Select-fire, downhole shockwave generation devices, hydrocarbon wells that include the shockwave generation devices, and methods of utilizing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10196886-B2
Application number	US-201615264076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2015
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

Select-fire, downhole shockwave generation devices, hydrocarbon wells that include the shockwave generation devices, and methods of utilizing the same are disclosed herein. The shockwave generation devices are configured to generate a shockwave within a wellbore fluid that extends within a tubular conduit of a wellbore tubular. The shockwave generation devices include a core, a plurality of explosive charges arranged on an external surface of the core, and a plurality of triggering devices. Each of the plurality of triggering devices is associated with a selected one of the plurality of explosive charges and is configured to selectively initiate explosion of the selected one of the plurality of explosive charges. The methods include methods of generating a shockwave utilizing the downhole shockwave generation devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A select-fire, downhole shockwave generation device configured to generate a shockwave within a wellbore fluid extending within a tubular conduit, wherein the tubular conduit is defined by a wellbore tubular that extends within a wellbore, the device comprising:
a core;
a plurality of explosive charges arranged on an external surface of the core; and
a plurality of triggering devices, wherein each of the plurality of triggering devices is configured to selectively initiate explosion of a selected one of the plurality of explosive charges;
wherein the plurality of explosive charges is sized such that the shockwave exhibits greater than a threshold shockwave intensity within the tubular conduit over a maximum effective distance of 4 meters along a length of the tubular conduit.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the core includes a metallic rod, and further wherein the plurality of explosive charges includes a plurality of lengths of primer cord wrapped around the external surface of the metallic rod.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of explosive charges is a first plurality of explosive charges, wherein the plurality of triggering devices is a first plurality of triggering devices, wherein the first plurality of explosive charges and the first plurality of triggering devices together define a first shockwave generation unit, and wherein the shockwave generation device further includes a second shockwave generation unit that includes a second plurality of explosive charges and a second plurality of triggering devices, and further wherein an end region of the first shockwave generation unit is operatively attached to an end region of the second shockwave generation unit such that a longitudinal axis of the first shockwave generation unit is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the second shockwave generation unit.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the core includes at least one of:
(i) an elongate core;
(ii) a rigid core;
(iii) a metallic core;
(iv) a solid core; and
(v) an elongate rigid rod.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the core includes a plurality of flutes, and further wherein each of the plurality of flutes at least partially contains a respective one of the plurality of explosive charges.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the external surface of the core defines each of the plurality of flutes.

7. The device of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of flutes includes a respective recess, which is defined by the core, and an opening that provides access to the recess, and wherein the recess is an elongate recess, and wherein the opening is an elongate opening and further wherein a respective explosive charge extends within each recess and does not project through the opening.

8. The device of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of flutes includes a plurality of spiraling flutes that spirals along a longitudinal axis of the core.

9. The device of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of flutes includes a plurality of circumferential flutes, wherein each of the plurality of circumferential flutes extends at least partially around a transverse cross section of the core.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein, when the downhole shockwave generation device is immersed within the wellbore fluid, at least a portion of each of the plurality of explosive charges is exposed to the wellbore fluid.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of explosive charges includes a plurality of lengths of primer cord.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of lengths of primer cord has a corresponding length between 0.5 meters and 3 meters.

13. The device of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of lengths of primer cord includes 100 to 800 grains of gunpowder per meter of length.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the shockwave generation device further includes a protective barrier configured to at least partially isolate each of the plurality of explosive charges from the wellbore fluid.

15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of triggering devices includes a plurality of blast caps.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of triggering devices is configured to initiate explosion of the selected one of the plurality of explosive charges independent from a remainder of the plurality of explosive charges.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of triggering devices forms a portion of a triggering assembly that is operatively attached to the core.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein each of the plurality of triggering devices includes a uniquely addressed switch configured to initiate explosion of the selected one of the plurality of explosive charges responsive to receipt of a unique code, wherein a unique code of each of the plurality of triggering devices is different from a unique code of a remainder of the plurality of triggering devices.

19. The device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of explosive charges is sized such that the shockwave has sufficient energy to transition a first selective stimulation port, which is operatively attached to the wellbore tubular and less than 2 meters from the shockwave generation device when the shockwave generation device generates the shockwave, from a closed state to an open state but insufficient energy to transition a second selective stimulation port, which is operatively attached to the wellbore tubular and greater than 2 meters from the shockwave generation device when the shockwave generation device generates the shockwave, from the closed state to the open state.

20. The device of claim 1 , wherein the shockwave generation device further includes a detector and further wherein the detector is configured to detect a location of the shockwave generation device within the wellbore tubular.

21. The device of claim 20 , wherein the detector includes at least one of:
(i) a casing collar detector configured to detect a casing collar of the wellbore tubular;
(ii) a magnetic field detector configured to detect a magnetic field that emanates from a magnetic material that defines a portion of the wellbore tubular;
(iii) a radioactivity detector configured to detect a radioactive material that defines a portion of the wellbore tubular;
(iv) a depth detector configured to detect a depth of the shockwave generation device within the tubular conduit;
(v) a speed detector configured to detect a speed of the shockwave generation device within the tubular conduit;
(vi) a timer configured to measure a time associated with motion of the shockwave generation device within the tubular conduit;
(vii) a downhole pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure within the wellbore fluid that is proximal thereto; and
(viii) a downhole temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature within the wellbore fluid that is proximal thereto.

22. The device of claim 20 , wherein the shockwave generation device further includes a controller programmed to control an operation of the shockwave generation device.

23. The device of claim 22 , wherein the shockwave generation device includes a communication linkage between the controller and the detector, wherein the detector is configured to generate a location signal indicative of the location of the shockwave generation device within the wellbore tubular and to convey the location signal to the controller via the communication linkage, and further wherein the controller is programmed to

Assignees

• Tolman Randy C
• Spiecker P Matthew
• Lonnes Steve
• Exxonmobil Upstream Res Co

Inventors

• Tolman Randy C
• Spiecker P Matthew
• Lonnes Steve

Classifications

• E21B47/06

  Measuring temperature or pressure · CPC title

• E21B47/0905

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B47/065

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B34/06

  in wells · CPC title

• F42D1/22

  Methods for holding or positioning for blasting cartridges or tamping cartridges · CPC title