US 5,322,019 AGranted

System for the initiation of downhole explosive and propellant systems

OwnerCraig R. Hylandinventor

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

The present invention is included in an operating assembly for lowering into a wellbore on a wireline, tubular conveyance, or the like, or for use in a horizontal application, for initiating or setting off pyrotechnic, explosive, or propellant elements of that operating assembly, and comprises a firing head and an initiation assembly that are arranged for lowering into the wellbore, from a well head. The firing head provides for the extension of a striker plunger therefrom that travels into the initiating assembly to both arm it and to impact a piezoelectric device therein whose deformation generates an electrical current which fires an array of flashbulbs that excite a laser rod. The excited laser rod produces a laser beam that is passed through a fiberoptic cable or is split to pass through a plurality of fiberoptic cables to detonate initiation charges or to provide a cascading initiation of a number of initiation devices that each fire single or multiple pyrotechnic, explosive or propellant elements individually or in a cascading action.

Claims45

Dependent claims

A system for initiating downhole explosive and propellant systems comprising

a firing head having a body for arrangement as a head end of a wellbore operating assembly, and includes a striker plunger for longitudinal extension from which body, on command from a surface operator, which said firing head body includes means for attaching it to an initiating assembly housing such that a nose end of said striker plunger, on extension, will travel into said initiation assembly housing;
conveyance means for connection to said firing head for lowering it from a well head into a wellbore;
an initiation assembly that includes a housing with means for mounting it to said firing head;
a piezoelectric device having conductive ends, and is mounted in said initiation assembly housing so as to be deformed by impact of the extended striker plunger nose to generate an electrical current between which conductive ends, and connecting to circuitry means for electrically coupling said conductive ends to an array of spark-gap flashbulbs that is arranged within said initiation assembly housing, the electrical current from the piezoelectric device deformation to fire said spark-gap flashbulbs;
a laser rod maintained proximate to said array of spark-gap flashbulbs to be excited by their illumination to generate a laser beam output;
a fiberoptics line maintained to receive, the laser beam and to transmit that laser beam to an initiating can means containing an initiating charge;
means at said initiating can means to receive said laser beam and direct it into for detonating said initiating charge;
and
means for directing the product of the detonation of which initiating charge into, a deflagrating or detonating charge assembly of a downhole explosive or propellant system.

6 more elements

A firing head downhole operating assembly comprising

a piezoelectric fired, flashbulb-pumped, lazer initiated system;
a firing head body which includes a striker plunger;
means for connecting said firing head body onto a conveyance;
means for lowering into a wellbore as a part of an operating assembly;
means for connecting said firing head body onto an initiating assembly housing;
and
means controlled by a surface operator for extending said striker plunger from said firing head body into said initiating assembly, to impact and deform a piezoelectric device, which deformation generates an electrical current that is utilized by said piezoelectric fired, flashbulb-pumped, laser initiated system.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.