eFire-Slickline Electronic Firing Head System

Programmable firing head

The eFire-Slickline electronic firing head system for slickline deployment is a programmable firing head used to detonate downhole explosives and activate specialized remedial services. The firing head maintains total control of the sequence of operations and the timing of activation. It recognizes commands sent from the surface and initiates the detonation.

Total control from surface

Fully controlled from the surface, the eFire-Slickline firing head does not require the input of prerecorded downhole parameters to activate the firing process. Instead, it is operated by a coded sequence of tension pulses on the slickline, which are converted to pressure pulses in the tool head. A unique combination of these pulses creates the special signature required to communicate with the initiator module.

After a pressure transducer in the tool detects the command from the surface, two separate processors in the controller module are required to independently verify the unique command. The initiator module then converts the battery power to the high voltage required to initiate the S.A.F.E. slapper-actuated firing equipment. The S.A.F.E. detonator and the eFire-Slickline firing head do not include primary explosives.

A preset hydrostatic pressure must enable the firing head before it will accept the command to fire. Once the pressure command is accepted, an arming command is sent from the surface. These safeguards are in addition to the safety provided by the unique pressure pulse command signature. The eFire-Slickline firing head is radio frequency–safe.

Benefits

• Save rig or production time by eliminating a run usually required to record downhole parameters prior to the actual perforation run.
• Reduce risk by excluding primary high explosives.
• Increase safety with multiple safety barriers and the ability to abort.

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