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Downhole stimulation devices include an energetic material disposed within a housing and an initiator for igniting the energetic material. The initiator may comprise a shaped charge configured to produce a projectile to penetrate the energetic material to ignite the energetic material. The housing o

Downhole stimulation devices include an energetic material disposed within a housing and an initiator for igniting the energetic material. The initiator may comprise a shaped charge configured to produce a projectile to penetrate the energetic material to ignite the energetic material. The housing of the device may comprise a continuous outer surface. Methods of operating a downhole stimulation device include initiating an energetic material disposed within a housing of the stimulation device in order to burn the energetic material in a laterally extending direction transverse to a depth of a borehole in which the stimulation device is disposed.

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1. A downhole stimulation device, comprising: a rigid housing having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end; an energetic material disposed within the housing and completely enclosed by the stimulation device; and an initiator positioned

1. A downhole stimulation device, comprising: a rigid housing having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end; an energetic material disposed within the housing and completely enclosed by the stimulation device; and an initiator positioned exterior to the housing and removably coupled to one of the first end and the second end of the housing, the initiator comprising a shaped charge for igniting the energetic material within the housing, wherein the shaped charge is configured to produce a projectile to penetrate the energetic material to ignite the energetic material along a majority of the housing from the first end to the second end of the housing, and wherein a majority of the energetic material is positioned in the housing radially outward from the initiator in order to produce a radial burn in the energetic material extending outward toward the housing after the energetic material has been ignited by the projectile, wherein the housing is adapted to deform under internal pressure in the housing caused by gases produced by combustion of the energetic material to form at least one aperture in the housing in order to expel the gases produced by the combustion of the energetic material. 2. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the energetic material entirely fills a cross-sectional area within the housing taken in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis proximate to the initiator. 3. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the energetic material comprises a channel in the energetic material extending along a majority of the longitudinal axis of the housing, the channel having a width taken in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing that is less than a width of at least one of a case and a liner of the shaped charge taken in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing. 4. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the energetic material comprises a propellant grain. 5. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the initiator is positioned to form a channel through the energetic material with the projectile formed by ignition of the shaped charge. 6. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge is positioned to penetrate the energetic material with the projectile along an entirety of the longitudinal axis of the housing from the first end to the second end of the housing. 7. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge is positioned to penetrate the energetic material with the projectile along a centerline of the housing. 8. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein a lateral outer surface of the housing extending in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the housing comprises a continuous surface without any openings in the lateral outer surface. 9. The downhole stimulation device of claim 8, wherein the housing is adapted to deform under internal pressure in the housing caused by gases produced by combustion of the energetic material to form at least one aperture in the housing in order to expel the gases produced by the combustion of the energetic material. 10. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the initiator comprises a plurality of shaped charges, each shaped charge of the plurality of shaped charges being coupled to one of the first end of the housing and the second end of the housing. 11. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge is positioned at the first end of the housing along a centerline of the housing and further comprising a second shaped charge positioned at the second end of the housing opposing the first end along the centerline of the housing. 12. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge is positioned at least partially within a cavity in the energetic material. 13. The downhole stimulation device of claim 12, wherein the cavity is coextensive with a centerline of the housing. 14. The downhole stimulation device of claim 12, wherein the cavity extends only through a minor portion of the energetic material in the housing along the longitudinal axis of the housing. 15. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge is removably coupled to the housing with a mechanical connection between the shaped charge and the housing, the mechanical connection between the shaped charge and the housing configured to enable removal of the shaped charge without damaging the device. 16. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the stimulation device comprises a reinforcing element proximate the second end of the housing, the reinforcing element configured to increase a probability that the projectile from the shaped charge will penetrate the energetic material from the first end of the housing to the second end of the housing opposing the first end without penetrating through the second end of the housing and exiting the housing. 