• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 2007

With consideration of the first arrival picking methodology and inherent errors in picking process, I propose, from the computerization point of view, a practical algorithm for picking and error computation. The proposed picking procedure consists of 2-step; 1) picking the first coherent peak or trough events, 2) derive a line which approximates the record in the interval prior to the pick, and set the intercept time of the line as the first break. The length of fitting interval used in experiment, is few samples less than 1/4 width of the arriving wavelet. A quantitative measure of the error involved in first arrival picking is defined as the time length that needed to determine if an event is the first arrival or not. The time length is expressed as a function of frequency bandwidth of the signal and the S/N ratio. For 3 sets of cross-well seismic data, first breaks are picked twice, by manually, and by the proposed method. And at the same time, the error bound for each trace is computed. Experiment results show that good performance of the proposed picking method, and the usefulness of the quantitative error measure in pick-quality evaluation.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.69-72
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• 2008

EZTOMO is a crosswell seismic tomography software system. The system has capability of event picking, raytracing, inversion, error analysis, and visualization of the processing results. Waveform of the first arrival signal has been utilized to select the event of the first motion, and uncertainty measured in estimation of the first breaks has been utilized to improve the inversion process.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.150-156
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• 2002

In this study, a software for crosswell seismic tomography is developed. The software consists of first arrival picking and adjusting module, crosswell traveltime tomography module, and imaging module. This software allows saying the picked first arrival times into the header of seismic data, and using this data directly to the input of crosswell seismic tomography. With an imaging module, velocity structures and ray path can be imaged directly from the output of the tomography module. Because it is developed on the basis of the SU under the Linux and the GUI environment for user, this software can be carried out directly the first arrival picking, inversion and tomogram for crosswell tomography data in the field. Therefore, this software can be improved the applicability of site investigation by tomography method.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.243-261
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• 2019

Microseismic monitoring technologies have been recognized for its superiority over traditional methods and are used in domestic and overseas underground mines. However, the complex gangway layout of underground mines in Korea and the mixed structure of excavated space and rock masses make it difficult to estimate the microseismic propagation and to determine the arrival time of microseismic wave. In this paper, experimental studies were carried out to determine the source location according to various arrival picking methods and dimensional conditions. The arrival picking methods used were FTC (First Threshold Cross), Picking window, AIC (Akaike Information Criterion), and 2-D and 3-D source generation experiments were performed, respectively, under the 2-D sensor array. In each experiment, source location algorithm used iterative method and genetic algorithm. The iterative method was effective when the sensor array and source generation were the same dimension, but it was not suitable to apply when the source generation was higher dimension. On the other hand, in case of source location using RCGA, the higher dimensional source location could be determined, but it took longer time to calculate. The accuracy of the arrival picking methods differed according to the source location algorithms, but picking window method showed high accuracy in overall.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 1999

A traveltime tomography has been carried out by transforming electromagnetic data in frequency domain to wave-like domain. The transform uniquely relates a field satisfying a diffusion equation to an integral of the corresponding wavefield. But direct transform of frequency domain magnetic fields to wave-field domain is ill-posed problem because the kernel of the integral transform is highly damped. In this study, instead of solving such an unstable problem, it is assumed that wave-fields in transformed domain can be approximated by sum of ray series. And for further simplicity, reflection and refraction energy compared to that of direct wave is weak enough to be neglected. Then first arrival can be approximated by calculating the traveltime of direct wave only. But these assumptions are valid when the conductivity contrast between background medium and the target anomalous body is low enough. So this approach can only be applied to the models with low conductivity contrast. To verify the algorithm, traveltime calculated by this approach was compared to that of direct transform method and exact traveltime, calculated analytically, for homogeneous whole space. The error in first arrival picked by this study was less than that of direct transformation method, especially when the number of frequency samples is less than 10, or when the data are noisy. Layered earth model with varying conductivity contrasts and inclined dyke model have been successfully imaged by applying nonlinear traveltime tomography in 30 iterations within three CPU minutes on a IBM Pentium Pro 200 MHz.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.120-121
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• 2001

