Apparatus for perforating sub-sea well bores

Claim 2

Perforating apparatus adapted for movement through multi-curved conduits between the surface and a selected position in a well bore and comprising: a plurality of elongated members including at least two members thereof respectively arranged for carrying at least one shaped explosive charges And including similar tongue-like coengageable terminal portions on said two members with generally-planar opposed surfaces bounded by the longitudinal edges thereof extending to their respective outermost ends and each having a hole located about midway between its said edges and longitudinally spaced from its said end by a predetermined distance which is less than the spacing between said hole and either of said edges; a pivot member mounted in said holes for intercoupling said terminal portions of said two members and defining a first pivotal axis generally perpendicular to said opposed surfaces, said pivot member being sized sufficiently smaller than said holes for allowing said end of either of said terminal portions to roll on the said opposed surface of the other of said terminal portions about a second pivotal axis extending generally at right angles to said first pivotal axis; and biasing means mounted between said pivot member and one of said terminal portions for normally urging said opposed surfaces into slidable coengagement as said two members pivot about said first pivotal axis and cooperatively arranged for yielding to allow said opposed surfaces to diverge as said two members pivot about said second pivotal axis.

Claim 3

The perforating apparatus of claim 1 wherein said two members are generally-rectangular, substantially-rigid strips respectively coupled to said terminal portions and having at least one opening therein adapted for receiving a shaped explosive charge.

Claim 4

The perforating apparatus of claim 1 wherein said two members are generally-rectangular, substantially-rigid strips respectively having at least one opening therein adapted for receiving a shaped explosive charge, said terminal portions being the integral end portions of said strips.

Claim 5

The perforating apparatus of claim 1 wherein said two members are generally-rectangular metal strips respectively having at least one opening therein adapted for receiving a shaped explosive charge, others of said elongated members are substantially-flexible metal tubes, and further comprising: coupling means cooperatively arranged for tandemly intercoupling said tubes to one of said strips as well as to one another and including first and second coengageable coupling members on the adjoining ends of each of said tubes, and means including a longitudinal slot on one of said coupling members and a lateral key on the other of said coupling members adapted for complementary reception in said slot for co-rotatively intercoupling said tubes into a predetermined angular alignment relative to one another and to said strips.

Claim 6

Perforating apparatus adapted for movement through multicurved conduits between the surface and a selected position in a well bore and comprising: a plurality of elongated metal strips, each of said strips respectively having at least one enlarged opening in an intermediate portion thereof for cooperatively supporting a shaped explosive charge and a reduced opening centrally located in at least one terminal portion thereof and longitudinally spaced away from its transverse end by a predetermined distance which is less than half of its lateral width; and a plurality of biaxially-pivotal coupling means co-operatively arranged for tandemly intercoupling the overlapped terminal portions of each intercoupled set of said strips, each of said coupling means including a pivot member in said reduced openings for defining a first pivotal axis, said pivot member being sized sufficiently smaller than said reduced openings for allowing said transverse end of either of said overlapped terminal portions to roll on the opposing surface of the other of said overlapped terminal portions about a second pivotal axis extending generally at right angles to said first pivotal axis, and biasing means mounted between said pivot member and one of said overlapped terminal portions normally urging said opposing surfaces into slidable coengagement as said intercoupled strips pivot about said firsT pivotal axis and cooperatively arranged for yielding to allow said opposing surfaces to diverge as said intercoupled strips pivot about said second pivotal axis.

