Patent Application
20240392632
The present invention relates to a threaded tandem for a perforating gun system having shaped charges to generate perforations through a wellbore casing.
In oil and gas operations, perforating guns are used to create perforations in a wellbore casing and surrounding rock formations. A gun string containing multiple perforating guns can be lowered into the wellbore on a wireline, slickline, or coiled tubing. Each perforating gun includes shaped charges that, when fired, are formed into high-velocity jets that penetrate wellbore casing and create perforations in the surrounding rock.
Adjacent perforating guns are typically connected together using a threaded tandem. Threaded tandems include a short, externally threaded tube. A first perforating gun is threaded onto one end of the tandem, and a second perforating gun is threaded onto the other end of the tandem. This creates a secure and rigid connection between the two perforating guns, which allows them to be lowered into the wellbore as a single unit.
Despite their widespread acceptance for wellbore operations, there remains a continued need for an improved threaded tandem. In particular, there remains a continued need for an improved threaded tandem that mitigates installation errors in the assembly of a gun string which might otherwise have catastrophic effects.
An improved tandem for attachment to a perforating gun is provided. The tandem includes a cylindrical body having a first externally threaded end portion and a second externally threaded end portion. The first externally threaded end portion includes a first plurality of threads defining a first thread pattern, and the second externally threaded end portion includes a second plurality of threads defining a second thread pattern. The first thread pattern is different than the second thread pattern such that the cylindrical body is threadably attachable to first and second perforating guns in a single direction. The thread patterns can differ in at least one or more of the following: thread profile, thread pitch, pitch diameter, major diameter, minor diameter, and thread angle, by non-limiting example.
In one embodiment, the interior of the tandem includes a central cavity disposed between a first narrowing opening and a second narrowing opening. The thread patterns can differ in two or more respects, for example pitch diameter and minor diameter. The first and second thread profiles can be selected from one of the following: an Acme thread profile, a V-shaped thread profile, a square thread profile, and a buttress thread profile. Still other combinations of thread patterns can be used in other embodiments.
Each box end of the adjacent perforating gun includes an outer gun barrel having dissimilar female thread patterns, such that each female thread pattern matches one, but not both, of the first and second externally threaded portions of the threaded tandem. As a result of this dissimilarity between opposing thread patterns of the threaded tandem, the threaded tandem is prevented from being installed backwards, which might otherwise result in a catastrophic failure of an adjacent perforating gun.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention, when viewed in accordance with the accompanying drawing and appended claims.
Before embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention may be implemented in various other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the invention to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the invention any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the oilfield perforating systems and methods as described herein. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description. The description is not in any way meant to limit the scope of any present or subsequent related claims.
As used here, the terms “above” and “below”; “up” and “down”; “upper” and “lower”; “upwardly” and “downwardly”; and other like terms indicating relative positions above or below a given point or element are used in this description to more clearly describe some embodiments. However, when applied to equipment and methods for use in wells that are deviated or horizontal, such terms may refer to a left to right, right to left, or diagonal relationship as appropriate.
A threaded tandem for a perforating gun system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment is illustrated in
The interior of the threaded tandem 10 includes a central cavity 20 coupled between a first opening 22 and a second opening 24. The first opening 22 includes a first sloped sidewall 26, and the second opening 24 includes a second sloped sidewall 28. The central cavity 20 is cylindrically shaped and is sized to receive a pass-through element (not shown) for conveying a firing signal from a first perforating gun (coupled to one end of the tandem 10) to a second perforating gun (coupled to the opposite end of the tandem 10).
As also shown in
As noted above, the thread pattern of the first externally threaded portion 14 is different from the thread pattern of the second externally threaded portion 16. For example, each threaded portion 14, 16 can differ in one or more of the following parameters: major diameter (measured across the peaks of the threads), minor diameter (measured across the valleys of the threads), pitch diameter (at the midpoint between the crest and valley), pitch (number of threads per unit length), lead (distance traveled in the longitudinal direction in one complete turn, and thread angle (angle between the flanks of the threads). The foregoing are not exclusive, and the first externally threaded portion 14 can differ from the second externally threaded portion 16 in still other respects. Further, the first externally threaded portion 14 can differ from the second externally threaded portion 16 in two or more ways.
The first externally threaded portion 14 can differ from the second externally threaded portion 16 in other respects. For example, the first externally threaded portion 14 can include a different thread profile than the second externally threaded portion 16. Both thread profiles are depicted as Acme threads in
To reiterate, each of the first and second externally threaded portions 14, 16 depicted in
In addition, each box end of the adjacent perforating gun includes an outer gun barrel having dissimilar female thread patterns, such that each female thread pattern matches one, but not both, of the first and second externally threaded portions 14, 16 of the threaded tandem 10. As a result of this dissimilarity between opposing thread patterns 14, 16 of the threaded tandem 10, the threaded tandem is prevented from being installed backwards, which might otherwise result in a catastrophic failure of an adjacent perforating gun.
The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any reference to elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 63/468,944, filed May 25, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63468944 | May 2023 | US |
