US2266345A - Gun perforator - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 16, 1941. c. F. TURECHEK 2,266,345

GUN PERFORATOR Filed Feb. 19, 1941 INVENTOR GZ'OEGf ffa/erovm Fzaj l 'atente'd Dec. 16,1941

UNITED STATES GUN ranrona'roa George F. Turechek, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Lane-Wells Company Los Angeles, cum, a

corporation of Delaware J Application February 19, 1941, Serial No. 379,652

9 Claims. (Cl. 164--0.5)

My invention relates to gunperforators; that is. to devices adapted to be lowered into well casing for the purpose of firing bullets therethrough and thereby opening the casing to fluids from the surrounding formation. Among the objects of my invention are:

First, toprovide a gun perforator wherein an air space initially at atmospheric pressure is associated with the muzzle end of each un unit to absorb partially the gas blast which follows 10 into the corresponding air chamber and is internally threaded to form a barrel socket 8. In-

the bullet;

Second, to provide a'gun perforator of this character in which the chamber forming the air space may function as a sample-receiving chamber for material loosened by the bullet; c

Third, to provide a gun perforator having a plurality of gun units, each associated with an air-space or air chamber in which each of the,

gun units are independent, readily removable and adapted to be preloaded;

Fourth, to provide a gun perforator of this character in which the spacing between the gun units is minimized so that ,for a gun perforator of given length a maximum number-of gun units may be incorporated; and

I sponding gun bore, the port being somewhat Fifth, toprovide a gun perforator having air spaces or chambers associated with the gun units which are so arranged that gun barrels of maximum length may be provided and which may in 4 corporate expansion-delay disks whereby the most advantageous acceleration rate and muzzle velocity of the bullet may be obtained, thereby providing a gun perforator which is particularly effective in its operation.

With the above and other objects in view, as

in section to facilitate illustration; and

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view through 2-2 of Figure 1, on an enlarged scale.

My gun perforatorcomprises a gun body l-in the form of an elongated cylinder in which are bored a plurality of large laterally directed sockets which may face all in one direction or alternately in opposite directions, or define a spiral path along the length of the gun perforator body. Each socket forms at its inner end an air chamber 2 and is provided at its outer end with an internal threaded flange 3. Outwardly from each flange 3 the gun body is provided witha transverse slot [embracing the width of the opening to the air chamber. Each socket receives a 5 closing theair chamber 2.

yed toward the cartridge chamber.

external flange 6 adapted to coact with the threaded internal flan e l. Abutting shoulders are associated with the flanges so that the gun block may be: screwed into a sealed connection Outwardly of its flange 8 the breech block is provided with a toolreceiving end I of polygonal form, the corresponding slot 4 providing clearance around the tool-receiving end.

The inner end of each breech block projects .A gun barrel- I0 is screw-threaded into eachv barrel socket 8. I The gun barrel l0 projects into the air chamber beyond the breech block and is provided with a polygonal tool-receiving muzzle. end ll. Each barrel is provided with a centrally disposed-gun bore l2, the muzzle end of each being adjacent the inner wall of the corresponding air chamber.

Each air chamber is provided with a bullet port l3 in registry with the muzzle end of the correlarger than the gun bore to provide ample clearance for the bullet and is initially covered by-a sealing cap, M. The sealing cap may be in the form of a press-fitted dome-shaped sheet metal member adapted to withstand the external hydrostatic pressure when the gun perforator is submerged in a well bore. The muzzle end of the gun barrel terminates in spaced relation with the inner wall .of the air chamber and forms therewith an annular air chamber port ii. In addition, the gun barrel may be provided inwardly from its muzzle end with one or more auxiliary pressure bleeding ports l6, which communicate between the gun bore and the air chamber. The function of the 'air chamber ports and bleeder ports will be described in more detail hereinafter.

Each gun barrel receives a bullet I! which is preferably secured to an expansion-delay, disk l8, preferably cup-shaped and fitting the outer end of the cartridge chamber with its rim direct- The disk serves to delay momentarily the discharge of the bullet so as to cause the explosive pressures in the cartridge chamber to build up, thereby having the efiect of increasing the acceleration of the bullet and, consequently, its penetrating power Also, the disk ill, by reason of its flange or skirt.

restricts the pressure area against the gun barbreech block Swhich is provided with a threaded rel to the diameter of the cartridge chamber.

Operation of my'gunperiorator is as follows: a

The function oi the disk I8 is more clearly set forth in my previous Patent No. 2,092,294 issued September 7, 1937.

Each, cartridge chamber 9 receives a cartridge it such as'the electrically ignited type shown in the Lane Patent No. 2,092,317. The inner end of the cartridge chamber communicates with a small opening in which is set a terminal 20 from which extends a lead 2| to the outside of the breech block. The lead may be in the form' 01' a small gauge insulated wire and is preferably surrounded at the outer end of the breech block with a. sealing plug 22 to prevent the entrance of well fluids. The lead 2| is bent laterally to flt in a narrow groove 23 whichextends radially across the tool-receiving endof the breech block. At oneside of each transverse slot 4 there isformed a small socket which receives a suitable connector fitting 24 which is adapted to receive the lead 2| and which forms a terminal for a conductor wire 25. The conductor wire extends through a hole provided in the gun body into a conductor channel 25' which extends 'longitudinally in the gun body. Two such conductor channels may be provided on diametrically opposite sides of the gun body and are provided with cov-' ers 21;

The several conductors are suitably connected duce the powder pressure against the bullet.

