Acoustic Logging in Randomly Stratified Formations

The propagation of borehole acoustic waves in the presence of various types of heterogeneous formations is investigated by modeling them as stratified media with varying velocity-depth distributions. Two types of formations are modeled, using translational and cyclic random models, respectively. Borehole acoustic wavefields for the heterogeneity formation models are simulated using finite-difference techniques. The wavefield modeling results show that the borehole acoustic waves can be significantly affected by the formation heterogeneities. Specifically, the scattering due to heterogeneity can cause significant amplitude attenuation and travel time delay for the transmitted waves. The borehole guided waves are also sensitive to the formation heterogeneity. The effects of the random formation heterogeneity on the borehole acoustic waves are controlled by two factors: the degree of heterogeneity variation and the heterogeneity scale length relative to the wavelength.