17. The downhole stimulation device of claim 1, wherein the shaped charge is adapted to produce the projectile that will penetrate the energetic material from the first end of the housing to the second end of the housing opposing the first end without penetrating through the second end of the housing and exiting the housing. 18. A downhole stimulation device, comprising: a rigid cylindrical housing having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end;an energetic material disposed within the cylindrical housing and completely enclosed by the stimulation device, wherein a lateral outer surface of the cylindrical housing extending a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the housing and surrounding the energetic material comprises a continuous surface without any openings in the lateral outer surface; andan initiator positioned at least partially exterior to the cylindrical housing and removably coupled to one of the first end and the second end, the initiator comprising a shaped charge for igniting the energetic material within the cylindrical housing, wherein the housing is adapted to deform under internal pressure in the housing caused by gases produced by combustion of the energetic material to form at least one aperture in the housing in order to expel the gases produced by the combustion of the energetic material. 19. The downhole stimulation device of claim 18, wherein the initiator comprises a shaped charge configured to produce a projectile to penetrate the energetic material to ignite the energetic material along a majority of the cylindrical housing from the first end to the second end of the cylindrical housing. 20. The downhole stimulation device of claim 18, wherein the energetic material entirely fills at least a majority of an inner portion of the cylindrical housing coincident with and surrounding a centerline of the cylindrical housing. 21. The downhole stimulation device of claim 18, wherein an entirety of the lateral outer surface of the housing does not comprise any openings therein. 22. A downhole stimulation device, comprising: a cylindrical housing having a first end, a second end, a longitudinal axis extending between the first end and the second end, and an imperforate lateral outer surface defined by a rigid portion of the cylindrical housing; an energetic material disposed within the cylindrical housing; andan initiator positioned exterior to the cylindrical housing and removably coupled to one of the first end of the housing and the second end of the housing, the initiator for igniting the energetic material within the cylindrical housing, wherein the energetic material is entirely enclosed by the stimulation device and the initiator, and wherein the imperforate lateral outer surface of the housing is adapted to deform under internal pressure in the housing caused by gases produced by combustion of the energetic material in the cylindrical housing to form at least one aperture in the cylindrical housing to permit expulsion from the cylindrical housing of the gases produced by the combustion of the energetic material. 23. The downhole stimulation device of claim 22, wherein the initiator is positioned to form a jet of particles through the energetic material in order to ignite the energetic material along a channel to initiate a substantially radial burn of the energetic material. 24. A method of operating a downhole stimulation device, the method comprising: removably coupling a shaped charge at an exterior surface of a longitudinal end of a rigid housing of the stimulation device, the stimulation device having an energetic materialdisposed within and completely enclosed by the stimulation device, wherein the shaped charge is coupled to the housing at a surface of a borehole in which the stimulation device is to be deployed:disposing the stimulation device in the borehole, wherein at least a portion of the energetic material within the housing is positioned laterally outward from the shaped charge;initiating the energetic material with a jet formed with the shaped charge by penetrating the energetic material with the jet to ignite the energetic material along a depth of the borehole; andburning the energetic material in a laterally extending direction transverse to the depth of the borehole thereby producing combustion gases which rupture the housing. 25. A method of operating a downhole stimulation device, the method comprising: removably coupling a removable shaped charge to an exterior portion of a longitudinal end of a rigid housing of the stimulation device having an energetic material disposed within the housing and completely enclosed by the stimulation device: initiating the energetic material disposed within the housing of the stimulation device; burning the energetic material in a laterally extending direction transverse to a depth of a borehole in which the stimulation device is disposed; forming at least one aperture in the housing with internal pressure in the housing caused by gases produced by combustion of the energetic material; and producing at least one gas stream extending laterally from the housing formed by the gases produced by combustion of the energetic material, wherein initiating an energetic material comprises: forming a jet with a shaped charge; and penetrating the energetic material with the jet to ignite the energetic material. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein forming at least one aperture in the housing comprises forming a plurality of apertures in the housing extending along a longitudinal axis of the housing to produce a plurality of gas streams extending laterally from the housing formed by the gases produced by combustion of the energetic material. 27. The method of claim 25, wherein initiating an energetic material comprises: forming a jet with a shaped charge; andpenetrating the energetic material with the jet to ignite the energetic material.