China makes rapid progress in drilling rig tech

China's homegrown drilling rig technology is making important breakthroughs in excavating deep oil and gas resources, thanks to increased and innovative cooperation between research institutes and businesses.

For example, Crust 1, a land-based drilling rig jointly developed by Jilin University and Sichuan Honghua Petroleum Equipment Co Ltd, is being used to excavate an 8,795-meter-deep oil and gas well in the Taklimakan Desert in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Supported by the rig, which has a drilling capacity of more than 10,000 meters deep, drilling work is expected to be completed in the following days, said Fan Yueshuai, a staff member of Jilin University who is part of the project.

The equipment has played a key role in boosting efficiency, as "drilling work of 8,000 meters is normally a difficult job", Fan said.

Drilling a typical oil well 5,000-6,000 meters deep usually takes six months, but the one in Xinjiang will only take about three months, thanks to help from Crust 1, Fan added.

Covering an area of more than 10,000 square meters, the 60-meter-high Crust 1 is also being given more play in sci-tech research.

Liu Baochang, director of the department of exploration and drilling engineering at Jilin University, said Crust 1 is mainly used for research in earth sciences.

"The deeper we drill, the more samples of the earth's information we can obtain.

"Also, considering the oil and gas production conditions in China, deep exploration of oil and gas resources is increasingly needed, where Crust 1 is required."

For example, many oil and gas resources in the western areas of Xinjiang are generally buried at great depths, Liu said.

Crust 1 — whose key technologies and components have been independently developed — is a necessary achievement for the country, said Liu.

"The R&D team managed to overcome major technical challenges in deep drilling and made breakthroughs in technologies such as high-speed fully hydraulic top-drive drilling," he said.

Since May 2019, Crust 1 has completed oil and gas drilling projects of seven wells with depths exceeding 8,000 meters each in the Taklimakan Desert. All of these wells have begun operations.

Liu said the development and application of Crust 1 is a successful example of Jilin University's school-enterprise cooperation in industrial production, research and application.

Crust 1 is an important breakthrough in the independent capacity building of China's deep exploration program, providing high-tech means for the comprehensive implementation of subsequent national deep exploration projects and exploring the mysteries of the deep earth, Liu said.

"It will drive the scientific and technological progress of China's deep oil and gas resources and the geothermal resources exploration and development industry," he said.

Crust 1 has made China the third country to develop indigenous drilling capacity of more than 10,000 meters, he added.