Patent ID: 7357182

Claim:
A method of completing a lateral channel from an existing oil or gas well having a well casing, comprising the steps of: providing a well perforating tool having a substantially cylindrical body defining a circumferential wall of the perforating tool, said perforating tool having a longitudinal axis and comprising an axial blind bore open to a proximal end of said perforating tool and defining an axial flow passage within the perforating tool, and at least one lateral port located in the circumferential wall of said perforating tool, said lateral port providing fluid communication between said axial flow passage and a position exterior of said perforating tool; suspending said well perforating tool at a selected depth in said existing well; and pumping a fluid at high pressure through said axial flow passage such that a jet of said high pressure fluid shoots out from said lateral port to make a perforation in said well casing; translating said perforating tool alternately upward and downward while said jet is shooting out from said lateral port and simultaneously rotating said perforating tool, wherein said jet abrades and degrades the well casing to provide a substantially circular groove in said casing about a 360° path, said groove having a height based on the upward and downward translation of said perforating tool.