"China Achieves Record by Drilling Asia's Deepest Vertical Well"
China has completed the drilling of the deepest vertical well in Asia, marking a significant achievement in the field of geological exploration. This milestone not only showcases the nation's advanced drilling technology but also highlights its commitment to exploring and utilizing natural resources. The well's depth underscores the scientific and engineering capabilities of China's geological research efforts.
TroibNews 
The China National Petroleum Corporation announced on Thursday the successful completion of Asia's deepest vertical well, with a borehole extending to a depth of 10,910 meters in the northwestern desert of China.
Situated in the Taklimakan Desert within the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, this well, named "Shenditake-1," represents a significant scientific exploration initiative.
"Drilling the Shenditake 1 well is like boring through Mount Qomolangma and then descending two more kilometers underground," remarked Dou Lirong, executive director and dean of the Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development at CNPC. "The risks and challenges are enormous."
Prior to Shenditake 1, the only onshore well that exceeded 10,000 meters was the Soviet Union's SG-3 well located on the Kola Peninsula. Drilled from 1970 to 1993, the SG-3 well reached a depth of 12,262 meters. With this achievement, Shenditake 1 now stands as the world’s second-deepest vertical well, marking advancements in ultra-deep drilling techniques such as the deepest liner cementing and the fastest onshore drilling surpassing the 10,000-meter mark.
The drilling process commenced on May 30, 2023. Achieving a depth of 10,000 meters took 279 days, whereas the final 910 meters demanded an additional 300 days due to heightened challenges along the way.
In a written interview with CN, Dou illuminated the significant hurdles faced during drilling in such an extreme desert environment, particularly under high temperatures and pressures. He highlighted the harsh working conditions in the Taklimakan Desert, where temperature fluctuations between summer and winter can exceed 80 degrees Celsius, greatly affecting workers' physical and mental resilience.
Conditions continued to worsen as drilling progressed deeper. Notably, the temperatures and pressures encountered at the well's bottom reached up to 220 degrees Celsius and 145 megapascals, respectively, hindering the effectiveness of conventional drilling tools and materials. The drilling apparatus, comprising over 1,130 drill pipes weighing in excess of 350 tonnes, along with the heaviest casing at 665 tonnes, introduced significant risks of drill pipe failure, complicating the drilling operation.
To facilitate this project, CNPC engineered the world’s first automated drilling rig capable of reaching 12,000 meters, alongside a range of advanced tools specifically designed for ultra-deep well logging.
According to Wang Chunsheng, chief technical expert for the Tarim oilfield branch of PetroChina, the well traversed 12 geological layers in the Tarim Basin, reaching oil-and-gas-rich formations located between 10,851 and 10,910 meters.
Currently, China holds onshore deep and ultra-deep oil and gas resources totaling 67.1 billion tonnes of oil equivalent, which makes up 34 percent of the nation’s overall oil and gas reserves. However, only 3 billion tonnes of oil equivalent have been confirmed in the country’s ultra-deep formations. More than 300 wells drilled in the Tarim Oilfield have exceeded depths of 8,000 meters, collectively yielding 19.57 million tonnes of ultra-deep oil and gas.
"Shenditake 1 demonstrates China's growing capability in deep-Earth exploration, critical for energy security," Dou concluded.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
Situated in the Taklimakan Desert within the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, this well, named "Shenditake-1," represents a significant scientific exploration initiative.
"Drilling the Shenditake 1 well is like boring through Mount Qomolangma and then descending two more kilometers underground," remarked Dou Lirong, executive director and dean of the Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development at CNPC. "The risks and challenges are enormous."
Prior to Shenditake 1, the only onshore well that exceeded 10,000 meters was the Soviet Union's SG-3 well located on the Kola Peninsula. Drilled from 1970 to 1993, the SG-3 well reached a depth of 12,262 meters. With this achievement, Shenditake 1 now stands as the world’s second-deepest vertical well, marking advancements in ultra-deep drilling techniques such as the deepest liner cementing and the fastest onshore drilling surpassing the 10,000-meter mark.
The drilling process commenced on May 30, 2023. Achieving a depth of 10,000 meters took 279 days, whereas the final 910 meters demanded an additional 300 days due to heightened challenges along the way.
In a written interview with CN, Dou illuminated the significant hurdles faced during drilling in such an extreme desert environment, particularly under high temperatures and pressures. He highlighted the harsh working conditions in the Taklimakan Desert, where temperature fluctuations between summer and winter can exceed 80 degrees Celsius, greatly affecting workers' physical and mental resilience.
Conditions continued to worsen as drilling progressed deeper. Notably, the temperatures and pressures encountered at the well's bottom reached up to 220 degrees Celsius and 145 megapascals, respectively, hindering the effectiveness of conventional drilling tools and materials. The drilling apparatus, comprising over 1,130 drill pipes weighing in excess of 350 tonnes, along with the heaviest casing at 665 tonnes, introduced significant risks of drill pipe failure, complicating the drilling operation.
To facilitate this project, CNPC engineered the world’s first automated drilling rig capable of reaching 12,000 meters, alongside a range of advanced tools specifically designed for ultra-deep well logging.
According to Wang Chunsheng, chief technical expert for the Tarim oilfield branch of PetroChina, the well traversed 12 geological layers in the Tarim Basin, reaching oil-and-gas-rich formations located between 10,851 and 10,910 meters.
Currently, China holds onshore deep and ultra-deep oil and gas resources totaling 67.1 billion tonnes of oil equivalent, which makes up 34 percent of the nation’s overall oil and gas reserves. However, only 3 billion tonnes of oil equivalent have been confirmed in the country’s ultra-deep formations. More than 300 wells drilled in the Tarim Oilfield have exceeded depths of 8,000 meters, collectively yielding 19.57 million tonnes of ultra-deep oil and gas.
"Shenditake 1 demonstrates China's growing capability in deep-Earth exploration, critical for energy security," Dou concluded.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
