Mounting apparatus for expendable bar carrier shaped-charges

Abstract

The invention is a lid for a shaped charge which enables application of torque to the shaped charge for mounting in an expendable bar carrier borehole penetrating gun assembly. The lid comprises a plurality of flat surfaces facially parallel with the axis of a threaded stud forming part of the lid, the stud engaging mating threads in a hole in the carrier. The flat surfaces are arranged around the circumference of the lid so that a wrench or socket can be used to apply torque to the lid for mounting in the carrier. Each juncture of two contiguous ones of the flat surfaces includes a score line extending substantially perpendicular to the axis of the stud. In a preferred embodiment of the invention each juncture includes a crimp on part of the juncture on a side of the score line opposite to the stud, to retain the lid on the charge. The invention is also an apparatus for simultaneously torquing a plurality of shaped charged in a bar carrier. Each of the shaped charges comprises the charge lid of the invention. The apparatus includes a plurality of wrench sockets, corresponding final drives coupled to the sockets, an intermediate drive coupled to all of the final drives, and a motor to turn the intermediate drive, all mounted in a frame. The final drives are coupled to the intermediate drive to cause all the sockets to rotate in the same direction. Positioning the frame to enable the sockets each to engage a shaped charge will cause all the charges to be torqued simultaneously.