2000 RESEARCH UTAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. Interferometric Imaging
   • IMPLICATIONS: New general theory for imaging crosscorrelograms.
     • Practical IVSPWD imaging with horizontal drilling.
     • Possible means for migrating multiples in CDP data.
   • PROBLEMS: Need for more robust way to combine crosscorrelogram and Kirchhoff migration images; need to reduce virtual multiple artifacts.

2. Instability of Migration Deconvolution Solved by Regularization
   • IMPLICATION: Poststack MD ready for commercialization.
   • PROBLEMS: Further testing for prestack MD.

3. Prestack Migration Deconvolution in COG Domain
   • IMPLICATION: COG more effective domain for prestack MD.
   • PROBLEMS: Further testing with field examples.

4. Improved DMO Deconvolution Developed
   • IMPLICATION: Improved resolution and artifact reduction in DMO images.
   • PROBLEMS: Further tests are needed.

5. 3-D Wavepath Migration Velocity Analysis
   • IMPLICATIONS: Faster velocity analysis method.
   • PROBLEMS: Sensitivity to incidence angle estimation, further tests are needed.

6. Salt Boundaries and Ore Bodies can be Imaged by Migrating PS Transmission Waves.
   • IMPLICATION:
     • Single well imaging of salt flanks realistic!?
     • Ore Body Imaging with Crosswell Experiments.
   • PROBLEMS: Not enough data tests.

7. Interferometric Statics
   • IMPLICATION: Effective statics for either reflections or refractions. No surface consistency assumption is needed.
   • PROBLEMS: Not enough data tests.

8. Free Surface Multiples Migrated by Reverse-Time Migration
   • IMPLICATION: Use free-surface multiples to image both primaries and free-surface multiples simultaneously.

9. 3-D Prestack Wave Equation with Phase Encoding
   • GOALS:
     • New direction for UTAM.
     • Reduce cost of wave equation migration to that of Kirchhoff migration.
     • Explore new effective approaches (phase encoding, data compression, etc.) to wave equation imaging.