Reflection of elastic waves in the layered Biot medium

A.A. Vikhorev1 , Mike Ammerman2 & E.M. Chesnokov3

1 Institute of the Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia;
2 Devon Energy Inc. OK, USA;
3 Sarkeys Energy Center University of Oklahoma, OK, USA

ABSTRACT: A solution for the generalized system of Biot equations has been obtained. It describes vertical
propagation of a P-wave in the multi-layered two-phase sedimentary rock model with provision for viscous
dynamic interaction between the phases. Based on the analysis of this solution the differences in the shape and
spectra of the pulses (seismic signals) reflected from the top and bottom bounds of the distinguished layer which
are possible in principle have been forecasted. This layer is distinguished from the others by the high liquid
concentration and has a good permeability. Special quantitative characteristics related to different viscosity
mechanisms for Newton and Maxwell liquids have been theoretically discovered.
Based on the short time spectral analysis of the velocity signals qualitative characteristics of the pulses
reflected from the top and bottom bounds of the productive layer have been defined. Within the Biot model the
above characteristics may be considered as hypothetical criteria for discovery of the productive layer on the basis
of seismic sounding.

1 INTRODUCTION of vertical sounding and profiling. These problems

There is a class of direct problems which remains non-
elementary but still allows a possibility of analytical
study and may reveal qualitative characteristics of the
mediums structure. In particular they allow to reveal
the signs of presence or absence of a two-phase layer
containing solid and liquid (gaseous) components, and
also signs of the existence of pores or cracks in a partic-
ular layer within the multilayered medium. Therefore
we consider a wave process in a multilayered model
where liquid saturation of pores and mean radius of
pore channels, and thus dispersion and attenuation of
waves could be set as unique for each layer. The size
of the pore channels shows the significance of the
effect of liquid motion on the overall wave motion
of the medium. It could be said that the radius of
pore channels and the viscosity of the filling liquid
determine the number of oscillational degrees of free-
dom involved in the wave process. Therefore the actual
number of degrees of freedom may also vary from
layer to layer. Non-standard dynamic properties of a
complex structured media, or in particular, frequency
dependencies of the local properties form a foundation
for possible detection of a distinguished layer within
a multilayered medium based on the wave sounding
data.
Observation and analysis of dispersion, attenua-
tion and re-distribution of energy over the degrees of
freedom have more practical benefits in the process
attain significance in oil, gas and underground water
prospecting, where it is required to determine the
principle existence of the productive layer and make
some quantitative estimates. At the moment the
AVD (Absorption and Velocity Dispersion) method
suggested by Rapoport, 19922000, Ryjkov, 1994 is
successfully applied in oil and gas prospecting.
The definition of the equation types which describe
wave propagation in a medium saturated with liquid-
gas mixture in the state of phase equilibrium remains
a pressing issue. Model calculations also reveal the
frequency dependence of the reflection indices at the
boundaries between the layers with different saturation
and permeability.
This article is dedicated to a theoretical solution of
the wave sounding problem. Synthetic seismograms
are obtained for a model which has an exact solution
and defined by generalized Biot equations, includ-
ing those accounting for the effects of the second
viscosity. The used method allows to calculate the
seismograms and to observe the effects caused by
the presence of the distinguished layer for various
equation types and medium models. A comparison of
synthetic and experimental observations will allow to
check the hypotheses of the mediums behavior and to
make the right choice of a qualitative theory. The latter
will allow to extract more complete information from
the real seismic measurements data, i.e. to solve the
reverse problem within the chosen theory.

