An Effective Data Processing Flow for the Acoustic Reflection Image Logging

Recent studies have revealed the great potential of acoustic reflection logging in detecting near borehole fractures and vugs. In this paper, we present an effective data processing flow for acoustic reflection image logging by employing a multi-scale slowness-time-coherence method for reflection wave extraction and a Kirchhoff migration for near borehole structure imaging. And the corresponding software has been developed. We first apply the software to process the synthetic data of acoustic reflection logging in a borehole surrounded by interface and fractured formation models generated by a 2D finite difference method (FDM), in conjunction with the equivalent medium model to test the validity of our method and the processing flow. We then apply it to the physical modeling data from a large water tank in laboratory and the field data from two wells in a western oil field of China. As a result, applications of the processing flow to synthetic data, physical modeling data from a laboratory water tank as well as the field data demonstrate the validity and capability of our MSTC, Kirchhoff algorithms and the new-developed software.