APPARATUS FOR MORE EFFECTIVELY EXTRACTING ENERGY RESOURCES FROM UNDERGROUND RESERVOIRS AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Abstract

An apparatus for more effectively extracting energy resources from underground reservoirs and a method for manufacturing the same. The apparatus is a perforating gun that includes scallops shaped such that charges that are displaced from their original location nevertheless remain located below the scallop, which increases the effectiveness of displaced charges when detonated. In addition, the scallops are created using a method that enables the entire scallop to be of a uniform thickness, which also increases the effectiveness of charges detonated beneath the scallop.

Claims

1. A perforating gun comprising: a) an elongated body; b) wherein the elongated body includes at least one scallop; and c) wherein the at least one scallop is engineered such that the surface area of the scallop is sufficiently larger than a charge head of a charge that may be located beneath the scallop, such that if the charge is displaced from its original location, the charge head will be more likely to remain located beneath the scallop.

2. The perforating gun claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one scallop is elliptical shaped.

3. The perforating gun claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one scallop is engineered such that the scallop is of a substantially uniform thickness.

4. The perforating gun claimed in claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one scallop is of a substantially uniform thickness.

5. A perforating gun comprising: a) an elongated body; b) wherein the elongated body includes at least one scallop; and c) wherein the at least one scallop is engineered such that the scallop is of a substantially uniform thickness.

6. A method for engineering at least one scallop of a perforating gun such that the at least one scallop is of a substantially uniform thickness, including: a) a multi-compound milling tool; and b) wherein the multi-compound milling tool is bored upon an elongated body of a perforating gun such that a scallop created by such boring is of a substantially uniform thickness.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawings included herewith are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention disclosed herein. The drawings are merely included to clarify and exemplify the invention as disclosed and claimed herein.

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a standard perforating gun with standard circular-shaped scallops and a cross-sectional view of the same.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional and standard view of a perforating gun with charges loaded below circular scallops.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows a standard charge that may be loaded beneath a scallop in a perforating gun.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows a comparative view of a perforating gun with elliptical shaped scallops and a perforating gun with circular shaped scallops.

[0024] FIG. 5 shows the milling of a scallop in a perforating gun using the industry's current method, which does not create scallops of substantially uniform thickness.

[0025] FIG. 6 shows a scallop created using the industry's current method; note the scallop is not of substantially uniform thickness.

[0026] FIG. 7 shows an example of the method of creating scallops claimed herein, which creates scallops of substantially uniform thickness.

[0027] FIG. 8 shows a scallop created using the method claimed herein; note the scallop's substantially uniform thickness.

[0028] FIG. 9 shows generally how perforating guns are used to create subterranean fissures that facilitate the extraction of energy resources.

[0029] FIG. 10 shows generally how perforating guns are used to create subterranean fissures that facilitate the extraction of energy resources.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] When a charge below a scallop is displaced, it typically shifts such that only a portion of the charge head is no longer situated below the scallop. The present invention provides a perforating gun with scallops shaped such that the surface area occupied by the scallop is sufficiently larger than the size of the charge head below the scallop, so that if the charge below the scallop is shifted in location, there is an increased likelihood that all or the majority of the charge head will remain located below the scallop notwithstanding that the charge has moved from its original location.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 4, a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes the use of elliptical shaped scallops 11. Elliptical scallops 11 provide better performance in perforating guns because by elongating the scallop beyond the art's current use of circular scallops, if a charge is displaced along the longitudinal axis of the elliptical scallop, the charge still remains situated below a scalloped portion of the perforating gun rather than becoming situated below an unscalloped portion of the perforating gun. The advantage of including elliptical scallops 11 can be easily seen when the elliptical scallops 11 are compared to the circular scallops 7 also shown in FIG. 4. If a charge situated below a circular scallop 7 is displaced, at least a portion of the charge will be located below an unscalloped portion of the perforating gun. Thus, by increasing the likelihood that a charge displaced from its original location remains situated below a scalloped portion of a perforating gun, the invention disclosed herein increases the likelihood that as much of a charge's explosive force as possible is expelled directly through a scallop, even if the charge sustains a pre-detonation jarring force that displaces the charge from its original location.

[0032] The elliptical scallops 11 are further desirable as a preferred embodiment because, while they permit a dislocated charge to remain below a scallop, the elliptical shape is not so much larger than the charges that the explosive force created by the charges is expelled too diffusely to effectively create fissures in the earthen material adjacent to the perforating gun. If a scallop design is too large, the explosive force generated by the charge below the scallop may be expelled from the scallop too diffusely to penetrate the earthen material deeply enough to effectively extract natural resource reserves.

[0033] Elliptical scallops 11 are discussed herein only as an example. Any shape or size of scallop that permits a displaced charge to remain located below a scalloped portion of a perforating gun should be considered within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. The essence of the invention, therefore, is fashioning scallops in perforating guns such that a displaced charge remains located below a scalloped portion of the perforating gun, notwithstanding that it has been displaced from its original location.

[0034] Referring now to FIG. 8, the present invention also includes scallops that are engineered such that the scallop is of a substantially uniform thickness 10. As explained above, the advantage of charges penetrating thinner portions of the perforating gun (such as scallops) is that less force from the blast is required to penetrate the thinner portion of the perforating gun and so more force remains available to penetrate the earthen material located adjacent to the gun. The advantage of scallops of substantially uniform thickness 10, as compared to scallops currently utilized by the industry that are thicker at their edges than at their center (See FIG. 6), is that substantially all of the substantially uniformly thin scallops provide a thinner surface for charges to penetrate. Including scallops of substantially uniform thickness 10 thus further conserves the amount of a charge's detonation force that is needed to penetrate a scallop, which results in more of the charge's force remaining available to penetrate the earthen material adjacent to the perforating gun.

[0035] Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the present invention also discloses a method for creating scallops of a substantially uniform thickness 10. Shown in FIG. 7 is a multi-compound tool that has the ability to generate the radial scallop floor concentric to the inner diameter of the perforating gun, which allows the scallop to maintain a substantially uniform thickness for the charge to penetrate. One such multi-compound tool currently available is a 5 Axis Multi Task Machine (“MTM”) and a ball nose end mill;

[0036] however, persons will skill in the art will recognize that other multi-compound tools exist that are capable of generating scallops such that the scallop is of a substantially uniform thickness.

[0037] The advantage of using a multi-compound tool as shown in FIG. 7 is readily apparent when comparing FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. FIG. 5 shows the current method that the industry uses for creating scallops, where a non-multi-compound tool (such as, for example, a 3 Axis MTM and bullnose end mill) is lowered upon the perforating gun surface by lowering the tool along a single axis. But because perforating guns are cylindrical, lowering the non-multi-compound milling tool along such a single axis downward upon a perforating gun's curved outer surface results in scallops that are thinner at their center than at their edges (See FIG. 6). Unlike the scallops of substantially uniform thickness 10 disclosed herein, such non-substantially uniformly thick scallops require more force to penetrate the scallop's thicker edges, which, as explained above, reduces the effectiveness of the charge's explosion to create fissures that allow for harvesting of energy resources.

[0038] Having thus described the invention, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims.