The present disclosure relates generally to wellbore completions, e.g., for wellbores employed in oil and gas exploration and production. More particularly, embodiments of the disclosure relate to energetic devices such as explosives, propellants, pyrotechnics and shaped charges that may be detonated in a wellbore, e.g., to provide penetration into a geologic formation surrounding the wellbore. The energetic devices may include components fabricated using an additive manufacturing process.
Hydrocarbons may generally be produced through wellbores drilled from a surface location through a variety of producing and non-producing geologic formations. A wellbore may be substantially vertical, or may include horizontal and other deviated portions. A variety of servicing operations may be performed in a wellbore once drilling has been completed. For example, one or more casing strings can be set and cemented in the wellbore, e.g., to stabilize the geologic formation surrounding the wellbore. The casing strings, cement and/or geologic formation may be penetrated by firing a perforation gun or perforation tool at an appropriate depth in the wellbore. Creating a large perforation in the casing or geologic formation is often desirable to increase the permeability of hydrocarbons into the wellbore. In some instances, a limited or controlled explosive charge may be desirable to generate a specific penetration effect.
The disclosure is described in detail hereinafter, by way of example only, on the basis of examples represented in the accompanying figures, in which:
The present disclosure includes energetic components constructed by additive manufacturing processes such as three-dimensional printing. The energetic components may include propellants, pyrotechnics and explosive materials used in wellbore perforating tools. For example, the explosive materials in a shaped charge may be constructed with complex geometries such as voids or cavities (either fully enclosed within the explosive or extending to an outer surface of the explosive), or layers of specific materials, densities or concentrations of explosive material to produce a specific penetration effect when the shaped charge is detonated.
The wellbore 16, as illustrated in
The perforating tool 12 may be run-in, withdrawn, rotated and otherwise moved in wellbore 16 by a conveyance 30 extending to the surface location “S.” The conveyance 30 may include a wireline, slickline, coiled tubing and/or a drill sting as recognized by those skilled in the art. The conveyance 30, perforating tool 12 and other devices may be coupled to one another to form a workstring 32.
The perforating tool 12 includes a carrier body 50 constructed of a cylindrical sleeve. In the embodiment illustrated, the carrier body 50 optionally includes a plurality of radially reduced areas depicted as scallops or recesses 52. Radially aligned with each of the recesses 52 is a respective one of a plurality of shaped charges 40, only one of which is illustrated in
Each of the shaped charges 40 is longitudinally and radially aligned with one of the recesses 52 in carrier body 50 when perforating tool 12 is assembled. The shaped charges 40 may be arranged in a spiral pattern such that each of the shaped charges 40 is disposed on its own level or height and is to be individually detonated so that only one shaped charge 40 is fired at a time. It will be appreciated, however, that alternate arrangements of shaped charges 40 may be used, including cluster type designs wherein more than one shaped charge 40 is at the same level and is detonated at the same time, without departing from the principles of the present disclosure.
Referring now to
A booster explosive 68 may be disposed at the initiation end 58 of the shaped charge 40, and may operate to facilitate couple the main-load explosive material 64 to the detonation cord 54 (
The case 60 operates to protect the inner explosive materials 64, 68 during handling and storage of the shaped charge 40, and provides a mass against which the explosion can react in operation. The case 60 may be constructed of steel, e.g., or another suitable material. The liner 62 can be attached to the case 60 by a glue bead or other mechanical mechanism defined between a liner skirt 70 and the case 60. The liner 62 may be constructed from any suitable material, including metallic materials, e.g., brass, copper, steel, aluminum, zinc, lead, tungsten and uranium (or combinations of these and other suitable materials). The liner 62 is generally parabolic or cone-shaped such that an apex 72 is defined at an innermost end of an external concavity 74 of the shaped charge 40. The shaped charge 40 may generally rely on a collapse of the liner 62 to develop a high speed jet for creating tunnels or passageways into the geologic formation “G” (
Referring now to
Referring now to
The voids 66, 102, 104, 112, 122, 132 illustrated in
Referring now to
Next, at step 204, a case 60 and a liner 62 may be provided to support the explosive configuration determined to produce the desired penetration effect or hole size. The case 60 and liner 62 may be conventional or commercially available components in some embodiments, and in other embodiments, the case 60 or liner 62 may be produced using additive manufacturing processes, e.g., to include voids or density gradients therein.
At step 206, the explosive materials 64, 68 are deposited by an additive manufacturing process such as three-dimensional printing using 3-D printing machines processes and methods. Various techniques have been developed to use 3-D printers to create prototypes and manufacture products using 3-D design data. See, for example, information available at the Web sites of Z Corporation (www.zcorp.com); Pro Metal, a division of the XI Company (www.prometal.com); EQS GmbH (www.eos.info); 3-D Systems, Inc. (www.3-Dsystems.com); and Stratasys, Inc., (www.stratasys.com and www.dimensionprint.ing.com).
The three-dimensional components that make up the shaped charges 40, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, other energetic materials and other components disclosed herein may be fabricated directly using a 3-D printer in combination with 3-D design data. 3-D printing is generally a process of making a three-dimensional object from digital design data. 3-D printing is distinct from traditional machining, and is also distinct from traditional methods of fabricating composite components. One method of 3-D printing comprises fabricating three-dimensional objects from computer design models using a material deposition process for example extrusion based layering. Extrusion based layered deposition systems (referred to alternatively as fused deposition modeling systems (FDM systems) may be used to build 3-D objects from CAD or other computer design models in a layer-by-layer fashion by extruding flowable materials such as a thermoplastic material mixed with explosive powders. Information regarding such 3-D fabricating processes may be located at the Stratasys Web site.
The explosive materials 64, 68 may be deposited as a separate pellet independent of the case 60 and liner 62 (step 206a), deposited directly onto one or both of the case 60 and liner 62 (step 206b), or combinations of both. The voids 66, 102, 104, 112, 122, 132 may be formed from interruptions in appropriate layers, and the additive manufacturing process may be paused to permit the addition of fluids, e.g., fluids 106, 108 (
Next at step 208, the explosive materials 64, 68 are secured between the case and the liner to form the explosive charges 40, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150. For example, the liner 62 can be attached to the case 60 by a glue bead or other mechanical mechanism. The resulting shaped charges 40, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 may then be lowered into a wellbore 16 to a downhole location adjacent a target annulus or geologic formation “G” (step 210). The shaped charges 40, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150 may then be detonated in the wellbore 16 to penetrate any target annulus 26 and/or geologic formation “G.”
The aspects of the disclosure described below are provided to describe a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are described in greater detail above. This section is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. In one aspect, the disclosure is directed to a shaped charge operable for forming a perforation in a wellbore. The shaped charge includes a case, at least one explosive disposed within the case and a liner coupled to the case and substantially enclosing the explosive within the case. The at least one explosive is formed by an additive manufacturing process.
In some embodiments, the at least one explosive includes an interior void defined therein. The interior void may include at least one of the group consisting of a toroid-shape, an oblong cross section, a polygonal cross section and an irregular cross section. In some embodiments, the interior void includes at least one of the group consisting of atmospheric gasses, liquids, and non-explosive materials disposed therein. In some embodiments, the interior void is defined in a booster explosive formed at an ignition end of the shaped charge.
In one or more example embodiments, the at least one explosive comprises a plurality of distinct material layers defining a density gradient within the case of the shaped charge. The plurality of distinct material layers may be disposed adjacent the liner and a second of the plurality of distinct material layers is disposed adjacent the case.
According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a method of fabricating a shaped charge. The method includes (a) providing a case and a liner, (b) depositing at least one explosive material by an additive manufacturing process, and (c) coupling the liner coupled to the case to substantially enclose the at least one explosive within the case.
In one or more example embodiments, the at least one explosive material is deposited directly onto at least one of the liner and the case in the additive manufacturing process. Alternatively, the at least one explosive material may be deposited as a pellet separate from the liner and the case in the additive manufacturing process.
In some embodiments, the method further includes forming at least one void in the at least one explosive material in the additive manufacturing process. The method may further include pausing the additive manufacturing process when the at least one void is open, filling the at least one void with a material distinct from the at least one explosive material, and resuming the additive manufacturing process to enclose the material distinct from the at last one explosive material within the at least one void.
In some example embodiments, the method further includes forming a density gradient in the at least one explosive material by the additive manufacturing process. The method may further include forming distinct material layers in the at least one explosive to define the density gradient. In some embodiments, the method may further include forming the distinct material layers normal to an axis of the shaped charge. In some embodiments, the method further includes depositing a first one of the distinct material layers onto the liner and a second one of the distinct material layers onto the case by the additive manufacturing process. In some embodiments, the additive manufacturing process is a three-dimensional punting process.
According to another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a perforating tool system for forming a perforation in a wellbore. The perforating tool incudes a carrier body constructed of a cylindrical sleeve, and a plurality of shaped charges disposed within the carrier body. Each of the shaped charges has a case, a liner and at least one explosive formed by an additive manufacturing process and substantially enclosed by the case and the liner.
In one or more example embodiments, the perforating tool system further includes a detonator cord extending through the carrier body and coupled to each of the shaped charges. At least a portion of the detonator cord may be constructed by an additive manufacturing process. In some embodiments, the perforating tool system further includes a conveyance coupled to the carrier body, the conveyance operable to lower the carrier body into a wellbore.
The Abstract of the disclosure is solely for providing the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the public at large with a way by which to determine quickly from a cursory reading the nature and gist of technical disclosure, and it represents solely one or more examples.
While various examples have been illustrated in detail, the disclosure is not limited to the examples shown. Modifications and adaptations of the above examples may occur to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and adaptations are in the scope of the disclosure.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2018/012679 | 1/5/2018 | WO | 00 |