Numerical Modeling of Wave Processes During Shelf Seismic Exploration

The attention to Arctic shelf is explained by the real need of exploration and development of oil-fields and gas-fields. The computer modeling is a single appropriate approach because the physical experiments in Arctic are expensive and sometimes difficult or impossible to make. In this research, the wave processes during seismic exploration of Arctic shelf are studied. The up-to-date numerical simulation by gird-characteristic method was applied. This method allows to obtain all types of elastic and acoustic waves (longitudinal P-waves, transverse S-waves, Stoneley, Rayleigh, Love, scattered PP-, SS-, and converted PS- and SP-waves) in the heterogeneous media, using mathematically correct conditions on boundaries and interfaces. Also a comparison of acoustic and elastic wave processes during shelf seismic exploration was implemented. The experiments show that it is more precise and informative to solve the elastic wave equation in geological media and the acoustic wave equation in the sea water layer only despite of sources and receivers, which are located in the water layer near the surface. The experiments demonstrate the opportunity to measure the reflections in the water from the converted PS-waves and the reflected SS-waves, using receivers in the water layer. The software based on grid-characteristic method was developed. It is possible to use different interface and boundary conditions and obtain full wave pattern.