Claim 7

Perforating apparatus adapted for movement through multicurved conduits between the surface and a selected position in a well bore and comprising: a plurality of elongated metal strips, each of said strips respectively having at least one enlarged opening in an intermediate portion thereof for cooperatively supporting a shaped explosive charge and a reduced opening centrally located in at least one terminal portion thereof and longitudinally spaced away from its transverse end by a predetermined distance which is less than half of its lateral width; and a plurality of biaxially-pivotal coupling means co-operatively arranged for tandemly intercoupling the overlapped terminal portions of each intercoupled set of said strips, each of said coupling means including a pivot member in said reduced openings for defining a first pivotal axis, said pivot member being sized sufficiently smaller than said reduced openings for allowing said transverse end of either of said overlapped terminal portions to roll on the opposing surface of the other of said overlapped terminal portions about a second pivotal axis extending generally at right angles to said first pivotal axis, and biasing means mounted between said pivot member and one of said overlapped terminal portions normally urging said opposing surfaces into slidable coengagement as said intercoupled strips pivot about said firsT pivotal axis and cooperatively arranged for yielding to allow said opposing surfaces to diverge as said intercoupled strips pivot about said second pivotal axis.

Claim 8

The perforating apparatus of claim 5 wherein said terminal portions are respectively offset in relation to said intermediate portions of said strips for locating said opposing surfaces in a plane substantially parallel to and between the planes respectively defined by the forward and rearward faces of said intermediate strip portions.

Claim 9

The perforating apparatus of claim 5 further including: a plurality of substantially-flexible metal tubes; and tube-coupling means cooperatively arranged for tandemly intercoupling said tubes to one of said strips and to one another and including first and second coengageable tube-coupling members on the adjoining ends of each of said tubes, and means including a longitudinal slot on one of said tube-coupling members and a lateral key on the other of said tube-coupling members adapted for reception in said slot for co-rotatively intercupling said tubes into a predetermined angular alignment relative to one another and to said strips.

Claim 10

The perforating apparatus of claim 5 wherein the outermost part of each of said terminal portions is curved outwardly from the plane respectively defined by said opposing surface of said terminal portion for providing a rolling surface adjacent to its said transverse end.

Claim 11

The perforating apparatus of claim 8 wherein each of said terminal portions is offset in relation to its adjacent intermediate portion so as to position its said opposing surface in a plane generally parallel to and between the planes respectively defined by the forward and rearward surfaces of said adjacent intermediate portion.

Claim 12

The perforating apparatus of claim 9 wherein said outermost part of each of said terminal portions also has its corners removed so as to reduce said transverse end to a dimension less than said lateral width.

Claim 13

Perforating apparatus adapted for movement through multi-curved conduits between the surface and a selected position in a well bore and comprising: perforating means including a plurality of shaped explosive charges and detonating means cooperatively arranged for selectively detonating said shaped charges; means for supporting said shaped charges for movement to a selected position in a well bore and including a plurality of elongated metal strips, each strip respectively having at least one enlarged opening in an intermediate portion thereof for cooperatively supporting one of said shaped charges and a reduced opening centrally located in at least one terminal portion of each of said strips and longitudinally spaced away from the transverse end thereof by a predetermined distance which is less than half of the lateral width of said terminal portion; a plurality of biaxially-pivotal coupling means cooperatively arranged for tandemly intercoupling successive ones of said strips, each of said coupling means including a pivot member mounted through the reduced openings in the coengaged terminal portions of at least a first and second one of said strips for defining a first pivotal axis, said pivot member being sized sufficiently smaller than said reduced openings for allowing said transverse end of either of said coengaged terminal portions to roll on the opposing surface of the other of said coengaged terminal portions about a second pivotal axis extending generally at right angles to said first pivotal axis, and biasing means mounted between said pivot member and one of said coengaged terminal portions normally urging said opposing surfaces into slidable coengagement as said first and second strips pivot about said first pivotal axis and cooperatively arranged for yielding to allow said opposing surfaces to diverge as said first and second strips pivot about said second pivotal axis; tool-propelling means adapted for movement through such conduits in response to selected pressure chAnges in such conduits; and means tandemly intercoupling said tool-propelling means to said first and second strips.

