Analysis of velocity dispersion using full‐waveform multichannel sonic logging data: A case study

• Published in: Geophysical Prospecting
• Main Authors: Sun, Langqiu F., Milkereit, Bernd, Tisato, Nicola
• Other Authors: National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2016
• Subjects: Canada; Mackenzie Delta; Northwest Territories
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2478.12410; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2F1365-2478.12410; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2478.12410

ABSTRACT Seismic attenuation and velocity dispersion are potentially able to reveal the rock physical properties of the subsurface. Conventionally, a frequency‐independent quality factor ( Q ) is measured. This Q is equivalent to the total velocity dispersion in a seismic record and is inadequate for analysing the attenuation mechanism or rock physical properties. Here a new method is proposed to extract the velocity dispersion curves so that more attributes can be obtained from full‐waveform multichannel sonic logging data, especially the critical frequency ( f c ) if it is within the bandwidth of the data. This method first decomposes the seismic data into a series of frequency components, computes the semblance of each frequency component for different velocity values, cross‐correlates the semblance matrices of adjacent frequency components to get the velocity gradients, and finally integrates to obtain a velocity dispersion curve. Results of this method are of satisfactory accuracy and robustness. This method is applied to the data acquired in Mallik 5L‐38 gas hydrate research well in Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada. The observed P‐wave velocity dispersion compares well with the geological setting. In the gas hydrate zone (about 900 m–1100 m), high concentration of gas hydrate causes very strong velocity dispersion and a distinct f c at about 15 kHz, likely due to strong scattering of centimetre‐scale inclusions of gas hydrate; concurrently, water flow in connected cracks in some ranges of this zone adds a large part of velocity dispersion and a dimmer f c at about 9.5 kHz. Immediate underneath the gas hydrate zone, abundant free water in weakly laminated sediments causes quite strong velocity dispersion and an f c at about 6.5 kHz. Velocity dispersion is mild and without an obvious f c in sediments above the gas hydrate zone.