off problems. Reflection waveform inversion can help us recover a background model by projecting the residuals of the reflected wavefield along the reflection wavepath. Thus, we extend reflection waveform inversion to acoustic transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis utilizing the proper parameterization for reduced parameter trade-off. From a radiation patterns analysis, an acoustic transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis is better described by a combination of the normal-moveout velocity and the anisotropic parameters η and δ for reflection waveform inversion applications. We design a three-stage inversion strategy to construct the optimal resulting model. In the first stage, we only invert for the background by matching the simulated reflected wavefield from the perturbations of and δ with the observed reflected wavefield. In the second stage, the background and η are optimized simultaneously and the far-offset reflected wavefield mainly contribute to their updates. We perform Born modelling to compute the reflected wavefield for the two stages of reflection waveform inversion. In the third stage, we perform full waveform inversion for the acoustic transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis to delineate the high-wavenumber structures. For this stage, the medium is described by a combination of the horizontal velocity , η and ε instead of , η and δ. The acoustic multi-parameter full waveform inversion utilizes the diving waves to improve the background as well as utilizes reflection for high-resolution information. Finally, we test our inversion algorithm on the modified Sigsbee 2A model (a salt free part) and a two-dimensional line from a three-dimensional ocean bottom cable dataset. The results demonstrate that the proposed reflection waveform inversion approach can recover the background model for acoustic transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis starting from an isotropic model. This recovered background model can mitigate the cycle skipping of full waveform inversion and help the inversion recover higher resolution structures.     

Multiscale phase inversion for 3D ocean-bottom cable data

We invert three-dimensional seismic data by a multiscale phase inversion scheme, a modified version of full waveform inversion, which applies higher order integrations to the input signal to produce low-boost signals. These low-boost signals are used as the input data for the early iterations, and lower order integrations are computed at the later iterations. The advantages of multiscale phase inversion are that it (1) is less dependent on the initial model compared to full waveform inversion, (2) is less sensitive to incorrectly modelled magnitudes and (3) employs a simple and natural frequency shaping filtering. For a layered model with a three-dimensional velocity anomaly, results with synthetic data show that multiscale phase inversion can sometimes provide a noticeably more accurate velocity profile than full waveform inversion. Results with the Society of Exploration Geophysicists/European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers overthrust model shows that multiscale phase inversion more clearly resolves meandering channels in the depth slices. However, the data and model misfit functions achieve about the same values after 50 iterations. The results with three-dimensional ocean-bottom cable data show that, compared to the full waveform inversion tomogram, the three-dimensional multiscale phase inversion tomogram provides a better match to the well log, and better flattens angle-domain common image gathers. The problem is that the tomograms at the well log provide an incomplete low-wavenumber estimate of the log's velocity profile. Therefore, a good low-wavenumber estimate of the velocity model is still needed for an accurate multiscale phase inversion tomogram.     

各向异性介质弹性波多参数全波形反演

各向异性介质弹性波方程全波形反演过程中多参数之间的相互耦合,使得弱参数在反演过程中难得到理想的结果.本文以VTI介质为例,在各参数辐射模式分析的基础上,基于改进的散射积分算法实现目标函数梯度的直接求取,进一步构建高斯牛顿方向,实现Hessian矩阵的有效利用,以考虑Hessian矩阵非主对角线元素包含的各参数间的耦合效应,在不使用任何反演策略的情况下实现高精度的VTI介质弹性波方程多参数同步反演.同时,该方法在计算过程中无需存储庞大的核函数矩阵,且无需传统截断牛顿法中额外的正演计算,因此内存占用小,计算效率高.本文数值试验验证了该方法的有效性,为各向异性多参数全波形反演提供了一种新的解决方案.

     

频率域海洋可控源电磁垂直各向异性三维反演

地层宏观电性各向异性会对可控源电磁响应产生重要影响.由于海底地层电性结构常表现为电导率各向异性,若仅对海洋可控源电磁(MCSEM)数据进行常规各向同性反演,有可能无法获得准确的反演解释结果,从而削弱MCSEM技术的可靠性.本文实现了电导率垂直各向异性(VTI)条件下频率域海洋可控源电磁数据三维反演算法.其中,三维正演采用基于二次场控制方程的交错网格有限体积法,并利用直接矩阵分解技术来求解离散所得的大型线性方程组,有利于快速计算多场源的响应.反演采用具有近似二次收敛性的高斯牛顿算法对目标函数进行最优化.最后,对具有VTI电性各向异性特征的盐丘构造模型的MCSEM合成数据分别进行了电导率各向同性和垂直各向异性三维反演,结果表明:各向同性三维反演算法无法对受VTI介质影响的MCSEM数据进行正确的反演解释,而垂直各向异性三维反演能够获得更为可靠的地下电阻率结构和异常体分布,展现出对海底电性各向异性结构更为优良的反演解释能力.     

横向各向同性介质中地震波走时模拟

横向各向同性介质是地球内部广泛分布的一种各向异性介质.针对这种介质,我们对各向同性介质的最小走时树走时模拟方法进行了推广,推广后的方法可适用于非均匀、对称轴任意倾斜的横向各向同性介质模型.为保证计算效率,最小走时树的构建采用了一种子波传播区域随地震波传播动态变化的改进算法.对于弱各向异性介质,我们使用了一种新的地震波群速度近似表示方法,该方法基于用射线角近似表示相角的思想,对3种地震波（qP, qSV和qSH）均有较好的精度.应用本文地震波走时模拟方法对均匀介质、横向非均匀介质模型进行了计算,并将后者结果与弹性波方程有限元方法的模拟结果进行了对比,结果表明两者符合得很好.本文方法可用于横向各向同性介质的深度偏移及地震层析成像的深入研究.     

层状TI介质中微地震定位和各向异性速度结构同时反演

微地震监测被广泛应用于非常规油气资源的水力压裂作业、油藏描绘和水驱前缘监测工程中.微地震定位采用的初始速度模型一般是基于地震测井记录和射孔数据建立,该速度模型的不准确性易引起定位误差.为降低这种定位误差,本文发展了一种微地震定位和各向异性速度结构同时反演的方法.研究对象为1-D的层状TI介质,其中对称轴方向任意.利用改进的分区多步最短路径算法计算qP、qSV和qSH波的到达时间和射线路径,结合共轭梯度法求解带约束的阻尼最小二乘问题.数值模拟结果表明,该算法能同时进行各向异性速度结构模型（每层的Thomsen参数和界面深度）和微震震源参数（空间坐标和发震时刻）的反演,并且对随机噪声不敏感,有利于实际工程应用.

     

Cross double‐difference inversion for simultaneous velocity model update and microseismic event location

Microseismic monitoring is an approach for mapping hydraulic fracturing. Detecting the accurate locations of microseismic events relies on an accurate velocity model. The one‐dimensional layered velocity model is generally obtained by model calibration from inverting perforation data. However, perforation shots may only illuminate the layers between the perforation shots and the recording receivers with limited raypath coverage in a downhole monitoring problem. Some of the microseismic events may occur outside of the depth range of these layers. To derive an accurate velocity model covering all of the microseismic events and locating events at the same time, we apply the cross double‐difference method for the simultaneous inversion of a velocity model and event locations using both perforation shots and microseismic data. The cross double‐difference method could provide accurate locations in both the relative and absolute sense, utilizing cross traveltime differences between P and S phases over different events. At the downhole monitoring scale, the number of cross traveltime differences is sufficiently large to constrain events locations and velocity model as well. In this study, we assume that the layer thickness is known, and velocities of P‐ and S‐wave are inverted. Different simultaneous inversion methods based on the Geiger's, double‐difference, and cross double‐difference algorithms have been compared with the same input data. Synthetic and field data experiments suggest that combining both perforation shots and microseismic data for the simultaneous cross double‐difference inversion of the velocity model and event locations is available for overcoming the trade‐offs in solutions and producing reliable results.     

Arbitrary-order Taylor series expansion-based viscoacoustic wavefield simulation in 3D vertical transversely isotropic media

Taking the anisotropy of velocity and attenuation into account, we investigate the wavefield simulation of viscoacoustic waves in 3D vertical transversely isotropic attenuating media. The viscoacoustic wave equations with the decoupled amplitude attenuation and phase dispersion are derived from the fractional Laplacian operator and using the acoustic approximation. With respect to the spatially variable fractional Laplacian operator in the formulation, we develop an effective algorithm to realize the viscoacoustic wavefield extrapolation by using the arbitrary-order Taylor series expansion. Based on the approximation, the mixed-domain fractional Laplacian operators are decoupled from the wavenumbers and fractional orders. Thus, the viscoacoustic wave propagation can be conveniently implemented by using a generalized pseudospectral method. In addition, we perform the accuracy and efficiency analyses among first-, second- and third-order Taylor series expansion pseudospectral methods with different quality factors. Considering both the accuracy and computational cost, the second-order Taylor series expansion pseudospectral method can generally satisfy the requirements for most attenuating media. Numerical modelling examples not only illustrate that our decoupled viscoacoustic wave equations can effectively describe the attenuating property of the medium, but also demonstrate the accuracy and the high robustness of our proposed schemes.     