Such excesspressure is absorbed in the air chamber rather than against the surrounding casing.

Also, it should be pointed out that immediately after the discharge of the buliet'the gases cool rapidly so that the pressures in the air chamber drop'to very low value. As a consequence. any material loosened by the bullet is caused to flow in with the well liquids as they enter the air chamber,-so that a sample of the formation penetrated by the bullet may be collected.

Various changes and alternate arrangements may be made within the scope of the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherentin the invention as broadly as I ports in said gun body at the inner ends of said sockets registering with the muzzle ends of said gun units, to permit discharge of bullets from said gun units.

withia c ontroller'which maybe in the nature of.

a stepping switch which is, in turn, connected with a single conductor wire provided in the cable from which the gun perforator issuspended, all a as more fully shown inthe Johnston Patent No.

In the present construction'the primary function of the air space and the ports which communicate therewith is to reduce the powder blast which follows the bullet. It has been found, under some circumstances, particularly with certain grades of pipe having a longitudinal grain, that the application of a tremendous powder blast at the time the bullet is penetrating the casing has the effect of splitting the casing above and below the bullet hole. This is apparently due to the fact that while the casing is under a rupturing pressure by reason of the movement of the bullet therethrough, the powder blast exerts a bursting pressure over a limited region around the bullet. This condition obtains particularly when the gun perforator is immersed in liquid. Apparently the 2. A gun, perforator comprising: a gun body having a plurality of laterally directed sockets therein; gun units fitting said sockets and having laterally directed bores pointing into said sockets; I

discharge ports in said gun body registering with the muzzle ends of said gun units; said gun units defining, with the walls of said sockets, chambers communicating with the muzzle ends of said gun units; and sealing means for said discharge ports to exclude fluids, in which said gun inertia of the liquid confines the pressure blast and, consequently, increases the unit pressure against the casing.

In this connection, it should be noted that an excess amount of powder must be used so that a sustained pressure is maintained against the bullet. In other words, the explosive pressures against the bullet when the bullet is at the muzzle end of the gun bore are still extremely high. In counter-distinction, the powder pressure hehind a bullet discharged from a rifle is lowered to a comparatively small percentage of the initial powder pressure by the time the bullet leaves the rifle muzzle. In the gun perforator this sustained pressure is necessary by reason of the very short length of barrel and the necessity of providing the maximum acceleration of the bullet, so that its muzzle velocity is raised to a point suflicient to cause the bullet to penetrate a surrounding well casing. The auxiliary bleeder ports l6 serve to bleed off the excess powder pressure into the air chamber; however, not to the point of removing all of the impelling force. Similarly, the air chamber port l5 functions to further reperforator may be immersed, from said chambers.

3. A gun perforator comprising: a gun body defining a plurality of laterally directed sockets; a plurality of gun units, each including a breech block adapted to be secured to the outer margins of a socket, and a gun barrel having a muzzle end directed into said socket; and discharge ports communicating with the inner ends of said sockets and in registry with the muzzle ends of said gun barrels; to permit discharge of bullets from said gun units therethrough.

4. A gun perforator comprising: a gun body defining a plurality of laterally directed sockets; a plurality of gun units, each including a breech block adapted to be secured to the outer margins of a socket, and a gun barrel directed into said socket; discharge ports communicating with said socket and in registry with the muzzle ends of said gun bores; the walls of said sockets being spaced from said gun barrels to define air chambers; and means for excluding fluids in which the gun perforator may be immersed, from said chambers.

5. A gun perforator comprising: a plurality of gun units having laterally directed gun bores; and means defining a plurality of air chambers positioned in concentric relation with said gun units and in communication thereof. j 6. A gun perforator comprising: a plurality of gun units having laterally directed gun bores; a gun body adapted to removably receive said gun units; and means defining a plurality of air chambers positioned in concentric relation with said gununits and in communication with the muzzle ends thereof.

7.-A gun perforator comprising: a gun body having a plurality of laterally directed sockets with the muzzle ends 'a gun body disposed with their 'muztherein; gun units fitting said sockets and having laterally directed bores pointing into said sockets;

discharge ports in said gun body registering with the muzzle ends of said gun units; said gun units defining, with the walls of said sockets, chambers communicating with the muzzle ends of said gun units; sealing means for said discharge ports to exclude fluids, in which said gun perforator may be immersed, from said chambers; a bullet and electrically fired cartridge for each gun unit; and a plurality of conductors carried by said gun body and electrically connected with said cartridges.

8. A gun perforator comprising: a gun body defining a plurality of laterally directed sockets; a plurality of gun units, each including a breech block adapted to be secured to the outer margins of a socket, and a gun barrel directed into said socket; discharge ports communicating with said socket and in registry with the muzzle ends of said gun bores; the walls of said sockets being spaced from said gun barrels to define air chambers; means forexcluding fluids, in which the gun perforator may be-immersed, from said chambers; a bullet for each gun barrel; an electrically fired cartridge for each breech block; electrical leads communicating with said cartridges and extending from said breech blocks; and conductors carried by said gun body connected with said leads.

9. A gun perforator comprising: a gun unit having a laterally directed gun barrel; and means defining an annular .chamber surrounding each gun barrel and communicating with the muzzle end thereof.

GEORGE F. 'I'URECI-IEK.

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