G&h Diversified Manufacturing LP

Other

James Edward Kash

Benjamin Vascal Knight

Joe Noel Wells

Ryan Matthew Ward

Timmothy Alain Lee

Charles Levine

Ryan Thomas Ward

Steven M Zakharia

Brian Auer

Edward Cannoy Kash

Steven Zakharia

Brian Marshall Auer

Adam Green

Christina Matthews

David Griffin

A self-orienting perforating gun includes an outer housing having a throughbore, a charge carrier positioned in the throughbore of the outer housing, a hub secured directly or indirectly to the outer housing, a bearing secured to each carrier end of the charge carrier wherein the bearing overlies the hub to provide a rotatable relationship between the hub and the charge carrier about a rotational axis within the outer housing, and an eccentric weight coupled to the charge carrier applying an off-axis orienting force to the charge carrier for urging the charge carrier to rotate about the rotational axis toward a predefined orientation relative to the direction of gravity.

Self-orienting perforating gun

A perforating gun system includes an outer housing, a charge carrier assembly slidably receivable in the outer housing, wherein the charge carrier assembly includes a charge carrier having a central axis, a first endplate coupled to a first end of the charge carrier, and a second endplate coupled to a second end of the charge carrier, and an annular initiator assembly connectable to the charge carrier assembly, wherein the initiator assembly has a central opening whereby a central axis of the initiator assembly extends centrally through the central opening and parallel with the central axis of the charge carrier, wherein the initiator assembly is configured to detonate a detonator of the perforating gun system in response to receiving a firing signal.

Initiator assemblies for perforating gun systems

A tool string includes a perforating gun, a first electrical connector defining a receptacle and includes a first electrical contact positioned in the receptacle, and a sub including a sub housing including first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a central passage extending between the first end and the second end, and a bulkhead connector positionable in the central passage to form a pressure barrier along the central passage, the bulkhead connector including an outer housing defining a radially outer periphery of the bulkhead connector, and a second electrical contact positioned along the outer periphery of the bulkhead connector and configured to establish radially directed electrical contact with the first electrical contact of the first electrical connector irrespective of the angular orientation of the second electrical contact relative to the first electrical contact.

Reusable perforating gun system and method

A method for producing a tandem sub for a perforating gun system includes positioning an electrically conductive signal bar in a central passage of a tubular housing of the tandem sub, and injecting a mold material into an annulus formed between an outer surface of the signal bar and an inner surface of the tubular housing that sealably adheres to both the signal bar and the tubular housing.

Reusable tandem subs including a signal bar for a perforating gun system

A system for connecting a perforating gun to at least one other component in a perforating tool string includes a perforating gun that includes a gun housing and a charge carrier received within the gun housing wherein the charge carrier includes a first electrical connector, a tool connected end-to-end with the perforating gun where the tool includes an outer sleeve and a second electrical connector, a solid signal puck arranged with the perforating gun and the tool where the puck forms a pressure resistant barrier between the gun and the tool and wherein the solid signal puck includes a first endface oriented and a second endface and an outer periphery between the endfaces, and wherein the largest outer diameter of the outer periphery is at least 40% of the length between the first endface and the second endface of the puck.

Solid signal puck for wellbore perforating gun

A perforating gun deployable in a wellbore as part of a tool string includes an outer sleeve including a generally tubular wall structure having a peripheral surface around the outside, opposite ends thereof and a central passage therethrough extending from one end to the other end and further including a connection at each end to connect to other tools in the tool string, and at least one pressure sealed perforating module slidably positioned within the central passage of the outer sleeve having a shaped charge sealed from the portion of the central passage of the outer sleeve external the pressure-sealed perforating module.

Modular perforating gun systems and methods

A tandem sub for a perforating gun system includes a tubular housing including a longitudinal first end, a longitudinal second end opposite the first end, a central passage defined by an inner surface, an electrical pass-thru assembly including an electrically conductive signal bar having a longitudinal first end defining a first electrical contact of the tandem sub, and a longitudinal second end opposite the first end and defining a second electrical contact of the tandem sub that is longitudinally opposite and electrically connected to the first electrical contact, wherein the signal bar is rigid along the entire longitudinal length thereof extending from the first end to the second end, and wherein the signal bar is coupled to the housing and a central axis of the central passage of the housing intersects the signal bar.

