RF-Safe Switch Detonator Assembly in Non-Free Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing RF-safe switch and detonator systems for oil well perforating guns require an RF-free environment for assembly and testing, limiting the use of more reliable and economical resistorized detonators and restricting pre-site testing, which is safer and more economical.
Innovation Solution
A method for assembling an RF-safe switch and detonator system by selecting an intelligent switch system and a shunted detonator, assembling the perforating gun without the detonator at a first location, testing, transporting, and then connecting trimmed detonator leads to the intelligent switch at the well-site, forming an RF-safe system in a non-RF safe environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the detonator is installed at the assembly location to enable pre-site testing, then testing capability is improved, but safety deteriorates because the assembly location is not an RF-free environment
Solution Approach 1:
The detonator is extracted from the assembly process at the assembly location and kept separate until the well-site visit. The intelligent switch system remains in the gun and can be fully tested without the detonator present. This extraction eliminates the safety hazard of having an active detonator in a non-RF-free environment while preserving complete testing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shunt acts as an intermediary component that temporarily disables the detonator during assembly and testing by providing an alternative electrical path that prevents current from reaching the detonator's initiating mechanism. This allows the detonator to be present during assembly without creating safety hazards, and can be easily removed or activated at the well-site.
2Reliability
If a shunt switch is used to protect the detonator during assembly, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to the additional component and activation step
Solution Approach 1:
The shunt is designed as a simple, inexpensive, single-use component that provides temporary protection during assembly. It is discarded or deactivated after the well-site connection is made, having served its protective purpose. This disposable approach minimizes complexity while providing necessary safety during the assembly phase.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for assembling a radio frequency (RF) safe switch and detonator system in a non-RF free environment. More particularly, the method is for assembling an RF-safe switch and detonator system for an oil well perforating gun at a well-site that is in a non-RF free environment.