Protection of electronic devices used with perforating guns

• US 9,926,777 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Rodgers, John P., Glenn, Timothy S., Eaton, Edwin A., Walter, Patrick L., Serra, Marco, Burleson, John D., Hales, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Andre
• Application Number:
  US14/125,577
• Publication Number:
  US 20140260591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,924 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/1195 Replacement of drilling mud; decrease of undesirable shock waves
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/017 Protecting measuring instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/245 Housings for sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/16 Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general G10K11/36 takes precedence

Abstract

In an embodiment, a sensing subassembly for use with a downhole tool comprises a housing, a cavity extending into the housing, a sensor disposed at least partially within the cavity, a shock mitigating member disposed between at least one end of the sensor and the housing, and at least one seal member disposed between the sensor and the housing. At least a portion of the sensor is in fluid communication with an exterior of the housing, and the shock mitigating member is configured to attenuate at least a portion of a shock wave between the housing and the sensor.

Claims

1. A sensing subassembly for use with a downhole tool comprising:

a housing;

a cavity extending into the housing;

a sensor disposed at least partially within the cavity, wherein at least a portion of the sensor is in fluid communication with an exterior of the housing;

a shock mitigating member disposed between at least one end of the sensor and the housing, wherein the shock mitigating member is configured to attenuate at least a portion of a shock wave between the housing and the sensor, wherein the shock mitigating member comprises a first material adjacent to a second material, and wherein the impedance of the first material is greater than the impedance of the second material; and

at least one seal member disposed between the sensor and the housing.

2. The sensing subassembly of claim 1, wherein a ratio between the impedance of the first material and the impedance of the second material is greater than 1.1.

3. The sensing subassembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one washer radially disposed along the axis of the sensor.

4. The sensing subassembly of claim 1, further comprising a retaining ring configured to secure the sensor within the cavity, wherein the retaining ring is pinned or threadedly engaged with the housing.

5. The sensing subassembly of claim 1, further comprising a screen disposed over at least a portion of the sensor between the sensor and the exterior of the housing.

6. The sensing subassembly of claim 1, further comprising at least one pocket retaining at least one compressible component disposed between at least a portion of the sensor and at least a portion of the housing.

7. The sensing subassembly of claim 1, further comprising an encapsulant configured to create at least one pocket comprising at least one compressible component between the sensor and the housing.

8. The sensing subassembly of claim 1, wherein the shock mitigating member is configured to reflect at least 5% of the mechanical wave away from the sensor.

9. A method of measuring a mechanical wave in a wellbore comprising:

disposing a sensing subassembly into a wellbore, wherein the sensing subassembly comprises;

a housing with a cavity extending into the housing,

a sensor disposed at least partially within the cavity, and

a shock protection apparatus, wherein the shock protection apparatus comprises a shock mitigating member disposed between at least one end of the sensor and the housing,

receiving, by the shock protection apparatus, at least one mechanical wave within the wellbore;

reducing transmission of the mechanical wave to the sensor using the shock mitigating member;

sensing at least one parameter associated with the mechanical wave;

generating, by the sensor, at least one signal in response to the sensing; and

storing the at least one signal in a non-transitory computer readable media.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one mechanical wave comprises a detonation wave generated by at least one perforating gun disposed within the wellbore.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the shock mitigating member comprises a first material adjacent a second material, and wherein the ratio between the impedance of the first material and the impedance of the second material is greater than 1.1.

11. A method of attenuating a mechanical wave, comprising:

receiving a mechanical wave at a housing comprising a cavity;

attenuating at least a portion of the mechanical wave using a shock mitigating member; and

sensing, using a sensor located in the cavity and coupled with the shock mitigating member, at least one parameter external to the housing.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein attenuating comprises reflecting or absorbing at least a portion of the mechanical wave using the shock mitigating member disposed adjacent to the sensor.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the attenuating at least a portion of the mechanical wave using the shock mitigating member comprises compressing at least one washer radially disposed along the axis of the sensor.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein attenuating at least a portion of the mechanical wave using the shock mitigating member comprises allowing an axial deflection along the axis of the sensor and radial deflection about the axis of the sensor using at least one seal member disposed between the sensor and the housing.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein attenuating at least a portion of the mechanical wave using the shock mitigating member comprises allowing axial and radial deflection along the axis of the sensor.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein attenuating at least a portion of the mechanical wave using the shock mitigating member comprises dampening deflection of at least one electrical line coupled to the sensor.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein attenuating at least a portion of the mechanical wave further comprises supporting at least one electrical line coupled with the sensor.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the shock mitigating member comprises a first material adjacent to a second material, and the impedance of the first material being greater than the impedance of the second material.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the ratio between the impedance of the first material and the impedance of the second material is greater than 1.1.