Pivotable bulkhead assembly for crimp resistance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10352674-B2
Application number	US-201816156339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2018
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

According to an aspect a bulkhead assembly is provided having particular application with a downhole tool, in particular for oil well drilling applications. The bulkhead assembly includes a bulkhead body and an electrical contact component disposed within the bulkhead body, wherein at least a portion of the electrical contact component is configured to pivot about its own axis, without compromising its ability to provide a pressure and fluid barrier. In an embodiment, a ground apparatus is provided to provide an electrical connection for at least one ground wire. The ground apparatus may be positionable on the bulkhead body of the bulkhead assembly. In an aspect, a downhole tool including the bulkhead assembly and ground apparatus is also generally described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bulkhead assembly comprising:
a bulkhead body having a first end portion, a second end portion and a bore extending between the first end portion and the second end portion;
an electrical contact component extending through the bore of the bulkhead body and configured for electrical conductivity through the bulkhead body, the electrical contact component including an arm portion contained inside the bulkhead body, wherein the bulkhead body, the electrical contact component and the bore have a common longitudinal axis, and the bulkhead body is configured to pivot relative to the electrical contact component; a disk portion contained inside the bulkhead body and attached to the arm portion; and
a ground wire attached to the bulkhead body.

2. The bulkhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein a substantial portion of the electrical contact component is slidably disposed within the bore of the bulkhead body.

3. The bulkhead assembly of claim 2 , wherein the electrical contact component further comprises:
a contact pin portion having a first radius;
a pin head portion positioned within the bore of the bulkhead body, the pin head portion having a second radius greater than the first radius of the contact pin portion; and
a biasing member abutting the pin head portion and positioned within the bore of bulkhead body.

4. The bulkhead assembly of claim 3 , wherein the biasing member urges the pin head away from the first end portion of the bulkhead body and toward the second end portion of the bulkhead body.

5. The bulkhead assembly of claim 3 , wherein the bore comprises an end portion bore extending through second end portion, wherein the end portion bore has an end portion bore radius that is smaller than a radius of the bore extending between the first end portion and the second end portion.

6. The bulkhead assembly of claim 5 , wherein
the first radius of the contact pin is less than the end portion bore radius; and
the second radius of the pin head is greater than the end portion bore radius.

7. The bulkhead assembly of claim 5 , wherein the second radius of the pin head is sized to be slidably received within the bore of the bulkhead body.

8. A bulkhead assembly comprising:
a bulkhead body having a first end portion, a second end portion and a bore extending between the first end portion and the second end portion;
an electrical contact component comprising a contact pin portion connected to a leg portion, the leg portion slideably disposed within the bore of the bulkhead body, and the electrical contact component configured for conducting electricity through the bulkhead body, wherein the bulkhead body, electrical contact component and bulkhead body bore have a common longitudinal axis; a disk portion contained inside the bulkhead body and attached to the leg portion, the disk portion having a radius greater than the radius of the contact pin portion; and
a ground wire attached to the bulkhead body.

9. The bulkhead assembly of claim 8 wherein the bulkhead body and the electrical contact component may pivot relative to one another about the common longitudinal axis.

10. The bulkhead assembly of claim 8 , wherein the contact pin is disposed through the second end portion of the bulkhead body.

11. The bulkhead assembly of claim 8 , further comprising:
a biasing member positioned within the bore of the bulkhead body and abutting the leg portion.

12. The bulkhead assembly of claim 11 , wherein the biasing member exerts a biasing force on the disk portion away from the first end portion of the bulkhead body and toward the second end portion of the bulkhead body.

13. The bulkhead assembly of claim 8 , wherein the bore comprises an end portion bore extending through second end portion, an end portion bore radius that is smaller than a radius of the bore extending between the first end portion and the second end portion.

14. The bulkhead assembly of claim 13 , wherein
the radius of the contact pin is less than the end portion bore radius; and
the radius of the disk is greater than the end portion bore radius.

15. The bulkhead assembly of claim 8 , further comprising:
a wire extending through the first end portion of the bulkhead body and attached to the electrical contact component.

16. The bulkhead assembly of claim 15 , further comprising:
an insulator between the wire and the first end portion of the bulkhead body.

17. A bulkhead assembly comprising:
a bulkhead body having a first end portion, a second end portion and a bore extending between the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein the bore has a bulkhead body bore radius;
a second end portion bore extending through the second end portion and having a second end portion bore radius; and
an electrical contact component configured for electrical conductivity through the bulkhead body, the electrical contact component having a contact pin portion connected to a pin head portion, wherein a radius of the pin head portion is greater than a radius of the contact pin portion, wherein
the radius of the pin head portion is smaller than the bulkhead body bore radius and larger than the second end portion bore radius, and the radius of the contact pin is smaller than the second end portion bore radius,
the bulkhead body bore, the second end portion bore, the contact pin portion and the pin head portion each have a common longitudinal axis,
the pin head portion is slideably disposed in the bulkhead body bore and the contact pin portion extends from the pin head portion and is slideably disposed through the second end portion bore, and
the bulkhead body is configured to pivot about the common longitudinal axis relative to the electrical contact component.

18. The bulkhead assembly of claim 17 , further comprising:
a biasing member positioned within the bulkhead body bore and abutting the pin head portion.

19. The bulkhead assembly of claim 18 , wherein the biasing member urges the pin head away from the first end portion of the bulkhead body and towards the second end portion of the bulkhead body.

20. The bulkhead assembly of claim 17 , further comprising at least one of:
a ground wire attached to the bulkhead body; and
a wire extending through the first end portion of the bulkhead body and attached to the electrical contact component.

Assignees

• Dynaenergetics Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Eitschberger Christian

Classifications

• E21B49/00

  Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells · CPC title

• F42D1/05 Primary

  Electric circuits for blasting · CPC title

• F42D1/04

  Arrangements for ignition {(ignition systems for shaped charge perforators E21B43/1185; ignition devices for seismic energy generators G01V1/06)} · CPC title

• F42D1/043

  Connectors for detonating cords and ignition tubes, e.g. Nonel tubes (mounting of detonators in blasting cartridges F42B3/26) · CPC title

• F42B3/10

  Initiators therefor (percussion fuzes F42C7/00; percussion caps F42C19/10; electric primers F42C19/12) · CPC title