Abstract: A new method for safe packaging of shaped charges within a shipping box for transport includes arranging a plurality of shaped charges in rows, each row including at least four shaped charges, two of the at least four shaped charges disposed adjacent one another and pointing in one direction and two additional ones disposed adjacent one another and not pointing in the one direction. The two additional ones may point in a direction opposite to the one direction. In another embodiment of the invention, each row includes at least six charges, three disposed adjacent one another and pointing in one direction and three disposed adjacent one another and not pointing in the one direction.

Abstract: A pivot gun through-tubing perforating apparatus, which is adapted to be lowered through a tubing in a borehole, includes a perforating gun section and a deployment head section. The perforating gun section includes a plurality of charges which rotate or pivot about an axis during deployment, and a stationary detonating cord. When each charge rotates during deployment, a top of each charge slidingly engages with a stationary detonating cord. The deployment head includes a first explosive bolt, a second explosive bolt, and a piston having a contact finger which is adapted to contact either one of three switch contacts. When the contact finger contacts a first and second switch contact, the first explosive bolt is connected to a voltage source and each of the charges are short circuited to ground potential. In this condition, the charges cannot detonate, and, when the first explosive bolt detonates, the charges begin to deploy in response to movement of the piston.

Abstract: A new method of standalone perforating comprises the steps of lowering a perforator part-way into a borehole on a tubing string; when perforating is desired, connecting a wireline to the perforator; disconnecting the perforator from the tubing string; lowering the perforator into the borehole to the desired depth; attaching the perforator to the borehole casing or formation by setting an anchor on the perforator; disconnecting all wireline and associated apparatus from the perforator; withdrawing the wireline apparatus to the well surface; with the perforator standing alone in the well, firing the perforator into the surrounding formation; and dropping the perforator to the bottom of the well. A new apparatus for releasing the perforator from the tubing string includes a neutral release latch mechanism, and a new anchoring apparatus includes two interleaved coil springs having beveled shaped surfaces.

Abstract: A through-tubing perforating gun includes an angularly shaped base strip having first and second surfaces and including a plurality of recesses in the first surface and a plurality of recesses in the second surface. A plurality of capsule charges are mounted in the plurality of recesses in the first and second surfaces of the base strip and are held in place within the recesses by a plurality of support rings connected to the base strip. The base strip is made of a material which will allow the base strip to withstand detonation of the capsule charges and will not shatter when the charges detonate; however, the support rings are made of a material which will allow the support rings to shatter when the capsule charges detonate.

Abstract: A new shape charge includes an integrated circuit semiconductor bridge detonating device responsive to ordinary current for triggering a switch in the detonating device and igniting a pyrotechnic composition on a small integrated circuit semiconductor bridge in the detonation device in response to the current, thereby igniting an explosive material in the shape charge and firing the shape charge. Since the integrated circuit detonating device is utilized, responsive to ordinary current for detonation, prior art detonating cords are not needed. A plurality of shape charges in a perforating gun are fired substantially simultaneously using the new shape charge of the present invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for detecting and measuring water production in oil and gas wells and in injection wells, involving a neutron source for activating oxygen atoms in any water produced or injected in the well, and a plurality of detectors, at least three (3) but preferably four (4), longitudinally spaced within the housing for detecting and counting gamma ray emissions resulting from the oxygen activation.

Abstract: A new shape charge includes an integrated circuit semiconductor bridge detonating device responsive to ordinary current for triggering a switch in the detonating device and igniting a pyrotechnic composition on a small integrated circuit semiconductor bridge in the detonation device in response to the current, thereby igniting an explosive material in the shape charge and firing the shape charge. Since the integrated circuit detonating device is utilized, responsive to ordinary current for detonation, prior art detonating cords are not needed. A plurality of shape charges in a perforating gun are fired substantially simultaneously using the new shape charge of the present invention.

