Congrats: Shendi Taku 1 well surpassed 9,000 meters

On May 30th of this year, the Shendi Taku 1 well officially commenced drilling at the Tarim Oilfield. As China’s first 10,000-meter scientific exploratory well, it aims to explore ultra-deep geological and engineering scientific theories at depths exceeding 10,000 meters. By the end of this year, on December 26th, the drilling depth of the Shendi Taku 1 well surpassed 9,000 meters. According to the planned schedule, it is expected that in two to three months, the Shendi Taku 1 well will break through the 10,000-meter mark, penetrating more than ten layers. We extend our congratulations on this achievement.

The drill bit of the Shendi Taku 1 well needs to penetrate 13 strata from top to bottom, overcoming numerous challenges such as ultra-high temperature, ultra-high pressure, and unstable formations. Among these challenges, there are seven indicators that set world records for difficulty. After drilling to 10,000 meters, the formation temperature exceeds 200°C, and the formation pressure surpasses 130 MPa. Each additional meter drilled underground exponentially increases the drilling difficulty, as well as the requirements for the drilling fluid.

Drilling fluid, commonly referred to as mud, is considered the "blood" of the drilling process. It plays a critical role in carrying drill cuttings, cooling the drill bit, maintaining wellbore stability, controlling formation pressure, and protecting oil and gas reservoirs. The performance and technological level of drilling fluid directly affect the efficiency, safety, and cost of drilling operations. Under ultra-high temperature conditions, drilling fluid materials are prone to degradation, cross-linking, or conformational changes, which can deteriorate or even fail the drilling fluid performance.

The team has deeply researched the mechanisms for drilling fluid resistance to ultra-high temperatures. Over the course of more than six months, they independently developed the technology, conducting over 8,000 experiments and closely monitoring onsite progress. They successfully developed a drilling fluid technology system for depths of 10,000 meters with a temperature resistance of up to 220°C, which holds complete independent intellectual property rights. This breakthrough addresses the challenges of insufficient high-temperature resistance, significant changes in rheological parameters, and difficulty in balancing various performance indicators. They have solved the "bottleneck" issue of drilling fluid failure at high temperatures and successfully tackled the "crucial" problem of safe and efficient ultra-deep and ultra-deep oil and gas drilling.