Perforating Gun Positioning Tool for Wellbore Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Well servicing tools face challenges in accurately positioning perforating guns in wellbores with complex geometries, leading to inefficiencies and increased risk due to high friction forces and difficulty in determining the correct placement, especially in horizontal or deviated sections, which can result in incomplete or incorrect perforation of production zones.
Innovation Solution
A service tool string with a positioning tag, service packer, and adjustment tool that allows independent movement of the perforating gun assembly, utilizing a tag locating tool to determine the correct depth and an anchoring mechanism to secure the adjustment tool, enabling precise placement of perforating guns within the target zone without the need for separate surveying tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If separate surveying tools are used to determine the location of well servicing tools, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and loss of time increase due to additional trips into and out of the wellbore
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the surveying function with the well servicing tools by integrating a positioning tag and tag locating tool directly into the service packer assembly. This allows the servicing tools to determine their own location without requiring separate surveying tool trips, thus improving measurement precision while eliminating the time loss associated with multiple trips into and out of the wellbore.
2Reliability
If work string manipulation is performed to anchor the service packer, then the service packer is securely positioned, but the perforating guns move out of position due to wellbore geometry and friction forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the service tool string into functionally independent components: the service packer for anchoring and sealing, and the perforating gun assembly for perforation. The adjustment tool with independent mandrel allows the perforating guns to be positioned separately from the packer setting operation, enabling the packer to be securely anchored while maintaining precise perforating gun placement despite wellbore geometry and friction forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an adjustment tool with an extendable mandrel that can dynamically reposition the perforating gun assembly after the service packer has been set. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to compensate for position changes caused by work string manipulation, maintaining manufacturing precision for perforating gun placement while ensuring reliable packer anchoring.
3Productivity
If the service tool string is lowered to target depth, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to difficulty in determining correct placement in complex wellbore geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a positioning tag as an intermediary element that facilitates accurate location determination. The tag locating tool interacts with this tag to provide precise depth measurement and positioning feedback, enabling the service tool string to be lowered efficiently to the correct target depth even in complex wellbore geometries where direct measurement would be inaccurate.
Data Source
AI summary
A downhole tool position adjustment assembly for locating a tool downhole comprising a mandrel coupled to a housing via an extend-retract mechanism. A controller communicatively connected to the extend-retract mechanism, wherein an application executing within the controller, is configured to control the extend-retract mechanism. A communication system, communicatively coupled to the controller, is configured to receive a command signal from an operator at a surface location. The extend-retract mechanism moves the mandrel relative to the housing in response to a control signal received from the controller in response to the command signal received by the communication system.