Claim 14

Perforating apparatus adapted for movement through multi-curved conduits between the surface and a selected position in a well bore and comprising: perforating means including a plurality of shaped explosive charges and detonating means cooperatively arranged for selectively detonating said shaped charges; means for supporting said shaped charges for movement to a selected position in a well bore and including a plurality of elongated metal strips, each strip respectively having at least one enlarged opening in an intermediate portion thereof for cooperatively supporting one of said shaped charges and a reduced opening centrally located in at least one terminal portion of each of said strips and longitudinally spaced away from the transverse end thereof by a predetermined distance which is less than half of the lateral width of said terminal portion; a plurality of biaxially-pivotal coupling means cooperatively arranged for tandemly intercoupling successive ones of said strips, each of said coupling means including a pivot member mounted through the reduced openings in the coengaged terminal portions of at least a first and second one of said strips for defining a first pivotal axis, said pivot member being sized sufficiently smaller than said reduced openings for allowing said transverse end of either of said coengaged terminal portions to roll on the opposing surface of the other of said coengaged terminal portions about a second pivotal axis extending generally at right angles to said first pivotal axis, and biasing means mounted between said pivot member and one of said coengaged terminal portions normally urging said opposing surfaces into slidable coengagement as said first and second strips pivot about said first pivotal axis and cooperatively arranged for yielding to allow said opposing surfaces to diverge as said first and second strips pivot about said second pivotal axis; tool-propelling means adapted for movement through such conduits in response to selected pressure chAnges in such conduits; and means tandemly intercoupling said tool-propelling means to said first and second strips.

Claim 15

The perforating apparatus of claim 11 wherein said coengaged terminal portions are respectively offset in relation to said intermediate portions of said first and second strips for locating said opposing surfaces in a plane parallel to and between the planes respectively defined by the forward and rearward faces of said intermediate portions of said first and second strips.

Claim 16

The perforating apparatus of claim 11 wherein said means tandemly intercoupling said tool-propelling means to said strips include: a plurality of substantially-flexible metal tubes; tube-coupling means cooperatively arranged for tandemly intercoupling said tubes to one of said strips and to one another and including first and second conengageable tube-coupling members on the adjoining ends of each of said tubes, and means including a longitudinal slot on one of said tube-coupling members and a lateral key on the other of said tube-coupling members adapted for reception in said slot for co-rotatively intercoupling said tubes into a predetermined angular alignment relative to one another and to said strips.

Claim 17

The perforating apparatus of claim 11 wherein the outermost part of each of said coengaged terminal portions is turned outwardly from the plane respectively defined by its said opposing surface for providing a rolling surface adjacent to its said transverse end.

Claim 18

The perforating apparatus of claim 14 wherein each of said coengaged terminal portions is offset in relation to its adjacent intermediate portion so as to position its said opposing surface in a plane lying parallel to and between the planes respectively defined by the forward and rearward surfaces of its adjacent intermediate portion.

Claim 19

The perforating apparatus of claim 15 wherein said outermost part of each of said terminal portions also has its corners removed so as to reduce said transverse end to a dimension less than said lateral width.

Claim 20

The perforating apparatus of claim 11 further including: tool-positioning means cooperatively arranged between said tool-propelling means and said strips for selectively orienting said strips into a predetermined angular position upon movement of said perforating apparatus to said selected well bore position.

Claim 21

The perforating apparatus of claim 17 further including: means cooperatively coupled to said detonating means for selectively disarming said detonating means at least until said strips are in their said predetermined angular position.

Claim 22

The perforating apparatus of claim 18 wherein said means tandemly intercoupling said tool-propelling means to said strips include: a plurality of substantially-flexible metal tubes; tube-coupling means cooperatively arranged for tandemly intercoupling said tubes to one of said strips and to one another and including first and second coengageable tube-coupling members on the adjoining ends of each of said tubes, and means including a longitudinal slot on one of said tube-coupling members and a lateral key on the other of said tube-coupling members adapted for reception in said slot for co-rotatively securing said tubes in a predetermined angular alignment relative to one another and to said strips.