Method and apparatus for orienting perforating devices and confirming their orientation

The method of orienting shaped charges, comprising:

• weighting one or more gun string components eccentrically to orient the shaped charges in the desired direction;
• determining a non-uniformity of a bending moment in the one or more gun string components;
• and
• compensating for the non-uniformity of the bending moment.

An oriented perforating gun affixed to a gun string, comprising:

• one or more gun string components, comprising:
• one or more shaped charges having a charge case;
• a gun carrier;
• and
• a loading tube;
• wherein at least one of the one or more gun string components are eccentrically weighted to orient the shaped charges in a desired direction, wherein the geometry of the charge case of the one or more shaped charges is modified to shift its center of gravity.

An oriented perforating gun affixed to a gun string, comprising:

• one or more gun string components, comprising:
• one or more shaped charges having a charge case;
• a gun carrier;
• and
• a loading tube;
• wherein at least one of the one or more gun string components are eccentrically weighted to orient the shaped charges in a desired direction, wherein weights are affixed to the charge case of the one or more shaped charges.

A method of actively orienting gun string components, comprising:

• determining the wellbore trajectory that will be experienced by the gun string components;
• bending gun string raw material in a curvature resembling the wellbore trajectory the component will experience;
• measuring the amount of torque required to rotate the gun string component to a desired angle of orientation while bent at the wellbore trajectory;
• selecting the gun string raw material that requires minimal torque to rotate to the desired angle of orientation;
• and
• providing gun string components manufactured with the selected gun string material.

A perforating system, comprising:

• means for mapping the desired orientation;
• means for orienting the perforating system;
• and
• means for confirming the correct orientation at the time of detonation by creating a specific indentation in the perforation system during detonation.

A method of perforating, comprising:

• mapping the wellbore to avoid perforating selected downhole components;
• orienting the perforating system;
• and
• confirming the correct orientation at the time of detonation by creating a specific indentation in the perforation system during detonation.