Exploring, drilling and completing hydrocarbon and other wells are generally complicated, time consuming and ultimately very expensive endeavors. As a result, over the years well architecture has become more sophisticated where appropriate in order to help enhance access to underground hydrocarbon reserves. For example, as opposed to wells of limited depth, it is not uncommon to find hydrocarbon wells exceeding 30,000 feet in depth. Furthermore, as opposed to remaining entirely vertical, today's hydrocarbon wells often include deviated or horizontal sections aimed at targeting particular underground reserves.
While such well depths and architecture may increase the likelihood of accessing underground hydrocarbon reservoirs, other challenges are presented in terms of well management and the maximization of hydrocarbon recovery from such wells. For example, during the life of a well, a variety of well access applications may be performed within the well with a host of different tools or measurement devices. However, providing downhole access to wells of such challenging architecture may require more than simply dropping a wireline into the well with the applicable tool located at the end thereof. Indeed, a variety of isolating, perforating and stimulating applications may be employed in conjunction with completions operations.
In the case of perforating, different zones of the well may be outfitted with packers and other hardware, in part for sake of zonal isolation. Thus, wireline or other conveyance may be directed to a given zone and a perforating gun employed to create perforation tunnels through the well casing. Specifically, shaped charges housed within the steel gun may be detonated to form perforations or tunnels into the surrounding formation, ultimately enhancing recovery therefrom.
The profile, depth and other characteristics of the perforations are dependent upon a variety of factors in addition to the material structure through which each perforation penetrates. That is, the jet formed by the detonation of a given shaped charge may pierce steel casing, cement and a variety of different types of rock that make up the surrounding formation. However, characteristics of different components of the shaped charge itself may determine the characteristics of the jet and ultimately the depth, profile and overall effectiveness of each given perforation as described below.
Among other components, a shaped charge generally includes a case, explosive pellet material and a liner. Thus, detonation of the explosive within the case may be utilized to direct the liner away from the gun and toward the well wall as a means by which to form the noted jet. Therefore, understandably, the characteristics of the jet are largely dependent upon the behavior of the liner and other shaped charge components upon detonation. For example, a solid copper or zinc liner may be utilized to generate a jet of considerable stretch with a head or tip that travels at 5-10 times the rate of speed as compared to the speed at the tail. Depending on the casing thickness, formation type and other such well-dependent characteristics, this type of liner is generally of notable effectiveness in terms of achieving substantial depth of penetration.
Unfortunately, a solid metal liner of the general type described above faces limitations in terms of the actual effectiveness of the penetration. For example, as described above, the perforation is a tunnel into the formation from which hydrocarbons may be extracted. However, a solid metal liner is prone to penetrate the formation in a manner that often leaves a slug of material lodged within the perforation. Thus, even where the perforation is of notable depth, it is often largely obstructed. Further, as the solid liner material begins to stretch and break up, it begins to tumble resulting in a loss of coherence and penetrating character.
In order to avoid such issues with solid liners, a crystalline powder liner may instead be utilized. For example, a crystalline base material may be mixed with a binding agent such as copper or lead and pressed into a liner component for assembly into a shaped charge. Thus, upon detonation of the shaped charge, a perforating jet will emerge from a crystalline powder material that readily disintegrates as opposed to emerging from a solid liner that is prone to leave behind a slug within the perforation.
Unfortunately, while the crystalline powder liner is not as prone to leave behind an occlusive slug, it is also not as prone to develop a jet of notable stretch or effectiveness in terms of perforating depth. That is, given the near immediate disintegration of the liner, its stretch, density distribution and other factors that might enhance depth are limited. Ultimately, this leaves the perforating gun operator with the undesirable choice between utilizing a shaped charge that may result in a perforation that is compromised by a slug versus one that may result in a perforation that is limited in terms of penetration depth.
An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a shaped charge for use with a perforating gun in forming a perforation into a formation at a well wall with a jet. The shaped charge comprises a case, an explosive pellet accommodated by the case, and a liner of an amorphous-based material tailored to enhance the jet in forming the perforation. The liner is formed by a three dimensional print manufacturing application.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method comprising the steps of (a) deploying a perforating gun into a well to a target location adjacent a formation, and (b) detonating a shaped charge within a body of the gun at the location to generate a jet of enhanced character for tunneling a perforation into the formation. The shaped charge comprises a case accommodating an explosive pellet adjacent an amorphous-based material liner to support the enhanced character. In the method, one of the liner, the case, the shaped charge, the body of the perforating gun, or the loading tube of the perforating gun is formed as part of a three dimensional print manufacturing application.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a multi-material three dimensional print method of manufacturing a shaped charge. The method comprises printing a case of a first material, printing an explosive pellet of a second material, and printing a liner of a third material. The printing of the case, explosive and liner takes place as part of a three dimensional print manufacturing application.
Embodiments are described with reference to certain downhole perforating applications in vertical cased well environments. In particular, wireline deployed applications utilizing a shaped charge assembly system are detailed. However, other forms of deployment and well architectures may take advantage of the shaped charge assembly system as detailed herein. For example, multi-zonal wells may benefit from such a system during stimulation operations. Regardless, so long as shaped charge components take advantage of amorphous materials, such as an amorphous liner, significant benefit may be realized in the perforating application.
