Overview
This patent protects a practical workflow that synthesizes a zero-offset wavefield from a migration cube to circumvent the persistent problem of velocity uncertainty in complex near-surface and structurally complicated settings. Filed on January 5, 2018 and granted on October 19, 2021, the claims capture a migration-cube → demigration-cube → synthesized zero-offset wavefield sequence that preserves reflections and diffractions without prematurely committing to an rms velocity field. Inventors based in Urla, TR developed a processing chain that includes near-surface modeling via nonlinear traveltime inversion, multi-scale statics correction, multichannel signal enhancement, prestack time migration over a range of constant velocities, demigration, Radon-domain correction, and summation over a velocity axis to yield an unmigrated zero-offset volume suitable for economical poststack time and depth migration.
Our drafting emphasizes both the technical depth — including implementation on computing platforms and Dix conversion for interval velocity estimation — and practical value: the workflow reduces repeated, costly prestack velocity updates while improving event preservation and structural clarity in difficult imaging scenarios.
Key Features
- Synthesizes a zero-offset wavefield from a migration cube to avoid committing to an uncertain rms velocity.
- Demigration and Radon processing preserve diffractions and reduce horizontal smearing.
- Enables efficient poststack time/depth migration and interval velocity estimation via Dix conversion.
This invention improves imaging reliability in exploration and reservoir characterization workflows and reduces computational and operational expense for projects in structurally complex basins.
Granted: 2021-10-19
