# US 2020/0399993 A1 · Downhole tool for creating evenly-spaced perforation tunnels

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- Number: US 2020/0399993 A1
- Document ID: US20200399993A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/446,857
- Filed: 2019-06-20
- Published: 2020-12-24
- Earliest claimed: 2019-06-20
- Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Inventors: Brenden Michael Grove
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200399993A1

## CPC

- E21B 43/116: Gun or shaped-charge perforators
- E21B 43/119: Details, e.g. for locating perforating place or direction
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

## Abstract

A downhole tool for perforating a borehole includes a gun body and charges arranged in a helix around the gun body and evenly spaced from both a nearest neighbor along the helix and a nearest neighbor in an adjacent wrap of the helix. Further, placement of the charges is based on a specified diameter of the borehole and specified charge density.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A downhole tool for perforating a borehole comprising:
a gun body; and
charges arranged in a helix around the gun body and evenly spaced from both a nearest neighbor along the helix and a nearest neighbor in an adjacent wrap of the helix, and wherein placement of the charges is based on a specified diameter of the borehole and specified charge density.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein the charges are arranged in a square pattern.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein the charges are arranged in an equilateral triangle pattern.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein the charges are arranged in a geometric pattern intermediate between square and equilateral triangle patterns.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein a pitch angle of the helix is based on the diameter of the borehole and the charge density.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein a phase angle between each charge is based on the diameter of the borehole and the charge density.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The downhole tool of claim 1, wherein the downhole tool is conveyable into the borehole on a slickline or a wireline, or tubing, or coiled tubing.

### Claim 8

A method for manufacturing a downhole tool used to perforate a borehole comprising:
determining a position for each of multiple apertures formed radially along a helix around a gun body and the apertures are evenly spaced from both a nearest neighbor along the helix and a nearest neighbor in an adjacent wrap of the helix, wherein the position is based on a specified diameter of the borehole and a specified charge density;
forming a gun body with the multiple apertures at the determined positions; and
placing charges in a central cavity of the gun body and aligning the charges with the multiple apertures.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the charges are arranged in a square pattern.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the charges are arranged in an equilateral triangle pattern.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, wherein the charges are arranged in a geometric pattern intermediate between square and equilateral triangle patterns.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a phase angle between each charge based on the diameter of the borehole and the charge density.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising determining the position of the apertures for both a square pattern of apertures and an equilateral triangle pattern of apertures.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein forming the gun body is based on a selection of the apertures being arranged in a square pattern, an equilateral triangle pattern, or any intermediate pattern between the square pattern and the equilateral triangle pattern.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising forming multiple gun bodies with the multiple apertures at the determined positions.

### Claim 16

A method for perforating a formation from within a borehole through the formation, comprising:
conveying a downhole tool into the borehole, wherein the downhole tool comprises:
a gun body; and
charges arranged in a helix around the gun body and evenly spaced from both a nearest neighbor along the helix and a nearest neighbor in an adjacent wrap of the helix, and wherein placement of the charges is based on a specified diameter of the borehole and distance specified charge density; and
detonating the charges to form perforation tunnels in the formation.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the charges are arranged in a square pattern.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the charges are arranged in an equilateral triangle pattern.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the charges are arranged in a geometric pattern intermediate between square and equilateral triangle patterns.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein a phase angle between each charge is based on the specified diameter of the borehole and the specified charge density.