High-Strength Steel Hollow Carriers for Perforating Gun Detonation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Perforating guns used for borehole activation in crude oil and natural gas exploitation require a hollow carrier that can withstand highly dynamic loads without being destroyed or deformed during detonation, ensuring the borehole remains unclogged.
Innovation Solution
A perforating gun hollow carrier made of a steel alloy with specific alloying elements and a quenching and partitioning heat treatment, featuring a yield strength of at least 900 MPa, with localized sections of reduced wall thickness to absorb energy and prevent bursting, and a microstructure of martensite and retained austenite for enhanced strength and impact resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the hollow carrier is made from conventional steel alloys, then the material is easier to manufacture, but it cannot withstand highly dynamic loads during detonation without being destroyed or deformed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the chemical composition parameters of the steel alloy (specific carbon, silicon, chromium, manganese, molybdenum, and nitrogen content ranges) and applying quenching and partitioning heat treatment to achieve a martensitic microstructure with yield strength of at least 900 MPa, enabling the hollow carrier to withstand highly dynamic loads during detonation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system by combining specific alloying elements (C, Si, Cr, Mn, Mo, N) in controlled proportions and subjecting them to quenching and partitioning heat treatment to produce a martensitic microstructure with retained austenite, achieving both high strength and controlled deformability
2Strength
If the wall thickness is uniformly thick, then the hollow carrier has higher structural integrity, but it cannot be perforated effectively during ignition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating localized sections with reduced wall thickness at specific positions on the hollow carrier while maintaining thicker walls in other areas, enabling controlled perforation at thin sections while preserving overall structural integrity and energy absorption capacity at thicker sections
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the hollow carrier wall into regions of different thicknesses, with locally limited sections of reduced wall thickness positioned to facilitate perforation while the remaining thicker sections provide structural support and energy absorption during detonation
3Strength
If the steel alloy has high carbon content to achieve high strength, then the yield strength increases, but the material becomes more brittle and prone to adiabatic shearing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by precisely controlling the carbon content within a specific range (0.15-0.6%) and combining it with elevated silicon (1.4-2.6%), chromium (2.0-4.0%), and manganese (0.15-2.0%) content, along with quenching and partitioning heat treatment, to achieve a martensitic microstructure with yield strength ≥900 MPa while maintaining resistance against adiabatic shearing through the controlled microstructure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system with a martensitic matrix containing retained austenite phases, achieved through specific alloy composition and quenching and partitioning heat treatment, where the martensite provides high strength while the retained austenite prevents brittle failure and adiabatic shearing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hollow carrier effectively withstands explosive loads, preventing adiabatic shearing and splintering, ensuring reliable perforation of surrounding rock while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the tube product has been subjected to a quetching and partitioning heat treatment
Implementation Method 2
consisting of a steel alloy with martensitic matrix
Implementation Method 3
Due to the high energy absorption capacity of the inventive steel alloy
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a tube product, namely a perforating gun hollow carrier, consisting of a steel alloy with martensitic matrix, characterized in that it has a yield strength Rp0, 2 of at least 900 MPa, and that the steel alloy besides iron and impurities caused by melting has the following alloying elements: C 0.15-0.6%; Si 1.4-2.6%; Cr 2.0-4.0%; Mn 0.15-2.0%; Mo 0.2-0.6%; N<0.015%; and at least one of the alloying elements Nb, V and Ti in sum of ≥0.01% and the tube product has been subjected to a quenching and partitioning heat treatment. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of manufacturing such a tube product.