Elastic properties of gas hydrate‐bearing sediments

Geophysics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 763-771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myung W. Lee ◽  
Timothy S. Collett
Keyword(s):  
Shear Wave ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Gas Hydrate ◽  
Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Poisson's Ratio ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Wave Velocities ◽  
Shear Wave Velocities ◽  
Hydrate Bearing Sediments

Downhole‐measured compressional- and shear‐wave velocities acquired in the Mallik 2L-38 gas hydrate research well, northwestern Canada, reveal that the dominant effect of gas hydrate on the elastic properties of gas hydrate‐bearing sediments is as a pore‐filling constituent. As opposed to high elastic velocities predicted from a cementation theory, whereby a small amount of gas hydrate in the pore space significantly increases the elastic velocities, the velocity increase from gas hydrate saturation in the sediment pore space is small. Both the effective medium theory and a weighted equation predict a slight increase of velocities from gas hydrate concentration, similar to the field‐observed velocities; however, the weighted equation more accurately describes the compressional- and shear‐wave velocities of gas hydrate‐bearing sediments. A decrease of Poisson’s ratio with an increase in the gas hydrate concentration is similar to a decrease of Poisson’s ratio with a decrease in the sediment porosity. Poisson’s ratios greater than 0.33 for gas hydrate‐bearing sediments imply the unconsolidated nature of gas hydrate‐bearing sediments at this well site. The seismic characteristics of gas hydrate‐bearing sediments at this site can be used to compare and evaluate other gas hydrate‐bearing sediments in the Arctic.

VSP measurement of shear‐wave velocities in consolidated and poorly consolidated formations

Geophysics ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 1583-1592 ◽  
Author(s):  
John O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Shear Wave ◽  
Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
Mode Conversion ◽  
Shear Waves ◽  
Vertical Motion ◽  
Seismic Source ◽  
Poisson's Ratio ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Wave Velocities ◽  
Shear Wave Velocities

Mode conversion in the subsurface can generate shear waves with sufficient amplitude so that they can be used to measure shear‐wave propagation effects. Significant mode conversion can occur even at near vertical incidence if there is sufficient contrast in Poisson’s ratio across the interface. This can be exploited to measure shear‐wave velocities in the underlying section in the course of vertical seismic profile (VSP) acquisition. The technique is effective even in poorly consolidated formations with low shear‐wave velocities where sonic waveform logging fails. Where shear‐wave velocity data are available from sonic waveform logs, the VSP data can be used to verify the wireline data and to calibrate these data to seismic frequencies. The technique is illustrated with a case study from the North Slope, Alaska, in which several shear‐wave events are observed propagating downward through the subsurface. The seismic source is a vertical‐motion vibrator; shear waves are generated via mode conversion in the subsurface and also radiated from the source at the surface, and they are observed with both far‐ and near‐source offsets. The shear‐wave events are strong even on the near‐offset data, which is attributed to the contrast in Poisson’s ratio at the interfaces where mode conversion occurs. The technique is not limited to the hard surfaces of the Arctic and should work in any well, either land or marine, that penetrates shallow interfaces where mode conversion can occur.

Reply by the author to Christopher Juhlin

Geophysics ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 57 (12) ◽  
pp. 1642-1643
Author(s):  
R. C. Burnett
Keyword(s):  
Shear Wave ◽  
Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Poisson's Ratio ◽  
Wave Velocities ◽  
Shear Wave Velocities

I thank Christopher Juhlin for his comments and appreciate his modeling which supports my conclusions, something my original modeling failed to do. As a result I have run some additional models and while some of the results are similar to Juhlin’s, there are some differences. For the models shown here, I have listed the P‐wave and shear‐wave velocities to eliminate any ambiguities associated with Poisson’s ratio, after being convinced by Thomson (1990) to return to the term [Formula: see text].

Elastic impedance inversion of multichannel seismic data from unconsolidated sediments containing gas hydrate and free gas

Geophysics ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaoming Lu ◽  
George A. McMechan
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Gas Hydrate ◽  
Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Poisson's Ratio ◽  
Unconsolidated Sediments ◽  
Free Gas ◽  
Impedance Inversion ◽  
Elastic Impedance ◽  
New Algorithms

