The methodological and technical aspects of identifying research fronts and trends in the development of science are considered. Based on the literature da

This paper is dedicated to the topical problem of examining permafrost’s state and the processes of its geocryological changes by means of geophysical methods. To monitor the cryolithozone, we proposed and scientifically substantiated a new technique of pulsed electromagnetic cross-well sounding. Based on the vector finite-element method, we created a mathematical model of the cross-well sounding process with a pulsed source in a three-dimensional spatially heterogeneous medium. A high-performance parallel computing algorithm was developed and verified. Through realistic geoelectric models of permafrost with a talik under a highway, constructed following the results of electrotomography field data interpretation, we numerically simulated the pulsed sounding on the computing resources of the Siberian Supercomputer Center of SB RAS. The simulation results suggest the proposed system of pulsed electromagnetic cross-well monitoring to be characterized by a high sensitivity to the presence and dimensions of the talik. The devised approach can be oriented to addressing a wide range of issues related to monitoring permafrost rocks under civil and industrial facilities, buildings, and constructions.

A new type of Cambrian section penetrated by the Vostok-1 stratigraphic test well in the east of the West Siberian Plate, Tomsk Region, is described in terms of paleontology. It can be considered a key section for this region. According to a complex of geological and geophysical characteristics, the section in the depth range of 2766–5010 m was divided into the Churbiga, Paidugina, Pudzhelga, Podelga, Kondes, Shedelga, and Pyzhina Formations, and their first description was made. The Cambrian section in Vostok-1 well is most similar to those of the Kotui-Igarka area of the northwestern Siberian Platform, where Cambrian deposits formed in the pre-reef zone of an open sea basin. In the lower section of the borehole the highly carbonaceous siliceous-argillaceous-carbonate Paidugina Formation was stripped, which is an analog of the Lower-Middle Cambrian Shumnaya and Kuonamka Formations of the Siberian Platform. The Paidugina Formation, which accumulated on the shelf and slope of the open sea facing the Paleo-Asian ocean, is considered oil-producing and suggests the high petroleum potential of the cis-Yenisei basin. Also, a highly promising generation-accumulation petroleum system has been revealed.

Algorithms and software have been designed for petrophysical 2D forward simulation and inversion of induction logs from oil wells drilled in shaly sandstone using conductivity models for different clay types. As comparative analysis of relative amplitudes and phases of tool responses has demonstrated, it is possible to reliably and accurately estimate fluid saturation and porosity from induction logs. The applied 2D numerical inversion of both theoretical and well logs yielded quantitative estimates of petrophysical parameters of reservoirs, with clay volume fraction assumed according to the chosen conductivity model. Correction for the presence of clay improves inversion quality if clay content as well as type are taken into account.

High-performance algorithms and software have been designed for fast 2D forward modeling and inversion of high-frequency electromagnetic logs to recover the patterns of electrical conductivity and relative permittivity (dielectric constant) of rocks. Forward modeling implies linear representation, with regard to eddy current, of attenuations and phase shifts of electromagnetic fields propagating in 2D conducting formations. In order to improve the modeling quality, the background model is chosen proceeding from the eddy current pattern in a heterogeneous subsurface. The inverse solution is obtained by pseudoinversion of the sensitivity matrix of relative amplitudes and phases. Joint 2D inversion of phase shifts and attenuations improves the reliability of the inferred spatial conductivity distribution and allows estimating permittivity. The reported numerical experiments on inversion of synthetic and field EM logs prove the possibility of estimating the permittivity of complex terrigenous and carbonate reservoirs with water- and oil-filled porosity.

The processing algorithms for high-frequency induction resistivity data are applied to logs acquired at different stages of well construction. Open-hole induction logging while reaming of vertical wells provides a priori information on geology and resistivity distribution. The resulting resistivity model can make reference in geosteering for deviated and horizontal drilling. Algorithms for inversion of high-frequency induction responses from layered media are used in a software package for processing LWD data. The software provides real-time inversion to recover resistivities and depths to layers in oil and gas reservoirs penetrated by wells of a complex trajectory. It also allows checking the inversion quality by analyzing the sensitivity of tool responses to model parameters with reference to the tool specifications.