# US 2019/0316455 A1 · Utilizing electrically actuated explosives downhole

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- Number: US 2019/0316455 A1
- Document ID: US20190316455A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/315,514
- Filed: 2016-08-19
- Published: 2019-10-17
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-19
- Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Inventors: Jim Basuki SURJAATMADJA; Stanley V. STEPHENSON; Bryan John LEWIS; Tim H. HUNTER; James Marshall BARKER
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190316455A1

## CPC

- E21B 43/263: using explosives
- E21B 43/1185: Ignition systems
- F42D 1/05: Electric circuits for blasting
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- F42D: BLASTING (fuses, e.g. fuse cords, C06C5/00; {for obtaining fluid from wells E21B43/00; for mining or quarrying E21C37/00; for making tunnels or galleries E21D9/006}; cartridges F42B3/00)

## Abstract

Electrically ignitable and electrically controllable explosive material (EIECEM) may be disposed within a shaped charge for deployment downhole. An explosion of the EIECEM is controlled by limiting the duration of excitation at the EIECEM, for example, the duration that an electrical source provides an electrical charge, electrical current or electrical signal. The shaped charge may be insulated from an electrical source to prevent explosion of the EIECEM and coupled to the electrical source to create ignite or explode the EIECEM. A plurality of shaped charges may be disposed downhole and may be ignited or exploded in any suitable order. The EIECEM may be ignited multiple times such that multiple explosions are created. The explosion of the EIECEM creates or extends a perforation or fracture in a formation. The shaped charges may be arranged to create a shaped perforation or fracture, such as a slot-shaped fracture.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for creating a perforation in a subterranean formation using electrically ignitable and electrically controllable explosive material (EIECEM), comprising:
positioning a shaped charge in a wellbore of the formation, wherein the shaped charge comprises the EIECEM;
exciting an electrical current at the shaped charge, wherein exciting the electrical current comprises inducing an electrical current at the EIECEM;
igniting the EIECEM by the electrical current, wherein igniting the EIECEM creates an explosion for a duration of the electrical current; and
creating a perforation in the formation based, at least in part, on the explosion.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein exciting the electrical current comprises pulsing the electrical current.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned radially about a charge carrier.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned azimuthally about a charge carrier.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned longitudinally about the charge carrier.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of shaped charges positioned longitudinally about the charge carrier are disposed at a distance from each other to create a slot-shaped perforation when the EIECEM is ignited.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge comprises a plurality of shaped charges, and wherein each of the EIECEM associated with each of the plurality of shaped charges is independently ignited.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein an electrode is coupled to the shaped charge to transmit the electrical current to the shaped charge.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising injecting a fluid into the perforation.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein a charge carrier comprises the shaped charge, wherein the shaped charge comprises a plurality of shaped charges, wherein exciting the shaped charge comprises exciting a plurality of conductors to induce the electrical current across a plurality of electrodes coupled to at least one of the charge carrier and at least one of the plurality of shaped charges, wherein each of the plurality of electrodes is associated with a conductor of the plurality of conductors, and wherein at least two or more of the plurality of electrodes are associated with a different conductor of the plurality of conductors than any other at least two or more of the plurality of electrodes.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
grouping the plurality of shaped charges into a plurality of groups; and
wherein exciting the shaped charge comprises independently exciting at least one shaped charge of the plurality of shaped charges associated with each of the plurality of groups.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein independently exciting the at least one shaped charge comprises exciting a first one of the at least one shaped charge associated with a first group of the plurality of groups prior to exciting a second one of the least one shaped charge of a second group of the plurality of groups.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, wherein the charge carrier comprises a plurality of charge carriers, wherein each group of the plurality of groups is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of charge carriers, and wherein a first charge carrier of the plurality of charge carriers is positioned within the wellbore such that each shaped charge of the first charge carrier is positioned at a predetermined degrees apart from each shaped charge of a second charge carrier of the plurality of charge carriers.

### Claim 14

An electrically ignitable and electrically controllable explosive material (EIECEM) downhole system, comprising:
a shaped charge disposed downhole, wherein the shaped charge comprises the EIECEM;
a conductor coupled to the shaped charge, wherein the conductor is configured to deliver an electrical current to the shaped charge; and
wherein the shaped charge is configured to ignite the EIECEM to cause an explosion of the EIECEM for a duration of the delivered electrical current.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, further comprising:
a charge carrier, wherein the charge carrier comprises:
the shaped charge disposed about a shaped object;
an insulator disposed about the shaped object to partially insulate the shaped object from the EIECEM, wherein the shaped object is configured to be collapsible and to comprise a shape that induces a predetermined trajectory of a perforation in the formation during the explosion of the EIECEM; and
a shell disposed about the EIECEM, wherein the shell is configured to permit transmission of the electrical current to the EIECEM.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the shaped charge comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned radially about the charge carrier.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the shaped charge comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned azimuthally about the charge carrier.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the shaped charge comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned longitudinally about the charge carrier, and wherein the plurality of shaped charges are disposed at a distance from each other to create a slot-shaped perforation when the EIECEM is exploded.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the conductor comprises a first electrode coupled to the shell and a second electrode coupled to the shaped charge.

### Claim 20

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
induce a first electrical current at a first shaped charge of a first charge carrier disposed in a wellbore, wherein the first shaped charge comprises a first electrically ignitable electrically controllable explosive material (EIECEM), wherein the first EIECEM is configured to cause a first explosion for a duration of the first electrical current to create at least a first perforation of a subterranean formation; and
induce, independently of the inducement of the first electrical current, a second electrical current at a second shaped charge of a first charge carrier disposed in the wellbore, wherein the second shaped charge comprises a second EIECEM, wherein the second EIECEM is configured to cause a second explosion for a duration of the first electrical current to either create at least a second perforation of the subterranean formation or extend the at least first perforation.