Dec 7th-Rock Physics SIG: Seismic Wave Attenuation and Dispersion in Saturated Rocks*
Sponsored by: CGG & Ikon Science
Event Location:
CGG
10300 Town Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77072
NOTE: You Must be Logged in to Register
5:15pm Refreshments
5:30pm Presentation Begins
6:30pm Adjourn
Speaker: Professor Nicola Tisato, UT-Austin
Geophysical methods allow exploring the subsurface and rely on physical properties of rocks and their saturating phases. In the case of seismic tomography, the knowledge of rheology is pivotal to infer the structure and the content of subsurface domains. Nonetheless, very often geophysicists treat geo-material as purely elastic overlooking at the role of attenuation in absorbing seismic energy. During the presentation I will introduce anelasticity in saturated rocks and how fluids can produce frequency dependent attenuation and dispersion. Focusing on sandstones saturated with different portions of gas and liquids, I will present laboratory experiments performed to investigate wave-induced-fluid-flow and wave-induced-gas-exsolution-dissolution and how these attenuation mechanisms could be modelled revealing details about subsurface saturation. The present work aims at improving the imaging of subsurface to reveal, for instance, the formation of gas bubbles in oil and gas reservoirs.
Speaker Biography: Professor Nicola Tisato, UT-Austin
Nicola Tisato is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geological Sciences - Jackson School of Geosciences - The University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on the study of physical and mechanical properties of geo-materials at pressure and temperature which are relevant for subsurface reservoirs. He especially uses the sub-resonance method to understand visco-elasticity in sediments saturated with multiphase fluids. Lately, he has paired the sub-resonance method (i.e. a high pressure vessel) and the CT scanning method to measure viscoelastic properties of partially saturated sandstones and observe fluid distribution in the tested sample. Such a combination allows gaining insight into wave-induced-fluid-flow and wave-induced-gas-exsolution- dissolution, which are important seismic wave attenuation mechanisms.
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