ORIENTABLE PERFORATING GUN WITH ORIENTING BEARING ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF USING SAME

Abstract

An orientable perforating gun of a downhole tool and method. The orientable perforating gun includes a housing, a downhole component, and an orienting bearing assembly. The downhole component includes a detonation assembly positioned in the housing. The detonation assembly includes a charge assembly carrying shaped charges, and a detonator assembly carrying a detonator to ignite the shaped charges. The orienting bearing assembly includes a rotational bearing and an orienter. The rotational bearing is coupled to the downhole component, and supports the downhole component within the downhole tool. The orienter includes an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component. The orienter gravitationally urges a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to oilfield technology. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to techniques for manipulating (e.g., orienting) downhole tools.

Wellsite operations are performed to locate and access subsurface targets, such as valuable hydrocarbons. Drilling equipment is positioned at the surface and downhole drilling tools are advanced into the subsurface formation to form wellbores. Once drilled, casing may be inserted into the wellbore and cemented into place to complete the well. Once the well is completed, production tubing may be deployed through the casing and into the wellbore to produce fluid to the surface for capture.

During the wellsite operations, various downhole tools, may be deployed into the earth to perform various procedures, such as measurement, perforation, injection, plugging, etc. Examples of downhole tools are provided in US Patent/Application Nos. 10200024935; U.S. Pat. No. 10,507,433; 20050067169; 20200277837; 20170576775; 20170530947; 20190242222; 20190234189; U.S. Pat. No. 10,309,199; 20190127290; 20190086189; 20190242209; 20180299239; 20180224260; U.S. Pat. No. 9,915,513; 20180038208; U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,822,618; 9,605,937; 20170074078; U.S. Pat. No. 9,581,422; 20170030693; 20160556132; 20160061572; U.S. Pat. No. 8,960,093; 20140033939; U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,267,012; 6,520,089; 20160115753; 20190178045; U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,365,079; 10,844,678; 10,365,079; 10,036,236; 10,365,079; 3,713,393; 3,024,843; 20200072029; 20200048996; 20150345922; and 20160115753 the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Techniques may be provided to facilitate operation of the downhole tool in the wellbore. Examples of such techniques are provided in patent/application nos. WO2022/226379, U.S. application Ser. No. 18/633,782, U.S. Pat. No. 11,078,763, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Despite advancements in downhole technology, there remains a need for manipulating (e.g., orienting) downhole tools positioned in compact downhole environments and to facilitate movement of the downhole tool through the wellbore. The present disclosure is directed at providing such needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In at least one aspect, the disclosure relates to an orienting bearing assembly of a downhole tool. The downhole comprises a downhole component. The orienting bearing assembly comprises a rotational bearing and an orienter. The rotational bearing is coupled to the downhole component. The rotational bearing rotationally supports the downhole component within the downhole tool. The orienter comprises an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component. The orienter gravitationally urges a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool.

In another aspect, the disclosure relates to an orientable perforating gun of a downhole tool the orientable perforating gun comprises: a housing; a downhole component comprising a detonation assembly positioned in the housing, a detonation assembly, and an orienting bearing assembly. The detonation assembly comprises a charge assembly carrying shaped charges; and a detonator assembly carrying a detonator to ignite the shaped charges. The orienting bearing assembly comprises a rotational bearing and an orienter. The rotational bearing is coupled to the downhole component. The rotational bearing rotationally supports the downhole component within the downhole tool. The orienter comprises an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component. The orienter gravitationally urges a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool.

Finally, in another aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of orienting a downhole tool. The downhole tool comprises a downhole component. The method comprises providing the orientable perforating gun; positioning the orientable perforating gun in a wellbore; and urging the detonation assembly to a weighted position within the housing as the detonation assembly rotates about the rotational bearings. The orienting bearing assembly comprises a rotational bearing and an orienter. The rotational bearing is coupled to the downhole component. The rotational bearing rotationally supports the downhole component within the downhole tool. The orienter comprises an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component. The orienter gravitationally urges a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool.

In at least one aspect, the disclosure relates to an orienting bear assembly for a downhole tool. The orienting bear assembly comprises rotational bearings; and an orienter. The rotational bearings may comprise a pair of roller bearings. The orienter may comprise an offset counterweight.