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Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
2 THE GENERALIZED WAVE EQUATION
FOR A TWO-PHASE MEDIUM
A two-phase medium consisting of an elastic perme-
able matrix (skeleton) and a viscous liquid is described
by M. A. Biot equations (Biot, 1956) where the
dynamic interaction between the oscillating liquid and
the matrix is set by the frequency function. This results
in Biot medium showing the frequency dispersion
of waves velocity and attenuation and possessing a
higher number of oscillational degrees of freedom in
comparison with the standard elastic medium. The
Biot system of equations (Biot, 1962) consists of
one scalar and two vector equations which define the
following conditions:
Motion equation of a small element of the medium:
where is the resultant pulse density, is the resultant
stress tensor, P is the mean porous liquid pressure, f is
the outside force density.
Continuity equation:
The resultant pulse density is the density of the mass
flow and its divergence is related to the velocity of
change in the overall mass density .
Motion equation of liquid relative to an element of
the skeleton:
The relative liquid velocity wis proportionate to
the gradient of pressure and density of the inertia force
f . Viscous dynamic operator Y( p) describes the liquid to Maxwellian liquid which is characterized
frequency dependence of the viscous friction force.
Here u(x, t) is the displacement vector of the skeleton
points; w(x, t) = (uf u) is the mean displacement
of the liquid relative to the skeleton, i.e. uf (x, t) is
the absolute liquid displacement; matrix porosity;
Cijkl is the resultant tensor of the elasticity mod-
uli; = (1 )s + f is the macroscopic summary the transition frequency: c = /<a2 >, where is the
density made of densities of pure phases s , f .
In order to put the system (13) in its universal form,
let us introduce a potential u0 (x, t) for the oscillating
part of the pressure. In the system (13) we substitute:
where P0 is the equilibrium value of the mean porous
pressure. Then from the last equation (3) we can extract
the relative liquid velocity:
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Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
and the resultant pulse density through the compo-
nents (u0 , u). In the continuity equation (2) let us use
the linear relation between the adiabatic variations of
the density , the stress tensor ij and the porous liquid
pressure P. This relation follows from the general non-
holonomic constitutive equation (Nikolayevsky, 1984)
for this two-phase medium: F(, , P; , , S) = 0
P;
where S is the entropy. Let us present the constitutive
equation in adiabatic variations and express the den-
sity variation. All of the variations shall be considered
as changes of the corresponding values in time, then
we will obtain the required linear dependence:
where
and use it in the continuity equation (2). As a result
equations (1,2) form a system which is closed in rela-
tion to the required functions {u (x, t); = 0, 1, 2, 3},
and introduction of a uniform denomination C (x; p)
for the coefficients of the obtained system of equations
will allow to put it in a universal form:
where , , , = 0, 1, 2, 3 and partial time and coor-
dinates derivatives are written as 0 = /t, j = /xj .
Representation of the more complex mechanisms of
viscosity as processes with a limited relaxation time
leads to the appearance of the dynamic permeability
which shows resonant behavior at certain frequencies.
The latter is related to the transition from Newtonian
by the Deborah number . The corresponding type
of viscous dynamic operator Y(p) has been obtained
in the works by Tsiklauri, 2001 and further stud-
ied in the works of Zhi-Wen Cui, 2003. Supposing
that in the equation (3) p = i, where is the cir-
cular frequency let us introduce a denomination for
kinematical liquid viscosity and <a2 > is the mean
squared radius of the porous channels. It should be
noted that in the static limit Y(0) = c is always true,
then equation (3) represents Darcys law. If Deborah
number has a finite value, then the variational deriva-
tive of density over the components of density
tensor ij with constant entropy S is a function of the
frequency:
The general development of this result is given in
(Landau, Livshits, 1988). Here c0 and c are low
and high frequency limits of the velocity parameter
c. The characteristic process = 1/c is the relax-
ation time of a certain process, for example a
phase transition or a process of energy re-distribution
between oscillational and rotational degrees of free-
dom in large molecules (heavy hydrocarbons, poly-
mers). Similar processes also called effects of sec-
ond viscosity occur in Maxwell liquids during the
wave passage. For Newtonian liquids process = 0, i.e.
the process does not occur and Deborah number
= (viscosity /process ) (approaches infinity). The
characteristic viscosity time viscosity = a2 / defines
the transition frequency c = 1/viscosity in a two-phase
model of the heterogeneous medium. The total time
derivative contains partial derivatives over the coor-
dinates q = {, ij , P} which define the state of the
medium as a thermodynamic system.
existence/absence of a distinguished layer, for example
the productive layer within a multi-layered medium.
The universal equation (5) in this case may be
reduced to:
where  is a (4 4) matrix and where the wave field
is a column:
The components of the wave field here are as follows:
00 = 0 u0 = P/f , where P(x, t) is the oscillating
part of the porous pressure; u0 (x, t) is the pressure
potential; 03 = 0 u3 is the velocity of skeleton points
oscillation, where u3 (x, t) is the vertical displacement
of skeleton points; 03 = C30 u , 3 = C3 u are the
3 3

components of the generalized stress tensor.

Therefore the non-holonomic constitutive equation
describes a non-localized in time relation between
stress and deformation which is characteristic of a
Maxwellian liquid and causes frequency dispersion.
This frequency dispersion is independent from the
effects of dissipation on inhomogenuities and from
the viscous dynamic interaction of solid and liquid
phases.
3 THE SOLUTION FOR A PLANE LAYERED
BIOT MEDIUM
The study of multi-layered model where dispersion
and attenuation of waves inside each layer are deter-
mined by the heterogeneous properties of the medium
presents a special interest. In particular the relative
volume of the liquid, its type, viscosity and the mean
radius of porous channels may be set for each layer
along with the elastic properties of the medium and
layers thickness. The relative volume of the liquid
4 MODELS
The simplest model of a horizontally homogeneous
Biot medium consists of two layers in half-space. All
the parameters are shown as graphs on Figure 1.
The models studied include one productive layer
(PL) covered by one or more non-productive layers
with low permeability. It is supposed that the effec-
tive transition frequency in the PL (collector rock)
f0 = min{c , c }/2 is within the seismic frequency
range. The hypothesis that the value of the effective
transition frequency lies within the seismic range is
confirmed by experimental studies of dispersion and
attenuation of P-waves based on vertical seismic pro-
filing (Ryjkov, 1994). Each model containing a PL is
set against a comparison model which differs from the
former only by replacement of the productive layer
with a non-productive one.
Depth, km
0.000
0.100
Vs Vp Vp2 fo
0.200
75
0.300
0.400
50

