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Results for “full waveform inversion (FWI)”

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At least 19 records

ML-Based Rock Properties and Seismic Volume Enhancement

This project aims to improve field-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) assessments by enhancing petrophysical and geophysical log predictions through machine learning and neural networks. In our work during EY23, we applied Conditional Variational Autoencoders (CVAEs) to predict compressional velocity (Vp) and assess CO2 saturation levels in geological formations at the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP). In another task, we improved full-waveform inversion (FWI) methods with machine-learning approaches using lithological constraints. Full-waveform inversion (FWI) of seismic data estimates the elastic properties of subsurface rocks with high spatial resolution.

Nathanail, Athanasios↗

Multiscale Data-Driven Seismic Full-Waveform Inversion With Field Data Study

Seismic full-waveform inversion (FWI), which uses iterative methods to estimate high-resolution subsurface models from seismograms, is a powerful imaging technique in exploration geophysics. In recent years, the computational cost of FWI has grown exponentially due to the increasing size and resolution of seismic data. Moreover, it is a nonconvex problem and can encounter local minima due to the limited accuracy of the initial velocity models or the absence of low frequencies in the measurements. To overcome these computational issues, we develop a multiscale data-driven FWI method based on fully convolutional networks (FCNs). In preparing the training data, we first develop a real-time style transform method to create a large set of synthetic subsurface velocity models from natural images. We then develop two convolutional neural networks with encoder-decoder structures to reconstruct the low- and high-frequency components of the subsurface velocity models, separately. To validate the performance of our data-driven inversion method and the effectiveness of the synthesized training set, we compare it with conventional physics-based waveform inversion approaches using both synthetic and field data. Finally, these numerical results demonstrate that, once our model is fully trained, it can significantly reduce the computation time and yield more accurate subsurface velocity models in comparison with conventional FWI.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Integrating deep neural networks with full-waveform inversion: Reparameterization, regularization, and uncertainty quantification

Full-waveform inversion (FWI) is an accurate imaging approach for modeling the velocity structure by minimizing the misfit between recorded and predicted seismic waveforms. However, the strong nonlinearity of FWI resulting from fitting oscillatory waveforms can trap the optimization in local minima. We have adopted a neural-network-based full-waveform inversion (NNFWI) method that integrates deep neural networks with FWI by representing the velocity model with a generative neural network. Neural networks can naturally introduce spatial correlations as regularization to the generated velocity model, which suppresses noise in the gradients and mitigates local minima. Furthermore, the velocity model generated by neural networks is input to the same partial differential equation (PDE) solvers used in conventional FWI. The gradients of the neural networks and PDEs are calculated using automatic differentiation, which back propagates gradients through the acoustic PDEs and neural network layers to update the weights of the generative neural network. Experiments on 1D velocity models, the Marmousi model, and the 2004 BP model determine that NNFWI can mitigate local minima, especially for imaging high-contrast features such as salt bodies, and it significantly improves the inversion in the presence of noise. Adding dropout layers to the neural network model also allows analyzing the uncertainty of the inversion results through Monte Carlo dropout. NNFWI opens a new pathway to combine deep learning and FWI for exploiting the characteristics of deep neural networks and the high accuracy of PDE solvers. Because NNFWI does not require extra training data and optimization loops, it provides an attractive and straightforward alternative to conventional FWI.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Report on the LLNL Global Full-waveform Inversion Workflow and Progress

