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Crosswell reflection traveltime tomography: A field data demonstration

Conference ·
OSTI ID:542819

In this paper we demonstrate reflection traveltime tomography adapted to the crosswell seismic experiment. Our approach to this inverse problem is to utilize both reflected arrival traveltimes and direct arrival traveltimes to solve for a 2-D velocity model and reflector geometries. We test this approach using data from a crosswell experiment performed in west Texas as part of the McElroy Reservoir Geosciences Project and on a synthetic data set modeled after the field experiment. The synthetic data set is built using an S-wave sonic log, a crosswell reflection image, and the acquisition geometry of the field experiment. Both field and synthetic data sets consist of approximately 20,000 direct arrival traveltimes and 35,000 reflected arrival traveltimes corresponding to 5 downgoing events and 4 upgoing events. Reflector depths are recovered in the simulation with an rms error of only 0.51 ft. From inversions run using the field data we find that inverting both reflection traveltimes and direct arrival traveltimes reduces velocity artifacts at the top and bottom of the recovered velocity model. In addition, computed reflector geometries correspond closely to geometries seen in a crosswell reflection image and support the presence of an angular unconformity below the reservoir zone seen in the crosswell reflection image.

OSTI ID:
542819
Report Number(s):
CONF-951013--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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