A Scalable Multi-chain Markov Chain Monte Carlo Method for Inverting Subsurface Hydraulic and Geological Properties

Abstract:

We developed a novel scalable multi-chain Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method for high-dimensional inverse problems. The method is scalable in terms of number of chains and processors, and is useful for Bayesian calibration of computationally expensive simulators typically used for scientific and engineering calculations. In this study, we demonstrate two applications of this method for hydraulic and geological inverse problems. The first one is monitoring soil moisture variations using tomographic ground penetrating radar (GPR) travel time data, where challenges exist in the inversion of GPR tomographic data for handling non-uniqueness and nonlinearity and high-dimensionality of unknowns. We integrated the multi-chain MCMC framework with the pilot point concept, a curved-ray GPR forward model, and a sequential Gaussian simulation (SGSIM) algorithm for estimating the dielectric permittivity at pilot point locations distributed within the tomogram, as well as its spatial correlation range, which are used to construct the whole field of dielectric permittivity using SGSIM. The second application is reservoir porosity and saturation estimation using the multi-chain MCMC approach to jointly invert marine seismic amplitude versus angle (AVA) and controlled-source electro-magnetic (CSEM) data for a layered reservoir model, where the unknowns to be estimated include the porosity and fluid saturation in each reservoir layer and the electrical conductivity of the overburden and bedrock. The computational efficiency, accuracy, and convergence behaviors of the inversion approach are systematically evaluated.