Analysis of the ambiguity of log-constrained seismic impedance inversion

Although the ambiguity of seismic inversion is widely recognized in both theory and practice, so far as a concrete inversion example is concerned, there is not any objective, controllable method or any standard for how to evaluate and determine its ambiguity and reliability, especially for the high frequency components beyond the effective seismic frequency band. Taking log-constrained impedance inversion as an example, a new appraisal method is proposed on the basis of analyzing a simple geological model. Firstly, the inverted impedance model is transformed to a reflection coefficient series. Secondly, the maximum effective frequency of the real seismic data is chosen as a cutoff point and the reflection coefficient series is decomposed into two components by low-pass and high-pass filters. Thirdly, the geometrical reflection characteristics of the high-frequency components and that of the real seismic data are compared and analyzed. Then, the reliability of the inverted impedance model is appraised according to the similarity of geometrical characteristics between the high-frequency components and the real seismic data. The new method avoids some subjectivity in appraising the inverted result, and helps to enhance the reliability of reservoir prediction by impedance inversion technology.