corresponds to the porosity of the matrix = (x) 0.500

30
15
while the mean radius of porous channels a = a(x) 0.600
0.700 2

accounts for the permeability of the matrix. Kinemat- 0.800

ical viscosity = (x) and Deborah number = (x)

0.900
1.000

are properties of the liquid. The transition frequency 1.100

1.200
defines the scale of the wave propagation frequency 1.300

dependence. In the studied model the above values are 1.400

0 10 20 30 2 3 4 0.0 0.5 1.0 0.0 0.3 10 100 100010000
set by the piecewise constant functions of the (verti-
K, ,
cal) coordinate x = x3 . Let us suppose that the push is GPa
Vp,Vs
GPa
Vp2
km/s
fo,
Hz
distributed along the upper bound (over the surface)
and generates a P-wave propagating in the vertical Figure 1. The simplest model of a plane layered two-phase
direction. The benefit of this model is that it pro- medium. Of the two layers in half-space the lower layer is
vides an exact solution which may reveal signs of productive i.e. saturated and permeable.

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Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
5 RESULTS
5.1 Signals of velocity and stress points
The solution obtained for the P-wave in a plane-layered
medium simulates the seismic signals which in theory
could be observed through vertical sounding. Figure 2
shows synthetic seismograms of velocity and stress in a
vertical P-wave calculated for two layers in half-space
(Fig. 1).
These seismograms show the characteristic differ-
ences of the speed v = u 3 (x, t) and stress 33 (x, t)
signals in the displacement pulses u3 (x, t) which are
reflected from the top (1) and bottom (2) bounds of
the PL.
The pulses are marked as 1 and 2 on Figure 2. These
pulses are reflected correspondingly from the top and
bottom bounds of the PL.
On the other hand Figure 3 shows the same seismo-
grams for the comparison model. Here the pulses are
only different in amplitude and polarity which depends
on the contrast of the layers.
5.2 The short time spectral analysis
Figure 4 shows the results of short time spectral anal-
ysis of the model with a permeable and saturated layer
(Fig. 4a) and for the comparison model, where the layer
positioned at the same depth has low permeability and
low saturation. The said pulses 1 and 2 have differ-
ent spectral content (Fig. 4a). This result remains the
same even if the number of non-productive layers is
signal of velocity on surface
signal of velocity at depth h
signal of stress at depth h
Model with productive layer
f0 = 50 Hz
1 2
(h,t)
.
u (h,t)
.
u (0,t)
.
u (h,t)
.
u (0,t) 
.
u (h,t)
0.52 0.56 0.60
Time, sec.
Figure 2. Comparison of signals on the surface and at the
depth h = 12 m for a model with productive layer. (1 pulse
reflected from the top bound of the productive layer, 2 pulse
reflected from the bottom bound).
Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
arbitrary, but their thickness has a macroscopic value.
The spectral content of the pulses reflected from the
top and bottom bounds shown on Figure 3 is the same
(Fig. 4b).
5.3 The form of arrival pulses in principal cases
Further Figures 5, 6 and 7 show arrival pulses of the
P-wave reflected from the top and bottom bounds
of the distinguished layer. The signals V1(x, t) cor-
respond to displacement velocity in the productive
model. V1(0, t) is the velocity of vertical displace-
ment of surface points; V1(h, t) is the velocity of points
displacement at the depth h = 12 m. In the same way
V2(x, t) are the velocity signals for the comparison
model. Figure 5 shows the form of reflected pulses in
the case where the distinguished layer is saturated with
Model with productive layer
f0 = 5000 Hz
1 2
(h,t)
.
u (h,t)
u. (0,t)
u. (h,t)
u. (0,t) 
u. (h,t)
0.52 0.56 0.60 0.64
Time, sec.
Figure 3. Comparison of signals on the surface and at the
depth h = 12 m for a model with productive layer.
0.64
Figure 4. Short time spectral analysis of the wave sounding
signal: (a) The simplest model with one saturated and highly
permeable layer; (b) Corresponding result for the comparison
model with the layer of low saturation and permeability. The
red color shows the maximum level of spectral amplitude.
The blue color is the minimum amplitude.
270
Newtonian liquid (e.g. water, Deborah number >> 1)
with big radius of porous channels a = 50 mkm where
the transition frequency defined as fc = /a2 /2 is
within the seismic frequency range. In this case its
value is 70 Hz. Then the spectral splitting of the first
and the second pulses is observed.
The pulses on the Figure 6 are observed when
the distinguished layer is saturated with Maxwellian
Figure 5. The productive layer saturated with Newtonian
liquid (big Deborah number) with big radius of porous
channels.
Figure 6. The productive layer saturated with Maxwellian
liquid (small Deborah number) with medium radius of porous
channels.
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Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