LLNL has developed the SPiRaL global seismic tomography model based upon millions of body wave travel times and surface wave dispersion curves in the period range of 25-200 seconds (Simmons et al., 2021). The motivation to construct the SPiRaL model (which stands for S-, P-, Rayleigh, and Love waves) is based upon the guidance provided by a 3-D model workshop held in Berkeley in 2007 and documented in a paper by Zucca et al. (2009). It was concluded in Zucca et al. (2009) that a “practical and obtainable” model is one that predicts body wave travel times for event location while also predicting surface wave velocities for moment tensor estimation. We have largely followed that guidance which has led to the construction of SPiRaL. Looking forward, we now seek to improve the global model through full waveform inversion (FWI). This necessitates the development/customization of an efficient and flexible modeling workflow to automate the process using LLNL’s supercomputing platforms. This report briefly outlines the work that being performed at LLNL to develop the necessary tools and framework to update the SPiRaL global model with full waveform information.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Subspace Methods in Multi-Parameter Seismic Full Waveform Inversion

In full waveform inversion (FWI) high-resolution subsurface model parameters are sought. FWI is normally treated as a nonlinear least-squares inverse problem, in which the minimum of the corresponding misfit function is found by updating the model parameters. When multiple elastic or acoustic properties are solved for, simple gradient methods tend to confuse parameter classes. This is referred to as parameter cross-talk; it leads to incorrect model solutions, poor convergence and strong dependence on the scaling of the different parameter types. Determining step lengths in a subspace domain, rather than directly in terms of gradients of different parameters, is a potentially valuable approach to address this problem. The particular subspace used can be defined over a span of different sets of data or different parameter classes, provided it involves a small number of vectors compared to those contained in the whole model space. Additionally, in a subspace method, the basis vectors are defined first, and a local minimum is found in the space spanned by these. We examine the application of the subspace method within acoustic FWI in determining simultaneously updates for velocity and density. We first discuss the choice of basis vectors to construct the spanned space, from linear updates by distinguishing only the contributions of different parameter classes towards nonlinear updates by adding the contributions of higher-order perturbations of each parameter class. The numerical character of FWI solutions generated via subspace methods involving different basis vectors is then analyzed and compared with traditional FWI methods. The subspace methods can provide better reconstructions of the model, especially for the velocity, as well as improved convergence rates, while the computational costs are still comparable with the traditional FWI methods.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Nondestructive Evaluation of Concrete: Elastic Property Imaging Through Full Waveform Inversion

Concrete is a major construction material worldwide and plays a crucial role in the nuclear industry. The elastic properties of concrete are prone to change and degrade while in service, as it is often subjected to extreme operational and environmental conditions. An accurate evaluation of concrete's elastic properties is thus essential to ensure structural integrity and safety. This is especially true for concrete in nuclear power plants, where irradiation effects significantly impact concrete mechanical properties. There are various methods to assess these properties, with ultrasound-based techniques showing high potential due to their nondestructive nature, cost-effectiveness, and safety. While several nondestructive evaluation methods exist, most rely on idealizations such as assuming homogeneous material and plane wavefronts. In this work, we address these issues by introducing an ultrasound-based nondestructive method aimed at reconstructing spatially varying images of concrete mechanical properties. By accurately modeling wave physics, including scattering and reflection, we overcome several of the aforementioned idealizations and aim to utilize the full waveform for imaging material properties through depth, resulting in more reliable images. Full waveform inversion (FWI) was first introduced by geophysicists to reconstruct subsurface elastic property images. The goal is to minimize the difference between simulated and recorded wavefield signals, often through gradient-based optimization algorithms. While FWI is primarily conducted using the acoustic approximation of the wave equation, few works focus on elastic FWI, where the goal is to reconstruct images of not only the pressure wave speed but also the shear wave speed and density (or their equivalents). This work explores the potential of using elastic FWI to predict concrete mechanical properties as an initial effort for a more accurate monitoring of concrete conditions in service. Reconstructing images of different elastic parameters enables more specificity and accurate condition diagnosis. This paper will detail this approach and provide examples demonstrating the effectiveness of elastic FWI in reconstructing comprehensive maps of concrete mechanical properties.

