Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for firing and propelling one or more projectiles into an earthen or subterranean formation for the purpose of stimulating and enhancing communication between a well bore and said formation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS: 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/998,501 filed Jun. 30, 2014 by Alan L. Nackerud, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF INVENTION: 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for driving one or more projectiles into a subterranean formation for the purpose of stimulating productive formation and allowing better communication between a productive formation and a well bore. The present invention is to be deployed in a downhole cavity wherein said apparatus or tool has blades which are able to rotate from a position parallel to the well bore to a position perpendicular to the well bore whereby long projectiles may be shot by explosive deep into the subterranean formation. The present invention is a projectile firing apparatus which has new and novel features including but not limited to; a body which is attached to a drill string, one or more rotatable blades, one or more projectiles, an explosive, and an electrical energy source or mechanical trigger to initiate an igniter and set off an explosive to shoot said projectiles into a rock or subterranean formation to provide deep and enhanced communication between productive rock and the well bore. The present invention can be used in a natural cavity or a formed cavity including cavities formed by down hole equipment such as the underreamers contemplated and referred to in U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,121 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,959,774 B2 filed by Alan L. Nackerud, inventor. There are of course, additional features of the present invention that will be described herein, however it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. The projectile tool can have more than one projectile bore per blade and have more than one projectile per bore and can be wired or triggered to shoot simultaneously all projectiles or selectively shoot certain projectiles and/or rotated to shoot subsequent projectiles in various radial patterns or at various depths. The projectile tool can have projectiles of various length, diameter and shape and contain a propellant to further lengthen the depth of penetration. The projectile tool can have a longer body with a leading connection to allow preceding equipment. The projectile tool can have a latch mechanism of different shape or configuration. The projectile tool can have different methods to initiate the igniter such as a mechanical trigger pin and the igniter and explosive can be of various types of chemical composition. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other embodiments, structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The above and other advantages and features will become more readily appreciated and understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings in which: 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS-FIGURES 
         [0004]      FIG. 1  is a side view of the projectile tool with blades in a parallel position relative to the body and showing interior features; 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is another side view of the projectile tool with blades in a parallel position relative to the body and showing interior features; 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the projectile tool with blades rotated to a firing position perpendicular to the body showing interior features; 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged side view of the projectile tool with blades rotated to a firing position perpendicular to the body showing interior features; 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is an enlarged side view of the top blade only showing interior features; 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  is a schematic side view of the projectile tool in a position parallel to the well bore and drill string; 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  is a schematic side view of the projectile tool in a position partially deployed to a firing position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 8  is a schematic side view of the projectile tool in a position at the bottom of a well bore cavity to deploy and lock the blades into a firing ready mode; 
           [0012]      FIG. 9  is a schematic side view of the projectile tool in a position in the cavity at a level desired to fire the projectiles; 
           [0013]      FIG. 10  is a schematic side view of the projectile tool with projectiles fired into the subterranean formation; 
           [0014]      FIG. 11  is a top view of the seat to the electric battery energy source to fire the projectile tool; 
           [0015]      FIG. 12  is a side view of the seat to the electric battery energy source to fire the projectile tool; 
           [0016]      FIG. 13  is a side view of an electric battery energy source; 
           [0017]      FIG. 14  is a side view of the electric battery energy source seated in the seat; 
           [0018]      FIG. 15  is a side view of the latch hook; 
           [0019]      FIG. 16  is another side view of the latch hook and latch hook spring; 
           [0020]      FIG. 17  is a side view of the drive pin to the latch hook; 
           [0021]      FIG. 18  is a side view of the pin to the latch hook; 
           [0022]      FIG. 19  is a side view of the retention pin to the latch hook spring; 
           [0023]      FIG. 20  is a side view of the set screw to the projectile assembly; 
           [0024]      FIG. 21  is a side view of the wiring pipe to the projectile assembly; 
           [0025]      FIG. 22  is a side view of the igniter and explosive tube; 
           [0026]      FIG. 23  is a side view of the projectile; 
           [0027]      FIG. 24  is a side view of the end plug to the rotatable blade projectile bore; 
       
    
    
     DRAWINGS-REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       [0000]    
       
           1 . body 
           2 . blade 
           3 . projectile 
           4 . projectile bore 
           5 . projectile bore end plug 
           6 . shear pin 
           7 . explosive 
           8 . explosive tube 
           9 . explosive tube end plug 
           10 . igniter 
           11 . electric wire 
           12 . electric wire screw 
           13 . wiring pipe 
           14 . latch hook 
           15 . latch hook slot 
           16 . latch hook spring 
           17 . latch hook pin 
           18 . latch hook spring pin 
           19 . drive pin 
           20 . drive pin spring 
           21 . set screw 
           22 . seat 
           23 . electric battery 
           24 . bearing 
           25 . bearing pin 
           26 . pry hole 
           27 . center disc 
           28 . blade key 
           29 . blade key cover 
           30 . blade stop block 
           31 . bore cover 
           32 . snap ring 
           33 . body angle bore 
           34 . shoulder bore 
           35 . blade bore 
           36 . bolt 
           37 . latch hook recess 
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0065]    The present invention is a projectile tool with various features and parts shown in  FIGS. 1 through 24 . The latch hook  14  to each blade  2  is placed in the latch hook slots  15  of the body  1  and retained in place by a latch hook pin  17  which is retained by a set screw  21 . A latch hook spring  16  is hooked at one end onto the latch hook  14  and connected at the other end to the body  1  by a latch hook spring pin  18  to allow the movement of the latch hook  14  outward from the body  1  to a firing position and moveable back into the body  1  when not hooked to the blades  2 . Drive pin  19  assemblies of drive pin  19 , drive pin spring  20  and drive pin retention set screw  21  are placed in each blade  2  to allow post firing release of the lock hooks. Shear pins  6  and shear pin  6  set screws  21  are inserted in the shear pin  6  holes. A projectile  3  is inserted in each projectile bore  4  in each rotatable blade  2  to a position near the shear pin  6  hole of each blade  2 . Shear pins  6  and shear pin set screws  21  are inserted in the shear pin  6  holes. An explosive tube  8  with explosive  7  and igniter  10  is then placed directly behind the projectile  3  near the pivot point of each blade  2 . Electric wires  11  protruding from the igniter  10  are connected to wires  11  which run through a wiring pipe  13  placed behind the explosive tube  8 . The said wires  11  are routed through said wiring pipe  13  and into the bore to blade bore  35  and shoulder bore  34  and body angle bores  33  in the main body  1  and connected to the seat  22  for eventual firing. The projectile assembly set screws  21  are then placed directly behind the wiring pipe  13  to close and seal the projectile bore  4  at the blade  2  end near the blade  2  pivot point. Projectile bore end plugs  5  capable of penetration by fired projectiles  3  are inserted in each projectile bore  4  near the distal end of each blade  2  to seal the projectile bore  4  from well bore fluids. The firing wires  11  are then attached to the energy source seat  22 . The energy source seat  22  is then screwed into the top of the projectile tool body  1 . After assembly the tool is in a fire ready mode, threadedly attached to a drill string and lowered into a well bore and downhole cavity. In a well bore cavity the tool can be partially opened by rotation of the drill string and/or by engagement of the end of the blades  2  with the rock bottom of the cavity whereupon by drill string weight applied to the tool against the bottom of the cavity the blades  2  can open to a position perpendicular to the drill string whereby the latch hooks  14  lock the blades  2  in said position ready to fire. The tool is then raised or moved to the level desired to fire the projectiles  3  into the formation. The electric battery  23  energy source or other trigger mechanism is then released or lowered into the well bore whereby it seats and activates the igniter  10  and explosive  7  which propels the projectiles  3  outward into the rock or subterranean formation. Upon firing and setting off the explosive  7  the main force is applied to the projectile  3  but a small force is applied to the small drive pin  19  in each blade  2  which pushes the drive pin  19  outward from the blade  2  and against the latch hooks  14  whereby each latch hook  14  is released from the respective blade  2  and the blades  2  are able to rotate back to a position for withdrawal from the well bore or to a position for further work. 
         [0066]    It is therefore to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiment have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with the details of the structure and function of the embodiment, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made within the principles of the embodiment to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressed and reasonable equivalents thereof and various forms of the present invention can be applied to numerous drilling and completions of earth bores.