Systems and methods for automated first arrival picking are disclosed. The method includes obtaining a seismic dataset composed of a plurality of seismic gathers and determining a pilot for each gather, where the pilot includes a position on an ordinate axis for each seismic trace representing a first arrival. The method continues iteratively until a stopping criterion is met by creating a preconditioned gather using the pilot, determining a differential pilot using global path tracing subject to a constraint and incrementing the pilot using the differential pilot to create a total picked first arrival. Once the stopping criterion has been met, the method further includes determining a final picked first arrival based on the total picked first arrival, determining a seismic velocity model from the final picked first arrival using a tomographic inversion and creating a seismic image using the seismic velocity model and the seismic dataset.

Methods and systems are provided that identify relatively large anisotropic horizontal stresses in a formation based on (i) azimuthal variations in the compressional and shear slownesses or velocities of the formation measured from ultrasonic data acquired by at least one acoustic logging tool as well as (ii) cross-dipole dispersions of the formation measured from sonic data acquired by the at least one acoustic logging tool. In addition, the azimuthal variations in the compressional and shear slownesses or velocities of the formation and dipole flexural dispersions of the formation can be jointly inverted to obtain the elastic properties of the rock of the formation in terms of linear and nonlinear constants and the magnitude of maximum horizontal stress of the formation. A workflow for estimating the magnitude of the maximum horizontal stress can employ estimates of certain formation properties, such as overburden stress, magnitude of minimum horizontal stress, and pore pressure.

A deterministic method for selecting a set of encoding weights for simultaneous encoded-source inversion of seismic data that will cause the iterative inversion to converge faster than randomly chosen weights. The encoded individual source gathers are summed (83), forming a composite gather, and simulated in a single simulation operation. The invention creates multiple realizations of the simulation (84), each with its own encoding vector (82) whose components are the weights for the shots in the composite gather. The encoding vectors of the invention are required to be orthogonal (82), which condition cannot be satisfied by random weights, and in various embodiments of the invention are related to eigenvectors of a Laplacian matrix, sine or cosine functions, or Chebyshev nodes as given by the roots of Chebyshev polynomials. For non-fixed receiver geometry, an encoded mask (61) may be used to approximately account for non-listening receivers.

A method for estimating formation slowness is provided. The method comprises forward modeling to compute formation slownesses based on a first method for orthorhombic media using stress magnitudes and third-order elastic constants as inputs, and forward modeling to determine formation slownesses analytically based on a second method using stress magnitudes, stress azimuth and third-order elastic constants as inputs. The first method may be based on Tsvankin method and the second method may be based on Christoffel method. The forward modeling may further use well configuration and reference moduli as inputs, and the results from the forward modeling may include formation slownesses, and at least one of vertical slownesses, anisotropic parameters, anellipticity indicators and fast shear azimuth. The method may further comprise assessing quality of the forward modeling based on results output from the forward modeling.

A computer-implemented method is provided for determining properties of a formation traversed by a well or wellbore. A formation model describing formation properties at an interval-of-interest within the well or wellbore is derived from measured sonic data, resistivity data, and density data for the interval-of-interest. The formation model is used as input to a plurality of petrophysical transforms and corresponding tool response simulators that derive simulated sonic data, resistivity data, and density data for the interval-of-interest. The measured sonic data, resistivity data, and density data for the interval-of-interest and the simulated sonic data, resistivity data, and density data for the interval-of-interest are used by an inversion process to refine the formation model and determine properties of the formation at the interval-of-interest. In embodiments, properties of the formation may be radial profiles for porosity, water saturation, gas or oil saturation, or pore aspect ratio.

A downhole tool for operation within a wellbore and including a transmitter array and first and second receiver arrays. The transmitter array includes a plurality of transmitters azimuthally distributed around a longitudinal axis of the downhole tool at a first axial location of the downhole tool. The first receiver array includes a plurality of first receivers azimuthally distributed around the longitudinal axis at a second axial location axially offset from the first axial location. The second receiver array includes a plurality of second receivers azimuthally distributed around the longitudinal axis at a third axial location axially offset from the first and second axial locations.

Apparatus (10) and methods for combining time reversal and elastic nonlinearity of formation materials for qualtitatively probing for over-pressured regions down hole in advance of a well drilling bit, to determine the distance to the over-pressured region, and for accurately measuring pore pressure downhole in a formation, are described. Classical and reciprocal time reversal methods may be utilized to achieve these measurements.

A method, including: obtaining, with a computer, an initial geophysical model; modeling, with a computer, a forward wavefield based on the initial geophysical model with wave equations including a second order z-derivative in a rotated coordinate system that accounts for a tilted transverse isotropic (TTI) medium; modeling, with a computer, an adjoint wavefield with adjoint wave equations including a second order z-derivative in a rotated coordinate system that accounts for a tilted transverse isotropic (TTI) medium, wherein the wave equations and the adjoint wave equations include relaxation terms accounting for anelasticity of earth in an update of a primary variable and an evolution relationship for the relaxation terms; and obtaining, with a computer, a gradient of a cost function based on a combination of a model of the forward wavefield and a model of the adjoint wavefield.

A method of evaluating a subterranean formation includes conveying a tool along a borehole. The tool includes a transmitter that transmits a drive pulse and a receiver that receives at least one formation response to the drive pulse. The method further includes calculating a signal-to-noise ratio of the at least one formation response and comparing the signal-to-noise ratio to a programmable threshold. The method further includes determining, based on the comparing, an adjusted drive pulse to transmit and transmitting the adjusted drive pulse. The method further includes and receiving at least one formation response to the adjusted drive pulse and deriving formation data from the at least one formation response to the adjusted drive pulse. The method further includes displaying a representation of the formation based on the formation data.

A method can include receiving information associated with an interface between a first medium and a second medium where the information includes sensor data; based on at least a portion of the information, estimating wave properties that include elastic properties, depth-dependent properties and horizontal slowness; and, based on the estimated wave properties, calculating an orientation of a sensor utilized to acquire at least a portion of the sensor data.