42 - ENGINEERING↗

Progressive transfer learning for low-frequency data prediction in full waveform inversion

To effectively overcome the cycle-skipping issue in full waveform inversion (FWI), we developed a deep neural network (DNN) approach to predict the absent low-frequency components by exploiting the hidden physical relation connecting the low- and the high-frequency data. To efficiently solve this challenging nonlinear regression problem, two novel strategies were proposed to design the DNN architecture and to optimize the learning process: (1) dual data feed structure; (2) progressive transfer learning. With the dual data feed structure, not only the high-frequency data, but also the corresponding beat tone data are fed into the DNN to relieve the burden of feature extraction. The second strategy, progressive transfer learning, enables us to train the DNN using a single evolving training dataset. Within the framework of the progressive transfer learning, the training dataset continuously evolves in an iterative manner by gradually retrieving the subsurface information through the physics-based inversion module, progressively enhancing the prediction accuracy of the DNN and propelling the inversion process out of the local minima. Here, the synthetic numerical experiments suggest that, without any a priori geological information, the low-frequency data predicted by the progressive transfer learning are sufficiently accurate for an FWI engine to produce reliable subsurface velocity models free of cycle-skipping artifacts.

02 PETROLEUM↗

Fourier-DeepONet: Fourier-enhanced deep operator networks for full waveform inversion with improved accuracy, generalizability, and robustness

In this article, full waveform inversion (FWI) infers the subsurface structure information from seismic waveform data by solving a non-convex optimization problem. Data-driven FWI has been increasingly studied with various neural network architectures to improve accuracy and computational efficiency. Nevertheless, the applicability of pre-trained neural networks is severely restricted by potential discrepancies between the source function used in the field survey and the one utilized during training. Here, we develop a Fourier-enhanced deep operator network (Fourier-DeepONet) for FWI with the generalization of seismic sources, including the frequencies and locations of sources. Specifically, we employ the Fourier neural operator as the decoder of DeepONet, and we utilize source parameters as one input of Fourier-DeepONet, facilitating the resolution of FWI with variable sources. To test Fourier-DeepONet, we develop three new and realistic FWI benchmark datasets (FWI-F, FWI-L, and FWI-FL) with varying source frequencies, locations, or both. Our experiments demonstrate that compared with existing data-driven FWI methods, Fourier-DeepONet obtains more accurate predictions of subsurface structures in a wide range of source parameters. Moreover, the proposed Fourier-DeepONet exhibits superior robustness when handling data with Gaussian noise or missing traces and sources with Gaussian noise, paving the way for more reliable and accurate subsurface imaging across diverse real conditions.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Lossy checkpoint compression in full waveform inversion: a case study with ZFPv0.5.5 and the overthrust model

This paper proposes a new method that combines checkpointing methods with error-controlled lossy compression for large-scale high-performance full-waveform inversion (FWI), an inverse problem commonly used in geophysical exploration. This combination can significantly reduce data movement, allowing a reduction in run time as well as peak memory. In the exascale computing era, frequent data transfer (e.g., memory bandwidth, PCIe bandwidth for GPUs, or network) is the performance bottleneck rather than the peak FLOPS of the processing unit. Like many other adjoint-based optimization problems, FWI is costly in terms of the number of floating-point operations, large memory footprint during backpropagation, and data transfer overheads. Past work for adjoint methods has developed checkpointing methods that reduce the peak memory requirements during backpropagation at the cost of additional floating-point computations. Combining this traditional checkpointing with error-controlled lossy compression, we explore the three-way tradeoff between memory, precision, and time to solution. We investigate how approximation errors introduced by lossy compression of the forward solution impact the objective function gradient and final inverted solution. Empirical results from these numerical experiments indicate that high lossy-compression rates (compression factors ranging up to 100) have a relatively minor impact on convergence rates and the quality of the final solution.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Joint physics-based and data-driven time-lapse seismic inversion: Mitigating data scarcity

In carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), developing rapid and effective imaging techniques is crucial for real-time monitoring of the spatial and temporal dynamics of CO 2 propagation during/after injection. With continuing improvements in computational power and data storage, data-driven techniques based on machine learning (ML) have been effectively applied to seismic inverse problems. In particular, ML helps alleviate the ill-posedness and high computational cost of full-waveform inversion (FWI). However, such data-driven inversion techniques require massive high-quality training data sets to ensure prediction accuracy, which hinders their application to time-lapse monitoring of CO 2 sequestration. We propose an efficient “hybrid” time-lapse workflow that combines physics-based FWI and data-driven ML inversion. The scarcity of the available training data is addressed by developing a new data-generation technique with physics constraints. The method is vali dated on a synthetic CO 2 -sequestration model based on the Kimberlina storage reservoir in California. The proposed approach is shown to synthesize a large volume of high-quality, physically realistic training data, which is critically important in accurately characterizing the CO 2 movement in the reservoir. In conclusion, the developed hybrid methodology can also simultaneously predict the variations in velocity and saturation and achieve high spatial resolution in the presence of realistic noise in the data.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Toward more-robust, AI-enabled subsurface seismic imaging for geotechnical applications

Non-invasive seismic imaging has the potential to cost-effectively evaluate large volumes of subsurface material to inform geotechnical site investigation. However, seismic imaging using full waveform inversion (FWI) requires significant computational time and is dependent on an initial starting model. As a result, FWI has not yet been widely adopted into geotechnical practice. Previous efforts, on relatively simple two-layered models, indicate that data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) models may be as effective as FWI at predicting 2D images of shear wave velocity (V s ). Furthermore, the AI model predictions can be made almost instantaneously after data acquisition and do not require an initial starting model. We examine the generality of these findings by developing a new AI model for subsurface seismic imaging, whereby we make several notable contributions. First, we architect a multimodal AI model that combines time- and frequency-domain representations of the seismic wavefield to predict a 50 m by 20 m subsurface image of V s . Second, we developed a new diverse dataset of 100,000 images with their corresponding seismic wavefields to train the AI model. Third, we propose four physics-informed data augmentations for data-driven seismic imaging. Fourth, we develop two prediction consistency tests to evaluate the model’s performance when the true subsurface is unknown. Our final model, which has been made publicly available, is capable of predicting a subsurface V s image from a single seismic wavefield with an average, mean absolute percent error (MAPE) of 24 %. The predictive model is applied to a field dataset and shown to be consistent with local geology and shear-wave refraction measurements from the same location.

Artificial intelligence↗

Coupled Time-Lapse Full-Waveform Inversion for Subsurface Flow Problems Using Intrusive Automatic Differentiation

We describe a novel framework for estimating subsurface properties, such as rock permeability and porosity, from time-lapse observed seismic data by coupling full-waveform inversion (FWI), subsurface flow processes, and rock physics models. For the inverse modeling, we handle the back propagation of gradients by an intrusive automatic differentiation strategy that offers three levels of user control: (1) At the wave physics level, we adopted the discrete adjoint method in order to use our existing high-performance FWI code; (2) at the rock physics level, we used built-in automatic differentiation operators from the TensorFlow backend; (3) at the flow physics level, we implemented customized partial differential equation (PDE) operators for the multiphase flow equations. The three-level coupled inversion strategy strikes a good balance between computational efficiency and programming efforts, and when the gradients are chained together, it constitutes a coupled inverse system. Our numerical experiments demonstrate that the three-level coupled inverse problem is superior in terms of accuracy to a traditional decoupled inversion strategy. Additionally, our method is able to simultaneously invert for parameters in empirical relationships such as the rock physics models. Our proposed inverted model can be used for reservoir performance prediction and reservoir management/optimization purposes.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Shear reflectivity compensation in full-waveform inversion using least-squares reverse-time migration

