Anisotropic Media (anisotropic + media)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Energy flux in viscoelastic anisotropic media

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2006
Vlastislav, ervený
SUMMARY We study properties of the energy-flux vector and other related energy quantities of homogeneous and inhomogeneous time-harmonic P and S plane waves, propagating in unbounded viscoelastic anisotropic media, both analytically and numerically. We propose an algorithm for the computation of the energy-flux vector, which can be used for media of unrestricted anisotropy and viscoelasticity, and for arbitrary homogeneous or inhomogeneous plane waves. Basic part of the algorithm is determination of the slowness vector of a homogeneous or inhomogeneous wave, which satisfies certain constraints following from the equation of motion. Approaches for determination of a slowness vector commonly used in viscoelastic isotropic media are usually difficult to use in viscoelastic anisotropic media. Sometimes they may even lead to non-physical solutions. To avoid these problems, we use the so-called mixed specification of the slowness vector, which requires, in a general case, solution of a complex-valued algebraic equation of the sixth degree. For simpler cases, as for SH waves propagating in symmetry planes, the algorithm yields simple analytic solutions. Once the slowness vector is known, determination of energy flux and of other energy quantities is easy. We present numerical examples illustrating the behaviour of the energy-flux vector and other energy quantities, for homogeneous and inhomogeneous plane P, SV and SH waves. [source]


A Maslov-propagator seismogram for weakly anisotropic media

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2002
Georg Rümpker
Summary We introduce a formalism to calculate shear-wave seismograms for weakly-anisotropic and inhomogeneous media. The method is based on the combination of the forward-propagator method, which accounts for shear-wave interaction along a single reference ray, and the Maslov ray-summation, which incorporates amplitude and phase information from neighbouring rays to account for waveform and diffraction effects at caustics and in shadow regions. The approach is based on the assumption that the multiply split shear waves, on the way to a given receiver, travel along a common ray path that can by obtained from ray tracing in an isotropic reference medium (i.e. the common-ray approximation). The forward propagator and the Maslov amplitude are expressed with respect to radial and transverse coordinates (perpendicular to the ray propagation direction) that are defined uniquely by the initial conditions. Local polarizations and slownesses of the fast and slow shear-waves in the direction of propagation are obtained from the eikonal equation. The Maslov-propagator phase is given by the average shear-wave traveltime along the reference ray. Phase advances and delays of individual shear wave components are accounted for by the propagator. The geometrical-spreading information required for the Maslov integration is supplied by dynamic ray tracing in the isotropic reference medium. In the high-frequency limit effective phase functions are defined to assess the validity of the Maslov propagator phase information. For a homogeneous isotropic reference medium, we find good agreement with exact Maslov phase functions for anisotropic perturbations of up to 20 per cent. As a numerical application we consider effects of inhomogeneous anisotropy in a shear-wave cross-hole survey. The variations of the transversely-isotropic medium require 2-D slowness integrals. The method can handle discontinuities of the fast polarization along the ray path and also for neighbouring rays which is important for the slowness integration. Smooth transitions between isotropic and anisotropic regions along the ray path can be accounted for without the need to switch between numerical formulations. [source]


Seismic reflection coefficients of faults at low frequencies: a model study

GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 3 2008
Joost Van Der Neut
ABSTRACT We use linear slip theory to evaluate seismic reflections at non-welded interfaces, such as faults or fractures, sandwiched between general anisotropic media and show that at low frequencies the real parts of the reflection coefficients can be approximated by the responses of equivalent welded interfaces, whereas the imaginary parts can be related directly to the interface compliances. The imaginary parts of low frequency seismic reflection coefficients at fault zones can be used to estimate the interface compliances, which can be related to fault properties upon using a fault model. At normal incidence the expressions uncouple and the complex-valued P-wave reflection coefficient can be related linearly to the normal compliance. As the normal compliance is highly sensitive to the infill of the interface, it can be used for gas/fluid identification in the fault plane. Alternatively, the tangential compliance of a fault can be estimated from the complex-valued S-wave reflection coefficient. The tangential compliance can provide information on the crack density in a fault zone. Coupling compliances can be identified and quantified by the observation of PS conversion at normal incidence, with a comparable linear relationship. [source]


Traveltime computation with the linearized eikonal equation for anisotropic media

GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 4 2002
Tariq Alkhalifah
A linearized eikonal equation is developed for transversely isotropic (TI) media with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI). It is linear with respect to perturbations in the horizontal velocity or the anisotropy parameter ,. An iterative linearization of the eikonal equation is used as the basis for an algorithm of finite-difference traveltime computations. A practical implementation of this iterative technique is to start with a background model that consists of an elliptically anisotropic, inhomogeneous medium, since traveltimes for this type of medium can be calculated efficiently using eikonal solvers, such as the fast marching method. This constrains the perturbation to changes in the anisotropy parameter , (the parameter most responsible for imaging improvements in anisotropic media). The iterative implementation includes repetitive calculation of , from traveltimes, which is then used to evaluate the perturbation needed for the next round of traveltime calculations using the linearized eikonal equation. Unlike isotropic media, interpolation is needed to estimate , in areas where the traveltime field is independent of ,, such as areas where the wave propagates vertically. Typically, two to three iterations can give sufficient accuracy in traveltimes for imaging applications. The cost of each iteration is slightly less than the cost of a typical eikonal solver. However, this method will ultimately provide traveltime solutions for VTI media. The main limitation of the method is that some smoothness of the medium is required for the iterative implementation to work, especially since we evaluate derivatives of the traveltime field as part of the iterative approach. If a single perturbation is sufficient for the traveltime calculation, which may be the case for weak anisotropy, no smoothness of the medium is necessary. Numerical tests demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of this approach. [source]


