US 11,914,101 B2
Method for partitioning a search direction when using least squares reverse time migration
Valeriy V. Brytik, Houston, TX (US); Junzhe Sun, San Jose, CA (US); Carey M. Marcinkovich, The Woodlands, TX (US); Hong Zhao, Houston, TX (US); and Erik R. Neumann, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Filed by ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Filed on Dec. 15, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/247,528.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/968,698, filed on Jan. 31, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0239879 A1, Aug. 5, 2021
Int. Cl. G06F 17/18 (2006.01); G06F 30/20 (2020.01); G06F 30/27 (2020.01); G06F 111/10 (2020.01); G01V 99/00 (2009.01)
CPC G01V 99/005 (2013.01) [G06F 17/18 (2013.01); G06F 30/20 (2020.01); G06F 30/27 (2020.01); G06F 2111/10 (2020.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of hydrocarbon prospecting, comprising:
computing, using a subsurface property model, an objective function measuring misfit between model-simulated data and measured geophysical data;
computing a search direction comprising a gradient in order to update the model;
partitioning the search direction, wherein partitioning the search direction comprises:
introducing a 3D partition of unity in image space; and
partitioning the gradient corresponding to the 3D partition of unity;
performing multiple line searches for the partitioned search direction in order to generate respective line search constants;
updating the model using the partitioned search direction and the respective line search constants; and
identifying potential hydrocarbon-bearing formations in a subsurface region with data from the updated model.