SUMMARY The computational cost of elastic-waveform inversion is too high for inverting PP reflections, while using acoustic full-waveform inversion (FWI) is inaccurate because it does not depend on the shear modulus/velocity/impedance that affects elastic PP wavefield amplitudes. To solve this problem, we develop a waveform inversion method that uses acoustic least-squares reverse-time migration (LSRTM) to compensate the shear reflectivity for acoustic FWI. Our method is based on the quasi-elastic-wave equation developed by Chapman et al. (2014). The quasi-elastic-wave equation uses a linearized acoustic-wave equation with shear modulus μ as a virtual source to correct the acoustic PP wavefield amplitudes toward elastic ones. Our waveform inversion method inverts for elastic parameters by minimizing the L2 norm of the difference between recorded and predicted PP reflections modelled using the quasi-elastic-wave equation. Numerical tests on synthetic and field data show that our method can properly handle the amplitudes of elastic PP reflections and provides an accurate estimate of the P- and S-wave velocities/impedances and, in some cases, the density. The method does not need the computationally expensive numerical solution to the elastic-wave equation. It also gives a better estimate of elastic parameters than a pure LSRTM method for elastic PP reflections.

Feng, Zongcai↗

SPiRaL: a multiresolution global tomography model of seismic wave speeds and radial anisotropy variations in the crust and mantle

SUMMARY SPiRaL is a joint global-scale model of wave speeds (P and S) and anisotropy (vertical transverse isotropy, VTI) variations in the crust and mantle. The model is comprised of >2.1 million nodes with five parameters at each node that capture velocity variations for P- and S-waves travelling at arbitrary directions in transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI). The crust (including ice, water, sediments and crystalline layers) is directly incorporated into the model. The default node spacing is approximately 2° in the lower mantle and 1° in the crust and upper mantle. The grid is refined with ∼0.25° minimum node spacing in highly sampled regions of the crust and upper mantle throughout North America and Eurasia. The data considered in the construction of SPiRaL includes millions of body wave traveltimes (crustal, regional and teleseismic phases with multiples) and surface wave (Rayleigh and Love) dispersion. A multiresolution inversion approach is employed to capture long-wavelength heterogeneities commonly depicted in global-scale tomography images as well as more localized details that are typically resolved in more focused regional-scale studies. Our previous work has demonstrated that such global-scale models with regional-scale detail can accurately predict both teleseismic and regional body wave traveltimes, which is necessary for more accurate location of small seismic events that may have limited signal at teleseismic distances. SPiRaL was constructed to predict traveltimes for event location and long-period waveform dispersion for seismic source inversion applications in regions without sufficiently tuned models. SPiRaL may also serve as a starting model for full-waveform inversion (FWI) with the goal of fitting waves with periods 10–50 s over multiple broad regions (thousands of kilometres) and potentially the globe. To gain insight to this possibility, we simulated waveforms for a small set of events using SPiRaL and independent waveform-based models for comparison. For the events tested, the performance of the traveltime-based SPiRaL model is shown to be generally on par with regional 3-D waveform-based models in three regions (western United States, Middle East, Korean Peninsula) suggesting SPiRaL may serve as a starting model for FWI over broad regions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Machine learning for seismic low-frequency extrapolation

The cycle-skipping problem that plagues full waveform inversion (FWI) can be at least partially mitigated if low frequencies (which encode the kinematics of wave propagation in seismic data) are recorded. However, seismic sources and receivers are band-limited, so seismic data does not generally include signals down to 0 Hz. To improve our ability to solve the seismic inverse problem, one can synthesize this missing low-frequency (LF) content from the recorded high-frequency (HF) data using machine learning (ML) models. Deep learning models such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) demonstrate impressive ability to perform low frequency extrapolation. However, such models require powerful hardware (GPU machines) and careful training. We assess the extrapolation capabilities of three different ML models that do not require GPU machines, namely, random forest, Gaussian process regression and gradient boosting, on both synthetic and real data. Experimental results on two synthetic data sets (generated from a low velocity lens embedded in a homogeneous medium, and the Marmousi model) demonstrate that FWI applied to the extrapolated data consistently improves inversion accuracy relative to FWI applied to the original data sets that do not contain low frequencies. Application of low-frequency extrapolation to real data from the Northwest Shelf of Australia demonstrates that tree-based ML models such as gradient boosting can outperform CNNs in terms of both accuracy and computational cost on non-GPU architectures.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

