Variable aspect ratio method in the Xu–White model for shear-wave velocity estimation
Shear-wave velocity logs are useful for various seismic interpretation applications, including bright spot analyses, amplitude-versus-offset analyses and multicomponent seismic interpretations. This paper presents a method for predicting the shear-wave velocity of argillaceous sandstone from conventional log data and experimental data, based on Gassmann's equations and the Xu–White model. This variable aspect ratio method takes into account all the influences of the matrix nature, shale content, porosity size and pore geometry, and the properties of pore fluid of argillaceous sandstone, replacing the fixed aspect ratio assumption in the conventional Xu–White model. To achieve this, we first use the Xu–White model to derive the bulk and shear modulus of dry rock in a sand–clay mixture. Secondly, we use Gassmann's equations to calculate the fluid-saturated elastic properties, including compressional and shear-wave velocities. Finally, we use the variable aspect ratio method to estimate the shear-wave velocity. The numerical results indicate that the variable aspect ratio method provides an important improvement in the application of the Xu–White model for sand–clay mixtures and allows for a variable aspect ratio log to be introduced into the Xu–White model instead of the constant aspect ratio assumption. This method shows a significant improvement in predicting velocities over the conventional Xu–White model.