Igniter System Smoke Containment via Segmented Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional perforating gun assembly and setting tool systems are complex, large, and prone to damage from smoke and soot produced by igniters, requiring tedious cleaning processes that slow down deployment and increase the risk of misruns.
Innovation Solution
The igniter system is integrated within a bulkhead of the switch sub, enclosed within a two-piece housing that prevents smoke and soot from propagating to other components, and is designed to ignite energetic materials efficiently, reducing the complexity and size of the system while facilitating easier cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the igniter is integrated within the bulkhead of the switch sub and enclosed within a two-piece housing, then smoke and soot are contained and do not propagate to other components, but the device complexity increases due to the additional housing structure
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into two separate pieces (first housing and second housing) that can be easily assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows for simple containment of the igniter while maintaining ease of manufacturing and assembly, resolving the contradiction between providing harmful factor containment and avoiding increased device complexity.
2Loss of time
If the igniter system is enclosed within a two-piece housing, then cleaning time is reduced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The igniter is extracted and isolated within its own enclosed housing space, separated from other components. This allows the housing to be quickly removed and cleaned as a single unit without disassembling the entire system, reducing cleaning time while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing provides localized containment specifically for the igniter component, applying the enclosure principle only where needed rather than enclosing the entire system. This localized approach reduces overall manufacturing complexity while still achieving the goal of facilitating easier cleaning.
3Reliability
If the igniter is positioned within the bulkhead, then smoke propagation to electronic parts is prevented, but the volume of the switch sub increases
Solution Approach 1:
The igniter housing is nested within the existing bulkhead structure of the switch sub, utilizing the available space efficiently. This nesting approach allows for smoke containment while minimizing the increase in overall switch sub volume, as the housing occupies space that would otherwise be empty or unused within the bulkhead.
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
This configuration minimizes damage to other components, simplifies assembly, and reduces the time required for cleaning and redeployment, enhancing the reliability and efficiency of perforating operations.
Implementation Method 1
The igniter system is configured to ignite an energetic material
Data Source
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AI summary
The application relates to an igniter system (320, 620, 1020) for igniting an energetic material (352, 652), the igniter system (320, 620, 1020) comprising: a housing (332), having a bore (345); an igniter located inside the bore (345); a ground wire (322, 622, 1022) directly connected to the igniter; and a signal wire (324, 624, 1024) directly connected to the igniter, wherein the ground wire (322, 622, 1022) and the signal wire form an electrical circuit with the igniter for igniting the energetic material (352, 652). The application further relates to a downhole tool (300) and a method for manufacturing an igniter for a downhole tool (300).