The elastic properties of hydrated sediments are not well‐known, which leads to inaccuracy in the evaluation of the amount of gas hydrate worldwide. Elastic impedance inversion is useful in estimating the elastic properties of sediments containing gas hydrate, or free gas trapped beneath the gas hydrate, from angle‐dependent P‐wave reflections. We reprocess the multichannel U.S. Geological Survey seismic line BT‐1 from the Blake Ridge off the east coast of North America to obtain migrated common‐angle aperture data sets, which are then inverted for elastic impedance. Two new algorithms to estimate P‐impedance and S‐impedance from the elastic impedance are developed and evaluated using well‐log data from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 164; these new algorithms are stable, even in the presence of modest noise in the data. The Vs/Vp ratio, Poisson's ratio, and Lamé parameter terms λρ and λ/μ are estimated from the P‐impedance and S‐impedance. The hydrated sediments have high elastic impedance, high P‐impedance, high S‐impedance, high λρ, slightly higher Vs/Vp ratio, slightly lower Poisson's ratio, and slightly lower λ/μ values compared to those of the surrounding unhydrated sediments. The sediments containing free gas have low elastic impedance, low P‐impedance, nonanomalous background S‐impedance, high Vs/Vp ratio, low Poisson's ratio, low λρ, and low λ/μ values. We conclude that some parameters such as Vs/Vp ratio, Poisson's ratio, and λ/μ, although they help identify the free‐gas charged layers, cannot differentiate between the hydrated sediments and nonhydrated sediments when gas hydrate concentration is low, and cannot differentiate between the hydrated sediments and free‐gas charged sediments when the gas hydrate concentration is high. Three distinct layers of gas hydrate are interpreted as being caused by gas hydrates with gas of different molecular weights, with correspondingly different stability zones in depth. Free gas appears to be present below the two deeper gas‐hydrate layers, but not below the shallowest one because the lack of a trapping structure. The gas hydrate has an average concentration of ∼3–5.5% by volume, and is highest (9%) at the base of the lower gas hydrate stability zone. The free‐gas concentration ranges from 1 to 8% by volume, and is most developed beneath the local topographic high of the ocean bottom.

Estimation of Dry-Rock Elastic Moduli Based on the Simulation of Mud-Filtrate Invasion Effects on Borehole Acoustic Logs

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (06) ◽  
pp. 898-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobiloluwa B. Odumosu ◽  
Carlos Torres-Verdín ◽  
Jesús M. Salazar ◽  
Jun Ma ◽  
Benjamin Voss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bulk Modulus ◽  
Shear Wave ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Elastic Moduli ◽  
Compressional Wave ◽  
Shear Rigidity ◽  
Spatial Distributions ◽  
Wave Velocities ◽  
Shear Wave Velocities ◽  
Mud Filtrate

Summary Reliable estimates of dry-rock elastic properties are critical to the accurate interpretation of the seismic response of hydrocarbon reservoirs. We describe a new method for estimating elastic moduli of rocks in-situ based on the simulation of mud-filtrate invasion effects on resistivity and acoustic logs. Simulations of mud-filtrate invasion account for the dynamic process of fluid displacement and mixing between mud-filtrate and hydrocarbons. The calculated spatial distributions of electrical resistivity are matched against resistivity logs by adjusting the underlying petrophysical properties. We then perform Biot-Gassmann fluid substitution on the 2D spatial distributions of fluid saturation with initial estimates of dry-bulk (kdry) modulus and shear rigidity (µdry) and a constraint of Poisson's ratio (?d) typical of the formation. This process generates 2D spatial distributions of compressional and shear-wave velocities and density. Subsequently, sonic waveforms are simulated to calculate shear-wave slowness. Initial estimates of the dry-bulk modulus are progressively adjusted using a modified Gregory-Pickett (1963) solution of Biot's (1956) equation to estimate a shear rigidity that converges to the well-log value of shear-wave slowness. The constraint on dynamic Poisson's ratio is then removed and a refined estimate of the dry-bulk modulus is obtained by both simulating the acoustic log (monopole) and matching the log-derived compressional-wave slowness. This technique leads to reliable estimates of dry-bulk moduli and shear rigidity that compare well to laboratory core measurements. Resulting dry-rock elastic properties can be used to calculate seismic compressional-wave and shear-wave velocities devoid of mud-filtrate invasion effects for further seismic-driven reservoir-characterization studies.

SONIC DETERMINATION OF THE ELASTIC PROPERTIES OF ICE

1947 ◽  
Vol 25a (2) ◽  
pp. 88-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. D. Northwood
Keyword(s):  
Rayleigh Wave ◽  
Young’S Modulus ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Elastic Waves ◽  
Poisson’S Ratio ◽  
Young's Modulus ◽  
The Other ◽  
Poisson's Ratio ◽  
Wave Velocities

By measuring the velocity of various types of elastic waves in a solid it is possible to deduce Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. Longitudinal, extensional, and Rayleigh wave velocities were measured in ice, the first by resonance in a rod and the other two by a pulsing technique. The value obtained for Young's modulus was 9.8 × 1010 dynes per cm.2 and for Poisson's ratio was 0.33.

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