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Seismic inversion for underground fractures detection based on effective anisotropy and fluid substitution

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Abstract

Underground fractures play an important role in the storage and movement of hydrocarbon fluid. Fracture rock physics has been the useful bridge between fracture parameters and seismic response. In this paper, we aim to use seismic data to predict subsurface fractures based on rock physics. We begin with the construction of fracture rock physics model. Using the model, we may estimate P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity and fracture rock physics parameters. Then we derive a new approximate formula for the analysis of the relationship between fracture rock physics parameters and seismic response, and we also propose the method which uses seismic data to invert the elastic and rock physics parameters of fractured rock. We end with the method verification, which includes using well-logging data to confirm the reliability of fracture rock physics effective model and utilizing real seismic data to validate the applicability of the inversion method. Tests show that the fracture rock physics effective model may be used to estimate velocities and fracture rock physics parameters reliably, and the inversion method is resultful even when the seismic data is added with random noise. Real data test also indicates the inversion method can be applied into the estimation of the elastic and fracture weaknesses parameters in the target area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, 266580, China

    HuaiZhen Chen, XingYao Yin & GuangZhi Zhang

  2. Northwest Branch of Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Lanzhou, 730020, China

    JianHu Gao & BingYang Liu

Authors
  1. HuaiZhen Chen
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  2. XingYao Yin
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  3. JianHu Gao
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  4. BingYang Liu
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  5. GuangZhi Zhang
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Correspondence to GuangZhi Zhang.

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Chen, H., Yin, X., Gao, J. et al. Seismic inversion for underground fractures detection based on effective anisotropy and fluid substitution. Sci. China Earth Sci. 58, 805–814 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-014-5022-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-014-5022-1

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