Seismic amplitude inversion for the transversely isotropic media with vertical axis of symmetry

Transverse isotropy with a vertical axis of symmetry is a common form of anisotropy in sedimentary basins, and it has a significant influence on the seismic amplitude variation with offset. Although exact solutions and approximations of the PP-wave reflection coefficient for the transversely isotropic media with vertical axis of symmetry have been explicitly studied, it is difficult to apply these equations to amplitude inversion, because more than three parameters need to be estimated, and such an inverse problem is highly ill-posed. In this paper, we propose a seismic amplitude inversion method for the transversely isotropic media with a vertical axis of symmetry based on a modified approximation of the reflection coefficient. This new approximation consists of only three model parameters: attribute A, the impedance (vertical phase velocity multiplied by bulk density); attribute B, shear modulus proportional to an anellipticity parameter (Thomsen's parameter ε−δ); and attribute C, the approximate horizontal P-wave phase velocity, which can be well estimated by using a Bayesian-framework-based inversion method. Using numerical tests we show that the derived approximation has similar accuracy to the existing linear approximation and much higher accuracy than isotropic approximations, especially at large angles of incidence and for strong anisotropy. The new inversion method is validated by using both synthetic data and field seismic data. We show that the inverted attributes are robust for shale-gas reservoir characterization: the shale formation can be discriminated from surrounding formations by using the crossplot of the attributes A and C, and then the gas-bearing shale can be identified through the combination of the attributes A and B. We then propose a rock-physics-based method and a stepwise-inversion-based method to estimate the P-wave anisotropy parameter (Thomsen's parameter ε). The latter is more suitable when subsurface media are strongly heterogeneous. The stepwise inversion produces a stable and accurate Thomsen's parameter ε, which is proved by using both synthetic and field data.     

基于VTI各向异性介质的频率域海洋可控源电磁三维约束反演

近年来,海洋可控源电磁法（MCSEM）被引入油气勘探领域以降低勘探风险.在海洋环境中,受沉积因素所造成的电阻率各向异性的影响,地电模型往往会非常复杂.为更好地反映地下电性结构,本文实现了基于VTI各向异性介质的频率域海洋可控源电磁三维反演.其中,正演采用基于Yee氏交错网格的三维有限差分算法,所形成的离散线性系统通过大规模并行矩阵直接求解器（MUMPS）进行求解.反演采用基于不等式约束的有限内存BFGS（L-BFGS）算法.最后,利用VTI各向异性介质合成数据,分别进行了电阻率各向异性覆盖层和电阻率各向异性高阻层的三维反演,结果表明：（1）基于并行直接法的MCSEM非常适用于海洋电磁所特有的多场源问题;（2）针对各向异性覆盖层模型进行三维各向异性约束反演,提高了解的可靠性;（3）针对电阻率各向异性高阻层,Inline和broadside数据覆盖的反演结果对异常体位置有很好的反映.

     

横观各向同性页岩岩石物理模型建立——以龙马溪组页岩为例

在龙马溪页岩微观物性特征分析的基础上,综合利用测井解释、微观测试分析资料,建立了一种适用于龙马溪页岩的横观各向同性岩石物理模型,该模型建模过程：将各向异性SCA和DEM模型联合模拟得到的黏土和干酪根混合物作为背景介质;采用SCA模型对脆性矿物混合物进行模拟,利用各向异性DEM将脆性矿物混合物添加到背景介质;进一步将空孔隙添加到页岩基质,并利用Brown-Korringa模型进行各向异性条件下的流体替换,从而得到横观各向同性页岩岩石物理模型.通过对四川盆地A井龙马溪页岩进行岩石物理建模分析,计算了孔隙纵横比、纵横波速、各向异性系数和弹性参数,检验了模型的准确性.研究结果表明：矿物颗粒和孔隙纵横比是影响模型精度的关键参数,黏土和干酪根颗粒纵横比为0.05,图像识别获得的脆性矿物颗粒纵横比主要分布于0.45~1.0（集中分布于0.5~0.85）,横波波速反演获得的孔隙纵横比主要分布于0.1~0.3（平均值约为0.22）;模型预测和实测纵波波速之间误差为-2.40%~2.21%（平均绝对误差仅1.20%）,预测和实测横波波速之间误差为-1.93%~1.42%（平均绝对误差仅0.64%）,证实了本文模型的准确性和精度.本文模型能够准确计算页岩5个独立的刚度系数,为页岩弹性参数、声波波速、各向异性和脆性分析提供了有效手段,也为后续地球物理和工程地质参数分析提供了重要依据.

