Schlumberger Technology Corporation

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Services Petroliers Schlumberger

Westerngeco Seismic Holdings Limited

Wallace E Voreck

James E Brooks

Lawrence A Behrmann

Wenbo Yang

Haoshi Song

Daniel C Markel

Jack F Lands

William J Lukasavage

Dinesh R Patel

Manish Kothari

Kuo-Chiang Chen

Nolan C Lerche

Brenden M Grove

Ian C Walton

Thomas H Zimmerman

Alfredo Fayard

Clifford L Aseltine

Glen-Allan Tite

James F Shelton

John R Eberhardt

Hooshang A Rezaie

Everett W Dalrymple

Glen-Allen Tite

Karri A Brock

Glen-Allen S Tite

A detonator includes a pyrotechnic material and a first explosive. The pyrotechnic material ignites in response to a percussive impact, and the explosive detonates in response to the ignition of the pyrotechnic material. The detonator may include a plate, and the plate forms a projectile in response to energy released by the ignition of the pyrotechnic material to detonate an additional explosive. A passageway of the detonator may be located between these explosives, and the passageway may include a cross-sectional profile that substantially varies along a path between the explosives.

Detonator

An improved seismic method comprises the steps of generating seismic waves by exploding an explosive composition in a subterranean formation, wherein the explosive composition comprises a first explosive material and an oxidizable metal material, and detecting the seismic waves and/or reflections thereof with seismic detectors. Also disclosed are geophysical survey systems that comprises a seismic energy source comprising a first explosive material and an oxidizable metal material, the seismic energy source being located in a subterranean formation, and a plurality of seismic detectors that are adapted to detect seismic waves generated when the seismic energy source explodes and reflections of these waves. A method of preparing an explosive composition is also disclosed.

High energy explosive for seismic methods

An improved seismic method comprises the steps of generating seismic waves by exploding an explosive device in a subterranean formation, wherein the explosive device comprises a plurality of explosive elements whereby there is a time delay between the detonations of the individual explosive elements, and detecting the seismic waves and/or reflections thereof with seismic detectors. Also disclosed are geophysical survey systems that comprise a seismic energy source comprising an explosive device that comprises a plurality of explosive elements, the seismic energy source being located in a subterranean formation, and a plurality of seismic detectors that are adapted to detect seismic waves and/or reflections generated when the seismic energy source explodes.

Seismic methods having extended energy release

An apparatus and method is provided to reduce interference resulting from activation of explosive devices. One type of interference is charge-to-charge interference, and another type of interference is pre-shock interference between a detonating cord and an explosive, such as a shaped charge. To reduce interference, one or more shock impeding elements are placed proximal one or more explosives to impede propagation of shock caused by detonation of the explosives. The shock impeding elements include a porous material, such as a porous liquid or solid. In another arrangement, a shock barrier may be positioned between a detonating cord and an explosive to reduce pre-shock interference. In yet another feature, an encapsulant may be provided around one or more shaped charges to enhance structural support for the shaped charges.

Components and methods for use with explosives

Granulation process

Shock barriers for explosives

Process for making an HMX product

An apparatus and method for sealing an inner wall of a portion of a casing positioned in a well employs an inflatable sleeve having an outer surface and a conformable composite sleeve of curable composition extending around the outer surface of the inflatable sleeve. The inflatable sleeve is inflated to compress the composite sleeve against the surface of the inner casing wall. A local, activatable energy source, positioned downhole to deliver heat to the composite sleeve, is activated to cure the composite sleeve to form a hardened sleeve. The hardened sleeve presses against the inner wall of the casing portion to create a fluid seal. The embodiments shown have a number of preferred features. The local energy source includes an exothermic heat energy source for generating heat energy to cure the composite sleeve. The composite sleeve includes a mixture of resin and a curing agent, and the exothermic heat source includes thermite. The thermite includes a composition having a metal oxide and a reductant. A starter mix is positioned adjacent the exothermic heat energy source, and the starter mix is ignited to start an exothermic reaction in the heat energy source. A conformable layer extends around the composite sleeve, with the layer serving to form a seal between the composite sleeve and the inner wall of the casing portion.

Zone isolation tools

Sealing well casings

A shaped charge includes a main body of explosive and a primer adapted to detonate said main body of explosive. In accordance with the present invention, the main body of explosive now includes an explosive composition known as sym-triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) and, since TATB is not sensitive enough to be a primer, the primer must consist of an explosive composition which is more sensitive than TATB. It has been discovered that, when the main body of explosive in a shaped charge is modified to include the explosive composition known as TATB and when the primer includes an explosive other than TATB, such as HNS or NONA or PYX or HMX, or a mixture of HNS or NONA or DODECA or PYX or HMX and TATB and when the shaped charge is detonated, the detonated charge will produce a jet that is longer in length than the jet associated with prior art shaped charges which did not have a main body of explosive that included TATB. As a result, when the longer jet is produced from the shaped charge of the present invention, that has been modified to include a main body of explosive comprising TATB and a primer which is more sensitive than said TATB, the longer jet will produce a longer perforation in a formation penetrated by a wellbore and, as a result, an increased quantity of wellbore fluid will be produced from the perforated formation. A detonating cord could also include the TATB explosive.

Shaped charge for a perforating gun having a main body of explosive

A firing head for a firing system adapted for use in a perforating gun includes an outer pressure bulkhead housing which simultaneously conducts two separate and independent currents: a wireline current from a wireline and a return current from an initiator embodied in the firing head. A fire set circuit provides a discharge pulse to the firing head, and a wireline conductor cable provides a wireline current to the fire set circuit. The firing head includes an outer pressure bulkhead housing adapted for conducting the wireline current from the wireline conductor cable to the fire set circuit, and an exploding foil initiator (EFI) responsive to the discharge pulse from the fire set circuit for initiating the detonation of a secondary explosive. The discharge pulse energizing the firing head passes through the exploding foil initiator (EFI) and emerges from the EFI as an EFI return current. As a result, the outer pressure bulkhead housing of the firing head conducts two separate and independent currents: the EFI return current from the EFI to a ground potential, and the wireline current from the wireline conductor cable to the fire set circuit.

Firing system for a perforating gun including an exploding foil

Castable high explosive compositions of low sensitivity

A detonator fuze train combination utilizes a thin centrally initiated disc haped lead azide primer's detonation waves reflected from interior walls of a circumambient metal cup shaped housing member to peripherally detonate a secondary output charge. The output charge produces a detonation wave which converges radially inwardly to generate an enhanced jet output. The resultant jet output is capable of initiating a remotely positioned, RDX, high explosive acceptor.

Converging wave detonator

Growing community of inventors

Sparta, NJ, United States of America

Wallace E Voreck