In another aspect the disclosure relates to an orientable perforating gun. The orientable perforating gun comprises a housing; the orienting bear assembly; and a detonation assembly comprising a detonator assembly and a charge assembly, the detonation assembly rotationally supported in the housing by the rotational bearings, the orienter offsettingly connected to the detonation assembly. The rotational bearings may be positioned at each end of the detonation assembly.

In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a method of orienting a perforating gun. The method comprises providing an orientable perforating gun, positioning the orientable perforating gun in a wellbore; and urging the detonation assembly to a weighted position within the housing as the detonation assembly rotates about the rotational bearings. The method may also comprise perforating the wellbore in an oriented direction by launching shaped charges from the detonation assembly while the detonation assembly is in the weighted position

Finally, the disclosure also relates to an orienting bear assembly, an orientable perforating gun, and/or a method of orienting as described herein.

This Summary is not intended to be limiting and should be read in light of the entire disclosure including text, claims and figures herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

So that the above recited features and advantages of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. The appended drawings illustrate example embodiments and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features, and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a wellsite with surface and downhole equipment, the downhole equipment comprising a downhole tool including an orientable perforating gun with an orienting bearing assembly.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the orientable perforating gun including an orienting bearing assembly.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional and exploded views, respectively, of an orientable perforating gun with the orienting bearing assembly.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional and hidden views of another version of the orientable perforating gun with another version of the orienting bearing assembly.

FIGS. 5A-5C are cross-sectional and exploded views of a portion of the orientable perforating gun depicting a rotational bearing of the orienting bearing assembly in greater detail.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional and hidden views of a portion of the orientable perforating gun depicting an orienter of the orienting bearing assembly in greater detail.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are partial-cross-sectional views of the orientable perforating gun in an un-oriented and an oriented position, respectively.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart depicting a method of orienting a perforating gun.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The description that follows includes exemplary apparatus, methods, techniques, and/or instruction sequences that embody techniques of the present subject matter. However, it is understood that the described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

This disclosure relates to an orientable perforating gun. The orientable perforating gun includes a housing with a detonation assembly for launching shaped charges in an oriented direction to form perforations along the wellbore. The detonation assembly includes a detonator assembly and a charge assembly (with a charge tube) for launching the shaped charges into the wellbore. The orientable perforating gun also has an orienting bearing assembly used to urge the orientable perforating gun to a pre-determined orientation such that the shaped charges form perforations in the oriented direction about the wellbore.

The orienting bearing assembly includes one or more rotational bearings and one or more orienters. The rotational bearings may be, for example, roller bearings for rotationally supporting the detonation assembly within the housing. The orienters may be, for example, offset counterweights positioned about the detonation assembly. The orienters may be used to gravitationally urge a portion of the detonation assembly to a weighted position within the housing, thereby positioning the orientable perforating tool into the pre-determined oriented direction for launching the shaped charges.

The present disclosure seeks to provide one or more of the following, among others: orienting (e.g., directional) capabilities, reliability, ability to operate passively, simplicity of design, operability in harsh downhole conditions, ease of manufacture and assembly, ability to prepackage components, compact size positionable in various locations, ability to couple to or integrate with existing components, operability with components of other tools for use therewith, reduction in cost, increased efficiency, elimination of redundant components, timed operation, ability to maintain orientation of downhole components, adjustable configurations, flexibility of use, ability to change configurations to match operational needs, ability to provide one or more configurations, ability to maintain position for increased accuracy, time savings, efficient operation, low maintenance costs, compact design, replaceable and/or disposable components, etc.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a wellsite 100 with surface equipment 102a and downhole equipment 102b. The downhole equipment 102b comprises a downhole tool 118 including the orientable perforating gun 132 with an orienting bearing assembly 134. The surface equipment 102a and the downhole equipment 102b are positioned about a wellbore 104 at the wellsite 100. The surface equipment 102a is positioned along the surface about the wellbore 104, and the downhole equipment 102b extends into the wellbore 104. The wellsite 100 may be any wellsite positioned about a subterranean formation, such as an unconventional formation (e.g., shale) with a reservoir (e.g., oil, gas, water, etc.) therein.

The surface equipment 102a includes a crane 106, a truck 108, a wellhead assembly 110, and a surface unit 111. The crane 106 supports a pulley 112. The truck 108 supports a spool 114. A conveyance (e.g., wireline) 116 extends from the spool 114 over the pulley 112 and into the wellbore 104. The surface unit 111 is coupled to the conveyance 116 for communication therewith.

