Perforation gun string energy propagation management with tuned mass damper

• US 8,978,749 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Rodgers, John P., Serra, Marco, Glenn, Timothy S., Burleson, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harcourt, Brad
• Application Number:
  US14/003,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20140262503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 166/297, 166/299, 166/55, 166/55.2
• US Class Current: 166/55
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/00 Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/116 Gun or shaped-charge perforators
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/1195 Replacement of drilling mud; decrease of undesirable shock waves
• CPC Class Codes: F42D 3/04 for rock blasting

Abstract

A perforation tool assembly comprises a perforation gun, and a mass energy absorber coupled to the perforation gun. The mass energy absorber is configured to alter the propagation of mechanical energy released by firing one or more perforation guns. The mass energy absorber comprises a mass and at least one absorber, and the at least one absorber is disposed between the mass and the perforating gun.

Claims

1. A perforation tool assembly, comprising

a perforation gun;

and

a mass energy absorber coupled to the perforation gun and configured to alter the propagation of mechanical energy released by firing one or more perforation guns, wherein the mass energy absorber comprises;

a tool body, wherein the tool body is coupled to the perforation gun, wherein the tool body comprises a first end and a second end, and wherein a distance between the first end and the second end is fixed;

a mass suspended within the tool body, wherein the mass is moveably suspended within the tool body; and

at least one absorber, wherein the at least one absorber comprises a first absorber disposed between a first end of the mass and the first end of the tool body and a second absorber disposed between a second end of the mass and the second end of the tool body, wherein the mass is supported within the tool body by the first absorber and the second absorber, wherein the at least one absorber is disposed between the mass and the perforating gun, and wherein the first absorber has a different compliance than the second absorber.

2. The perforation tool assembly of claim 1, wherein the mass comprises at least 80% by weight tungsten or depleted uranium.

3. The perforation tool assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one absorber is configured to alter shock waves associated with a plurality of time separated perforation gun firings.

4. The perforation tool assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one absorber is a crushable material.

5. The perforation tool assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one absorber is a frangible material.

6. The perforation tool assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one absorber is a material that deforms non-restoratively.

7. The perforation tool assembly of claim 1, wherein the first absorber has a different mechanical energy absorption characteristic from the second absorber.

8. A perforation tool assembly, comprising:

a plurality of perforation guns; and

a mass energy absorber disposed between at least two of the plurality of perforation guns, wherein the mass energy absorber is configured to reduce the propagation of mechanical energy across the mass energy absorber, wherein the mass energy absorber comprises;

a tool body, wherein the tool body comprises a first end and a second end, and wherein a distance between the first end and the second end is fixed;

a mass suspended and enclosed within the tool body, wherein the mass is moveably suspended within the tool body; and

at least one absorber, wherein the mass energy absorber comprises a first absorber disposed between a first end of the mass and the first end of the tool body and a second absorber disposed between a second end of the mass and the second end of the tool body, wherein the first absorber and the second absorber are configured to absorb energy and reduce the mechanical energy that propagates across the mass energy absorber, where the mechanical energy is released by firing one or more perforation guns of the plurality of perforation guns, and wherein the first absorber has a different mechanical energy absorption characteristic from the second absorber.

9. The perforation tool assembly of claim 8, wherein the mass comprises one or more of tungsten or depleted uranium.

10. The perforation tool assembly of claim 8, wherein the at least one absorber is a material that deforms non-restoratively.

11. The perforation tool assembly of claim 10, wherein the at least one absorber is at least one of a crushable material or a frangible material.

12. The perforation tool assembly of claim 8, wherein the first absorber has a different compliance than the second absorber.

13. A method of perforating a casing string in a wellbore, comprising:

modeling a wellbore;

modeling a perforation tool assembly, wherein the perforation tool assembly comprises at least one perforation gun and a mass energy absorber, wherein the mass energy absorber comprises;

a tool body, a mass suspended and enclosed within the tool body, wherein the mass is moveably disposed within the tool body, and at least one absorber disposed between a first end of the mass and a first end of the tool body;

simulating firing the at least one perforation gun;

designing the mass energy absorber based on the simulating, wherein designing the mass energy absorber comprises selecting from a plurality of dense materials based on an analysis of energy attenuation and cost of the dense material;

firing the first perforation gun when the first perforating gun is disposed in a wellbore; and

attenuating a mechanical energy that propagates across the mass energy absorber, wherein the mechanical energy is associated with firing the first perforation gun.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein designing the mass energy absorber comprises designing a crushable component based on the simulating.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein designing the mass energy absorber comprises designing a frangible component based on the simulating.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein designing the mass energy absorber comprises designing the mass energy absorber to attenuate mechanical energy that propagates across the mass energy absorber at different times, wherein the different times are separated by at least 1 second.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the dense materials are selected from tungsten and depleted uranium.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the mass energy absorber comprises a first absorber and a second absorber.