Multi-shot Perforating Charge with Shared Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current perforating guns used in oil and gas wells have limitations in the number and placement of perforation tunnels, leading to uneven productivity and inefficiencies in well production, as they are constrained by the size and design of traditional shaped charges, which restrict the density and distribution of explosive charges.
Innovation Solution
The development of multi-shot explosive charges with shared walls allows for multiple perforation tunnels to be created at the same lateral location within a single charge casing, increasing the number of perforations per unit length and enabling a smaller perforating gun to achieve the same or greater perforation efficiency, by combining multiple charges within a single casing and utilizing colliding explosive forces to enhance perforating power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional shaped charges are used with individual casings, then each charge can be sufficiently directed and targeted to create a narrow tunnel, but the number of perforations per unit length is limited to approximately 6 shots per foot
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual charge casings are merged into a single multi-shot charge casing that contains multiple chambers. Each chamber holds explosive material and can be detonated to create a perforation tunnel. The shared casing structure allows multiple charges to be positioned closely together, increasing the number of perforations per unit length while reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple chambers containing explosive material are nested within a single outer casing. Each chamber is positioned radially around a central axis, with thin shared walls between adjacent chambers. This nested configuration allows multiple perforation tunnels to be created from a single charge location, significantly increasing perforation density.
2Productivity
If more traditional charges are packed into the gun, then more perforation tunnels can be created, but the gun size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple charge casings are combined into a single multi-shot charge assembly with a shared outer casing. This consolidation reduces the total volume required to accommodate multiple charges, as the thin shared walls between chambers replace what would otherwise be separate casing walls, allowing more charges to fit within the same gun barrel volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared walls between adjacent chambers are made thin while maintaining structural integrity. These thin film-like partitions allow maximum space for explosive material within each chamber while keeping the overall charge assembly compact, enabling more charges to be packed into the perforating gun without proportionally increasing gun size.
3Force
If traditional shaped charges are used, then sufficient explosive force is achieved for perforation, but the density and distribution of charges is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
Each chamber within the multi-shot charge is designed to contain sufficient explosive material to generate the required perforating force for creating a tunnel. The explosive force is concentrated locally in each chamber, ensuring adequate penetration power, while the overall charge density increases because multiple such chambers are arranged within a compact shared casing structure.
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 design increases the efficiency of well creation by allowing more perforation tunnels to be formed over a given lateral length, improving the performance of perforation charges, and enabling a smaller perforating gun to achieve the same or greater number of perforations as traditional systems, while also simplifying configuration and loading processes.
Implementation Method 1
At least one explosive material is detonated to produce at least one explosive force that collides with another explosive force within the chamber to form a perforating jet
Implementation Method 2
The chambers are arranged within the casing such that multiple perforation tunnels can be generated through a perimetric surface of a single multi-shot explosive charge
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-shot explosive charge includes a plurality of chambers divided by shared walls between adjacent chambers. Explosive material within at least one of the chambers creates an explosive force in an outward direction upon detonation and a perforating jet through the open end of the chamber. A perforating charge includes at least one explosive material producing explosive forces, upon detonation that collide within the chamber to create a perforating jet. Such perforating charge may be a chamber(s) within a multi-shot explosive charge, or an individual charge. First and second explosive materials can have the same or different compositions and detonation rates that together with the arrangement of materials within the chamber create the collision of forces. A plurality of multi-shot explosive charge or stand-alone perforating charges with colliding forces can be interconnected in an array, and can be included in a perforating gun(s).