scholarly journals Directional P-wave Remote Acoustic Imaging in an Acoustically Slow Formation

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 333-343
Author(s):  
Zhoutuo Wei ◽  
Hua Wang ◽  
Xiaoming Tang ◽  
Chunxi Zhuan

Directional P-wave remote acoustic imaging in an acoustically slow formation is discussed to improve dipole remote acoustic applications. In this paper, we start from the fundamental radiation, reflection and reception theory of a borehole dipole source. We then simulate the elastic wavefield radiation, reflection and reception generated by a borehole dipole source in an acoustically slow formation, and analyze their similarities and differences of the far-field radiation directionality of a borehole dipole-generated P-wave and monopole-generated P-wave. We demonstrate its sensitivity and feasibility in conjunction with a numerical simulation of P-wave remote acoustic imaging. The analytical results show that the dipole-generated P-wave has obvious reflection sensitivity and it can be utilized for reflection imaging and determination of the reflector azimuth. Based on the theoretical analysis above, a field example is used to demonstrate these characteristics and the application effectiveness of dipole-generated P-wave imaging and monopole-generated P-wave imaging. The results substantiate that dipole-generated P-wave has highly reflected amplitude and obvious azimuth sensitivity in an acoustically slow formation, providing an important supplement for dipole-generated S-wave remote acoustic imaging.

Author(s):  
Hao Wang ◽  
Ning Li ◽  
Caizhi Wang ◽  
Hongliang Wu ◽  
Peng Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract In the process of dipole-source acoustic far-detection logging, the azimuth of the fracture outside the borehole can be determined with the assumption that the SH–SH wave is stronger than the SV–SV wave. However, in slow formations, the considerable borehole modulation highly complicates the dipole-source radiation of SH and SV waves. A 3D finite-difference time-domain method is used to investigate the responses of the dipole-source reflected shear wave (S–S) in slow formations and explain the relationships between the azimuth characteristics of the S–S wave and the source–receiver offset and the dip angle of the fracture outside the borehole. Results indicate that the SH–SH and SV–SV waves cannot be effectively distinguished by amplitude at some offset ranges under low- and high-fracture dip angle conditions, and the offset ranges are related to formation properties and fracture dip angle. In these cases, the fracture azimuth determined by the amplitude of the S–S wave not only has a $180^\circ $ uncertainty but may also have a $90^\circ $ difference from the actual value. Under these situations, the P–P, S–P and S–S waves can be combined to solve the problem of the $90^\circ $ difference in the azimuth determination of fractures outside the borehole, especially for a low-dip-angle fracture.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Febi Niswatul Auliyah ◽  
Komang Ngurah Suarbawa ◽  
Indira Indira

P-wave velocity and S-wave velocity have been investigated in the Bali Province by using earthquake case studies on March 22, 2017. The study was focused on finding out whether there were anomalies in the values of vp/vs before and after the earthquake. Earthquake data was obtained from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Region III Denpasar, which consisted of the main earthquake on March 22, 2017 and earthquake data in August 2016 to May 2017. Data was processed using the wadati diagram method, obtained that the vp/vs on SRBI, IGBI, DNP and RTBI stations are shifted from 1.5062 to 1.8261. Before the earthquake occurred the anomaly of the value of vp/vs was found on the four stations, at the SRBI station at 10.35%, at the IGBI station at 16.16%, at DNP station at 12.27% and at RTBI station at 4.62%.


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.


1971 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1655-1673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umesh Chandra

abstract A method has been proposed for the combination of P-wave first-motion directions and S-wave polarization data for the numerical determination of earthquake focal mechanism. The method takes into account the influence of nearness of stations with inconsistent P-wave polarity observations, with respect to the assumed nodal planes. The mechanism solutions for six earthquakes selected from different geographic locations and depth ranges have been determined. Equal area projections of the nodal planes together with the P-wave first-motion and S-wave polarization data are presented for each earthquake. The quality of resolution of nodal plane determination on the basis of P-wave data, S-wave polarization, and the combination of P and S-wave data according to the present method, is discussed.


Geophysics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. D253-D261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhou-Tuo Wei ◽  
Xiao-Ming Tang

A recent advance in single-well reflection imaging is the use of a dipole acoustic system in a borehole to radiate and receive elastic waves to and from a remote geologic reflector in formation. This dipole-acoustic imaging technology is evaluated by numerically simulating the radiation and reflection of the wavefield generated by the borehole dipole source and analyzing the receiving sensitivity of the dipole system to the incoming reflected waves. The analyses show that a borehole dipole source can radiate a compressional wave (P-wave) and two types of shear waves (i.e., SV- and SH-waves) into the formation. The SH-wave has wide radiation coverage and the best receiving sensitivity, and is most suitable for dipole-shear imaging. In an acoustically slow formation, the dipole-generated P-wave has strong receiving sensitivity and can also be used for reflection imaging. An important feature of dipole imaging is its sensitivity to reflector azimuth, which results from the directivity of the dipole source. By using a 4C data acquisition method to record the dipole-generated reflected signal, the reflector azimuth can be determined. The numerical simulation and theoretical analysis results are in good agreement, providing a solid foundation for the dipole acoustic imaging technology.


Geophysics ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 659-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. T. Chen

Laboratory measurements have verified a novel technique for direct shear‐wave logging in hard and soft formations with a dipole source, as recently suggested in theoretical studies. Conventional monopole logging tools are not capable of measuring shear waves directly. In particular, no S waves are recorded in a soft formation with a conventional monopole sonic tool because there are no critically refracted S rays when the S-wave velocity of the rock is less than the acoustic velocity of the borehole fluid. The present studies were conducted in the laboratory with scale models representative of sonic logging conditions in the field. We have used a concrete model to represent hard formations and a plastic model to simulate a soft formation. The dipole source, operating at frequencies lower than those conventionally used in logging, substantially suppressed the P wave and excited a wave train whose first arrival traveled at the S-wave velocity. As a result, one can use a dipole source to log S-wave velocity directly on‐line by picking the first arrival of the full wave train, in a process similar to that used in conventional P-wave logging. Laboratory experiments with a conventional monopole source in a soft formation did not produce S waves. However, the S-wave velocity was accurately estimated by using Biot’s theory, which required measuring the Stoneley‐wave velocity and knowing other borehole parameters.


1970 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 1221-1229
Author(s):  
Umesh Chandra

abstract Tests of the stationary phase approximation method applied to P waves for the determination of focal mechanisms have been carried through for eight earthquakes selected from different geographic locations and depth ranges. The results are found to be in close agreement with the solutions obtained from S-wave polarization data for four earthquakes and in reasonable agreement for three earthquakes. In general, however, the P polarities are more consistent with S-wave polarization solutions than with the solutions obtained by the present method. The stationary phase solutions agree with the P-wave spectrum solutions determined in a previous study. The method is applicable to shallow-focus earthquakes, and to earthquakes of large magnitude in which methods using S-wave polarization data and P-wave spectra are difficult to apply.


1960 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Stauder

ABSTRACT Techniques of S wave analysis are used to investigate the focal mechanism of four earthquakes. In all cases the results of the S wave analysis agree with previously determined P wave solutions and conform to a dipole with moment or single couple as the point model of the focus. Further, the data from S waves select one of the two nodal planes of P as the fault plane. Small errors in the determination of the angle of polarization of S are shown to result in scatter in the data of a peculiar character which might lead to misinterpretation. The same methods of analysis which in the present instances show excellent agreement with a dipole with moment source are the methods which in a previous paper required a single force type mechanism for a different group of earthquakes.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc S. Boxberg ◽  
Mandy Duda ◽  
Katrin Löer ◽  
Wolfgang Friederich ◽  
Jörg Renner

<p>Determining elastic wave velocities and intrinsic attenuation of cylindrical rock samples by transmission of ultrasound signals appears to be a simple experimental task, which is performed routinely in a range of geoscientific and engineering applications requiring characterization of rocks in field and laboratory. P- and S-wave velocities are generally determined from first arrivals of signals excited by specifically designed transducers. A couple of methods exist for determining the intrinsic attenuation, most of them relying either on a comparison between the sample under investigation and a standard material or on investigating the same material for various geometries.</p><p>Of the three properties of interest, P-wave velocity is certainly the least challenging one to determine, but dispersion phenomena lead to complications with the consistent identification of frequency-dependent first breaks. The determination of S-wave velocities is even more hampered by converted waves interfering with the S-wave arrival. Attenuation estimates are generally subject to higher uncertainties than velocity measurements due to the high sensitivity of amplitudes to experimental procedures. The achievable accuracy of determining S-wave velocity and intrinsic attenuation using standard procedures thus appears to be limited.</p><p>We pursue the determination of velocity and attenuation of rock samples based on full waveform modeling and inversion. Assuming the rock sample to be homogeneous - an assumption also underlying standard analyses - we quantify P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity and intrinsic P- and S-wave attenuation from matching a single ultrasound trace with a synthetic one numerically modelled using the spectral finite-element software packages SPECFEM2D and SPECFEM3D. We find that enough information on both velocities is contained in the recognizable reflected and converted phases even when nominal P-wave sensors are used. Attenuation characteristics are also inherently contained in the relative amplitudes of these phases due to their different travel paths. We present recommendations for and results from laboratory measurements on cylindrical samples of aluminum and rocks with different geometries that we also compare with various standard analysis methods. The effort put into processing for our approach is particularly justified when accurate values and/or small variations, for example in response to changing P-T-conditions, are of interest or when the amount of sample material is limited.</p>


Geophysics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 1052-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard S. Lu ◽  
Dennis E. Willen ◽  
Ian A. Watson

The large velocity contrast between salt and the surrounding sediments generates strong conversions between P‐ and S‐wave energy. The resulting converted events can be noise on P‐wave migrated images and should be identified and removed to facilitate interpretation. On the other hand, they can also be used to image a salt body and its adjacent sediments when the P‐wave image is inadequate. The converted waves with smaller reflection and transmission angles and much larger critical angles generate substantially different illumination than does the P‐wave. In areas where time migration is valid, the ratio between salt thickness in time and the time interval between the P‐wave and the converted‐wave salt base on a time‐migrated image is about 2.6 or 1.3, depending upon whether the seismic wave propagates along one or both of the downgoing and upcoming raypaths in salt as the S‐wave, respectively. These ratios can be used together with forward seismic modeling and 2D prestack depth migration to identify the converted‐wave base‐of‐salt (BOS) events in time and depth and to correctly interpret the subsalt sediments. It is possible to mute converted‐wave events from prestack traces according to their computed arrival times. Prestack depth migration of the muted data extends the updip continuation of subsalt sedimentary beds, and improves the salt–sediment terminations in the P‐wave image. Prestack and poststack depth‐migrated examples illustrate that the P‐wave and the three modes of converted waves preferentially image different parts of the base of salt. In some areas, the P‐wave BOS can be very weak, obscured by noise, or completely absent. Converted‐wave imaging complements P‐wave imaging in delineating the BOS for velocity model building.


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