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Introduction

This documentation goes through the working steps and menus in Geocap for depth conversion of time surfaces applying a time-velocity cube. There are other methods for depth conversion than those described here, but this method is favourable favorable when stacking velocities and well data are present. This depth conversion documentation deals with quality control and analysis of input data. Then gridding into a time-velocity cube and finally performing depth conversion of time grids in a Layer Model into depth grids.

The velocity cube reflects the information in the velocity data in an organized way. Working with velocity cubes will make depth conversion of time data to depth data more easy.

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Steps in depth conversion

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Note
titleSteps in depth conversion of time data using time-velocity cube
  1. Reading stacking velocities into a folder as: x y time velocities
  2. Inspecting the velocity data
  3. Gridding into a velocity cube
  4. Displaying the velocity cube
  5. Checkshot wells can be used to trim the velocity cube through sophisticated updating techniques
  6. The velocity cube is then used for depth conversion of time grids into depth grids
  7. Calculation of cubes for RMS and Interval velocities using the generated velocity cube. (Option)

The folders used to save data in this project are of type Generic and renamed to indicated their contents. The various datasets will also be set to their proper schema type so that only relevant command objects are shown.

The documentation follows a specific dataset and is thus close to a case study. This implies that other dataset may apply slightly different display options due to size and attribute saving in scalar or field data. The general principles for depth conversion should however be the same in all cases when using the method of a velocity cube.

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Example of velocity cube holding stacking velocity data

Reading stacking velocities

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Geocap provides import command objects (CO) for reading stacking velocities organized in ASCII column data.

If the file is large, keep the input as low as possible. To generate a velocity cube only x y time velocity are needed.

Example input: stacking velocities in ASCII columns, size ~ 400MB.

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titleReading stacking velocities into a project
  1. Create a Generic folder, give it a proper name
  2. Right click on the folder and select *Import->Stacking Velocities.
  3. Browse in all stacking velocity datasets
  4. The cell structure is kept by specifying 'Value change' and set up 'cell separator' for the actual column
  5. The schema type is set to 'Stacking velocities' to get the correct commands visible on the dataset
  6. In this case the time values are in the z coordinates and the velocity values are scalar values
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Geocap project for stacking velocity data and velocity cubes

The actual project was generated the standard way by opening a new project and gradually populate it with folders when needed. The stacking velocities was imported into a generic folder given the name All points in line cells, just to indicate that the stacking velocities are organized as vertical lines, called line cells in Geocap syntax. The schema setting of the dataset is Stacking Velocities.

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The command menu Cube gridding from stacking velocities can be activated for data with schema Stacking Velocities. Stacking velocities have the format: x y two_way_time velocity. Two_way_time is used because time is recorded after having traveled down to the reflector and up again.

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titleSet correct attribute for velocity values

Initially, set the correct attribute to tell whether stacking velocities are in scalar or field data velocities or have some other name. Press Set when the correct attribute selection is done.

The cube gridding command menu allows the user to set a proper origin, set the cube increments, use Adjust (gridding window) to Increments to align the cube at increment values. Be sure to set the gridding window correct before gridding. Pressing Window Frame will display the coordinates written in the grid window as a frame. Also check the zmin zmax values to see that the vertical extent is correct.

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titleExpanding the cube grid window

An option that might be useful is to expand the cube gridding window a few grid cells to ensure that the cube is gridded outside the min and max area of the time grids in case the cube gridding window is first taken from the xy window of the time grids. Press Expand to increase the cube gridding window.

When the increments of the cube are correct hit Calculate to get the number of rows, columns and layers in the cube.

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Testing cube gridding using a manipilator manipulator plane

After testing the gridding at a few planes and securing all parameters are properly set, the overall gridding of the stacking velocities into a velocity cube can take place. The resulting cube can then be visualized with various display techniques.

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Checking the cube visually

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The velocity cube is displayed by dedicated commands available through the Cube schema.
Upper left viewport shows surface contours for the cube using the commands Cube contours.

Upper right shows planes in the cube colored and contoured with velocity using Cube views->Map X Y Z planes at cursor position. That command requires a cursor position inside the cube frame which can be set hitting the keyboard letter p or y while pointing at the screen.

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Displaying velocity cube with three planes and transparent surface boundary

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Bottom left is a cube overview contoured as a boundary surface using Cube contours.

Bottom right is cube layer at level 4400 displayed as terrain using Display selected cube layers. This menu allows for displaying single cube layers or arranges multiple layers in viewports if this option is checked in on the Viewport display setup page.

Displaying individual layers in a cube is important for checking the cube contents and also for presentation purposes.

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Various ways to display cube information

Depth conversion using a dedicated command object

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titleFast and convenient method for depth converting all time grids in a folder using a velocity cube
  • Set schema of the folder with the time grids to Layer model
  • Copy the entire time grid folder to a new folder
  • Rename the copied folder to Depth grids. It is still time grids, but will soon be converted to depth grids
  • On the folder with depth grids, activate the commands *Layer utility ->Depth > Depth conversion of time grids grids in folder using velocity cube
  • Browse in the velocity cube and hit Execute
  • As a result all grids in the folder that were time grids are now converted to depth grid

The central command in depth conversion is the pro command which does the probing of the time grid into the velocity cube. The time grid must be converted to polydata in order have a scalar part: x y time scalar. After probing this dataset into the velocity cube, the scalars are assigned values from the cube at their positions and the whole dataset is now transferred into x y time velocity.

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The above picture shows an example of depth conversion a time grid into depth grid using a velocity cube and the same procedure as described above. All grids in the layer model were depth converted simultaneously.

Creating a RMS velocity cube and interval velocity cube

Having a stacking velocity cube, Geocap can do calculation on the cube and convert it into other cube types. Activate the commands Utilities->Perform calculation on the velocity cube.

The RMS velocity cube is calculated according to the formula:

VRMSn = sqrt((Sum_i(Vi^2*Ti)/Sum_i(Ti)))

The Interval Velocity Cube is calculated according to Dix formula:

Vn = sqrt((VRMSn^2*Tn - VRMSn-1^2*Tn-1)/(Tn-Tn-1))

These calculated cubes will help the professional to understand the geology of the subsurface based on velocity changes. The below picture displays the RMS and Interval velocity cube in the lower viewports.

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Four velocity cubes displayed in a viewport presentation

Upper left Raw velocity cube. Upper right Smoothed grid updated cube. Lower left Root mean square (RMS) cube. Lower right Interval velocity cube.

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Using base grid datum to minimize cube size

Sometimes the cube spans over a large area going from shallow water near land to deep water far out in the sea. In that case it is suitable to use the seabed as a base grid datum to minimize the cube grid size.

Read more about this feature in the special documentation Time - velocity cube with base grid datum.

Calculations on the time-velocity cube

A time-velocity cube can be smoothed and recalculated to other forms like an RMS (Root Mean Square) or an Interval Velocity cube or even a depth-velocity cube. Read more about these options in Creating RMS cube, Interval cube and Depth-Velocity cube