Out-of-plane geometrical spreading in anisotropic media

GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 4 2002
Norman Ettrich
Two-dimensional seismic processing is successful in media with little structural and velocity variation in the direction perpendicular to the plane defined by the acquisition direction and the vertical axis. If the subsurface is anisotropic, an additional limitation is that this plane is a plane of symmetry. Kinematic ray propagation can be considered as a two-dimensional process in this type of medium. However, two-dimensional processing in a true-amplitude sense requires out-of-plane amplitude corrections in addition to compensation for in-plane amplitude variation. We provide formulae for the out-of-plane geometrical spreading for P- and S-waves in transversely isotropic and orthorhombic media. These are extensions of well-known isotropic formulae. For isotropic and transversely isotropic media, the ray propagation is independent of the azimuthal angle. The azimuthal direction is defined with respect to a possibly tilted axis of symmetry. The out-of-plane spreading correction can then be calculated by integrating quantities which describe in-plane kinematics along in-plane rays. If, in addition, the medium varies only along the vertical direction and has a vertical axis of symmetry, no ray tracing need be carried out. All quantities affecting the out-of-plane geometrical spreading can be derived from traveltime information available at the observation surface. Orthorhombic media possess no rotational symmetry and the out-of-plane geometrical spreading includes parameters which, even in principle, are not invertible from in-plane experiments. The exact and approximate formulae derived for P- and S-waves are nevertheless useful for modelling purposes. [source]


Depth imaging in anisotropic media by symmetric non-stationary phase shift

GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING, Issue 3 2002
Robert J. Ferguson
ABSTRACT We present a new depth-imaging method for seismic data in heterogeneous anisotropic media. This recursive explicit method uses a non-stationary extrapolation operator to allow lateral velocity variation, and it uses the relationship between phase angle and the spectral coordinates of seismic data to allow velocity variation with phase angle. A qualitative comparison of migration impulse responses suggests that, for an equivalent cost, the symmetric non-stationary phase-shift (SNPS) operator is superior to the phase-shift plus interpolation (PSPI) operator, for very large depth intervals. To demonstrate the potential of the new method, seismic data from a physical model acquired over a transversely isotropic medium are imaged using a shot-record migration based on the SNPS operator. [source]


Elasto-plastic analysis of block structures through a homogenization method

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 3 2010
G. de Felice
Abstract The paper describes the development and numerical implementation of a constitutive relationship for modeling the elasto-plastic behavior of block structures with periodic texture, regarded at a macroscopic scale as homogenized anisotropic media. The macroscopic model is shown to retain memory of the mechanical characteristics of the joints and of the shape of the blocks. The overall mechanical properties display anisotropy and singularities in the yield surface, arising from the discrete nature of the block structure and the geometrical arrangement of the units. The model is formulated in the framework of multi-surface plasticity. It is implemented in an finite element (FE) code by means of two different algorithms: an implicit return mapping scheme and a minimization algorithm directly derived from the Haar,Karman principle. The model is validated against analytical and experimental results: the comparison between the homogenized continuum and the original block assembly shows a good agreement in terms of ultimate inelastic behavior, when the size of the block is small as compared with that of the whole assembly. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Some results on the accuracy of an edge-based finite volume formulation for the solution of elliptic problems in non-homogeneous and non-isotropic media

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 3 2009
Darlan Karlo Elisiário de Carvalho
Abstract The numerical simulation of elliptic type problems in strongly heterogeneous and anisotropic media represents a great challenge from mathematical and numerical point of views. The simulation of flows in non-homogeneous and non-isotropic porous media with full tensor diffusion coefficients, which is a common situation associated with the miscible displacement of contaminants in aquifers and the immiscible and incompressible two-phase flow of oil and water in petroleum reservoirs, involves the numerical solution of an elliptic type equation in which the diffusion coefficient can be discontinuous, varying orders of magnitude within short distances. In the present work, we present a vertex-centered edge-based finite volume method (EBFV) with median dual control volumes built over a primal mesh. This formulation is capable of handling the heterogeneous and anisotropic media using structured or unstructured, triangular or quadrilateral meshes. In the EBFV method, the discretization of the diffusion term is performed using a node-centered discretization implemented in two loops over the edges of the primary mesh. This formulation guarantees local conservation for problems with discontinuous coefficients, keeping second-order accuracy for smooth solutions on general triangular and orthogonal quadrilateral meshes. In order to show the convergence behavior of the proposed EBFV procedure, we solve three benchmark problems including full tensor, material heterogeneity and distributed source terms. For these three examples, numerical results compare favorably with others found in literature. A fourth problem, with highly non-smooth solution, has been included showing that the EBFV needs further improvement to formally guarantee monotonic solutions in such cases. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]