Hydrocarbons, such as oil and gas, are produced from cased wellbores intersecting one or more hydrocarbon reservoirs in a formation. These hydrocarbons flow into the wellbore through perforations in the cased wellbore. Perforations are usually made using a perforating gun loaded with shaped charges. The gun is lowered into the wellbore on electric wireline, slickline, tubing, coiled tubing, or other conveyance device until it is adjacent to the hydrocarbon producing formation. Thereafter, a surface signal actuates a firing head associated with the perforating gun, which then detonates the shaped charges. Projectiles or jets formed by the explosion of the shaped charges penetrate the casing to thereby allow formation fluids to flow through the perforations and into a production string.
Conventionally, a perforating gun is assembled by affixing a detonating cord to one or more shaped charges disposed along a charge tube. In many cases, the detonating cord is wrapped external to the charge tube and fed through a hole in the charge tube opening. Aside being time consuming, conventional gun assembly methods sometimes damage the detonating cord.
Thus, there exists a need for devices that are less time consuming to assemble and less susceptible to damage. In other aspects, there exists a need for improved locking mechanisms and electrical grounding for such devices. The present disclosure addresses these and other needs of the prior art.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds