Boring or penetrating the earth – Boring with explosion in inaccessible hole – With bore condition firing control – or compensating means
Patent
1996-03-18
1997-05-27
Dang, Hoang C.
Boring or penetrating the earth
Boring with explosion in inaccessible hole
With bore condition firing control, or compensating means
102200, 166 63, 166299, E21B 431185
Patent
active
056323484
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates a fluid activated detonating system and more particularly to detonating an explosive device by producing a sudden pressure wave or pulse.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the process of establishing an oil or gas well, the well is typically provided with an arrangement for selectively excluding fluid communication with certain zones in the formation to avoid communication with undesirable fluids. A typical method of controlling the zones with which the well is in fluid communication is by running well casing down into the well and then sealing the annulus between the exterior of the casing and the walls of the wellbore with cement. Thereafter, the well casing and cement may be perforated at preselected locations by a perforating device or the like to establish a plurality of fluid flow paths between the pipe and the product bearing zones in the formation. Unfortunately, the process of perforating through the casing and then through the layer of cement dissipates a substantial portion of the energy from the perforating device and the formation receives only a minor portion of the perforating energy.
Perforating in wellbores is typically accomplished by the use of perforating guns which usually employ shaped charges or bullets. The guns are usually positioned in the wellbore on a tubing string or suspended from a cable. Detonating the explosive in the gun is sometimes accomplished by initiating a detonating cord which is positioned adjacent a shaped charge. Various electrical, hydraulic and mechanical systems are employed to initiate the detonating cord. The detonating systems which are now used in this industry have many safety drawbacks especially when electrical energy is used to initiate the process. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved system to initiate an explosive device.
It is a further object to provide a system to safely initiate an explosive device at a remote location as, for example, in a wellbore.
Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for perforating a wellbore which overcomes or avoids the above noted limitations and disadvantages of the prior art.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for detonating explosive charges by a pressure wave or pulse.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention have been achieved in the embodiments illustrated herein by the provision of an apparatus and method for detonating an explosive charge by means of a pressure pulse or shock wave, and additionally by positioning a pressure pulse generating device in proximity to but spaced from the explosive charge.
Additionally, the charges may be placed in the walls of a casing string in a wellbore and a pressure pulse generating device is run into the casing string in a separate operation.
In one embodiment, an explosive detonator is arranged in a housing having a rupture in communication with a fluid environment so that when the rupture means is subjected to a sufficient pressure, the rupture device will rupture to subject the detonator to a sudden pressure wave.
In another embodiment, the system comprises an explosive device mounted in an opening in the peripheral wall of a pipe. An initiation device is then positioned in the wellbore for detonating the explosive device.
According to another aspect, the invention is an improved detonator device adapted for detonation by a predetermined pressure generated from a remote source when the detonator is in contact with a fluid environment. The detonator device, which is conveniently mountable adjacent to an explosive charge, such as a shaped charge explosive of the type described hereinabove, comprises a housing which contains a base charge of a detonating explosive and a priming charge of a heat sensitive explosive adjacent to the base charge. The housing adjacent the priming charge is sealed from the fluid environment by a rupturable
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Conoco Inc.
Dang Hoang C.
Holder John E.
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