Hydrocarbons, such as fossil fuels (e.g., oil) and natural gas, are extracted from underground wellbores extending deeply below the surface using complex machinery and explosive devices. Once the wellbore is established by placement of casing pipes after drilling and cementing the casing pipe in place, wellbore tools are lowered into the wellbore, and positioned adjacent one or more hydrocarbon reservoirs in underground formations.
The wellbore tools used in oil and gas operations are often sent down a wellbore in tool strings which are comprised of multiple discrete wellbore tools, or modules, connected together to consolidate different or multiple wellbore operations into a single “run”, or process of sending wellbore tools downhole to perform one or more operations. This approach contributes to time and cost savings because preparing and deploying a wellbore tool into a wellbore and pumping, with fluid under hydraulic pressure, the wellbore tool to a particular location in a wellbore that may be a mile or more under the ground requires a great deal of time, energy, and manpower. Additional time, manpower, and costs are required to conduct the operation and remove the spent wellbore tool(s) from the wellbore.
Wellbore tools, or “downhole tools”, as known and/or according to this disclosure include, without limitation, perforating guns, puncher guns, logging tools, jet cutters, plugs, frac plugs, bridge plugs, setting tools, self-setting bridge plugs, self-setting frac plugs, mapping/positioning/orientating tools, bailer/dump bailer tools and ballistic tools. Many of these wellbore tools contain sensitive or powerful explosives because many wellbore tools are ballistically (i.e., explosively) actuated or perform ballistic operations within the wellbore. Additionally, certain wellbore tools may contain, among other things, sensitive electronic control components and connections within the wellbore tool that control various operations of the wellbore tool. Explosives, control systems, and other components of wellbore tools may be incredibly sensitive to conditions within the wellbore including the high pressures and temperatures, fluids, debris, etc. In addition, wellbore tools that have explosive activity may generate tremendous amounts of ballistic and gas pressures within the wellbore tool itself. Accordingly, to ensure the integrity and proper operation of wellbore tools connected together as part of the tool string, connections between adjacent wellbore tools within the tool string must not only connect adjacent wellbore tools in the tool string, they must, in many cases, seal internal components of the wellbore tools from the wellbore conditions and pressure isolate adjacent modules against ballistic forces.
A tandem seal adapter (TSA) is a known connector often used for accomplishing the functions of a connector as described above, and in particular for connecting adjacent perforating gun modules. A perforating gun is an exemplary, though not limiting, wellbore tool that may include many of the features and challenges described above. A perforating gun carries explosive charges / shaped charges into the wellbore to perform perforating operations by which the shaped charges are detonated in a manner that produces perforations in a surrounding geological hydrocarbon formation from which oil and gas may be recovered. Conventional perforating guns often include electric componentry to control positioning and detonation of the explosive charges.
Shaped charges typically serve to focus ballistic energy onto a target, thereby producing a round perforation hole (in the case of conical shaped charges) or a slot-shaped/linear perforation (in the case of slot shaped charges) in, for example, a steel casing pipe or tubing, a cement sheath and/or a surrounding geological formation. In order to make these perforations, shaped charges typically include an explosive / energetic material positioned in a cavity of a housing (i.e., a shaped charge case), with or without a liner positioned therein. It should be recognized that the case, casing or housing of the shaped charge is distinguished from the casing of the wellbore, which is placed in the wellbore after the drilling process and may be cemented in place in order to stabilize the borehole prior to perforating the surrounding formations. Often, the explosive materials positioned in the cavity of the shaped charge case are selected so that they have a high detonation velocity and pressure. When the shaped charges are initiated, the explosive material detonates and creates a detonation wave, which will generally cause the liner (when used) to collapse and be ejected/expelled from the shaped charge, thereby producing a forward moving perforating material jet that moves at a high velocity. The perforating jet travels through an open end of the shaped charge case which houses the explosive charge, and serves to pierce the perforating gun body, casing pipe or tubular and surrounding cement layer, and forms a cylindrical/conical tunnel in the surrounding target geological formation.