The downhole equipment 102b includes a casing 117 and the downhole tool 118 positioned in the wellbore 104. The casing 117 is a tubular member that lines the wellbore 104 and is connected to the wellhead assembly 110. In some cases, the casing 117 may be omitted (e.g., for openhole applications), or the casing 117 may be installed in only a portion of the wellbore 104.

The downhole tool 118 is supported in the wellbore 104 by the conveyance 116. The downhole tool 118 may be any downhole tool that can operatively support the perforating gun(s) 132 in the wellbore 104. The downhole tool 118 includes perforating gun 132 for perforating the wellbore 104. The downhole tool 118 may include one or more of the perforating guns 132. Multiple of the perforating guns 132 may be connected together end to end in series to form at least a portion of the downhole tool 118. Threaded connections may be provided at each end of the perforating guns 132 for connecting one or more perforating gun 132 together. Examples of downhole tools 118 and perforating guns 132 that may be used are provided in the patents previously incorporated by reference herein (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 11,078,763).

The downhole tool 118 may also be provided with various other downhole components, such a conveyance connector 133a, a collar locator (“CCL”) 133b, and a plug setting tool 133c, as shown in the example of FIG. 1. The conveyance connector 133a may be provided at an uphole end of the downhole tool 118 for connection to the wireline 116. The CCL 133b may be positioned along the downhole tool 118 to detect collars along the casing 117 as the downhole tool 118 passes through the wellbore 104. The plug setting tool 133c may be positioned at a downhole end of the downhole tool 118 to secure the downhole tool 118 at specified depths along the wellbore 104.

The perforating guns 132 each carry one or more shaped charges (not shown). The shaped charges may be explosive components that are detonated from within the downhole tool 118 to form a perforation 135 in the wall of the wellbore 104 when activated. This perforation 135 extends through the wall of the wellbore 104 (and the casing 117 and cement if present) and into the subterranean formation surrounding the wellbore 104. The shaped charges may be configured to create the perforations 135 for passage of fracturing (or injection) fluid into the formation for hydraulic fracturing therein.

One or more of the perforating guns 132 may be an orientable perforating gun positionable in an oriented direction. The orientable perforating gun may be provided with an orienting bearing assembly 136 capable of orienting the orientable perforating gun 132 within the wellbore 104 such that perforations 135 are formed in a pre-determined direction as is described further herein.

The perforating guns 132 (and other components of the downhole tool 118) may be communicatively connected to the surface unit 111 by the wireline 116 and/or by other means (e.g., wireline, electromagnetic, sonar, or other communication means). A communication link 131, such as a feed thru wire (or other wire, cable, etc.), may extend from the wireline 116 through a tool housing 130 of the downhole tool 118 and/or through the perforating guns 132. The perforating guns 132 may be connected by the communication link 131 for communication therebetween and/or for communication with the other components of the downhole tool 118. The perforating guns 132 may be independently operated, or communicatively linked together via the communication link 131 for integrated operation therebetween.

The downhole tool 118 may be communicatively coupled by the communication link 131 to the surface to receive signals therefrom. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the communication link 131 extends from the surface unit 111 and to the downhole tool 118 via the conveyance 116. The surface unit 111 may be provided with personnel (e.g., operators) and/or electronics (e.g., central processing units (CPUs), controllers, etc.) for sending and/or receiving signals via the communication link 131 to the downhole tool 118.

The communication link 131 may extend in series through each of the perforating guns 132 and/or other downhole components in the downhole tool 118. The perforating gun(s) 132 may be activated by the surface unit 111 (e.g., by sending a trigger signal via the communication link 131) to selectively fire one or more of the shaped charges to form the perforations 135. Each of the downhole components in the downhole tool 118 may be capable of receiving signals from the surface via the communication link 131. These signals may be used to activate (e.g., trigger) one or more of the downhole components to perform downhole operations, such as perforating. Each of the downhole components may be communicatively coupled to other downhole components for passing signals therethrough. This coupling may be used to extend the communication link 131 through each of the downhole components.

