Forecasting Fractures in Coal Seams by Using Azimuthal Anisotropy from P-Wave Seismic Data

If the thickness of coal seams and the lithology of both roofs and floors of coal seams have not changed at all or only a little, then it is thought that the elastic anisotropy of coal seams depends mainly on fractures and obeys the horizontally symmetric model of an azimuth anisotropy. For a fixed offset, the amplitude A of the reflection P-wave and the cosine of 2φ has an approximately linear relation, (φ is the source-detector azimuth with respect to the fracture strike. Based on this relationship, many things can be done, such as the extraction of macro bins, the correction of residual normal moveout, the formation of azimuth gather, the transformation and normalization of azimuth gathers and the extraction of reflection wave amplitudes of coal seams. The least squares method was used to inverse theoretically the direction and density of fractures of coal seams. The result is in good agreement with the regional geological structure, indicating that the azimuth anisotropic analysis of the P-wave is feasible in evaluating the density and direction of fractures in coal seams.

Crustal anisotropy of Taihang Mountain Range using azimuthal variation of receiver functions

摘要探讨了利用接收函数方位变化研究各向异性复杂地区速度结构的可能性。详细介绍了具有任意对称轴方向的横向各向同性系统中介质响应的计算过程，并将利用接收函数方位变化研究地壳各向异性的方法应用于华北太行山地区。结果表明，研究台站下方地壳具有明显的各向异性特征，其中地表盖层表现为8％-15％的慢轴型各向异性；深部地壳各向异性略小，表现为3％-5％的快轴型各向异性特征,不同台站获得的各向异性对称轴的方向及深度分布不具有明显的一致性,区域构造环境的变化可能是导致地壳各向异性存在的原斟。

Numerical modeling of PP- and PS-wave azimuthal anisotropy in HTI media

This study focuses on the factors that may affect the feasibility of performing elliptical anisotropy analysis on azimuthal PP and PS-wave data in HTI media, with the aim of using the modeling results as guidance in real seismic data application. Our results reveal that there is an offset limitation for both PP- and PS-waves in elliptical anisotropy fitting, and that PS-waves show a wider applicable offset range and larger observable azimuthal anisotropy than PP-waves. The major axis of the elliptical fit to the amplitudes of the R-component is perpendicular to the fracture strike, which is opposite to that in PP-wave analysis. The azimuthal interval travel time of PS-waves shows a nearly elliptical distribution and the major axis of the fit ellipse is perpendicular to the fracture strike, which is same as that in PP-wave analysis. For data within the applicable offset range, the anisotropic magnitude obtained from amplitude and travel time attributes of PP- and PS-waves exhibits a dependence on fracture density, and the major to minor axis ratio of the fit ellipse may be used to infer the relative distribution of fracture densities.

Impacts of anisotropy coefficient and porosity on the thermal conductivity and P-wave velocity of calcarenites used as building materials of historical monuments in Morocco

It is essential to study the porosity,thermal conductivity,and P-wave velocity of calcarenites,as well as the anisotropy coefficients of the thermal conductivity and P-wave velocity,for civil engineering,and conservation and restoration of historical monuments.This study focuses on measuring the thermal conductivity using the thermal conductivity scanning(TCS)technique and measuring the P-wave ve-locity using portable equipment.This was applied for some dry and saturated calcarenite samples in the horizontal and vertical directions(parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane,respectively).The calcarenites were selected from some historical monuments in Morocco.These physical properties were measured in the laboratory to find a reliable relationship between all of these properties.As a result of the statistical analysis of the obtained data,excellent linear relationships were observed between the porosity and both the thermal conductivity and porosity.These relationships are characterized by relatively high coefficients of determination for the horizontal and vertical samples.Based on the thermal conductivity and P-wave velocity values in these two directions,the anisotropy coefficients of these two properties were calculated.The internal structure and the pore fabric of the calcarenite samples were delineated using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),while their chemical and mineral compositions were studied using the energy dispersive X-ray analysis(EDXA)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)techniques.