     

基于Born敏感核函数的VTI介质多参数全波形反演

本文基于VTI介质拟声波方程,利用散射积分原理,在Born近似下导出了速度与各向异性参数的敏感核函数,同时结合作者前期研究提出的矩阵分解算法实现了一种新的VTI介质多参数全波形反演方法.矩阵分解算法通过对核函数-向量乘进行具有明确物理含义的向量-标量乘分解累加运算实现目标函数一阶方向或二阶方向的直接求取,从而避免了庞大核函数矩阵与Hessian矩阵的存储,该方法同时可以大大降低常规全波形反演在计算二阶方向时的庞大计算量.为了克服不同参数对波场影响程度的不同,本文利用作者前期在VTI介质射线走时层析成像研究中提出的分步反演策略实现了多参数联合全波形反演.理论模型实验表明,本文提出的基于Born敏感核函数的各向异性矩阵分解全波形反演方法可以获得较好的多参数反演结果.     

横观各向同性页岩岩石物理模型建立——以龙马溪组页岩为例

在龙马溪页岩微观物性特征分析的基础上,综合利用测井解释、微观测试分析资料,建立了一种适用于龙马溪页岩的横观各向同性岩石物理模型,该模型建模过程：将各向异性SCA和DEM模型联合模拟得到的黏土和干酪根混合物作为背景介质;采用SCA模型对脆性矿物混合物进行模拟,利用各向异性DEM将脆性矿物混合物添加到背景介质;进一步将空孔隙添加到页岩基质,并利用Brown-Korringa模型进行各向异性条件下的流体替换,从而得到横观各向同性页岩岩石物理模型.通过对四川盆地A井龙马溪页岩进行岩石物理建模分析,计算了孔隙纵横比、纵横波速、各向异性系数和弹性参数,检验了模型的准确性.研究结果表明：矿物颗粒和孔隙纵横比是影响模型精度的关键参数,黏土和干酪根颗粒纵横比为0.05,图像识别获得的脆性矿物颗粒纵横比主要分布于0.45~1.0（集中分布于0.5~0.85）,横波波速反演获得的孔隙纵横比主要分布于0.1~0.3（平均值约为0.22）;模型预测和实测纵波波速之间误差为-2.40%~2.21%（平均绝对误差仅1.20%）,预测和实测横波波速之间误差为-1.93%~1.42%（平均绝对误差仅0.64%）,证实了本文模型的准确性和精度.本文模型能够准确计算页岩5个独立的刚度系数,为页岩弹性参数、声波波速、各向异性和脆性分析提供了有效手段,也为后续地球物理和工程地质参数分析提供了重要依据.     

Full waveform inversion using oriented time‐domain imaging method for vertical transverse isotropic media

Full waveform inversion for reflection events is limited by its linearised update requirements given by a process equivalent to migration. Unless the background velocity model is reasonably accurate, the resulting gradient can have an inaccurate update direction leading the inversion to converge what we refer to as local minima of the objective function. In our approach, we consider mild lateral variation in the model and, thus, use a gradient given by the oriented time‐domain imaging method. Specifically, we apply the oriented time‐domain imaging on the data residual to obtain the geometrical features of the velocity perturbation. After updating the model in the time domain, we convert the perturbation from the time domain to depth using the average velocity. Considering density is constant, we can expand the conventional 1D impedance inversion method to two‐dimensional or three‐dimensional velocity inversion within the process of full waveform inversion. This method is not only capable of inverting for velocity, but it is also capable of retrieving anisotropic parameters relying on linearised representations of the reflection response. To eliminate the crosstalk artifacts between different parameters, we utilise what we consider being an optimal parametrisation for this step. To do so, we extend the prestack time‐domain migration image in incident angle dimension to incorporate angular dependence needed by the multiparameter inversion. For simple models, this approach provides an efficient and stable way to do full waveform inversion or modified seismic inversion and makes the anisotropic inversion more practicable. The proposed method still needs kinematically accurate initial models since it only recovers the high‐wavenumber part as conventional full waveform inversion method does. Results on synthetic data of isotropic and anisotropic cases illustrate the benefits and limitations of this method.     

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.     

Angle gathers in wave‐equation imaging for transversely isotropic media

In recent years, wave‐equation imaged data are often presented in common‐image angle‐domain gathers as a decomposition in the scattering angle at the reflector, which provide a natural access to analysing migration velocities and amplitudes. In the case of anisotropic media, the importance of angle gathers is enhanced by the need to properly estimate multiple anisotropic parameters for a proper representation of the medium. We extract angle gathers for each downward‐continuation step from converting offset‐frequency planes into angle‐frequency planes simultaneously with applying the imaging condition in a transversely isotropic with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI) medium. The analytic equations, though cumbersome, are exact within the framework of the acoustic approximation. They are also easily programmable and show that angle gather mapping in the case of anisotropic media differs from its isotropic counterpart, with the difference depending mainly on the strength of anisotropy. Synthetic examples demonstrate the importance of including anisotropy in the angle gather generation as mapping of the energy is negatively altered otherwise. In the case of a titled axis of symmetry (TTI), the same VTI formulation is applicable but requires a rotation of the wavenumbers.