Abstract: An exploding foil bubble activated detonator, adapted for use in a perforating gun, includes an exploding foil, the exploding foil including as neck section which vaporizes when a current of sufficient magnitude and duration flows therethrough, a layer of polyimide material deposited over said foil, and a spacer layer deposited over said layer of polyimide material, the spacer layer including a guiding hole disposed directly over the neck section of the foil. When the current flows through the neck section of the foil, a turbulence is caused to occur directly above the neck section. This turbulence causes a portion of the polyimide material to expand to form a bubble. The bubble is shaped and sized by the guiding hole in the spacer layer which is disposed directly over the neck section of the foil. The shaped and sized bubble in the polyimide material impacts an explosive thereby detonating the explosive.

Abstract: A method for the determination of petrophysical characteristics of earth formation surrounding a borehole, comprising detecting gamma rays or neutrons representative of the formations and forming therefrom a set of detected data "U" which is then expressed as a function of the unknown characteristics "Y", and of a set of response data "S", representative of the conditions under which the detecting step is performed; and wherein "Y" is expressed as r=R Y, where "r" represents prior information independent from the detected data and obtained from other sources, and "R" indicates a set of relationships between at least part of the unknown characteristics. The detected data and response data are e.g. in the form of spectra, and the method may further include irradiating the formation with neutrons or gama rays.

Abstract: A method of locating a target well lined with metal casing, comprising the steps of lowering an electrode and a magnetic field sensor into a relief well drilled towards the target well, injecting an alternating current into the ground by means of said electrode, and detecting by means of the magnetic field sensor the magnetic field set up by the lines of current flowing between the electrode and the casing of the target well.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for correcting nuclear measurements performed in a borehole traversing earth formation, for the effect of said borehole, wherein the formation is irradiated with high energy neutrons source and the gamma rays resulting from the capture of neutrons with atoms of the formation and the borehole are detected and processed so as to generate two energy spectra representative of gamma rays coming from two respective zones radially spaced from the neutron source; from each spectrum is derived a response of atoms of a same element located at the respective zones, a first response being mainly representative of the borehole and a second response being mainly representative of the formation; from a predetermined relationship between the responses and from calibration a corrective factor for borehole effects is obtained.

Abstract: A nuclear spectroscopy method for pulse height analysis of an electrical signal emitted by a radiation detector and including nuclear events, such as pulses, whose amplitude is a measure of the energy of the gamma rays collected by said radiation detector, wherein (1) said signal is continuously converted to digital samples, at a given rate, and (2) each of the digital samples is processed so as to form a digital image of each detected pulse. The energy of each pulse is calculated by summing all sample values representative of this pulse and the sample just preceding the first sample representative of a pulse, as well as the sample just following the last sample representative of the same pulse.

Abstract: A novel dropoff apparatus adapted for use in a perforating gun or other such apparatus adapted to be disposed in a borehole includes an embrittled carrier section connected to a further section of the perforating gun or other such apparatus. The embrittled carrier section includes an embrittled carrier and a explosive charge, such as a capsule charge, mounted on the embrittled carrier. When the charge detonates, since the carrier section is embrittled, the carrier section is severed from further section of the perforating gun, or other apparatus, and the further section falls to a bottom of the borehole. The carrier section may undergo geometrical embrittlement by disposing a notch through at least one side of the carrier section; when the charge detonates, the carrier section is severed from the further section of the gun, or other apparatus, along a line connected to the notch, the further section of the gun, or other apparatus, falling to a bottom of the borehole.

Abstract: A novel hydraulic set packer is set independently of the setting of two other straddle packers, the straddle packers being set by other than hydraulic means, such as by inflation or compression. If the straddle packers are set by inflation, a novel inflate deflate valve is associated with both straddle packers for providing an additional method to deflate the inflatably set straddle packer. If the straddle packers are compression set, it may be necessary to allow a top staddle packer to set only after the bottom straddle packer is already set, that is, the top straddle packer is not permitted to set when the straddle packer assembly is being pushed into a deviated/horizontal borehole or through a restriction in the borehole. Accordingly, a novel hydraulic ratchet, disposed above a bottom straddle packer on a tubing but below the top straddle packer on the tubing, will enable the top straddle packer to set only after the bottom straddle packer is already set.