A method for inversion of layered shear wavespeed azimuthal anisotropy from Rayleigh wave dispersion using the Neighborhood Algorithm

Seismic anisotropy provides important constraints on deformation patterns of Earth＇s material. Rayleigh wave dispersion data with azimuthal anisotropy can be used to invert for depth-dependent shear wavespeed azimuthal anisotropy, therefore reflecting depth-varying deformation patterns in the crust and upper mantle. In this study, we propose a two-step method that uses the Neighborhood Algorithm （NA） for the point-wise inversion of depth-dependent shear wavespeeds and azimuthal anisotropy from Rayleigh wave azimuthally anisotropic dispersion data. The first step employs the NA to estimate depth- dependent Vsv （or the elastic parameter L） as well as their uncertainties from the isotropic part Rayleigh wave dispersion data. In the second step, we first adopt a difference scheme to compute approximate Rayleigh-wave phase velocity sensitivity kernels to azimuthally anisotropic parameters with respect to the velocity model obtained in the first step. Then we perform the NA to estimate the azimuthally anisotropic parameters Gc/L and Gs/L at depths separately from the corresponding cosine and sine terms of the azimuthally anisotropic dispersion data. Finally, we compute the depth-dependent magnitude and fast polariza- tion azimuth of shear wavespeed azimuthal anisotropy. The use of the global search NA and Bayesian analysis allows for more reliable estimates of depth-dependent shear wavespeeds and azimuthal anisotropy as well as their uncertainties.We illustrate the inversion method using the azimuthally anisotropic dispersion data in SE Tibet, where we find apparent changes of fast axes of shear wavespeed azimuthal anisotropy between the crust and uppermost mantle.

Investigating the elliptic anisotropy of identified particles in p-Pb collisions with a multi-phase transport model

The elliptic azimuthal anisotropy coefficient(v_(2))of the identified particles at midrapidity(|η|<0.8)was investigated in p-Pb collisions at√s_(NN)=5.02 TeV using a multi-phase transport model(AMPT).The calculations of differential v_(2)based on the advanced flow extraction method of light flavor hadrons(pions,kaons,protons,andΛ)in small collision systems were extended to a wider transverse momentum(p_(T))range of up to 8 GeV/c for the first time.The string-melting version of the AMPT model provides a good description of the measured p_(T)-differential v_(2)of the mesons but exhibits a slight deviation from the baryon v_(2).In addition,we observed the features of mass ordering at low p_(T)and the approximate number-of-constituentquark(NCQ)scaling at intermediate p_(T).Moreover,we demonstrate that hadronic rescattering does not have a significant impact on v_(2)in p-Pb collisions for different centrality selections,whereas partonic scattering dominates in generating the elliptic anisotropy of the final particles.This study provides further insight into the origin of collective-like behavior in small collision systems and has referential value for future measurements of azimuthal anisotropy.

Detection performance of azimuthal electromagnetic logging while drilling tool in anisotropic media

Azimuthal electromagnetic(EM)logging while drilling(LWD)has been extensively used in high-angle and horizontal(HA/HZ)wells.However,due to the effects of formation anisotropy,accurate geosteering decision and formation evaluations have become increasingly difficult.To quantitatively analyze the effect of anisotropy on tool responses and data processing,this paper investigates the sensitivity of EM LWD measurements to electric anisotropy and inversion accuracy via forward modeling and inversion.First,a sensitivity factor is defined to quantitatively analyze the sensitivity of the magnetic field components and synthetic signals to electric anisotropy.Then,azimuthal EM LWD responses in anisotropic layered formations are simulated,and the sensitivities to formation parameters for compensated and uncompensated tool configurations are comparatively analyzed.Finally,we discuss the effects of the inversion model on bed boundary inversion in anisotropic formations.Numerical simulation and inversion results show that azimuthal EM LWD can be significantly affected by electric anisotropy.Fortunately,by using a symmetrical compensation configuration,the sensitivity of the geosignals to electric anisotropy can be suppressed,and the boundary detection capability can be further enhanced.Anisotropy normally gives rise to separated resistivity curves and abnormal"horns";moreover,complicated nonlinear distortion can also arise in geosignals as the tool approaches a bed boundary.If anisotropy effects are ignored in the inversion process,the estimated bed boundary and formation resistivity are usually unreliable,which may mislead geosteering decisions.

