US 11,994,639 B2
Seismic velocity modeling
Andrey Bakulin, Dhahran (SA); Dmitry Neklyudov, Novosibirsk (RU); Maxim Dmitriev, Dhahran (SA); Ilya Silvestrov, Dhahran (SA); Kirill Gadylshin, Novosibirsk (RU); and Maxim Protasov, Berdsk (RU)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA); and Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, Novosibirsk (RU)
Appl. No. 17/595,365
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA); and Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, Novosibirsk (RU)
PCT Filed May 15, 2019, PCT No. PCT/RU2019/000336
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 15, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/231289, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 19, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0221606 A1, Jul. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. G01V 1/30 (2006.01); G01V 1/36 (2006.01)
CPC G01V 1/305 (2013.01) [G01V 1/362 (2013.01); G01V 2210/514 (2013.01); G01V 2210/6222 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method implemented by one or more data processing apparatus, the method comprising:
obtaining a current velocity model for a geological region that characterizes, for each of a plurality of spatial locations in the geological region, a respective velocity of seismic waves traveling through the spatial location;
obtaining: (i) pre-stack seismic data comprising a plurality of seismic traces characterizing the geological region, and (ii) post-stack seismic data generated based on the pre- stack seismic data using a seismic stacking technique; and
for each of a plurality of iterations:
identifying a plurality of reflection events from the post-stack seismic data and the current velocity model, wherein each reflection event corresponds to: (i) a position of a seismic source that transmits a seismic wave, (ii) a local reflection surface in the geological region, and (iii) a position of a seismic receiver that receives a reflection of the seismic wave from the local reflection surface;
determining a respective observed travel time for each of the plurality of reflection events, comprising, for each reflection event:
identifying a respective seismic trace included in the pre-stack seismic data based on the reflection event; and
determining the respective observed travel time for the reflection event based at least in part on kinematic features derived from the respective seismic trace included in the pre-stack seismic data; and
updating the current velocity model based at least in part on the observed travel times of the plurality of reflection events.