liquid (Deborah number < 1) with the mean radius
of porous channels a = 10 mkm.
Here (Fig. 6) the transition frequency defined as
fc = /a2 /2 is outside of the seismic range 5000
Hz, but the spectral splitting still occurs due to the
frequency dispersion caused by the processes occur-
ring in Maxwellian liquid during the wave passage.
The effective transition frequency when the Deborah
number < 1 is defined as c /2.
The models where the productive layer is simulta-
neously saturated with gas and liquid and the relative
gas volume is higher than the liquid represent a spe-
cial interest. In this case gas cannot be dissolved in
liquid and therefore there exists a phase boundary. The
scale of this boundary is comparable with the size of
porous channels. For example we can consider a local-
ized model of a porous channel coaxially filled with
gas and liquid. Naturally this will be stable if the liq-
uid is uniformly distributed over the channel walls. By
solving the border problem for a coaxial porous chan-
nel model we will obtain the type of function Y(p) for
the case of liquid and gas filling, where both gas and
liquid can have different values of Deborah number.
The result will be a three phase medium.
Figure 7 shows pulses reflected from the bounds of
such three phase medium. In the used model the radius
of porous channels is small a = 2 mkm, Deborah
number for the liquid is = 100 and for the gas
Figure 7. The productive layer is saturated with Maxwellian
gas (small Deborah number) and Newtonian liquid with
coaxial geometry of phase boundary in the porous channels
(small porous channels radius).
The general porosity is equal to 7.5%. This porous space is
saturated with 75% gas and 25% liquid.
 Model with high-permeable layer
saturated by Newton liquid & Maxwell gas
(Arrival time (sec.)
Figure 8. Short time spectral analysis of the wave sounding
signal for a model with one three-phase layer saturated with
gas and liquid.
= 0.0001. Porosity equals 7.5%, 75% of which is
taken by gas and 25% by liquid.
Here due to a relatively low gas density together
with the effects of second viscosity the absorption
spectrum is banded and there are frequency ranges
where attenuation of the second P-wave is low. Aside
from that the frequency dependence of the wave prop-
agation velocities is resonant. This leads to appearance
of an oscillating part of the second arrival (Fig. 7).
The resonant properties of the frequency depen-
dency of the wave velocity and attenuation lead to the
appearance of banded spectrum of the pulse which
went through the productive layer. In particular Fig-
ure 8 shows the result of short time spectral analysis of
the pulses presented in Figure 7. Therefore in the spec-
trum of a broadband signal (wave) which went through
this reservoir we can expect to see the appearance
of absorption lines and also propagation lines of cer-
tain narrowband signals, concentrated near resonant
frequencies with higher velocity.
6 DISCUSSION
Qualitative differences between the pulses reflected
from the top and bottom bounds of the PL is explained
by frequency dependence of refraction indices at the
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Copyright 2005 Taylor & Francis Group plc, London, UK
boundary between the layers with different porous
channels radiuses or with different transition fre-
quencies. Apart from that an intensive absorption of
the high frequency components of the passing pulse
occurs in the saturated layer. The index of P-wave
refraction from the upper bound of the PL grows
with frequency, thus in the pulse 1 high frequency
harmonics are strengthened which leads to trans-
formation of the descending pulse and the number
of oscillations increases. On the other hand in the
pulse 2 which is reflected from the bottom bound
and has passed through the PL twice the high fre-
quency harmonics are strongly subdued. Therefore the
descending impulse also transforms. It becomes more
monotonous and lengthy, i.e. the number of oscilla-
tions decreases. The described spectral deviation of
the reflected pulses becomes more pronounced if Deb-
orah number becomes lower which has been studied
in the works of Tsiklauri, 2001, Zhi-Wen Cui, 2003.
Decrease of Deborah number characterizes transition
from Newtonian liquid to Maxwellian liquid.
7 CONCLUSIONS
1. An exact solution of the generalized system of Biot
equations has been obtained. It describes vertical
propagation of a P-wave in a horizontally layered
two-phase medium.
2. Based on the short time spectral analysis of the
velocity signals the qualitative characteristics of
pulses reflected from the top and bottom bounds of
the productive layer have been defined. The discov-
ered spectral deviation of the reflected pulses can be
strictly defined as an algorithm of pulse selection.
Within the Biot model the above characteristics may
be considered as hypothetical criteria for productive
layer discovery on the basis of seismic sounding.
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