Orienting and perforating methods and apparatus

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR ORIENTING PERFORATING APPARATUS IN ONE OF A PLURALITY OF PIPE STRINGS IN A WELL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ROTATING SAID PERFORATING APPARATUS THROUGH A PLURALITY OF ANGULAR ORIENTATIONS WITHIN SAID ONE PIPE STRING, CREATING AT THE SAME LEVEL IN THE WELL FOR EACH OF SAID ANGULAR ORIENTATIONS OF SAID PERFORATING APPARATUS A DISTRIBUTION OF ENERGY WHICH CHARACTERIZES THE ANGULAR ORIENTATION OF AT LEAST A SECOND PIPE STRING WITH RESPECT TO SAID ONE PIPE STRING AT SUCH LEVEL, DETECTING SAID ENERGY DISTRIBUTION AT THE SAME LEVEL IN THE WELL FOR EACH OF SAID ANGULAR ORIENTATIONS OF SAID PERFORATING APPARATUS TO OBTAIN A SIGNAL AT THE EARTH''S SURFACE INDICATIVE OF SAID ANGULAR ORIENTATION, AND ROTATING SAID PERFORATING APPARATUS IN SAID ONE PIPER STRING TO A POSITION IN PRESCRIBED RELATION TO SAID ANGULAR ORIENTATION.