In order to confirm that the formation has been perforated and fractured efficiently and that hydrocarbons are being recovered, flow indicators are sometimes included in a perforating gun in an effort to release the flow indicators into the wellbore or formation upon detonation of one or more of the shaped charges in the perforating gun. Flow indicators, sometimes referred to as tracers, can also be used in the oil and gas industry in order to qualitatively or quantitatively gauge how fluid flows through the reservoir, as well as being a useful tool for estimating residual oil saturation.
Typical flow indicators are incorporated as part of a perforating gun housing or a shaped charge housed in the perforating gun housing and are purposed to flow in the wellbore fluid, up to the surface of the wellbore, so they can serve as an indicator that perforations have been formed in the wellbore and reached the formation. Such flow indicators may also serve to indicate where the flow is coming from and/or where fracturing has occurred. In typical prior art configurations, the perforation jet of a shaped charge pierces through a flow indicator material, or the charge itself includes a flow indicator. Because of this arrangement, the heat and/or energy generated upon detonation of the shaped charge potentially manipulates the flow indicator, which can lead to an inaccurate determination at the well site. The indicator material may become damaged from the sudden pressure impact or the extremely high temperature of the explosive force created upon detonation of the shaped charge. In addition, some indicator material may remain on the rim order edge of the gun scallop or on the casing hole and not reach the actual formation, which may be influence the accuracy of the flow indicator readings at the wellbore surface.
A general, exemplary connection between adjacent perforating gun modules connected by a TSA according to the prior art is shown in
As shown in
Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism of deploying tracer material into a wellbore upon detonation of a shaped charge such that the tracer material is not manipulated by the shaped charge. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by removing the tracer material from a direct impact by the shaped charge.
Embodiments of the disclosure are associated with a tandem seal adapter for a perforating gun assembly. The tandem seal adapter includes a housing having a first end and a second end spaced apart from the first end. According to an aspect, the first end is adapted to be connected to a first perforating gun and the second end is adapted to be connected to a second perforating gun. A port extends through a wall of the housing, from an exterior of the housing to an interior of the housing. The port is configured to be in communication with an interior of the first perforating gun. According to an aspect, a tracer material is arranged in the port, and a retainer secures the tracer material in the port. Upon detonation of the first perforating gun, gas pressure generated by the detonation displaces the retainer and the tracer material is expelled from the port.
Embodiments of the disclosure may be associated with a method of using a tandem seal adapter for a perforating gun assembly to disperse tracer material into a wellbore. The method includes connecting at least a first perforating gun to a tandem seal adapter. A tracer material is positioned in a port which extends through a housing of the tandem seal adapter. According to an aspect, the port extending through a wall of the housing from an exterior of the housing to an interior of the housing and is in communication with an interior of a first perforating gun. The tracer material is secured in the port by a retainer. The method further includes detonating a shaped charge in the first perforating gun, which creates a pressure sufficient to displace the retainer and expel the tracer material out of the port and into the wellbore.
Further embodiments of the disclosure are associated with a tool string including a plurality of perforating guns. Each perforating gun of the plurality of perforating guns includes at least one shaped charge and a tandem seal adapter positioned between every two adjacent perforating guns of the plurality of perforating guns. According to an aspect, the tandem seal adapter includes a housing having a first end adapted to be connected to a first perforating gun of the plurality of perforating guns and a second end adapted to be connected to a second perforating gun of the plurality of perforating guns. A port extends through a wall of the housing from an exterior of the housing to an interior of the housing. The port is in communication with an interior of the first perforating gun and a tracer material is arranged in the port. According to an aspect, a retainer is poisoned in the port, such that the tracer material is secured in the port. Upon detonation of the first perforating gun, gas pressure produced by the detonation displaces the retainer and expels the tracer material from the port.
