Utilizing electrically actuated explosives downhole

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10920557-B2
Application number	US-201616315514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2016
Priority date	Aug 19, 2016
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

Electrically ignitable and electrically controllable explosive material (EIECEM) may be disposed within a shaped charge for deployment downhole. An explosion of the EIECEM is controlled by limiting the duration of excitation at the EIECEM, for example, the duration that an electrical source provides an electrical charge, electrical current or electrical signal. The shaped charge may be insulated from an electrical source to prevent explosion of the EIECEM and coupled to the electrical source to create ignite or explode the EIECEM. A plurality of shaped charges may be disposed downhole and may be ignited or exploded in any suitable order. The EIECEM may be ignited multiple times such that multiple explosions are created. The explosion of the EIECEM creates or extends a perforation or fracture in a formation. The shaped charges may be arranged to create a shaped perforation or fracture, such as a slot-shaped fracture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for creating a perforation in a subterranean formation using electrically ignitable and electrically controllable explosive material (EIECEM), comprising:
positioning a charge carrier in a wellbore of the formation, wherein the charge carrier comprises a plurality of shaped charges, wherein each of the plurality of shaped charges comprises the EIECEM, wherein the EIECEM is disposed about a cone, wherein an insulator is disposed about a portion of the cone to insulate the cone from the EIECEM, wherein a remaining portion of the cone is not lined with the insulator;
exciting an electrical current at the charge carrier, wherein exciting the electrical current comprises inducing an electrical current at the EIECEM;
igniting the EIECEM by the electrical current, wherein igniting the EIECEM creates an explosion for a duration of the electrical current; and
creating a perforation in the formation based, at least in part, on the explosion.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein exciting the electrical current comprises pulsing the electrical current.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of shaped charges are positioned radially about the charge carrier.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of shaped charges are positioned azimuthally about the charge carrier.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of shaped charges are positioned longitudinally about the charge carrier.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of shaped charges positioned longitudinally about the charge carrier are disposed at a distance from each other to create a slot-shaped perforation when the EIECEM is ignited.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the EIECEM associated with each of the plurality of shaped charges is independently ignited.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein an electrode is coupled to the charge carrier to transmit the electrical current to the EIECEM.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising injecting a fluid into the perforation.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein exciting the charge carrier comprises exciting a plurality of conductors to induce the electrical current across a plurality of electrodes coupled to at least one of the charge carrier and to at least one of the plurality of shaped charges, wherein each of the plurality of electrodes is associated with a conductor of the plurality of conductors, and wherein at least two or more of the plurality of electrodes are associated with a different conductor of the plurality of conductors than any other at least two or more of the plurality of electrodes.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
the plurality of shaped charges comprising at least four shaped charges;
grouping the plurality of shaped charges into a plurality of groups, wherein there is at least a first group and a second group: and
wherein exciting the charge carrier comprises independently exciting at least one shaped charge of the plurality of shaped charges associated with each of the plurality of groups.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein independently exciting the at least one shaped charge comprises exciting a first one of the at least one shaped charge associated with the first group of the plurality of groups prior to exciting a first one of the least one shaped charge of the second group of the plurality of groups.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein a container comprises a plurality of charge carriers, wherein each group of the plurality of groups is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of charge carriers, and wherein a first charge carrier of the plurality of charge carriers is positioned within the wellbore such that each shaped charge of the first charge carrier is positioned at a predetermined degrees apart from each shaped charge of a second charge carrier of the plurality of charge carriers.

14. An electrically ignitable and electrically controllable explosive material (EIECEM) downhole system, comprising:
a shaped charge disposed downhole, wherein the shaped charge comprises the EIECEM, wherein the EIECEM is disposed about a cone;
an insulator disposed about a portion of the cone to insulate the cone from the EIECEM, wherein a remaining portion of the cone is not lined with the insulator;
a conductor coupled to the shaped charge, wherein the conductor is configured to deliver an electrical current to the shaped charge; and
wherein the shaped charge is configured to ignite the EIECEM to cause an explosion of the EIECEM for a duration of the delivered electrical current.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a charge carrier, wherein the charge carrier comprises:
the cone, wherein the cone is configured to be collapsible and to comprise a shape that induces a predetermined trajectory of a perforation in the formation during the explosion of the EIECEM; and
a shell disposed about the EIECEM, wherein the shell is configured to permit transmission of the electrical current to the EIECEM.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the charge carrier comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned radially about the charge carrier.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the charge carrier comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned azimuthally about the charge carrier.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the charge carrier comprises a plurality of shaped charges positioned longitudinally about the charge carrier, and wherein the plurality of shaped charges are disposed at a distance from each other to create a slot-shaped perforation when the EIECEM is exploded.

19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the conductor comprises a first electrode coupled to the shell and a second electrode coupled to the shaped charge.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
induce a first electrical current at a first shaped charge of a first charge carrier disposed in a wellbore, wherein the first shaped charge comprises a first electrically ignitable electrically controllable explosive material (EIECEM), wherein the first EIECEM is configured to cause a first explosion for a duration of the first electrical current to create at least a first perforation of a subterranean formation, wherein the first EIECEM is disposed about a cone in the first shaped charge, wherein an insulator is disposed about a portion of the cone to insulate the cone from the first EIECEM, wherein a remaining portion of the cone is not lined with the insulator, wherein the remaining portion of the cone not lined with the insulator in the first shaped charge is configured to provide for repeated ignition of the first EIECEM; and
induce, independently of the inducement of the first electrical current, a second electrical current at a second shaped charge of the first charge carrier disposed in the wellbore, wherein the second shaped charge comprises a second EIECEM, wherein the second EIECEM is configured to cause a second explosion for a duration of the second electrical current to either create at least a second perforation of the subterranean formation or extend the at least first perforation, wherein the second EIECEM is disposed about a cone in the second shaped charge, wherein an insulator is disposed about a portion of the cone to insulate the cone from the second EIECEM, wherein a remaining portion of the cone is not lined with the insulator, wherein the remaining portion of the cone not lined with the insulator in the second shaped charge is co

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Surjaatmadja Jim Basuki
• Stephenson Stanley V
• Lewis Bryan John
• Hunter Tim H
• Barker James Marshall

Classifications

• F42D1/05

  Electric circuits for blasting · CPC title

• E21B43/1185 Primary

  Ignition systems · CPC title

• E21B43/263 Primary

  using explosives · CPC title