The purpose of this study is to investigate concrete flaw using seismic first arrival and various inversion method. Seismic wave propagation was calculated using finite element method in theoretical modelling and tomogram was made using various inversion methods in theoretical and experimental modelling. Five steps of seismic first arrival were selected from FEM results and these data were used to calculate seismic velocity section. According to the results, exact seismic first arrival picking method was proposed and experimental modelling was conducted.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.171-179
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• 2013

An automated ultrasonic velocity measurement system adopting pulse-echo-overlap (PEO) method has been constructed, which is known to be a precise and versatile method. It has been applied to velocity measurements for 5 kinds of engineering plastic cores and compared to first arrival picking (FAP) method. Because it needs multiple reflected waves and waves travel at least 4 times longer than FAP, PEO has basic restriction on sample length measurable. Velocities measured by PEO showed slightly lower than that by FAP, which comes from damping and diffusive characteristics of the samples as the wave travels longer distance in PEO. PEO, however, can measure velocities automatically by cross-correlating the first echo to the second or third echo, so that it can exclude the operator-oriented errors. Once measurable, PEO shows essentially higher repeatability and reproducibility than FAP. PEO system can diminish random noises by stacking multiple measurements. If it changes the experimental conditions such as temperature, saturation and so forth, the automated PEO system in this study can be applied to monitoring the velocity changes with respect to the parameter changes.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2003

Accurate estimation of the first arrival travel time is an essential task to obtain a high resolution velocity tomogram. Accuracy of the travel time estimation may be influenced by two factors; geological and mechanical. A serious mechanical factor is the source firing control problems. We found the control problems in the records generated by tome impulsive borehole sources. The problems are; irregular firing control and uncertainty in estimation of the absolute firing-times shown in records. Definitely, the time difference will introduce an error to the first arrival times, and accordingly; it will cause some distortion in the resulting velocity tomogram. A method to determine the firing time is suggested here. The method determines the optimum onset time by comparing the horizontal and the NMO velocity with various amount of delay time adjustment.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2016

$CO_2$-EOR (Carbon Dioxide-Enhanced Oil Recovery), one of the enhanced oil recovery methods, helps to not only enhance the production of oil, but also store carbon dioxide in underground. However, if micro fractures occur when during the injection of $CO_2$, it is difficult to make permanent storage of $CO_2$ in reservoir and can cause contamination of groundwater and soil. Therefore, in this study, we performed microseismic monitoring to investigate the occurrence of fractures during the $CO_2$ injection at the Meruap oil reservoir, Indonesia. To pick the first arrivals of microseismic events, Improved MER (Modified Energy Ratio) method was used. After picking the first arrivals, hodogram analysis was carried out by using the data recorded at three component geophones to calculate the back azimuth of events. Finally, locations of microseismic events were decided by using the results of first arrival picking and hodogram analysis. Estimated locations showed that all microseismic events were occurred at surface and any fracture did not occur around the reservoir. Moreover, by analyzing noise characteristic, we confirmed that almost of picked first arrivals were due to the repetitive mechanical noise.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.153-162
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• 2019

Rapid variations in the geometry (i.e., thickness) of the refractor and low velocities affect greatly the imaging of the reflectors of land seismic data. Conventional solutions to obtain the weathering models utilizes first break picking method, which requires time consuming steps and causes the human error in picking the first arrivals. A new interferometric approach (interferometric refraction statics, IRS) which utilizes the first arrival signal (S/N enhanced by refraction convolution stack) instead of first break picking, is tested in this study to the synthetic data from the velocity structure provided by surface geophysics (refraction, MASW) and borehole geophysics (tomography, SPS logging) for the Cheongju granitic bodies. The results of IRS approach are found to be better than the ones from conventional first break picking in terms of continuities and horizontal resolution of the reflectors. The unresolved long-wavelength statics in brute stack are much removed by IRS weathering correction and the overlying refractors (the base of shallow weathering zone) are incidentally delineated in the refraction convolution stack.