Radially-Nonuniform Explosive Cartridge for Severing Stuck Well Components
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing well-component severing tools face challenges in effectively severing components trapped in a wellbore due to the difficulty in generating sufficient pressure waves to fracture and extract stuck components, especially when the wellbore collapses, limiting the salvage of well components.
Innovation Solution
A well-component severing tool equipped with a radially-nonuniform explosive cartridge, featuring a noncircular cross-sectional shape with protrusions and angled surfaces, which emits pressure waves from multiple directions to create fractures and sever the component, enhanced by a copper housing and metal coatings for improved performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional uniform explosive cartridge is used, then the device structure is simple, but the pressure wave generation is insufficient to effectively fracture trapped components
Solution Approach 1:
The explosive cartridge employs a radially-nonuniform configuration with varying charge densities and geometric asymmetries (such as starburst or spoke patterns) to generate enhanced and distributed pressure waves in multiple directions, effectively fracturing trapped well components that conventional uniform cartridges cannot sever
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the explosive cartridge are designed with locally optimized properties, including varying explosive charge densities and strategic placement of protrusions or depressions, to create targeted pressure wave patterns that maximize fracturing effectiveness at specific locations around the trapped component
2Productivity
If the wellbore collapses, then the component becomes trapped and cannot be extracted, but salvaging the component is desirable
Solution Approach 1:
The explosive cartridge divides the trapped component into multiple segments through radially distributed pressure wave generation, creating multiple fracture lines that split the component into separable pieces, allowing the free portion to be extracted from the collapsed wellbore section
Solution Approach 2:
The explosive device converts the harmful situation of a collapsed wellbore and trapped component into a beneficial outcome by using controlled explosions to fracture and sever the trapped component, transforming an extraction impossibility into a salvageable situation where free portions can be retrieved
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 radially-nonuniform explosive cartridge generates combined pressure waves that effectively fracture and sever well components, allowing for the extraction of the free portion from the wellbore, enhancing the salvage capabilities of the severing tool.
Implementation Method 1
generates multiple pressure waves from the radially-nonuniform explosive cartridge
Implementation Method 2
radially-nonuniform explosive cartridge, featuring a noncircular cross-sectional shape with protrusions and angled surfaces, which emits pressure waves from multiple directions to create fractures and sever the component
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly for an explosive device for severing a well component is provided. The assembly can include an outer housing. The assembly can also include a radially-nonuniform explosive cartridge disposed within the outer housing, and the radially-nonuniform explosive cartridge can include at least four protrusions.