BEIJING: Oil workers in Taklamakan, China’s largest desert, completed a remarkable feat by drilling to a depth of 9,396 meters on Thursday, setting a record for the deepest drilling in Asia.
The accomplishment also marks a major milestone for the Tarim Oilfield, which has entered a new phase of ultra-deep oil and gas exploration and development at the 9,000-meter level. The oilfield now has the potential to go even deeper, leading the way for further advancements in oil and gas exploration technology in China.
The well, named Gole 3C, is located in a desolate desert area of Shaya county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. The geological structure is complex, with oil reserves buried at depths generally exceeding 8,000 meters, making geological and reservoir identification extremely difficult.
The Gole 3C well employs a horizontal drilling technique, which involves directing the drill bit horizontally after reaching a depth of about 8,000 meters to precisely penetrate the underground oil and gas reservoir. Zhou Bo, vice-director of the Oil and Gas Engineering Research Institute of Tarim Oilfield, acknowledged that this represents a significant challenge to drilling technology and domestic manufacturing processes. The exploration and development difficulty are rare.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