A more particular description will be rendered by reference to exemplary embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying figures. Understanding that these drawings depict exemplary embodiments and do not limit the scope of this disclosure, the exemplary embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
Various features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components throughout the figures and detailed description. The various described features are not necessarily drawn to scale in the drawings but are drawn to emphasize specific features relevant to some embodiments.
The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to limit the scope of the disclosure or the claims.
Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments. Each example is provided by way of explanation and is not meant as a limitation and does not constitute a definition of all possible embodiments.
Embodiments of the disclosure are associated with a tandem seal adapter / tracer sub assembly (TSA) 200. The TSA 200 is illustrated in
The TSA 200 is illustrated in further detail in
The TSA 200 may include a cavity 224 extending along a longitudinal direction Y1 of the housing 210, between the first end 212 and the second end 214. According to an aspect, the cavity 224 extends from the first end 212 to the second end 214. The cavity 224 may be configured to receive one or more electrical components to facilitate the transmission of an electrical signal between connected perforating gun assemblies.
According to an aspect and as further illustrated in
A port 216 extends through a wall 211 of the housing to the pathway 222. According to an aspect, the port 216 radially extends from the pathway 222. As illustrated in
In a further aspect, the tandem seal adapter 200 may comprise a rib 242 extending radially from the wall 211 of the housing 210. The rib 242 may project from the external surface 227 of the housing 210, between the first end 212 and the second end 214 of the housing 210. According to an aspect the port 216 extends through a portion of the rib 242.
According to a further aspect and as illustrated in
According to an aspect, the retainer 220 is at least temporarily secured within the port 216. The retainer 220 may be press fit into the port 216. As seen for instance in
The retainer 220 may be mechanically fastened in the port 216. According to an aspect and as illustrated in
As shown in
As illustrated in
In use, when a perforating gun 213 connected to the TSA 200 is detonated (see, for example,
An exemplary embodiment of a method of using a TSA for a perforating gun assembly to disperse tracer material into a wellbore is also provided.
The method includes connecting at least a first perforating gun 213 to a tandem seal adapter 200 (e.g., via a threaded connection 410), providing tracer material 218 in a port 216 which extends through a housing 210 of the tandem seal adapter 200. As described hereinabove, the port 216 extends through a wall 211 of the housing 210 from an exterior of the housing to an interior of the housing 210, and is in communication with an interior 217 of the first perforating gun 213A. A pathway 222 may extends from the first end 212 of the housing to the port 216 for connecting the port 216 to the interior 217 of the first perforating gun 213. The method may further include securing the tracer material 218 within the port 216 with a retainer 220. A shaped charge 402 in the first perforating gun 213A is detonated, which creates a pressure sufficient to displace the retainer 220 and expel the tracer material 218 from the TSA 200. According to an aspect, pressurized gas from the detonation may travel along the pathway 222 to the port 216, out of the port 216 and into the wellbore.
According to a further aspect, the method may further include providing a cavity 224 which extends within the housing 210 between the first end 212 and the second end 214, and pressure sealing the first perforating gun 213A from a second perforating gun 213B. The step of pressure sealing the first and second perforating guns 213A, 213B includes positioning a pressure bulkhead / bulkhead 226 within the cavity 224 of the TSA 200. The bulkhead 226 may include sealing elements, such as o-rings, to help to seal / isolate the components housed in the first perforating gun 213A from components housed in the second perforating gun 213B, as seen for instance in
The bulkhead 226 may be configured as a rotatable bulkhead assembly. Such bulkhead assemblies are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,784,549, commonly owned and assigned to DynaEnergetics Europe, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The bulkhead 226 includes a bulkhead body having a first end and a second end. A first electrically contactable bulkhead component such as a metal contact plug or the elongated pin, extends from the first end of the bulkhead body, and a second electrically contactable bulkhead component, such as a downhole facing pin, extends from the second end of the bulkhead body. One or more sealing elements, such as O-rings, extends around the bulkhead body. The o-ring/(s) may be compressively engage an inner surface of the cavity 224 of the TSA 200 so that a pressure seal is maintained between the first perforating gun 213A and the second perforating gun 213B.
