Hydraulic Delay Sub for Perforating Guns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current perforating guns for subterranean wells require lengthy assemblies and electrical wiring, complicating deployment and quality control, and existing delay mechanisms rely on pyrotechnic reactions, which are hazardous and difficult to control.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical delay system using a hydraulic variable time delay sub with a frangible communication piston and JEVA jet orifice to meter hydraulic fluid, allowing for a controlled delay between perforating gun activations, reducing tool length and eliminating explosive components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If pyrotechnic delay mechanisms are used, then time delay between perforating gun activations is achieved, but safety hazards and controllability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces pyrotechnic (chemical) delay mechanisms with a purely mechanical hydraulic delay system. The hydraulic system uses fluid flow through restricted passages to create a time delay, eliminating explosive materials and associated safety hazards while maintaining the time delay function between perforating gun activations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a hydraulic delay mechanism where hydraulic fluid flows through restricted passages at a controlled rate, creating a predictable time delay. This hydraulic approach provides safe, controllable timing without the hazards of pyrotechnic materials, using fluid dynamics to achieve the desired delay duration.
2Ease of operation
If electrical wiring and complex assemblies are used, then perforating gun activation is achieved, but deployment simplicity and quality control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates electrical wiring from the perforating gun system, replacing it with a purely mechanical hydraulic activation mechanism. This removal of electrical components simplifies deployment procedures and improves quality control by reducing the number of installation steps and potential failure points.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydraulic delay system is designed to be self-actuating, using the energy from the first perforating gun detonation to automatically initiate the delay sequence and trigger the second gun. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external electrical control systems, simplifying deployment while maintaining reliable operation.
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 mechanical delay system simplifies deployment, enhances quality control by reducing assembly complexity, and provides a safer, more controllable delay mechanism between perforating gun activations, improving operational efficiency and safety.
Implementation Method 1
explosive energy from the first perforating gun causes the communication piston to fracture the radial break plugs
Implementation Method 2
causing the hydraulic fluid located in the second inner bore to meter through the transverse thru bore of the second cylindrical piston
Data Source
AI summary
A mechanical gun to gun delay for providing a desired time delay between the firing of a first gun and the firing of a second gun downhole without using a pyrotechnic fuse as the delay.