Orientable perforating gun with orienting bearing assembly and method of using same

Abstract

An orientable perforating gun of a downhole tool and method. The orientable perforating gun includes a housing, a downhole component, and an orienting bearing assembly. The downhole component includes a detonation assembly positioned in the housing. The detonation assembly includes a charge assembly carrying shaped charges, and a detonator assembly carrying a detonator to ignite the shaped charges. The orienting bearing assembly includes a rotational bearing and an orienter. The rotational bearing is coupled to the downhole component, and supports the downhole component within the downhole tool. The orienter includes an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component. The orienter gravitationally urges a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool.

1 . An orienting bearing assembly of a downhole tool, the downhole comprising a downhole component, the orienting bearing assembly comprising:
 a rotational bearing coupled to the downhole component, the rotational bearing rotationally supporting the downhole component within the downhole tool; and   an orienter comprising an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component, the orienter gravitationally urging a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool.   
     
     
         2 . The orienting bearing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the rotational bearings comprise roller bearings. 
     
     
         3 . The orienting bearing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the rotational bearings comprise a pair of roller bearings. 
     
     
         4 . The orienting bearing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the downhole component comprises a detonation assembly, the rotational bearing positioned about the detonation assembly. 
     
     
         5 . The orienting bearing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the downhole component comprises a bulkhead, the rotational bearing is positioned about the bulkhead. 
     
     
         6 . The orienting bearing assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the offset counterweight has a tubular shape encircling the downhole component to define a heavier mass on one side of the downhole component. 
     
     
         7 . The orienting bearing assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the downhole component comprises a detonation assembly, the offset counterweight encircling the detonation assembly. 
     
     
         8 . The orienting bearing assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the downhole component comprises a bulkhead, the offset counterweight encircling the bulkhead. 
     
     
         9 . An orientable perforating gun of a downhole tool, comprising:
 a housing;   a downhole component comprising a detonation assembly positioned in the housing, the detonation assembly comprising:   a charge assembly carrying shaped charges; and
 a detonator assembly carrying a detonator to ignite the shaped charges; 
   an orienting bearing assembly, comprising:
 a rotational bearing coupled to the downhole component, the rotational bearing rotationally supporting the downhole component within the downhole tool; and 
 an orienter comprising an offset counterweight coupled to the downhole component, the orienter gravitationally urging a portion of the downhole component to a weighted position within the downhole tool whereby the downhole component is positioned in a pre-determined oriented direction within the downhole tool. 
   
     
     
         10 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 9 , wherein the rotational bearings are positioned at each end of the detonation assembly. 
     
     
         11 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 9 , wherein the detonation assembly further comprises a detonator bulkhead at one end of the housing and a charge bulkhead at an opposite end of the housing, the detonator bulkhead and the charge bulkhead each comprising electronics coupled together to form a communication link. 
     
     
         12 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 11 , wherein the detonator bulkhead has a bearing cavity shaped to receive the rotational bearing. 
     
     
         13 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 11 , wherein the charge bulkhead has a bearing recess shaped to receive and support the rotational bearing. 
     
     
         14 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 11 , wherein the rotational bearing is positioned between the detonator bulkhead and the charge bulkhead. 
     
     
         15 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 9 , wherein the charge assembly comprises a charge tube to support the shape charges therein. 
     
     
         16 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 9 , further comprising a receiving cap positioned between the detonation assembly and the charge assembly. 
     
     
         17 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 9 , wherein a charge portion of the downhole component is connected to a detonator portion of the downhole component of an adjacent perforating gun to form a bearing package. 
     
     
         18 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 17 , wherein the charge portion comprises the orienter, a charge bulkhead, an electrical contact, and an insulating sleeve. 
     
     
         19 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 17 , wherein the detonator portion comprises a detonator bulkhead, an electrical connector, and the rotational bearing. 
     
     
         20 . The orientable perforating gun of  claim 9 , wherein the detonation assembly has a ring-shaped base portion and an offset portion extending therefrom, the charge assembly has a curved extension at an end thereof, the curved extension shaped to matingly receive the offset portion. 
     
     
         21 . A method of orienting a downhole tool, comprising:
 providing the orientable perforating gun as in  claim 9 ;   positioning the orientable perforating gun in a wellbore; and   urging the detonation assembly to the weighted position within the housing as the detonation assembly rotates about the rotational bearings.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising perforating the wellbore in an oriented direction by launching shaped charges from the detonation assembly while the detonation assembly is in the weighted position.