While FIG. 1 shows a certain configuration of the wellsite 100, the surface equipment 102a, and the downhole equipment 102b, various configurations may be used. For example, one or more communication links 131, surface unit 111, and/or other devices may be provided for use with the downhole tool 118 and the perforating guns 132. In another example, the downhole tool 118 may have one or more orientable perforating guns 132 in use with one or more of the downhole components.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the orientable perforating gun 132 including the orienting bearing assembly 136. This orientable perforating gun 132 may be used as one or more of the perforating guns 132 in FIG. 1. As shown in this view, the orienting bearing assembly 136 may be used with a variety of perforating guns for urging the orientable perforating gun 132 into a pre-determined orientation (or oriented direction) for launching shaped charges 244b into the wellbore 144 and forming the perforations 135 (FIG. 1).

The orientable perforating gun 132 includes a housing 240a, a detonation assembly 240b, and the orienting bearing assembly 136. Examples of housings and detonation assemblies that may be used are provided in the patents previously incorporated by reference herein (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 11,078,763). The housing 240a may be a tubular member connectable to other components of the downhole tool 118 (FIG. 1). The housing 240a may have a detonator bulkhead 241a and a charge bulkhead 241b therein. The housing 240a is shaped to support the detonation assembly 240b and the bearing assembly 136 therein.

A detonator bulkhead 241a and a charge bulkhead 241b may be positioned in the housing 240a on opposite sides of the detonation assembly 240b. Electrical connectors 241c1,c2 connectable to the communication link 131 (FIG. 1) may be supported in each of the detonator bulkhead 241a and the charge bulkhead 241b. The electrical connectors 241c1,c2 may be, for example, an insulated feed thru capable of electrical connection to the detonation assembly 240b. The electrical connector 241c1 is positioned in the detonator bulkhead 241a for electrical connection to the detonator assembly 242b. The electrical connector 241c2 is positioned in the charge bulkhead 241b for electrical connection to the charge assembly 242a. The electrical connectors 241c1,c2 are also electrically connectable to other components in the downhole tool 118 (FIG. 1).

The charge assembly 242a may include a charge tube 244a with the shaped charges 244b supported therein. The detonator assembly 242b may include a detonator 243 communicatively coupled to the shaped charges 244b for selectively activating the shaped charges 244b to form the perforations 135 in the wellbore 104 (FIG. 1).

The orienting bearing assembly 136 includes a rotational bearing 246a1 and an orienter 246b1. The rotational bearing 246a1 may include, for example, a roller bearing supported within the detonator bulkhead 241a. The rotational bearing 246a1 may be positioned adjacent to the detonator assembly 240b for rotationally supporting the detonation assembly 240b within the housing 240a. The rotational bearing 246a1 may allow the detonation assembly 240b to rotate within the housing 240a as indicated by the curved arrow. This may allow the detonation assembly 240b to rotate such that the shaped charges 244b are positionable at a rotational angle (a) about the housing 240a to an oriented direction OD.

One or more additional rotational bearings 246a1,a2 may optionally be positioned at various locations within the detonation assembly 240b, such as on an opposite side of the detonation assembly 240b as shown by the rotational bearing 246a2. The rotational bearings 246a1,a2 may be installed on each end of the detonation assembly 240b to allow the detonation assembly 240b to rotate freely inside of the housing 240a. This may allow the detonation assembly 240b to rotate to find its orientation regardless of the orientation of the housing 240a, or the conditions inside of the wellbore 104 (FIG. 1).

One or more of the orienters 246b1,b2 may be positionable about the detonation assembly 240b. The orienter 246b1 may be shaped to define an offset (or greater) mass on one side of the detonation assembly 240b. The offset mass of the orienter 246b1 may be positioned along a portion of the detonation assembly 240b to urge such portion towards a gravitational bottom B within the housing as indicated by the arrow G. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the orienter 246b1 is an offset counterweight having a tubular shape encircling the detonator assembly 242b with a heavier mass on one side of the detonator assembly 242b.

One or more additional orienters 246b1,b2 may optionally be positioned at various locations within the housing. As shown in FIG. 2, an additional orienter 246b2 is positioned about the charge bulkhead 241b adjacent the downhole rotational bearing 246a2. The additional orienter 246b2 is an offset weight positioned about the charge bulkhead 241b a distance from the detonator assembly 242b. Like the orienter 246b1, the additional orienter 246b2 defines an offset mass on one side of the charge assembly 242a. The offset masses of the orienters 246b1,b2 may be aligned to urge one side of the detonation assembly 240b to a given location within the housing 240a (e.g., at bottom B).

