Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Volkan Akcelik

Anatoly I Baumstein

Sunwoong Lee

Yaxun Tang

Jerome R Krebs

Huseyin Denli

Valeriy V Brytik

A method, including: storing, in a computer memory, seismic data acquired from a seismic survey of a subsurface region; and generating, with a computer, a final subsurface physical property model of the subsurface region by processing the seismic data with an iterative full wavefield inversion method, wherein the iterative full wavefield inversion method generates the final subsurface physical property model by iteratively applying a linear solver with a preconditioner that is generated from information from one or more previous iterations of the linear solver.

Krylov-space-based quasi-newton preconditioner for full-wavefield inversion

A computer-implemented method for updating subsurface models including: using an offset continuation approach to update the model, and at each stage defining a new objective function where a maximum offset for each stage is set, wherein the approach includes, performing a first stage iterative full wavefield inversion with near offset data, as the maximum offset, to obtain velocity and density or impedance models, performing subsequent stages of iterative full wavefield inversion, each generating updated models, relative to a previous stage, wherein the subsequent stages include incrementally expanding the maximum offset until ending at a full offset, wherein a last of the stages yields finally updated models, the subsequent stages use the updated models as starting models, and the full wavefield inversions include constraining scales of the velocity model updates at each stage of inversion as a function of velocity resolution; and using the finally updated models to prospect for hydrocarbons.

Full wavefield inversion with reflected seismic data starting from a poor velocity model

A computer-implemented method for updating a physical properties model of a subsurface region in an iterative inversion of seismic data using a gradient of a cost function that compares the seismic data to model-simulated data, said method comprising: obtaining a contrast model of a subsurface physical parameter that is sensitive to data dynamics and a kinematic model of a subsurface physical parameter; determining a gradient of a cost function using the contrast model and the kinematic model, wherein the cost function compares seismic data to model-simulated data; updating the kinematic model using a search direction derived from the gradient; adapting the contrast model according to an update to the kinematic model performed in the updating step; iteratively repeating the determining, updating, and adapting steps until a predetermined stopping criteria is reached, and generating a subsurface image from a finally updated kinematic model; and using the subsurface image to prospect for hydrocarbons.

Tomographically enhanced full wavefield inversion

A method, including: storing, in a computer storage device, geophysical seismic data that has been separated into a multiple-free component and a multiple contaminated component; performing, with a processor, a first full wavefield inversion process on the multiple-free component of the seismic data, wherein a first subsurface physical property model is generated; determining, with a processor, an extended target reflectivity, wherein the extended target reflectivity includes a reflectivity for each of a plurality of shots; separately performing, with a processor, a second full wavefield inversion process with the multiple contaminated component of the seismic data for each of the plurality of shots using the reflectivity corresponding to each of the plurality of shots, wherein a second subsurface physical property model is generated; and generating, with a processor, multiple-free final subsurface physical property model by combining the first subsurface physical property model and the second subsurface physical property model.

Growing community of inventors

Spring, TX, United States of America

Volkan Akcelik