Automated Perforating Gun Detonator Arming via Threaded Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of detonator interrupt barriers in perforating guns, while improving safety, introduces inefficiencies such as additional components, increased costs, and complex failure modes, as well as requiring additional human action to remove or deactivate the barrier at the well site.
Innovation Solution
An automated perforating gun system where the detonator is configured to remain unarmed during shipping and is only armed when the gun is threaded together with another perforating gun, eliminating the need for a detonator interrupt barrier and reducing human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a detonator interrupt barrier is installed between the detonator and the gun detonation train to prevent unintentional detonation, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components and failure modes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the detonator interrupt barrier from the system entirely. Instead of adding a barrier component, the invention uses the threaded connection mechanism itself to control detonator arming. The detonator remains isolated during shipping and is only armed when the gun is properly threaded together with another perforating gun, eliminating the need for separate interrupt barrier components and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own threaded connection mechanism to automatically arm the detonator. The act of threading the gun together with another perforating gun automatically removes the isolation and arms the detonator without requiring separate control systems or additional components. The gun's own assembly process serves the dual function of both mechanical connection and safety arming.
2Reliability
If a detonator interrupt barrier is installed to prevent unintentional detonation, then safety is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the detonator interrupt barrier component from the design, thereby removing the associated manufacturing costs. The safety function is achieved through the existing threaded connection mechanism and the strategic placement of the detonator in an isolation bulkhead, rather than through additional barrier components that would increase manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Reliability
If a detonator interrupt barrier is installed to prevent unintentional detonation, then safety is improved, but productivity decreases due to requiring additional human action to remove or deactivate the barrier
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically arms the detonator through the threading process itself, eliminating the need for separate human actions to remove or deactivate barriers. The mechanical act of threading the gun together with another perforating gun automatically removes the isolation and arms the detonator, streamlining the preparation process and improving productivity while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The detonator is pre-positioned in an isolation bulkhead during manufacturing, but the actual arming action is deferred until the gun is threaded together at the well site. This preliminary positioning combined with deferred arming through the threading process eliminates the need for additional human intervention to remove barriers, as the arming is automatically accomplished during the normal assembly process.
4Reliability
If the detonator is shipped separate from the perforating gun in compliance with API RP 67, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components needed to couple them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the detonator inside the perforating gun within an isolation bulkhead. This nested configuration allows the detonator to be shipped with the gun as a single integrated unit while maintaining safety isolation. The detonator is contained within the gun's structure but separated by the bulkhead, eliminating the need for separate shipping and reducing the complexity of coupling mechanisms required when detonators are shipped separately.
Data Source
AI summary
Some implementations include a perforating gun configured for transport with an internal detonator, the perforating gun to be used in a wellbore proximate to one or more subsurface formations, the perforating gun comprising: a detonator assembly positioned proximate to a ballistic initiator end of the perforating gun, wherein the detonator assembly includes the detonator; and a detonation cord positioned proximate to a receiver end of the perforating gun, wherein the ballistic initiator end is on an opposing side of the perforating gun from the receiver end; and an isolation cask disposed at the ballistic initiator end of the perforating gun, wherein the detonator assembly is recessed within the isolation cask.