Experimental Perforating Test and Damage Zone Characterization

To determine perforation performance, service companies conduct tests to demonstrate the advantages of different technologies of perforating systems. Although studies on jet penetration into rock targets usually focus on the prediction and measurement of penetration depth the repertoire of methods to assemble details of tunnel perforation is very limited. In this paper, the samples that were tested in perforation cell were conducted in an effort to gaining insight into the deformation processes of penetration mechanism. In order to gain intuition about the presence of shear bands the samples were reconstructed in three-dimensional images, using microfocus CT Scannig (µCT). One of the samples wasn't split before the reconstruction. Remarkably some of the deformation mechanisms are the formation of shear bands surrounding the tunnel and they remain after the fluid flow. This yields the interesting possibility that shear bands are important to the pathway flow. In addition, this fundamental knowledge may also assist understanding the nature of tunnel formation, which take place during the penetration process.