Retrievable Perforating Gun Assembly with Integrated Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing perforating gun assemblies for hydrocarbon extraction require complex assemblies, tandem seal adapters, and generate debris that obstructs wellbores, increasing costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A perforating gun assembly with a housing having connector ends and a central chamber for initiators, featuring sockets for shaped charges that can be directly connected without tandem seal adapters, allowing for wireless detonation and encapsulation to minimize debris.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tandem seal adapters are used to connect perforating guns, then sealed connection between adjacent guns is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the sealing function directly into the connector ends of adjacent perforating gun housings. The first connector end of one housing directly connects to the second connector end of the adjacent housing, merging the connection and sealing functions into a single integrated structure, eliminating the need for separate tandem seal adapters.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector ends are designed to serve multiple functions: mechanical connection between guns, sealing of the interface, and structural support. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for dedicated sealing adapters, reducing overall assembly complexity while maintaining reliable sealed connections.
2Reliability
If tandem seal adapters are used to connect perforating guns, then sealed connection is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing functionality is merged into the housing structure itself through the connector ends. This eliminates the need for separate sealing components, reducing the total number of parts that need to be manufactured, inventoried, and assembled, thereby lowering manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is extracted from the tandem seal adapter component and integrated directly into the housing connector ends. This simplifies the bill of materials and reduces manufacturing complexity by eliminating a separate sealing component.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If inner sleeve with pre-drilled holes is used to capture debris, then debris retrieval is improved, but manufacturing cost and assembly complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The explosive charges themselves are utilized to capture and retrieve debris. The shaped charges are positioned to detonate in a sequence that captures debris in the wellbore, converting the harmful debris into captured material that can be retrieved with the gun assembly, eliminating the need for separate debris capture mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The perforating gun assembly performs its own debris capture function through the strategic positioning and detonation sequence of the shaped charges. The system is self-sufficient, using its primary explosive function to simultaneously capture debris, eliminating the need for additional dedicated debris capture components.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If inner sleeve with pre-drilled holes is used to capture debris, then debris retrieval is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shaped charges are positioned and timed to capture debris during their normal detonation sequence. This converts the harmful debris into captured material without requiring separate capture mechanisms, reducing manufacturing costs while effectively addressing debris obstruction.
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
Facilitates direct connection and retrieval of perforating gun assemblies, reduces debris in the wellbore, and simplifies manufacturing, enhancing operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a surface signal actuates an ignition of a fuse or detonator, which in turn initiates a detonating cord, which detonates the explosive charges to penetrate/perforate the casing
Implementation Method 2
The perforating gun includes explosive charges, typically shaped, hollow or projectile charges
Data Source
AI summary
A perforating gun assembly includes an exposed perforating gun module. The exposed perforating gun module includes a housing having a first connector end, a second connector end opposite and spaced apart from the first connector end, and a chamber extending along a central axis of the housing between the first and second connector ends. The chamber is configured for receiving a detonator and optionally, a radial booster charge coupled to the detonator. A plurality of sockets extends from an outer surface of the housing towards the chamber. Each socket is configured to receive an encapsulated shaped charge. The encapsulated shaped charges may include a protrusion having an external thread that threadingly engage a complimentary threaded portion of the sockets. The detonator may directly initiate the radial booster charge or the encapsulated shaped charges.