BEIJING: The Shendi Ta’Ke-1 well, China’s first borehole over 10,000 meters deep for scientific exploration, was drilled to a depth of 9,860 meters underground on Friday, setting a record as the deepest well in Asia.
With a design depth of 11,100 meters, the borehole is located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert, the largest desert in China.
As per a report by China Central Television, the subterranean rock formations exhibit a complex structure, necessitating the drilling of the well through a total of 13 sets of formations spanning from the uppermost to the lowermost regions. The drilling process encounters a myriad of technical obstacles within the high-temperature setting below 10,000 meters, with the drilling tools being prone to significant softening akin to noodles. The successful construction of a well demands the navigation of multiple challenges of a technical nature, including excessively burdensome loads, extremely elevated temperatures, exceedingly high pressures, and exceptionally heig
htened geostress.
“For the first time in China, the Shendi Ta’Ke-1 used a 12,000-meter fully automated drilling rig with a lifting tonnage of 900 tons, a drill pipe with an ultra-high wall thickness and a tensile strength of 490 tons, and a drilling fluid that can withstand high temperatures up to 220 degrees Celsius. All these equipment fully support the drilling of the 10,000-meter well,” said Wang Chunsheng, chief technical expert of PetroChina Tarim Oilfield.
The Tarim Basin, where the Shendi Ta’Ke-1 well is located, is rich in ultra-deep oil and gas. The total oil and gas geological resources below 8,000 meters in the area exceed 9 billion tons of oil equivalent, accounting for more than half of China’s ultra-deep resources.
Source: Emirates News Agency