Azimuthal anchoring of a nematic liquid crystal on a grooved interface with anisotropic polar anchoring

Zhang Y J et al.[Zhang Y J,Zhang Z D,Zhu L Z and Xuan L 2011 Liquid Cryst.38 355] investigated the effects of finite polar anchoring on the azimuthal anchoring energy at a grooved interface,in which polar anchoring was isotropic in the local tangent plane of the surface.In this paper,we investigate the effects of both isotropic and anisotropic polar anchoring on the surface anchoring energy in the frame of Fukuda et al.’s theory.The results show that anisotropic polar anchoring strengthens the azimuthal anchoring of grooved surfaces.In the one-elastic-constant approximation（K11 = K22 = K33 = K）,the surface-groove-induced azimuthal anchoring energy is entirely consistent with the result of Faetti,and it reduces to the original result of Berreman with an increase in polar anchoring.Moreover,the contribution of the surface-like elastic term to the Rapini-Papoular anchoring energy is zero.

Occam Inversion of Transient Electromagnetic Data in a Layered Medium with Azimuthal Anisotropy

In recent years, the anisotropic study has become a hot topic in the field of electromagnetics. Currently, inversion technologies of transient electromagnetic sounding data are mainly based on the case of an isotropic medium. However, the actual underground electrical structure tends to be complicated and anisotropic. It is often found that the isotropic inversion technologies do not lead to good results for field transient electromagnetic sounding data. We have developed an algorithm for calculating the transient electromagnetic response in a layered medium with azimuthal anisotropy. An occam inversion algorithm has also been implemented to invert the transient electromagnetic data induced by a grounded horizontal electric dipole in a layered medium with azimuthal anisotropy. Synthetic examples demonstrate the stability and validity of the inversion algorithm. Experimental results show different data for inverting have great influence on the inversion results.

Major methods of seismic anisotropy

Seismic anisotropy reveals that seismic wave velocity, amplitude, and other physical properties show variations in different directions, which can be divided into lattice-preferred orientation(LPO) and shape-preferred orientation(SPO) according to its physical mechanisms. The main methods for studying seismic anisotropy include shearwave splitting analysis, P-wave travel time inversion and surface-wave tomography, etc. There are some differences and correlations among these methods. Seismic anisotropy is an important way to reveal the dynamic processes of crust-mantle evolution, and it is significant for monitoring crustal stress changes and improve seismic exploration studies. With the help of long-term observation, the application of machine learning techniques and combining inversion based on multiple phases would become potential developments in seismic anisotropy studies. This may improve the understanding of complex seismic anisotropic models, such as multiple layers anisotropy with an oblique axis of symmetry.

Apparent resistivity of azimuthal anisotropy layered media

The electric field, equations of boundary conditions and calculation formula of apparent resistivity are derived for the azimuthal anisotropy layered media with the DC method based on the anisotropic Ohm's law. Taking the Schlumberger symmetric system as an example and using the recurrence formula of nuclear function, the paper theoretically simulates a model of four layers with the same anisotropy coefficient for each layer. The deep sounding curves of resistivity and the pattern of contours are obtained for the model. The results show that the theoretical formula is correct, and the deep sounding curves not only exhibit the difference of resistivity among layers but also indicate the anisotropy characteristics of layers.

Azimuthal moveout response of seismic waves in two-phase anisotropic media

Dispersion and attenuation occur while seismic wave travels through cracks filled with fluids,which lead to the anisotropism of seismic azimuthal travel time.Based on latest rock physics models,this study aims to simulate seismic azimuthal moveout responses(AMR) and analyze the factors affecting this attribute.By numerical modeling,it is found that the AMR is very sensitive to the parameters of the cracks,especially these related to fluid;therefore AMR has the potential to qualitatively or even quantitatively identify cracks.

