Sinopec Corporation started drilling the Yuejin 3-3 oil well 9,472m deep in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, on May 1 .
China drills Asia’s deepest oil well in Xinjiang. (Video: SCMP).
The Yuejin 3-3 well will be a major breakthrough in ultra-deep oil and gas exploration, helping China boost crude oil production. Chinese energy group Sinopec expects to complete the drilling process in 170 days.
Yuejin 3-3 is part of the Deep Earth super-deep drilling project , which has now drilled 120 wells more than 8,000 meters deep in the Tarim Basin. This is China’s largest oil basin, accounting for more than 60% of the country’s inland super-deep oil and gas resources. However, this is also one of the most difficult places to explore in China, partly because the oil and gas reserves are located at a depth of 6,000 – 10,000 meters underground.
The Yuejin 3-3 well will be a major breakthrough in ultra-deep oil and gas exploration.
To overcome the extreme conditions of high temperature and pressure at a depth of more than 9,000m, Sinopec has improved its drilling technology, making China one of the few countries in the world capable of drilling wells. 10,000 meters deep. One of the deepest oil wells in the world, Russia’s Z-44, is more than 12,000 meters underground.
“Through innovation and brainstorming, we have developed cutting-edge technology to design drilling systems, operate and support them in deep and complex environments, marking a breakthrough in the key technology,” said Wang Long, an expert at Sinopec Petroleum Engineering Research Institute.
“The drilling time three years ago was 280 days, now it’s reduced to just 97 days. Meanwhile, drilling accuracy has increased from 60% to more than 90%,” added Wang.