Handbook of borehole acoustics and rock physics for reservoir characterization / Справочник по акустике скважин и физике горных пород для характеристики коллекторов

Seismic technology has been an integral part of hydrocarbon exploration since the first seismic exploration patent in 1917 and the first field test in Oklahoma in 1921. Borehole acoustics was first patented in 1935 and successfully developed later as a continuous velocity logging tool, providing a much finer vertical subsurface perspective than seismic acoustics. Rock physics is the crucial discipline that interfaces acoustic wave amplitude and velocities, from seismic or borehole sonic measurements, with petrophysical characterization. The foundation for theoretical rock physics can be traced back to seminal works between the 1940s and the 1960s by Maurice A. Biot and Fritz Gassmann. At the same time, experimental developments were being led by M. R. J. Wylie, A. R. Gregory, L. W. Gardner, G. Simmons, A. Nur, and G. R. Pickett, providing the basis for experimental validation of theoretical modeling. Since then, the field of borehole acoustics and rock physics has rapidly progressed, developing new petrophysical outlooks to extract quantitative rock properties from geophysical observations.

Poroelasticity, a subdiscipline of rock physics, aims to characterize rock physical properties based on elastic wave propagation. Through theory and empirical relationships, it connects the acoustic data to the intrinsic rock properties such as lithology, pore volume and shape, fluid type and pressure, geomechanical behavior, tectonic stresses, and the overall rock architecture such as laminations and fractures. Seismic, borehole sonic, and experimental elastic core studies aim at characterizing these rock elements; however, they represent the physical properties at different frequency and scale domains. Rock physics brings these studies together to develop quantitatively the petrophysical characterization of reservoirs.
While borehole acoustic and rock physics jointly serve to provide broad reservoir characterization, these disciplines rarely find a complementing platform in a single book. The Handbook of Borehole Acoustics and Rock Physics for Reservoir Characterization aims to bring both branches together to understand better the theoretical background and application potential for fundamental and advanced concepts in borehole acoustics and rock physics for reservoir characterization. The book provides background modeling concepts and key results, balancing the mathematics with its applications. Therefore, the book aims to serve as a technical reference for oil and gas professionals, scientists, and students in multidisciplinary areas of reservoir characterization. <...>