A Numerical 1.5D Method for the Rapid Simulation of Geophysical Resistivity Measurements

In some geological formations, borehole resistivity measurements can be simulated using a sequence of 1D models. By considering a 1D layered media, we can reduce the dimensionality of the problem from 3D to 1.5D via a Hankel transform. The resulting formulation is often solved via a semi-analytic me...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mostafa Shahriari, Sergio Rojas, David Pardo, Angel Rodríguez-Rozas, Shaaban A. Bakr, Victor M. Calo, Ignacio Muga
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-06-01
Series:Geosciences
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Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/8/6/225
Description
Summary:In some geological formations, borehole resistivity measurements can be simulated using a sequence of 1D models. By considering a 1D layered media, we can reduce the dimensionality of the problem from 3D to 1.5D via a Hankel transform. The resulting formulation is often solved via a semi-analytic method, mainly due to its high performance. However, semi-analytic methods have important limitations such as, for example, their inability to model piecewise linear variations on the resistivity. Herein, we develop a multi-scale finite element method (FEM) to solve the secondary field formulation. This numerical scheme overcomes the limitations of semi-analytic methods while still delivering high performance. We illustrate the performance of the method with numerical synthetic examples based on two symmetric logging-while-drilling (LWD) induction devices operating at 2 MHz and 500 KHz, respectively.
ISSN:2076-3263