Orienting system for modular guns

Abstract

A stinger is fabricated with an orientating key. The stinger is lowered into a wellbore and remains atop a downhole assembly. The angular orientation of stinger with respect to the downhole assemble is also adjustable prior to entering the wellbore. The stinger acts as a guide for coupling an alignment skirt. The alignment skirt is fabricated with an alignment slot for receiving the orientation key. The alignment skirt is lowered onto the stinger and, as inclines on the skirt engage the orientation key, the alignment skirt is rotated until the alignment slot receives the orientation key. The alignment skirt and stinger are then fully coupled. The angular orientation of the orientation key can be determined by coupling an alignment skirt to the stinger, where a directional tool is affixed to the alignment skirt and performs a directional survey. In subsequent runs in the wellbore, the angular orientation of a perforating assembly can be adjusted in order to align the direction of perforating charges with the gun assembly, with a preferred vertical plane on the formation. This is accomplished by orienting (rotating) the alignment skirt and stinger on the gun assembly with respect to the orientation of the perforating charges and the orientation of the preferred vertical plane of the formation.