Component azimuths of the CEArray stations estimated from P-wave particle motion

The recently built China Digital Seismic Network consists of the China National Digital Seismic Network （CNDSN）, 31 regional seismic networks and several small aperture arrays with more than 1 000 stations including 850＋ broadband stations. It forms a gigantic seismic array that provides an unprecedented opportunity to study the Earth＇s deep interior besides its routine task of seismic monitoring. Many modern seismic studies rely on rotation of vertical and horizontal components in order to separate different types of seismic waves. Knowledge of the orientations of the two horizontal components thus is important to perform a correction rotation. We analyzed particle motions of teleseismic P waves recorded by the network and used them to estimate the northcomponent azimuth of each station. An SNR-weighted-multi-event method was introduced to obtain component azimuths that best explain the P-wave particle motions of all the events recorded at a station. The method provides robust estimates including a measurement error calculated from background noise levels. We found that about one third of the stations have some sort of problems, including misorientation of the two horizontal components, mislabeling and polarity reversal in one or more components. These problems need to be taken into account for any rotation based seismic studies.

P-wave fracture prediction algorithm using pre-stack data with limited azimuth distribution:A case study in the TZ45 area,Tarim Basin,China

Fractured reservoirs always show anisotropic amplitude features,i.e.the reflection amplitude of seismic waves varies with offset and azimuth （AVOZ）.A noise attenuation fracture inversion algorithm is presented for fracture detection based on P-wave AVOZ.The conventional inversion method always fails when applied to limited azimuth data because of the existence of noise.In our inversion algorithm,special attention is paid to suppressing the noise during inversion,to overcome the limitation of the conventional inversion method on limited azimuth data.Numerical models are employed to illustrate the effectiveness of the method.The inversion algorithm is then applied to Tazhong 45 area field data which is acquired under limited azimuth distribution.Compared with cores and fullbore formation microimage （FMI）,the inverted results （fracture density and orientation） are reasonable,suggesting that the inversion algorithm is feasible for fracture prediction in the Tarim Basin.

Effect of uneven noise source and/or station distribution on estimating the azimuth anisotropy of surface waves

With the development of the dense array,the surface wave velocity and azimuthal anisotropy under the array can be directly obtained by beamforming the noise cross-correlation functions(NCFs). However, the retrieval of the Green’s function by cross-correlating the seismic noise requires that the noise source has a uniform distribution. For the case with uneven noise source, the azimuthal dependence on the sources in the expression for the spatial coherence function, which corresponds to the NCF in the time domain,has the same form as the azimuthal dependence of the surface wave velocity in weakly anisotropic media. Therefore, the uneven noise source will affect the surface wave anisotropy extraction. In this study, three passive seismic methods, i.e.,beamforming, SPAC(spatial autocorrelation), and NCF, are compared to demonstrate that an uneven source distribution and uneven station distribution have equivalent effects on the outcome from each method. A beamforming method is proposed to directly extract the velocity and azimuthal anisotropy of surface waves. The effect of uneven noise source and/or station distribution on estimating the azimuth anisotropy of surface waves was investigated using data from the ChinArray Phase Ⅱ. A method for correcting the apparent anisotropy in beamforming results caused by an uneven station distribution is suggested.

