Interactive broadband constrained inversion

Abstract

Conventional algorithms for the inversion of seismic data generally produce inverted traces which are limited in bandwidth to that of the input seismic data. This necessitates that a low-frequency model be added to the inverted traces in order to produce full bandwidth seismic logs. A problem with this method is that there is usually a gap in frequency between the low end of the seismic and the high end of the model spectra. A further problem with conventional inversion methods is that it is difficult to incorporate well or geologic information into the inversion process. To overcome these problems a new broadband constrained inversion method which combines seismic, well, and geologic information is used. This method simultaneously satisfies constraints imposed by the well and geologic information, whilst inverting the seismic data. The output is an optimized broadband acoustic impedance model. In order to combine the diverse data types of seismic amplitudes, well logs, geologic models, and horizon interpretations, an interactive workstation is used. The interactive environment is ideal for this work as it provides the flexibility required to manipulate and display both the varying incoming data types and the output data model.