Abstract
Among different industries, there is a lack of consensus with regard to wireline initiation safety with explosives. In the oil industry, procedural methods, such as electrical before ballistic arming (EBBA) and safety keys, have been used successfully for many years. However, the industrialization of fracturing has increased the volume and speed of the operations, and it is now common to have new hazards, such as multiple radio frequency (RF) sources and electric fracturing equipment. This work attempts to clarify wellsite safety requirements and proposes new solutions.
RF radiation can create accidental detonation of an electro-explosive device (EED), which can be catastrophic if the device is connected to a wireline perforating gun. Strict adherence to safety procedures including radio silence during perforating jobs and other controls have mitigated most RF risks.
Perforating safety standards are being updated at the writing of this paper with a major overhaul of the current API RP67 Recommended Practice for Oilfield Explosives, second edition(API 2007, reaffirmed 2015), including a third classification for primary-explosive-based detonators with enhanced RF protection.
The explosive manufacturers and service companies are aware of this trend and are developing new products to add engineered controls for the hazards. As the market transitions from procedural to engineered solutions, competing claims and counterclaims make it difficult for end users to understand the risks. This will continue until effective engineered controls become common and best practices in the industry are adopted.