InversionNet3D: Efficient and Scalable Learning for 3-D Full-Waveform Inversion

Seismic full-waveform inversion (FWI) techniques aim to find a high-resolution subsurface geophysical model provided with waveform data. Some recent effort in data-driven FWI has shown some encouraging results in obtaining 2-D velocity maps. However, due to high computational complexity and large memory consumption, the reconstruction of 3-D high-resolution velocity maps via deep networks is still a great challenge. Here, in this article, we present InversionNet3D (InvNet3D), an efficient and scalable encoder–decoder network for 3-D FWI. The proposed method employs group convolution in the encoder to establish an effective hierarchy for learning information from multiple sources while cutting down unnecessary parameters and operations at the same time. The introduction of invertible layers further reduces the memory consumption of intermediate features during training and, thus, enables the development of deeper networks with more layers and higher capacity as required by different application scenarios. Experiments on the 3-D Kimberlina dataset demonstrate that InvNet3D achieves state-of-the-art reconstruction performance with lower computational cost and lower memory footprint compared to the baseline.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Compensating attenuation effects in full-waveform inversion with dissipation-dispersion decoupling

Seismic attenuation poses challenges to velocity model building from acoustic/elastic full-waveform inversion (FWI). In particular, when constructing the FWI gradient for velocity inversion, recent studies have indicated that the high-attenuation structure could distort the gradient by damping the amplitudes and shifting the kinematic phases, resulting in an imbalanced update and thus unreliable velocity model. These Q effects are particularly significant in the reflection acquisition geometry due to the “double-damping” issue. Here, we develop a Q-compensated FWI algorithm for constructing a Q-free FWI gradient. By using a recently developed viscoacoustic wave propagator, this compensation can be done conveniently by keeping the dispersion term and flipping the dissipation term in the wave equation when we simulate the forward and time-reversed adjoint wavefields. The resultant gradient obtained by interacting these two wavefields has correct kinematics and Q-free amplitudes. This Q-compensated FWI can balance the update between Q- and no- Q-areas, which we determine using synthetic examples. In addition, we illustrate how to take advantage of the dissipation-dispersion decoupling to determine the anomalous Q value in the Q model building workflow via Q-compensated reverse time migration.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗

Gas hydrate quantification in Walker Ridge block 313, Gulf of Mexico, from full-waveform inversion of ocean-bottom seismic data

The Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Joint Industry Project Leg 2 logging-while-drilling data in Walker Ridge lease block 313 (WR313) in the GOM detected gas hydrate in coarse- and fine-grained sediments at sites WR313-G and WR313-H. The coarse-grained units are thin ([Formula: see text]) and highly saturated, whereas the fine-grained unit is thick (approximately 200 m) with low saturation and fracture-filling gas hydrate. Unlike its coarse-grained counterpart, the seismic character of the fine-grained unit does not clearly indicate the presence of gas hydrate, which would likely have remained undiscovered in the absence of drilling. In this paper, through frequency-domain acoustic full-waveform inversion (FWI) of ocean-bottom seismometer data along a 2D multichannel seismic transect near sites WR313-G and WR313-H, we detect and quantify gas hydrate in the fine-grained unit. Key results are as follows: First, the base of the gas hydrate stability zone, which is not obvious in the reflection profile, can be discerned in the FWI results. Second, the gas hydrate in the fine-grained unit is mainly confined to the area between two sets of opposite-dipping normal faults implying that the fault architecture may be partially responsible for this gas hydrate accumulation and distribution.

Geochemistry & Geophysics↗