Underwater Shock Wave Generated by Exploding Wire Ignited Energetic Materials and its Applications in Reservoir Stimulation

Abstract

The combination of energetic material (EM) and electrical wire explosion (EWE) is an efficient and economical method to generate strong shock waves (SWs). The idea resembles the exploding bridge-wire (EBW) detonator, but in this case, the EWE operates with much higher electrical energy storage, and the EMs of much lower sensitivity can be directly ignited, which provides a practical compromise among limited energy storage, strong SWs, and safe usage of explosives. The hybrid load based on EWE ignited EMs has been successfully applied for reservoir stimulation in exploitation of both conventional and unconventional oil/gas resources. In this brief review, we summarize the EWE characteristics, SW characteristics, ignition mechanism, and engineering applications of this hybrid load, and give suggestions for future research directions.