SEISMIC INVERSION

BASICS, PROCEDURE, &

LIMITATION
Seismic section and inversion
 BASICS
 The estimation of subsurface physical properties by observed
geophysical data is known as “geophysical inversion”,

 Inversion technique can be used to any geophysical data like

Gravity, magnetic and seismic etc.

 Usually we use seismic data for the inversion

 Seismic Inversion create a model of earth's physical property by

using the seismic data as input.

 Seismic inversion can be applied “AFTER SATCK” and “BEFORE

STACK”

 Both inversions have totally different assumptions. Inversion After

stack based on Zero offset assumption and Before stack multi-
offset assumption.
 BASICS
 ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE INVERSION
 Normally known as seismic inversion
 Applied on processed stacked data i.e. on seismic section

 AMPLITUDE VS OFFSET

 Normally known as AVO

 Applied on pre stack data i.e. on CMP gathers

 A new inversion technique Hybrid of AI inversion and AVO is also

working, known as Elastic Inversion
 FORWARD MODELLING

 Inversion is inverse of forward modeling

 For Inversion understanding of Forward modeling is important

 Practical example of Forward Modeling is generation of synthetic

seismogram from sonic and density log.
 FORWARD MODELLING
SYNTHETIC
DENSITY IMPEDENCE SEISMIC
LOG LOG RC SERIES SEISMIC
SONIC LOG WAVELET

R1
v1 d1 A1

vn dn An Rn

VELOCITY (v) DENSITY (d) (A2 - A1)

A=v xd RC = WL S= RC * WL
(A2 + A1)
 INVERSION
 Inversion is carried out in following steps
This step is similar to
deconvolution.
Input Data (Seismic Trace)
First we extract or calculate
seismic wavelet.
Conversion of Seismic
STEP-1 trace into Reflectivity
Then its inverse.

Series (RC) By deconvolving this inverse

with trace we get RC

Conversion of reflectivity
STEP-2 series into Acoustic
Impedance log

Conversion of AI log into

STEP-2 Velocity log (Sonic)

Conversion of Sonic into

other attributes like,
Porosity etc.
 INVERSION
SEISMIC SEISMIC INVERSE IMPEDENCE DENSITY PSEUDO
TRACE WAVELET WAVELET RC SERIES LOG LOG SONIC LOG

R1 A1 d1 v1

Rn An dn vn

S= RC * WL WL WL-1 RC = S * WL-1 A2 1+RC1 DENSITY (d) VELOCITY (v)

=
A1 1-RC1
 TYPE OF AI INVERSION
ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE
INVERSION

Deterministic Inversion Probabilistic or Stochastic

Inversion

MODEL SPARSE RECURSIVE

BASED SPIKE INVERSION
INVERSION INVERSION

 Sparse Spike and Model Based inversions are commonly used in

industry
 Sparse spike inversion is also known as Constrained Sparse Spike
Inversion
SPARSE SPIKE
INVERSION
 SPARSE SPIKE INVERSION
 ASUMPTIONS
 Based on assumption that major lithological boundaries represent
large events in reflectivity series.
 These large events are superimposed on smaller events (noise)
 Larger events are the spikes on reflectivity series
 Theoretical procedure of SSI is given below

 We start with initial estimate of wavelet 0 WAVELET

ESTIMATE
Calculate Reflectivity

Improve the wavelet

Calculate Reflectivity

This procedure is done in iterative way ESTIMATE

IMPROVE
SPARSE
WAVELET
REFLECTIVITY
For Detail Ref: Chapter-6, Introduction to seismic
inversion methods, Brain H. Russel
 SPARSE SPIKE INVERSION
 PARACTICAL WORKING
 Estimation of Wavelet, its Inverse and Reflectivity Series (RC)
 Inversion of RC
 Generation of low frequency model

 Addition of low frequency model into inversion results

 Conversion to Inversion results into porosity
SPARSE SPIKE INVERSION
 ESTIMATION OF WAVELET Wavelet Estimation
 Iterative process Schematic
 Generate RC from well (s) data
 Extract wavelet from seismic
 Generate Synthetic trace
Seismic line
 Compare Synthetic with seismic through well
 Calculate error
Wavelet extraction
 Update wave let
 Repeat process until we get
minimum error

