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US 8,127,654 B2Granted
Perforating guns with reduced internal volume
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsHarvey Williams, Lawrence A. Behrmann, Jerry D. Campbell, Ronald Lutz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A perforating device has an elongated tubular housing and a loading device supporting a plurality of shaped charges. The loading device and the shaped charges are located inside the housing. A volume reduction device is adapted to fit within the loading device and to conform to the profile of the shaped charges thereby filling open volume in the housing.
Claims17
A method of perforating a wellbore, the method comprising:
- providing a perforating gun having a tubular housing and shaped charges therein;
- selecting a desired resultant transient pressure condition at a location in the well bore;
- calculating a ratio of total explosive mass to free internal volume in the perforating gun that will achieve the desired resultant pressure condition in the well bore;
- selecting a volume reduction device adapted to fit within the housing and conform to outer profiles of the shaped charges to thereby achieve the ratio of total explosive mass to free internal volume in the perforating gun;
- and
- inserting the volume reduction device into the tubular housing.
3 more elements
A method of assembling a perforated gun system, the method comprising:
- identifying a target underbalance condition at a location in a well bore;
- assembling a perforating gun to achieve the target underbalance condition at the location in a well bore by
- (a) determining a total explosive mass of one or more shaped charges in the perforating gun;
- (b) calculating a ratio of total explosive mass to free internal volume of the perforating gun that will achieve the target underbalance condition;
- (c) selecting one or more volume reduction devices to achieve the free internal volume of the perforating gun, thereby increasing the ratio of total explosive mass to free internal volume of the perforating gun;
- and
- (d) inserting the selected volume reduction devices into the perforating gun.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.