A Novel Shaped Charge Engineered from Nano-metallic Glass Composite / High Entropy Alloy Liner for Debris Free Perforation Tunnel with Improved Reservoir Conductivity Leading to Enhanced Production
Authors: Roy Ting C. , Bennaceur Kamel , Markel Daniel , Harp Leonard , Harrison Casey , Shelton James , Hall Aaron , Kashyap Rashi , McDonald Rosemary , Groesbeck David , Wilkinson Christian , Roy Indranil 
Published: December 2021

There is an unmet need for a clean perforating tunnel, for deep-water natural completions that reduces fluid friction, providing better reservoir connectivity and thus enhanced production. As a disruptive innovator in the technology space, particularly in the energy sector, we have now bridged this technology gap through the synthesis of a novel alloy, which when cold isostatic pressed into a conical shaped charge liner enables a unique response. During the detonation event, the jet created from our novel degradable liner punctures the casing and progresses to penetrate the formation until an eventual collapse. Our novel material is designed such that, during detonation, reaction products, bulk metallic glasses (BMG) and/or high entropy alloys (HEA), are formed which disintegrate into a fine powdery debris in contact with water. These degradable BMG/HEA or complexions are preferentially segregated at interfaces with high free energy. They tend to decorate the grain boundaries and domain interfaces of the impermeable skin lining the crushed zone of the perforation tunnel as amorphous intergranular films (AIFs) and plug at end of the pathway. Interacting with flowback fluids the complexions promote grain dropping, disintegrating the liner and carrot leaving behind a clean perforation tunnel. As a result, it is projected that fracture conductivity is significantly improved, resulting in enhanced productivity. In addition, a clear perf-tunnel has zero skin value. As such, when compared to a coated tunnel with gun and charge debris, it needs little or no acid to clean-up. In addition, it is anticipated that this will reduce the formation breakdown and opening pressures offering improved economics for the client. Last but not least, this leads to cost reduction of authorized field expenditure (AFE) to support optimized performance of completion designs allowing for increased production. The additional novelty of our liner designed through powder metallurgy (PM) techniques is a sub-sonic deflagration of the jet, during its collapse, resulting in sputtering of complexions and BMG/HEA residue along the perforation tunnel. These sputter-deposited jet complexions react with fluids during flowback, selectively being etched, barely needing water for the clean-up. The disintegration of this skin and slug, if any, in the perf-tunnel into fine particulates, subsequently being removed, leaves behind a clear, clean tunnel. CLEAR shaped charges have now been qualified to customer specifications in field conditions and are ready to be commercialized.

Our journey of innovation does not end here. In fact, this is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. To offset our carbon footprint and having embraced environmental and natural resources stewardship as one of our core values we are committed to contributing, as individuals and as an organization, to a flourishing human-ecological system. Through technology synthesis we have developed the concept of engineering seedpods for sustainable reforestation and Agri-tech. This had led to an endeavor for rapid tree planting through areal drones and UAVs’ to offset the effects of deforestation caused by human activities and natural disasters. In our paper we will additionally highlight this innovative technology cross-pollination and our efforts in low carbon and ESG endeavors.