Modular Gun System

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022010660-A1
Application number	US-202117462840-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 31, 2021
Priority date	Jun 26, 2020
Publication date	Jan 13, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and apparatus for inserting a detonator into a door on an end fitting and closing the door into a recess of the end fitting, enabling a quick wireless install of a detonator and resulting in a side-by-side arrangement between the detonator and the detonating cord.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A perforating gun system comprising:
a cylindrical housing with a bottom end and a top end; a prewired loading tube assembly disposed within the cylindrical housing and having a corresponding bottom end and top end; an upper end fitting having a door for receiving a detonator and securing it into a recess coupled to the top end of the prewired loading tube and the top end of the cylindrical housing; a lower end fitting coupled to the bottom end of the prewired loading tube and the bottom end of the cylindrical housing; upper electrical connections coupled to the upper end fitting; lower electrical connections coupled to the bottom end fitting; a selective switch coupled to a detonator connector receptacle disposed within the upper end fitting; and a detonator electrically coupled to the selective switch and further disposed within the door of the upped end fitting.

2 . The prewired loading tube assembly of claim 1 , wherein the upper end fitting disposed within the pre-wired loading tube houses a selective switch wherein the end fitting contains a portion to receive an auto-shunting modular detonator by electrically connecting it to a mating receptacle of a selective switch and affixing the auto-shunting modular detonator proximate to a detonating cord.

3 . The perforating gun system of claim 1 , further comprising a means for auto-shunting the detonator.

4 . The perforating gun system of claim 1 , further including coupling a baffle to the bottom end of the cylindrical housing.

5 . The perforating gun system of claim 1 , wherein the prewired loading tube further comprises an insulated wire which is terminated at the selective switch in the upper end and a pressure bulkhead coupled to the lower end.

6 . The perforating gun system of claim 1 , wherein the selective switch is grounded to the loading tube.

7 . The perforating gun system of claim 6 , wherein the loading tube is electrically connected to the baffle.

8 . The perforating gun system of claim 1 , further including shaped charges installed into the loading tube, wherein the shaped charges are held in place by a locking means fixed to the shaped charge.

9 . The perforating gun system of claim 1 , wherein the detonator has an auto-shunting feature that does not un-shunt until a mating receptacle is inserted.

10 . A pre-wired shaped charge loading tube assembly comprising:
a cylindrical housing with a bottom end and a top end; an upper end fitting having a door for electrically receiving a detonator and securing it into a recess coupled to the top end of the prewired loading tube and the top end of the cylindrical housing; a lower end fitting coupled to the bottom end of the prewired loading tube and the bottom end of the cylindrical housing; upper electrical connections coupled to the upper end fitting; lower electrical connections coupled to the bottom end fitting; a selective switch coupled to a detonator connector receptacle disposed within the upper end fitting; and a detonator electrically coupled to the selective switch and further disposed within the door closed into the recess of the upper end fitting.

11 . The pre-wired shaped charge loading tube assembly of claim 10 , wherein the upper end fitting disposed within the pre-wired loading tube houses a selective switch wherein the end fitting contains a portion to receive an auto-shunting modular detonator by electrically connecting it to a mating receptacle of a selective switch and affixing the auto-shunting modular detonator proximate to a detonating cord.

12 . The pre-wired shaped charge loading tube assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a means for auto-shunting the detonator.

13 . The pre-wired shaped charge loading tube assembly of claim 10 , further including coupling a baffle to the bottom end of the cylindrical housing.

14 . The pre-wired shaped charge loading tube assembly of claim 10 , wherein the prewired loading tube further comprises an insulated wire which is terminated at the selective switch in the upper end and a pressure bulkhead coupled to the lower end.

15 . The pre-wired shaped charge loading tube assembly of claim 10 , wherein the selective switch is grounded to the loading tube.

16 . The pre-wired shaped charge loading tube assembly of claim 10 , further including shaped charges installed into the loading tube, wherein the shaped charges are held in place by a locking means fixed to the shaped charge.

17 . The pre-wired shaped charge loading tube assembly of claim 10 , wherein the detonator has an auto-shunting feature that does not un-shunt until a mating receptacle is inserted.

18 . A method of perforating a wellbore comprising:
coupling a pre-wired first end fitting with a first end of a shaped charge loading tube; coupling a pressure bulkhead at the first end fitting and the first end of the shaped charge loading tube; coupling a pre-wired second end fitting with a second end of a shaped charge loading tube, wherein the second end fitting centers and orients the loading tube and embodies a selective switch, feed through contact and orifices to insert a wireless detonator from the outer end and detonating cord into the inner end; inserting a detonator into a door incorporated into end fitting and closing the door into a recess of the end fitting such that the explosive end of the detonator is adjacent to the detonating cord in an side-by-side configuration; and pre-wiring the loading tube with insulated wire, wherein the wire is terminates at the selective switch in the second end fitting and the pressure bulkhead at the first end fitting.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising centering the loading tube using the first end fitting within a perforating gun body.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising electrically contacting the pre-installed insulated wire disposed within the loading tube to the pressure bulkhead contact adjacent.

21 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising pre-installing the baffle in the pin end of the gun carrier.

22 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising grounding the selective switch to the shaped charge loading tube.

23 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising inserting the shaped charges into the shaped charge loading tube

24 . The method of claim 18 further comprising inserting detonating cord into the back of each shaped charge disposed within the shaped charge loading tube via locking features fixed to the shaped charge.

25 . The method of claim 18 further comprising inserting the termination of a detonating cord into the end fitting.

26 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising screwing together the loaded perforating modular gun assemblies wherein the top contact makes electrical contact to the bottom contact of the adjacent gun assembly.

27 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising swaging and threading the outer diameter of a pin end of the perforating gun.

28 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising installing a pin by pin tandem sub into a box end of perforating gun assembly having a box by box gun body.

29 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising selectively initiating the detonator of the perforating gun.

30 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising pre-assembling spring-loaded

Assignees

• Hunting Titan Inc

Inventors

• Dyess Adam
• Sokolove Christopher Brian
• Bradley Ryan
• Veliz Julio Cesar

Classifications

• E21B43/1185 Primary

  Ignition systems · CPC title

• E21B43/116

  Gun or shaped-charge perforators · CPC title

• E21B43/117 Primary

  Shaped-charge perforators (E21B43/118 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B43/119

  Details, e.g. for locating perforating place or direction · CPC title

• E21B17/028

  Electrical or electro-magnetic connections · CPC title