Pivot gun having charges which slidingly engage a stationary detonating cord and apparatus for deploying the charges

A method of detonating a perforating apparatus which includes a rotatable charge, a stationary detonating cord, a stationary object, a pullrod having one end connected to said charge and another end connected to said stationary object, and pulling means connected to said another end of said pullrod for applying a pulling force to said another end of said pullrod, comprising the steps of:

• releasing said another end of said pullrod from said stationary object;
• applying said pulling force to said another end of said pullrod,
• rotating said charge from a stored position to a deployed position in response to said pulling force;
• during the rotation of said charge to said deployed position, slidingly contacting an end of said charge against said stationary detonating cord;
• and
• detonating said charge when said charge is disposed in the deployed position.

A perforating apparatus including a plurality of charges and a stationary detonating cord adapted for conducting a detonation wave, each charge of the plurality of charges being adapted to rotate about an axis, comprising:

• means for rotating said each charge about said axis, an end of said each charge slidingly engaging said stationary detonating cord during eh rotation of said each charge, said means for rotating including pulling force application means for applying a pulling force to a side of said each charge during the rotation of said each charge about said axis, the pulling force application means including a pullrod connected to the side of said each charge adapted for applying said pulling force to said side of said each charge, and further pulling force application means for applying a corresponding pulling force to said pullrod including release means disposed between said pullrod and a stationary object for releasing said pullrod from said stationary object in response to a stimulus, and biasing means for applying said corresponding pulling force to said pullrod thereby rotating said each charge about said axis from a stored position to a deployed position and allowing said end of said each charge to slidingly engage said stationary detonating cord during the rotation when said release means releases said pullrod from said stationary object;
• further release means disposed between said biasing means and said pullrod for interrupting the application of said corresponding pulling force from said biasing means to said pullrod in response to a further stimulus thereby allowing said each charge to rotate from said deployed position to said stored position;
• a voltage source adapted to provide said stimulus and said further stimulus;
• and
• a circuit interconnecting said each charge and said release means to said voltage source, said circuit including a first circuit means for applying said stimulus from said voltage source to said release means thereby enabling the release of said pullrod from said stationary object and simultaneously short circuiting said each charge to a ground potential thereby preventing a detonation of said each charge when said each charge is disposed in said stored position.