3-D isotropic and anisotropic tomography of P-wave travel times from the Anhui airgun experiment in the Yangtze River

The Middle-Lower Yangtze River is a typical transition region between the nearly NW-oriented Tethys and NE-trending Pacific tectonic regimes.Structures of different periods and directions overlap strongly during these processes.The NE-trending Yangtze River compound structural belt and NW-trending Tongling-Hangzhou structural belt both control the magmatic activities and distributions of the metallogenic belts in the area.Here,we obtain 3-D high-resolution isotropic and azimuthally anisotropic velocity structures at depths of 1–10 km using the first arrivals from airgun sources.The velocity maps correspond well with the tectonic structures,with high-velocity anomalies distributed in ore-concentrated districts and low-velocity anomalies distributed along the Yangtze River.The fast directions are generally consistent with the fault strike,indicating that the azimuthal anisotropy is mainly dominated by the fault and fracture trends in the upper crust.The complicated fast directions near the Luzong and Tongling ore deposits reveal complex deformations in the upper crust,which are mainly caused by the intersection of the Yangtze River compound and Tongling-Hangzhou structural belts.The magma intrusion beneath the two ore deposits(Luzong and Tongling)are connected at depths of 5–10 km.

地震叠后和叠前混合驱动下的页岩油储层多尺度裂缝预测方法

不同尺度、不同类型的天然裂缝的系统性表征有利于识别优质储层、改进开发效果.建立可靠的多尺度裂缝模型是提高页岩油储层钻遇率的重要依据,其关键在于精细预测小尺度裂缝的空间分布,指导钻井钻进和压裂过程.然而,基于地震属性的传统裂缝预测方法只能各自突出单一尺度的断裂,不同裂缝属性的数学独立性给综合裂缝系统的识别带来严峻挑战.我们提出一套改进的全尺度裂缝系统评估方案,其关键在于通过优化的各向异性蚁群裂缝识别算法确定小尺度裂缝的发育概率,将小尺度裂缝的发育概率与传统蚂蚁追踪产生的大尺度断层的概率进行融合,得到的综合裂缝系统可以实现全尺度裂缝的感知.详细的属性分析过程表明,方位各向异性能够精确描述微观裂缝特征.基于此,我们将各向异性分析得到的裂缝密度和裂缝走向融入蚁群追踪裂缝的各个阶段,在提高裂缝密集区搜索强度的同时,还对小断距裂缝的发育方向实现了精准刻画.针对页岩油藏的应用案例证明,根据改进方案得到的全尺度裂缝系统能够同时表征大尺度断层、小裂缝和裂缝破碎带的分布情况.研究区的成像测井结果进一步验证了小尺度裂缝预测发育方向的准确性及可靠性,能够为页岩油水平井开发部署提供理论指导.

高精度方位各向异性反演在顺北8号带裂缝检测中的应用

目前,基于AVAZ反演方法的方位各向异性反演大都采用Rüger两项式,基于椭圆拟合方法的方位各向异性反演大多使用分扇区叠加振幅等属性亦或各向同性叠前弹性反演成果数据,这两类方法都存在局限性。而Rüger三项式方程中B项(B^(iso)+B^(ani)cos^(2)φ)包含方位各向异性强度项B^(ani),因此,将其用于方位各向异性椭圆拟合更合理。基于全方位角度域(FAA)叠前偏移道集数据,首先,将FAA域道集划分为5个方位扇区,对每一个方位扇区求解Rüger三项式方程B项属性(B_(1)~B_(5)),利用5个扇区求解的B项属性成果数据开展椭圆拟合处理以确定椭圆长轴方向、长轴与短轴比值,进而得到裂缝方向和裂缝密度。与直接求取方位各向异性强度B^(ani)的AVAZ反演方法相比,该方法显著减少了计算量。研究区目的层鹰山组上段裂缝预测成果被4口后钻井所证实。

准噶尔盆地复杂山地区分方位地震处理关键技术及应用

准噶尔盆地南缘山前冲断带是我国西部重要的油气勘探领域,构造复杂,逆冲断裂发育特征为油气勘探带来巨大挑战。随“两宽一高”资料的普及,全方位处理模式愈发难以满足深层精细勘探的需求。本文以安集海背斜为例,对下组合方位各向异性问题,提出一套完整的分方位处理流程,包括分方位速度分析、分方位全局寻优剩余静校正、OVT域叠前时间偏移及加权叠加技术。这些技术的应用有效地改善了该地区断点断裂不清晰和构造样式存在多解性的问题,具一定生产推广价值。