Patent ID: 7165614

Claim:
An apparatus for stimulating production from a hydrocarbon-containing formation in an oil or gas well, the apparatus comprising: a container sized to be received and supported in the well at a level adjacent the formation; at least one shaped charge supported within the container, the shaped charge comprising: a housing with a rear portion and a front portion; a body of fast burning explosive in the rear portion of the housing, the front of the body defining a rearwardly pointing conical recess; a rearwardly pointing conically-shaped liner fittingly positioned in the conical recess of the front of the body of fast burning explosive; a detonator adapted to ignite the body of fast burning explosive; and a body of oxygen-rich material in the frontal portion of the housing in front of the body of fast burning explosive and the liner wherein the oxygen-rich material is not explosively reactive with water and that is capable of fueling the burning of hydrocarbons in the formation; whereby the shaped charge is adapted to perforate the formation and the body of oxygen-rich material is adapted to be introduced explosively into the formation with the shaped charge whereby burning of hydrocarbons therein is promoted regardless of the presence of water in the well when the explosive is ignited; at least one igniter for detonating the shaped charge.