According to an aspect, the bulkhead 226 is configured substantially as described and illustrated in U.S. Application Publication No. 2020/0217,635 published Jul. 9, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The bulkhead 226 may be configured as an electrical connector. According to an aspect, the electrical connector includes a connector body and a first electrical contact / pin provided at a first end of the connector body. The first electrical contact may be biased so as to rest at a first rest position if no external force is being applied to the first electrical contact. The first electrical contact may be structured so as to move from the first rest position to a first retracted position in response to an application of external force against the first electrical contact.
The method may also include features and functionality as discussed above in connection with the various embodiments of the TSA 200.
An exemplary embodiment of a tool string 500 may include a plurality of perforating guns 213A, 213B, 213C (collectively 213). As illustrated in
The tandem seal adapter 200 of the tool string 500 may also include the features and functionality as discussed above in connection with the various embodiments of the TSA 200 and method described hereinabove.
In embodiments which include a tool string 500 that includes multiple perforating guns connected to each other by TSAs 200, each TSA 200 may include a different type of tracer material in order to provide an indication as to which perforating zone was activated in the wellbore.
This disclosure, in various embodiments, configurations and aspects, includes components, methods, processes, systems, and/or apparatuses as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, sub-combinations, and subsets thereof. This disclosure contemplates, in various embodiments, configurations and aspects, the actual or optional use or inclusion of, e.g., components or processes as may be well-known or understood in the art and consistent with this disclosure though not depicted and/or described herein.
The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at least one of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.
In this specification and the claims that follow, reference will be made to a number of terms that have the following meanings. The terms “a” (or “an”) and “the” refer to one or more of that entity, thereby including plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can be used interchangeably herein. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “an embodiment” and the like are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term such as “about” is not to be limited to the precise value specified. In some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. Terms such as “first,” “second,” “upper,” “lower” etc. are used to identify one element from another, and unless otherwise specified are not meant to refer to a particular order or number of elements.
As used herein, the terms “may” and “may be” indicate a possibility of an occurrence within a set of circumstances; a possession of a specified property, characteristic or function; and/or qualify another verb by expressing one or more of an ability, capability, or possibility associated with the qualified verb. Accordingly, usage of “may” and “may be” indicates that a modified term is apparently appropriate, capable, or suitable for an indicated capacity, function, or usage, while taking into account that in some circumstances the modified term may sometimes not be appropriate, capable, or suitable. For example, in some circumstances an event or capacity can be expected, while in other circumstances the event or capacity cannot occur - this distinction is captured by the terms “may” and “may be.”
As used in the claims, the word “comprises” and its grammatical variants logically also subtend and include phrases of varying and differing extent such as for example, but not limited thereto, “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of.” Where necessary, ranges have been supplied, and those ranges are inclusive of all sub-ranges therebetween. It is to be expected that the appended claims should cover variations in the ranges except where this disclosure makes clear the use of a particular range in certain embodiments.
The terms “determine”, “calculate” and “compute,” and variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique.
This disclosure is presented for purposes of illustration and description. This disclosure is not limited to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the Detailed Description of this disclosure, for example, various features of some exemplary embodiments are grouped together to representatively describe those and other contemplated embodiments, configurations, and aspects, to the extent that including in this disclosure a description of every potential embodiment, variant, and combination of features is not feasible. Thus, the features of the disclosed embodiments, configurations, and aspects may be combined in alternate embodiments, configurations, and aspects not expressly discussed above. For example, the features recited in the following claims lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment, configuration, or aspect. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this disclosure.
Advances in science and technology may provide variations that are not necessarily express in the terminology of this disclosure although the claims would not necessarily exclude these variations.
This application is a national stage application of and claims priority to Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Application No. PCT/EP2021/056507 filed Mar. 15, 2021, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/990,165 filed on Mar. 16, 2020, each of which is incorporated herein and made a part hereof by reference for all purposes.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2021/056507 | 3/15/2021 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62990165 | Mar 2020 | US |