Simulations of Acoustic and Electromagnetic Geophysical Measurements Using a hpAdaptive Finite Element Method.
David Pardo, Diego Lasa, Pawel Matuszyk, Carlos Torres-Verdín.
Electromagnetic and acoustic measurements are routinely acquired for characterizing the
main properties of the subsurface. These material properties are used to determine
hydrocarbon-bearing formations and aquifers, to analyze different lithographic properties of
the Earth, to predict earthquakes, and so on. Computer-aided simulations of these
measurements facilitate the design of better measurement acquisition devices and enable to
obtain more accurate characterizations of the materials composing the subsurface.
In this presentation, we propose the use of a hp-Adaptive Finite Element method for
simulation of acoustic and electromagnetic measurements. This frequency-domain method
provides highly-accurate solutions, since it delivers exponential convergence rates in terms of
the error with respect to the problem size. After describing the method, we will illustrate its
performance with extensive numerical simulations of: a) electromagnetic logging
measurements, b) marine controlled-source electromagnetic measurements, c) magnetotelluric
measurements, and d) logging acoustic measurements. We are currently working on the
further development of this method for simulation of seismic measurements.