Starting in 1990, Penetrators Canada Inc. began developing a technology for perforating without firing a charge or bullet into the formation. One of the main problem with shooting objects into the formation is the damage of the permeability which can inhibit flow into the wellbore. A new technology to drill these perforation rather than blast them is what Penetrators Canada Inc. has developed. The tool is capable of drilling a 1 inch hole up to a depth of 72 inches. That is significantly further than the charge and more specs of the tool can be found here. I'm not sure if this tool is still in testing phases or is being used in drilling applications today. The tool is capable of less perforations per tool run and takes significantly longer to drill the perforations. Time is money as we all know, but here is a video of how it should work downhole.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Let the Money Flow
One of my favorite aspects of drilling is the perforating of the reservoir. Perforating takes place after the well is done being drilled in order to puncture holes into the formation and create a larger pressure drop and area of flow for the hydrocarbons. Previously, when the first perforation operations began, a large bullet was shot into the formation in order to pierce through the steel casing, the cement, and several inches into the formation. As technology progressed, perforations were conducted using shaped charges much like those used to fire a bazooka. These charges had so much force and created an immense amount of heat that no bullet was necessary to create a hole in the casing, cement and the formation. These depths into the formation also increased to a couple of feet depending on the size of the charge. Take a look at the short video below for a visual of these charges.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
So, just reading these last few posts...you are clearly knowledgeable in your field, and enthusiastic about the technologies in that field. This enthusiasm is great. But remember this course is about communicating with the public, not just about communicating with other folks in PE who are interested in drilling.
ReplyDeleteI would encourage you to think about ways that you might make your enthusiasm contagious to people who don't share your exact interests. Right now, your posts are very focused on technological approaches and are pretty jargon-laden. The title of your blog is incredibly political and provocative, yet you don't seem to get into those debates much at all. How come? Is there a disconnect?