IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,635,539
Granted Patent B2
US 11,635,539 · App. 15/144,461 · Granted Apr 25, 2023

Imaging shallow heterogeneities based on near-surface scattered elastic waves

Inventor: Abdulaziz Mohammad Almuhaidib (Dammam, SA)
Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
G01V1/306G01V1/282G01V1/362G01V1/364G01V2210/322G01V2210/324G01V2210/44G01V2210/47G01V2210/624
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,635,539
App. No.
15/144,461
Granted
Apr 25, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Scattered body waves are isolated to primary, shear, and surface waves as a receiver wavefield from recorded near-surface scattered wave data generated by scatters. The isolated receiver wavefield is backward propagated through an earth model from a final to an initial state. A source wavefield and the receiver wavefields are cross-correlated. A source wavefield and the receiver wavefields are stacked, over all time steps and sources, to generate a subsurface image. A display of the subsurface image is initiated.

Claims (44)

1. A computer-implemented method for imaging and locating near-surface heterogeneities, the method comprising:

receiving near-surface scattered wave data generated by scatterers at an earth near-surface that scatter reflected or refracted body waves;

isolating, from the near-surface scattered wave data, scattered reflected or refracted body-to-primary, reflected or refracted body-to-shear, and reflected or refracted body-to-surface waves as a receiver wavefield;

backward-propagating the isolated receiver wavefield through an earth model until they are in-phase with incident waves at locations of the scatterers;

forward propagating a source wavefield through the earth model;

cross-correlating the source wavefield and the isolated receiver wavefield;

stacking, over all time steps and sources, the source wavefield and the isolated receiver wavefield to generate a subsurface image that includes an image of the scatterers; and

initiating display of the subsurface image that includes the image of the scatterers.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein forward propagating the source wavefield through the earth model comprises forward propagating the source wavefield through the earth model from an initial to a final state.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , further comprising simulating and separating a direct surface from reflected body waves.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein near-surface means the shallowest one wavelength depth from the earth's surface.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the source wavefield and the receiver wavefield are each decomposed before an imaging condition is applied.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the recorded data is recorded in a un-aliased manner for spatial sampling of data along a space axis.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the spatial sampling is given by a Nyquist sampling limit given by the formula (dx≤v/(2*f max )), where dx denotes receiver space interval, v denotes minimum shear wave speed, and f max denotes the maximum shear wave frequency in the data.

8. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions executable by a computer system to perform operations for imaging and locating near-surface heterogeneities, comprising:

receiving near-surface scattered wave data generated by scatterers at an earth near-surface that scatter reflected or refracted body waves;

isolating, from the near-surface scattered wave data, scattered reflected or refracted body-to-primary, reflected or refracted body-to-shear, and reflected or refracted body-to-surface waves as a receiver wavefield;

backward-propagating the isolated receiver wavefield through an earth model until they are in-phase with incident waves at locations of the scatterers;

forward propagating a source wavefield through the earth model;

cross-correlating the source wavefield and the isolated receiver wavefield;

stacking, over all time steps and sources, the source wavefield and the isolated receiver wavefield to generate a subsurface image that includes an image of the scatterers; and

initiating display of the subsurface image that includes the image of the scatterers.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein forward propagating the source wavefield through the earth model comprises forward propagating the source wavefield through the earth model from an initial to a final state.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9 , further comprising one or more instructions to simulate and separating a direct surface from reflected body waves.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein near-surface means the shallowest one wavelength depth from the earth's surface.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the source wavefield and the receiver wavefield are each decomposed before an imaging condition is applied.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the recorded data is recorded in a un-aliased manner for spatial sampling of data along a space axis.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the spatial sampling is given by a Nyquist sampling limit given by the formula (dx≤v/(2*f max )), where dx denotes receiver space interval, v denotes minimum shear wave speed, and f max denotes the maximum shear wave frequency in the data.

15. A computer-implemented system to perform operations for imaging and locating near-surface heterogeneities, comprising:

a computer memory operable to store recorded near-surface scattered wave data generated by scatters; and

a data processing apparatus interoperably coupled with the computer memory and configured to:

receive near-surface scattered wave data generated by scatterers at an earth near-surface that scatter reflected or refracted body waves;

isolate, from the near-surface scattered wave data, scattered reflected or refracted body-to-primary, reflected or refracted body-to-shear, and reflected or refracted body-to-surface waves as a receiver wavefield;

backward-propagate the isolated receiver wavefield through an earth model until they are in-phase with incident waves at locations of the scatterers;

forward propagate a source wavefield through the earth model;

cross-correlate the source wavefield and the isolated receiver wavefield;

stack, over all time steps and sources, the source wavefield and the isolated receiver wavefield to generate a subsurface image that includes an image of the scatterers; and

initiate display of the subsurface image that includes the image of the scatterers.

16. The computer-implemented system of claim 15 , wherein forward propagating the source wavefield through the earth model comprises forward propagating the source wavefield through the earth model from an initial to a final state, and wherein the computer-implemented system is further configured to:

simulate and separate a direct surface from reflected body waves.

17. The computer-implemented system of claim 16 , wherein near-surface means the shallowest one wavelength depth from the earth's surface.

18. The computer-implemented system of claim 15 , wherein the source wavefield and the receiver wavefield are each decomposed before an imaging condition is applied.

19. The computer-implemented system of claim 15 , wherein the recorded data is recorded in a un-aliased manner for spatial sampling of data along a space axis.

20. The computer-implemented system of claim 19 , wherein the spatial sampling is given by a Nyquist sampling limit given by the formula (dx≤v/(2*f max )), where dx denotes receiver space interval, v denotes minimum shear wave speed, and f max denotes the maximum shear wave frequency in the data.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2017
From: ALMUHAIDIB, ABDULAZIZ MOHAMMAD
To: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
Reel/Frame 041416/0137 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 62155207 · Apr 30, 2015
Provisional Application 62155053 · Apr 30, 2015
Related Publication 20160320506A1 · Nov 3, 2016