The orienters 246b1,b2 may be positioned on each end of the detonation assembly 240b, thereby causing the detonation assembly 240b to be off balance and rotate within the housing 240a. The detonation assembly 240b is rotationally supported about the rotational bearings 246a1 to allow the offset mass of the orienters 246b1,b2 to urge the detonation assembly 240b to rotate until the orienters 246b1,b2 fall in the gravitational direction G and settle in a resting position at the gravitational bottom B of the housing 240a. Once the detonation assembly 240b reaches the natural resting position within the housing 240a (e.g., at the bottom of the housing 240a), the orienters 246b1, b2 may help to retain the orientation of the detonation assembly 240b. As also shown in FIG. 2, when the orienters 246b1,b2 are oriented in the gravitational direction G, the shaped charges 244b in the charge assembly 242a are correspondingly oriented in the orienting direction OD.

The orientable perforating gun 132 may also be provided with other features. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 2, a receiving cap 245 is positioned between the orienter 246b and the charge assembly 242a.

FIGS. 3A-4B show examples of the orientable perforating gun 132 and the orienting bearing assembly 136. FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional and exploded views, respectively, of the orientable perforating gun 132 with the orienting bearing assembly 136. This orientable perforating gun 132 includes the same components identified in FIG. 2, except that the charge bulkhead 241b is also provided with an electrical contact 350a with an insulating sleeve 350b. The electrical contact 350a is positionable within the orienter 246b1 for electrically connecting the electrical connector 241c2 to the charge assembly 242a. The insulating sleeve 350b provides an electrical barrier between the electrical contact 350a and the charge bulkhead 241b.

As also shown in FIGS. 3A, portions of the orienting bearing assembly 136 may be pre-packaged for delivery. For example, a charge portion 351a of the orienting bearing assembly 136 may be connected to a detonator portion 351b of the orienting bearing assembly 136 of an adjacent perforating gun 132 to form a bearing package 352 to facilitate connection with the adjacent perforating guns 132. The charge portion 351a of the orienting bearing assembly 136 includes the rotational bearing 246a2, the charge bulkhead 241b, the orienter 246b2, the electrical contact 350a, and the insulating sleeve 350b. The detonator portion 351b of the orienting bearing assembly 136 of the adjacent perforating gun 132 include the detonator bulkhead 241a, the electrical connector 241c1, and the rotational bearing 246a1. The bearing package 352 may be connected into the charge tube 244a to provide the perforating gun 132 with a prepackaged bearing connection for connection to the adjacent perforating gun 132.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional and hidden views of another version of the orientable perforating gun 432 with another version of the orienting bearing assembly 436. These figures show the orientable perforating gun 432 with the bearing package 352. These figures also demonstrate that the orientable perforating gun 432 may have variations, such as additional or fewer components. In the example shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the orientable perforating gun 432 has only one rotational bearing 246a2 to rotationally support the detonation assembly 240b. In this example, the rotational bearing 246a2 is positioned in the charge bulkhead 241b, and the detonator bulkhead 241a has no rotational bearing 246a1. As also shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, an additional detonator assembly 442b is connected at an uphole end of the orientable perforating gun 432 for connection to another adjacent perforating gun 132.

FIGS. 5A-6B depict aspects of the orienting bearing assembly 136 in greater detail. FIGS. 5A-5C are cross-sectional and exploded views of a portion of the orientable perforating gun 132 depicting the bearing package 352 and aspects of the orienting bearing assembly 136 in greater detail. As shown in FIG. 5A, the rotational bearing 246a2 is positioned between the detonator bulkhead 241a and the charge bulkhead 241b. As shown in FIGS. 5A-5C, the detonator bulkhead 241a has a bearing cavity 554a shaped to receive an end of the charge bulkhead 241b and the rotational bearing 246a2. The charge bulkhead 241b has a bearing recess 554b shaped to receive and support the rotational bearing 246a2 therein.

As shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, the orienter 246b2 has a ring-shaped base portion 558a and an offset portion 558b extending therefrom. The base portion 558a has a hole therethrough shaped to receive the electrical contact 350a and the insulating sleeve 350b therethrough. The base portion 558a also has the circular bearing recess 554b shaped to receivingly support the ring-shaped downhole rotational bearing 246a2 therein. The rotational bearing 246a2 may be pressed into the circular bearing recess 554b of the base portion 558a.

The charge tube 244a is a tubular member with a curved extension 560 at an end thereof. The curved extension 560 is shaped to matingly receive the offset portion 558b. An end of the curved extension 560 is also receivable along a stepped periphery of the base portion 558a. When connected to the charge tube 244a, the offset portion 558b is shaped to apply a weight to one side of the charge tube 244a. As also shown in FIG. 5C, the detonator bulkhead 241a from an adjacent perforating gun may be shaped to support the rotational bearing 246a2 to form the bearing package 352. The uphole bulkhead 241a has a bearing cavity 554a shaped to receive the rotational bearing 246a2.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are cross-sectional and hidden views of a portion of the orientable perforating gun 132 depicting the orienter 246b1 of the orienting bearing assembly 136 in greater detail. As shown in these views, the orienter 246b1 is a curved plate positioned along the detonator assembly 242b adjacent to an outer surface of a portion of the charge tube 244a. The orienter 246b1 may be used to add weight to a portion of the detonator assembly 242b. This weight may be used to define a heavier mass to a weighted portion of the detonator assembly 242b, thereby causing the weighted portion of the detonator assembly 242b (and other portions of the detonation assembly 240b connected thereto) to fall to the gravitational bottom of the housing 240a (see, e.g., FIG. 2). The non-weighted portion of the detonator assembly 242b opposite to the weighted portion will be urged to a top portion of the housing 240a opposite to the gravitational bottom of the housing 240a.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are partial-cross-sectional views of the orientable perforating gun 132 in an un-oriented and an oriented position, respectively. As shown in these views, the charge tube 244a may freely rotate within the housing 240a. Due to the orienter 246b1 being positioned along a portion of the charge tube 244a, such portion of the charge tube 244a is weighted down and gravitationally falls to a gravitational bottom B of the housing 240a. This causes the shaped charges to be urged from the un-oriented position as shown in FIG. 7A where the orienter 246b1 is located a distance from the gravitational bottom B of the housing 240a, to the oriented position as shown in FIG. 7B where the orienter 246b1 is located at the gravitational bottom B of the housing 240a. When the orienter 246b1 is positioned at the gravitational bottom B of the housing 240a, the charge tube 244a is oriented in a pre-defined oriented direction OD.

In the example shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the orienter 246b1 is positioned on the back side of the charge tube 244a, 180 degrees away from an outlet of the charge tube 244a where the shaped charges 244b form the perforations 135 (FIG. 1). The position of the shaped charges 244b defines the direction of perforation. The orienter 246b1 applies weight to the charge tube 244a to rotate the charge tube 244a such that the direction of perforation corresponds with the oriented direction OD. In the example in FIG. 7B, the oriented direction OD aligns with the Z axis. The movement of the orienter 246b1 to the gravitational bottom B causes the shaped charges 244b in the charge tube 244a to be moved to the oriented direction Z. In this case, the oriented direction is in the vertical or Z direction 180 degrees from the gravitational bottom B. This shows the charge tube 244a in its oriented position with the weights down at the bottom B and the shaped charges facing up along the Z axis.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart depicting a method 800 of orienting a perforating gun. The method 800 involves 870—providing an orientable perforating gun comprising: a housing, an orienting bearing assembly comprising rotational (e.g., roller) bearings and an orienter (e.g., counterweight), and a detonation assembly comprising a detonator assembly and a charge assembly, the detonation assembly rotationally supported in the housing by the rotational bearings, the orienter offsettingly connected to the detonation assembly; 872—positioning the orientable perforating gun in the wellbore; 874—urging the detonation assembly to a weighted position within the housing as the detonation assembly rotates about the rotational bearings; and 876—perforating the wellbore in an oriented direction by launching shaped charges from the detonation assembly while the detonation assembly is in the weighted position.

Part or all of the methods may be performed separately or in combination. One or more portions of the methods may be performed in any order or repeated as desired.

While the embodiments are described with reference to various implementations and exploitations, it will be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the inventive subject matter is not limited to them. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements are possible. For example, various combinations of one or more of the features and/or methods provided herein may be used.

