# US 10,371,842 B2 · Anisotropy analysis using direct and reflected arrivals in seismic survey data

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- Number: US 10,371,842 B2
- Document ID: US10371842B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/779,288
- Filed: 2014-03-07
- Published: 2016-02-25
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2013-04-02
- Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Inventors: Ran Zhou; Bruce Edward Cornish; Donghong Pei; Daniel Joseph Quinn
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371842B2

## CPC

- G01V 1/305: {Travel times}
- G01V 1/306: {for determining physical properties of the subsurface, e.g. impedance, porosity or attenuation profiles}
- G01V 2210/626: with anisotropy
- G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02)

## Abstract

A seismic data analysis system includes seismic receivers to collect seismic survey data, wherein the seismic survey data includes direct and reflected arrival data in response to at least one seismic source fired at different shot offsets. The system also includes memory that stores the collected seismic survey data. The system also includes a processing unit that extracts traveltimes for direct and reflected arrivals from the seismic survey data and performs an inversion using the direct and reflected arrival traveltimes simultaneously to determine anisotropy parameters, including Thomsen parameters, epsilon (ε) and delta (δ), for at least one layer of a vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) model.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A seismic data analysis system, comprising:
seismic receivers to collect seismic survey data, wherein the seismic survey data includes direct and reflected arrival data in response to at least one seismic source fired at different shot offsets;
memory that stores the collected seismic survey data; and
a processing unit that extracts traveltimes for direct and reflected arrivals from the seismic survey data and performs an inversion using the direct and reflected arrival traveltimes simultaneously to determine anisotropy parameters, including Thomsen parameters, epsilon (ε) and delta (δ), for at least one layer of a vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) model.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface that displays an anisotropy profile as a function of depth based on the inversion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the different shot offsets are limited to a zero shot offset, a mid shot offset, and a far shot offset corresponding to a predetermined set of key angles with traveltime sensitivity related to at least one of the anisotropy parameters.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the different shot offsets corresponds to walkaway shot offsets that include a predetermined set of key angles with traveltime sensitivity related to at least one of the anisotropy parameters.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit performs the inversion to determine average anisotropy parameters for each of a plurality of layers of the VTI model.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit performs the inversion for each of the plurality of layers in a layer-stripping fashion using direct arrival times and reflected arrival times for each layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit compares the collected direct and reflected arrival data with modeled direct and reflected arrival data to determine an anisotropic effect before the inversion is performed for each of said at least one layer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the processing unit plots angle coverage and traveltime sensitivities for the collected direct and reflected arrival data, and selects a weighting function based on the plotted angle coverage and traveltime sensitivities.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the processing unit performs the inversion for each of said at least one layer based on the weighting function and angular dependence of traveltimes.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the inversion corresponds to a generalized inverse or a grid search scheme.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit simultaneously constrains the anisotropy parameters for each of a plurality of layers of the VTI model using a global optimization or generalized inversion.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one seismic source is positioned at earth's surface and the seismic receivers are positioned downhole.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one seismic source is positioned downhole and the seismic receivers are positioned at earth's surface.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one seismic source and the seismic receivers are positioned downhole.

### Claim 15

A method for seismic data analysis, comprising:
triggering at least one seismic source at different shot offsets;
collecting, by a plurality of seismic receivers, direct and reflected arrival data in response to said triggering;
performing an inversion using the collected direct and reflected arrival data simultaneously to determine anisotropy parameters, including Thomsen parameters, epsilon (ε) and delta (δ), for each of a plurality of layers of a vertical transversely isotropic (VTI) model; and
displaying an anisotropy profile as a function of depth based on the inversion.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising limiting the different shot offsets to a zero shot offset, a mid shot offset, and a far shot offset corresponding to predetermined key angles with traveltime sensitivity related to at least one of the anisotropy parameters.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising selecting walkaway shot offsets including the different shot offsets based on a predetermined set of key angles with traveltime sensitivity related to at least one of the anisotropy parameters.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein performing the inversion comprises determining average anisotropy parameters for each of a plurality of layers of the VTI model from in a layer-stripping fashion.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising positioning the at least one seismic source at earth's surface and positioning the plurality of seismic receivers downhole.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising positioning the at least one seismic source downhole and positioning the plurality of seismic receivers at earth's surface.

### Claim 21 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising positioning the at least one seismic source downhole and positioning the plurality of seismic receivers downhole.

### Claim 22 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the inversion corresponds to a generalized inverse or a grid search scheme based on a weighting function and angular dependence of traveltimes, and wherein the inversion outputs a layer-based anisotropy profile listed as a function of depth.

### Claim 23 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising simultaneously constraining the anisotropy parameters for each of the plurality of layers of the VTI model using a global optimization or generalized inversion.