WELL DATA
SONIC & Trace from
DENSITY LOGS Well

ERROR

RC Series Synthetic Trace

Comparison
 SPARSE SPIKE INVERSION
Trace RC
 ESTIMATION OF RC SERIES
 We have a Wavelet
 Calculate its Inverse
 Convolve this inverse with all
seismic data
 Commonly known as stratigraphic
de-convolution
 Now all traces converted to RC
Series
Inverse
Wavelet

=
*
 SPARSE SPIKE INVERSION
 INVERSION AND POROSITY CALCULATION
 From RC series we calculate Acoustic Impedance (AI) logs
A2 1+RC1
=
A1 1-RC1

 AI is converted to velocity logs (AI = V x D)

 Now all data traces are in velocity logs i.e. Pseudo Sonic logs
 From these sonic logs we can calculate porosity.
 SPARSE SPIKE INVERSION
 ADDITION OF LOW FREQUENCY MODEL

 Why we add low frequency model

Low frequencies are missing from seismic data as

We do not record them due to ground roll problem

Eliminated during processing due to noise
Limitation of the recording geophones

 Absence of low frequency can show false impedance layers on the

final data
Inversion without low frequency
Full Band Inversion
 SPARSE SPIKE INVERSION
 ADDITION OF LOW FREQUENCY MODEL
 Generation of low frequency model
Low frequencies calculated from
Filtered Sonic log (s)

Seismic velocity Analysis

From geological model

Each method has its limitation, but normally a combination of sonic

and seismic velocity data used

 Low frequency can be added either at reflectivity or impedance

stage
 Adding at reflectivity stage is good
MODEL BASED
INVERSION
 MODEL BASED INVERSION
PARACTICAL WORKING
Estimation of Wavelet
Generation of initial Impedance model
Updating Impedance model after comparing synthetic and original
seismic
Final model is one which have least error.
 MODEL BASED INVERSION
Impedance model building
It is based on picked time horizons and well log data
First we define horizontal Impedance layers changing w.r.t. wells
Then these layer divided into small cells making grid
Every grid node has a value of time and Impedance
The value of Impedance can be constant or linear changing vertically
Commonly a vertically changing layer is used
After every step this grid model updated and node values changed
Impedance layers based on wells Initial grid of impedance layers
Time horizon from seismic data and time horizons
MODEL BASED INVERSION
 SSI vs. MBI
SPRASE SPIKE INVERSION
 Seismic data itself used
 Chances of getting non
geologically output are low
 Noise is severe problem
 Resolution is low
 Multiples can use as false layers
 Low frequency model have to be
added separately
SSI
 MODEL BASED INVERSION
Seismic data not directly used
Chances of getting non
geologically output are high
Noise is not as severs as in SSI
Resolution is high
Multiples are easily handled
Low frequency model is included
in the algorithm
MBI
 LIMITATION OF INVERSION
There are two major limitation of inversion method
Non uniqueness
Thin bed tuning
Non uniqueness mean one can get many answer for one seismic data

Seismic data
If we have

Different impedance models to fit same

X + Y = 10 seismic
Different values of X & Y can fit to get 10

4 + 6 = 10
5 + 5 = 10
7 + 3 = 10

So many
 LIMITATION OF INVERSION
How to handle non uniqueness
Defining the constraints i.e. geological input or common
sense about the model

Seismic data
If we have

We can say our model has thick sand unit

X + Y = 10 with some %age of shale
We can say X & Y are even, greater than 2
and less than 8

4 + 6 = 10

then we have we have only one solution

 LIMITATION OF INVERSION
Thin bed Tuning
Tuning is the interference effect of the
seismic reflection from top and bottom
of the thin bed
It causes artificial changes in amplitude
hence Impedance

Inversion results
Seismic data showing showing artificial
True Impedance model tuning effect impedance