A method includes assembling a first tool string to include at least one original perforating gun and an original gun switch in communication with the original perforating charge, and inserting the first tool string into a first wellbore. The method also includes retrieving the first tool string from the first wellbore and recovering the original gun switch from the first tool string, assembling a new tool string to include at least one new perforating gun, wherein the new tool string further includes the recovered original gun switch whereby the original gun switch is in communication with the new perforating charge, and inserting the new tool string into at least one of the first wellbore and a different wellbore, and delivering a signal to the original gun switch to initiate detonation of the second perforating gun.

A perforating gun system includes an outer housing, a charge carrier assembly slidably receivable in the outer housing, wherein the charge carrier assembly includes a charge carrier having a central axis, a first endplate coupled to a first end of the charge carrier, and a second endplate coupled to a second end of the charge carrier, and an initiator assembly including an electrical switch, wherein the electrical switch has a maximum length extending in a direction parallel the central axis that is less than a maximum width of the electrical switch extending in an orthogonal direction relative to the central axis; wherein the electrical switch is configured to detonate a detonator of the perforating gun system in response to receiving a firing signal.

A perforating gun includes an outer sleeve included of a generally tubular wall structure having a peripheral surface around the outside, opposite ends thereof and a central passage therethrough extending from one end to the other end and further including a connection at each end to connect to other tools in a tool string wherein the outer sleeve is configured to carry the tensile and compressive forces imposable on the perforating gun as the perforating gun is deployed in the wellbore, and at least one pressure sealed perforating module installed within the central passage of the outer sleeve having a shaped charge sealed therein and wherein the installation of the pressure sealed perforating module within the outer sleeve is configured to substantially eliminate the transfer of tensile or compressive forces imposable on or by the tool string onto the at least one pressure sealed perforating module.

An initiator assembly for a perforating gun includes a detonator configured to detonate a shaped charge of the perforating gun when ballistically coupled to the shaped charge, wherein the detonator includes a detonator housing that receives an explosive material and a detonator electrical connector extending from the detonator housing, and a switch assembly configured to detonate the detonator after receiving a firing signal, wherein the switch assembly includes a switch housing and a switch electrical connector received in the switch housing, wherein one of the detonator electrical connector and the switch electrical connector is insertable into the other of the detonator electrical connector and the switch electrical connector to form an electrical connection between the detonator and the switch assembly.

Initiator assemblies for a perforating gun

A method including (a) lowering a first tool string into a first wellbore, the tool string including a first perforating gun and a gun switch configured to detonate the first perforating gun, (b) detonating the first perforating gun in response to transmitting a first gun firing signal from a control system to the gun switch, (c) retrieving the tool string from the first wellbore following (c), (d) lowering a second tool string including the gun switch used in the first tool string and a second perforating gun into at least one of the first wellbore and a second wellbore that is different from the first wellbore following (d), and (e) detonating the second perforating gun of the second tool string in response to transmitting a second gun firing signal from the control system to the gun switch.

A perforating gun deployable in a wellbore. The perforating gun may include an outer sleeve including a central passage, and a plurality of separate perforating modules receivable in the central passage of the outer sleeve. Each of the plurality of perforating modules of the perforating gun may include a carrier and a charge tube assembly received in the carrier, wherein the charge tube assembly incudes a shaped charge.

A thread protector for coupling with an end of a tubular member includes a hub, a connector extending from the hub, and a plurality of splines formed on an outer surface of the connector and configured to releasably couple with a threaded connector of the tubular member, wherein each spline includes an inclined shoulder disposed at an acute angle to a central axis of the thread protector, and a locking shoulder disposed orthogonal to the central axis of the thread protector.

Thread protector for tubular members

A tool string includes a perforating gun including a signal conductor, a sub that includes a sub housing including a first bulkhead receptacle extending into the sub housing from a first end, a second bulkhead receptacle extending into the sub housing from a second end, and a switch receptacle positioned between the first bulkhead receptacle and the second bulkhead receptacle, a first bulkhead connector, and a second bulkhead connector, and a switch positionable in the switch receptacle, wherein the switch is configured to establish an electrical connection with the signal conductor of the perforating gun in response to coupling of the sub with the perforating gun, and wherein the switch receptacle is isolated from fluid pressure external of the switch receptacle when the first bulkhead connector is positioned in the first bulkhead receptacle and the second bulkhead connector is positioned in the second bulkhead receptacle.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

James Edward Kash