Plural instances may be provided for components, operations or structures described herein as a single instance. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the inventive subject matter. For example, while certain tools and components (e.g., switches) are provided herein, it will be appreciated that various configurations (e.g., shape, order, orientation, etc.) of tools may be used. While the figures herein depict a specific configuration or orientation, these may vary. First and second are not intended to limit the number or order.

Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawings disclose any additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claim(s) herein, the inventions are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional invention is reserved. Although a very narrow claim may be presented herein, it should be recognized the scope of this invention is much broader than presented by the claim(s). Broader claims may be submitted in an application that claims the benefit of priority from this application.

Claims

1. An orienting bearing assembly of a downhole tool, the downhole comprising a downhole component, the orienting bearing assembly comprising: a rotational bearing coupled to the downhole component, the rotational bearing rotationally supporting the downhole component within the downhole tool; andan orienter comprising an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component, the orienter gravitationally urging a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool.

2. The orienting bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotational bearings comprise roller bearings.

3. The orienting bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotational bearings comprise a pair of roller bearings.

4. The orienting bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the downhole component comprises a detonation assembly, the rotational bearing positioned about the detonation assembly.

5. The orienting bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the downhole component comprises a bulkhead, the rotational bearing is positioned about the bulkhead.

6. The orienting bearing assembly of claim 1, wherein the offset counterweight has a tubular shape encircling the downhole component to define a heavier mass on one side of the downhole component.

7. The orienting bearing assembly of claim 6, wherein the downhole component comprises a detonation assembly, the offset counterweight encircling the detonation assembly.

8. The orienting bearing assembly of claim 7, wherein the downhole component comprises a bulkhead, the offset counterweight encircling the bulkhead.

9. An orientable perforating gun of a downhole tool, comprising: a housing;a downhole component comprising a detonation assembly positioned in the housing, the detonation assembly comprising:a charge assembly carrying shaped charges; and a detonator assembly carrying a detonator to ignite the shaped charges;an orienting bearing assembly, comprising: a rotational bearing coupled to the downhole component, the rotational bearing rotationally supporting the downhole component within the downhole tool; andan orienter comprising an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component, the orienter gravitationally urging a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool.

10. The orientable perforating gun of claim 9, wherein the rotational bearings are positioned at each end of the detonation assembly.

11. The orientable perforating gun of claim 9, wherein the detonation assembly further comprises a detonator bulkhead at one end of the housing and a charge bulkhead at an opposite end of the housing, the detonator bulkhead and the charge bulkhead each comprising electronics coupled together to form a communication link.

12. The orientable perforating gun of claim 11, wherein the detonator bulkhead has a bearing cavity shaped to receive the rotational bearing.

13. The orientable perforating gun of claim 11, wherein the charge bulkhead has a bearing recess shaped to receive and support the rotational bearing.

14. The orientable perforating gun of claim 11, wherein the rotational bearing is positioned between the detonator bulkhead and the charge bulkhead.

15. The orientable perforating gun of claim 9, wherein the charge assembly comprises a charge tube to support the shape charges therein.

16. The orientable perforating gun of claim 9, further comprising a receiving cap positioned between the detonation assembly and the charge assembly.

17. The orientable perforating gun of claim 9, wherein a charge portion of the downhole component is connected to a detonator portion of the downhole component of an adjacent perforating gun to form a bearing package.

18. The orientable perforating gun of claim 17, wherein the charge portion comprises the orienter, a charge bulkhead, an electrical contact, and an insulating sleeve.

19. The orientable perforating gun of claim 17, wherein the detonator portion comprises a detonator bulkhead, an electrical connector, and the rotational bearing.

20. The orientable perforating gun of claim 9, wherein the detonation assembly has a ring-shaped base portion and an offset portion extending therefrom, the charge assembly has a curved extension at an end thereof, the curved extension shaped to matingly receive the offset portion.

21. A method of orienting a downhole tool, comprising: providing the orientable perforating gun as in claim 9;positioning the orientable perforating gun in a wellbore; andurging the detonation assembly to the weighted position within the housing as the detonation assembly rotates about the rotational bearings.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising perforating the wellbore in an oriented direction by launching shaped charges from the detonation assembly while the detonation assembly is in the weighted position.