Referring now to
Continuing with reference to
The case 150 may be formed by conventional machining such as computer, numeric code or forging. The amorphous-based material liner 101 may also be separately machined from a solid bar. Additionally, the liner 101 may be formed by stamping, pressing or other suitable techniques. Regardless, the separately formed case 150 and liner 101 may be assembled together with the pellet 175 sandwiched therebetween and the case seal 155 placed thereover. However, in an embodiment detailed further below with reference to
Referring now to
With particular focus on
Continuing with reference to
The amorphous-based material liner 101 of
Referring now to
The gun 305 of
Continuing with reference to
In order to keep the amount of debris formed during perforating at a minimum, the gun 305 may be constructed of an amorphous-based material with reactive agents incorporated therein. Thus, the gun 305 may be configured to disintegrate upon perforating with follow-on exothermal, oxidation or other tailored reaction taking place to break up the resultant debris into non-occlusive particle sizes. In fact, in one embodiment, such a disintegrating gun is formed via a three dimensional print application as described further below.
Referring now to
Regardless, the performance of each jet 400, 401, 405 may be enhanced by the inclusion of amorphous material within the shaped charge 100, particularly the liner 101, 410, 415, as described above. Thus, a slug-free terminal end 427, 457, 477 of a perforation 425, 450, 475 may be formed with sufficient penetration through casing 385, underlying cement 490 and into the formation 395 adjacent the well 380. In one embodiment, the liner 101, 410 and/or 415 may include reactive materials such as titanium to promote a reaction. Thus, the environment of the well and/or perforations 425, 450, 475 may remain effectively debris-free. In fact, in one embodiment, the amorphous materials may include reactive agents to allow for a lower initiation pressure during follow-on fracturing applications. In such embodiments, the reactive material may remain protected by amorphous or other surrounding materials but become exposed for reactivity following detonation. Such reactivity may even be utilized to actively reduce or “clean-out” some level of debris within perforations 425, 450, 475.
High density powders such as tungsten may also be incorporated into the liner 101, 410, 415 to enhance jet density. Additionally, the material of the case 150 may be tailored to match that of the liner 101, 410, 415.
With specific reference to
With specific reference to
Referring now to
Referring now to
Continuing with reference to
In addition to rapidly providing a charge or complete gun system, such three dimensional printing may allow a degree of specialized precision to components such as the liner 415, thereby optimizing performance. For example, in the case of the liner 415, tailoring the material gradient is rendered practical in addition to the morphology. In one embodiment, the liner 415 is of greater density, lesser porosity, or other characteristic at one end (e.g. at the skirt). Similarly, reactive materials, wave shape features, or other performance features may be precisely located at desired portions of the liner 415 due to the accuracy of the print technology.
Similar benefit may also be provided to the case 150 and/or explosive pellet 175. For example, the case 150 may be of a controlled porosity with post explosive debris characteristics in mind. The case 150 may even be of a multi-point initiation with tunnels at its base. By the same token, density, porosity and other characteristics of the pellet 175 may be precisely provided layer by layer such that the explosive output and resultant jet performance is maximized. This may even include providing selectively integrated non-explosive materials.
In one embodiment, the loading tube, gun and entire gun system may be three dimensionally printed as described above. Thus, specialized materials such as fast corrosives or cavities may be layered into these parts to reduce weight without substantial effect on performance. Indeed, the entire system may be constructed of materials such as reactives and fast corrosives that are configured to disintegrate or “disappear” upon detonation. Thus, little or no debris may be left downhole upon perforating.
Referring now to
As noted above, with completed shaped charges in hand, the gun may be loaded as indicated at 650 and lowered into the well for a perforating application (see 660). As detailed hereinabove, benefits of utilizing amorphous materials, particularly those of the liner may be realized. Specifically, as indicated at 670, detonation of shaped charges may form perforations from a jet of characteristics enhanced by the utilization of a liner of tailored amorphous materials. In fact, as indicated at 680, debris-reducing reactions relative the gun, shaped charge components or even perforation clean-out may follow the perforating as a manner of maximizing follow-on hydrocarbon recovery.
Embodiments described hereinabove include a shaped charge that may be tailored of amorphous materials to substantially avoid the formation of a liner material slug that may become wedged within a perforation tunnel during the perforating. Thus, the effectiveness of the perforation for hydrocarbon uptake is not substantially hindered by such an occlusive or blocking type of material. By the same token, embodiments of the shaped charge may also be tailored to ensure the formation of an effective jet upon firing of the shaped charge.
The preceding description has been presented with reference to presently preferred embodiments. Persons skilled in the art and technology to which these embodiments pertain will appreciate that alterations and changes in the described structures and methods of operation may be practiced without meaningfully departing from the principle, and scope of these embodiments. Furthermore, the foregoing description should not be read as pertaining only to the precise structures described and shown in the accompanying drawings, but rather should be read as consistent with and as support for the following claims, which are to have their fullest and fairest scope.
This Patent Document is a divisional of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/229,400, entitled “Amorphous Shaped Charge Component And Manufacture”, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S. Provisional App. Ser. No. 61/806,785, entitled “Materials for Oilfield Shaped Charges and Guns”, filed on Mar. 29, 2013, and to U.S. Provisional App. Ser. No. 61/808,385, entitled “Perforating Tools and Components”, filed on Apr. 4, 2013. Each of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
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20190041173 A1 | Feb 2019 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14229400 | Mar 2014 | US |
Child | 16155346 | US |