Perforating Gun Wave Manipulators for Wellbore Fragmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional perforating guns face challenges in efficient removal from wellbores due to lodging issues and the need to extend the wellbore beyond the desired perforating zone, delaying hydrocarbon production.
Innovation Solution
A fragmentable perforating gun system utilizing wave manipulators to generate mechanical waves that fracture the gun into pieces, allowing for safe disposal without obstructing the wellbore, using energetic devices and wave manipulators to induce tensile loads and separate the gun into manageable fragments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the perforating gun is dropped to the bottom of the wellbore, then removal operations are simplified, but the wellbore must extend beyond the desired perforating zone, extending drilling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The perforating gun is divided into multiple segments that can separate from each other. The gun includes a first portion and a second portion that can detach, allowing the segments to be disposed of independently at the bottom of the wellbore without requiring extended wellbore depth, thus resolving the contradiction between easy removal and drilling time loss.
2Productivity
If the perforating gun is removed from the wellbore, then production operations can begin, but the gun may become lodged or stuck due to swelling during perforation
Solution Approach 1:
The perforating gun is segmented into multiple portions that can separate. This segmentation allows the gun to be removed in pieces, reducing the risk of becoming lodged during removal operations while still enabling production operations to commence, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The perforating gun transitions from a rigid, monolithic structure to a dynamic, separable structure. The gun can change its configuration from intact to segmented during operation, allowing it to adapt to different wellbore conditions and reduce swelling-related lodging issues, thereby improving both reliability and productivity.
3Ease of operation
If the perforating gun is made separable via wave manipulators, then removal and disposal are simplified, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wave manipulator system is designed to automatically generate and direct mechanical waves to induce separation without requiring external control systems or complex actuation mechanisms. The system uses the energetic devices' own operation to generate waves that naturally propagate through the gun structure, causing separation at predetermined locations, thus simplifying disposal while limiting complexity increase.
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
Enables the perforating gun to be safely and efficiently removed or disposed of at the bottom of the wellbore without obstructing the production zone, reducing drilling extensions and preventing lodging, thus facilitating quicker hydrocarbon recovery.
Implementation Method 1
one or more energetic devices received within the carrier configured to produce one or more mechanical waves
Implementation Method 2
one or more wave manipulators disposed along the longitudinal length of the carrier, wherein the one or more wave manipulators generate an altered wave in an opposite travel direction
Data Source
AI summary
A perforating gun including a carrier having a longitudinal length, one or more energetic devices received within the carrier configured to produce one or more mechanical waves, and one or more wave manipulators disposed along the longitudinal length of the carrier. The one or more wave manipulators generate an altered wave in an opposite travel direction of one or more mechanical waves traveling along the longitudinal length of the carrier.