Abstract: A perforating gun having no firing head and no primary explosives is attached to a tubing string and the tubing string is run into a borehole. A new pump apparatus, having a firing head, is run into the tubing string until the pump firing head is adjacent the perforating gun. The firing head in the pump apparatus detonates, firing the perforating gun. If the firing head fails to detonate, one need only remove the pump apparatus from the tubing string in order to gain access to the firing head, for repair and replacement thereof. One need not remove the tubing string to gain access to the firing head.

Abstract: A well logging system includes a digital threshold crossing data generation system (TCDG System) disposed in a well tool, adapted to be disposed in a borehole, and a digital first motion detection (DFMD) software disposed in a memory of a well truck computer. The TCDG system generates a series of threshold crossings for each analog signal received from a receiver of the well tool, the threshold crossings including a plurality of threshold crossing events for each analog signal and representing compressed versions of digitized analog waveforms. The well logging truck computer receives the threshold crossing data from the TCDG system and executes the DFMD software. When the software is executed, a first set of compressional wave first arrival times are determined from a startup routine in the software using the threshold crossing data.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for determining the hydrocarbon saturation S.sub.o in an earth formation surrounding a borehole, and/or the hydrocarbon saturation C.sub.b in said borehole, comprising:irradiating the formation with a source of neutrons of sufficient energy to interact with atoms of the formation and the borehole, according to inelastic neutron reactions; detecting the resulting gamma rays at a near detector and a far detector; expressing the measured carbon (C) and oxygen (O) yields respectively as a first and second linear function of S.sub.o, S.sub.w the water saturation in the formation, C.sub.b and/or C.sub.o water saturation in the borehole; combining the respective carbon and oxygen yields (C.sup.n, O.sup.n) for the near detector, and the respective carbon and oxygen yields (C.sup.f, O.sup.f) for the far detector so as to form the differences C.sup.n -O.sup.n and C.sup.f -O.sup.f ; and solving for the unknowns S.sub.o and C.sub.b.Alternately, in case either S.sub.o or C.sub.

Abstract: A logging tool for measuring the fluid flow rate in a well, comprises a measuring pipe provided with a flowmeter, a packer device designed to derive the whole fluid flow into the measuring pipe, and an obstacle disposed in the fluid flow path, at, or downstream of, the exit of the packer for increasing, through the fluid flow action, the pressure of the fluid located upstream of the packer. The obstacle is e.g. a valve responsive to flowing fluid pressure on one side and to a biasing spring on the other side. The packer includes, in its bottom end designed to seal with the casing wall, an anulus seal defining a tubular chamber able to be inflated under the sole fluid action the annulus seal being made by two circumferential parts, facing one another, and fixed along their upper and lower perimeters. The tubular chamber is in communication with the fluid flow and is adapted to expand radially upon the application of fluid pressure while being substantially longitudinally non-extensible.

Abstract: The invention relates to an electrical connector for transmitting electrical signals between the outside and the inside of a well having a well head (20) terminated by a valve assembly (10). The connector comprises at least two inductively coupled electrical coils (1A, 1B; 5A, 5B) whose respective winding axes are aligned with the axis (zz') of the well head. The coils are integrated in the fluid connector interconnecting the valve assembly and the well head, with one of the coils being releasably fixed to the valve assembly (10) while the other coil is releasably fixed to the well head (20).

Abstract: Method and apparatus for identifying and determining the concentrations of subsurface formation elements next to a borehole, by detecting and counting the gamma rays resulting from the activation of Al atoms by neutrons emitted by a high energy source. The total count rates from Al are corrected for Si interference by (1) calculating the ratio of the count rates of gamma rays from Si activation to the count rates of the gamma rays resulting from the inelastic collisions of neutrons with Si atoms, thus providing a reference ratio independent of environmental parameters; (2) detecting and counting the gamma rays resulting from the Si inelastic collisions; (3) determining from the count rates of silicon inelastic gamma rays and from said ratio, the count rates of Si activation gamma rays; and (4) subtracting, from the total count rates of activation gamma rays, the count rates of Si activation gamma rays.