China begins drilling Asia's deepest oil well

Sinopec Group started drilling the 9,472-meter-deep Yuejin 3-3 oil well in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on May 1.

The Yuejin 3-3 well will be a major breakthrough in ultra-deepwater oil and gas exploration, helping China boost crude oil production. Chinese energy giant Sinopec expects to complete the drilling process in 170 days.

Yuejin 3-3 is part of the Deep Earth ultra-deep drilling project, which has drilled 120 wells deeper than 8,000 meters in the Tarim Basin. This is the largest oil basin in China, accounting for more than 60% of the country's ultra-deep onshore oil and gas resources. However, it is also one of the most difficult places in China to explore, partly because the oil and gas reserves are located 6,000 - 10,000 meters underground.

To overcome the harsh conditions of high temperature and pressure at depths of more than 9,000 meters, 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 world's deepest oil wells, Russia's Z-44, is more than 12,000 meters underground.

"Through innovation and brainstorming, we have developed advanced technology to design drilling systems, operate and support them in deep and complex environments, marking a breakthrough in key technologies," said Wang Long, an expert at the Sinopec Petroleum Engineering Research Institute.

"The drilling time three years ago was 280 days, now it is down to only 97 days. Meanwhile, the drilling accuracy has increased from 60% to more than 90%," Wang added.

Thu Thao (According to CGTN )

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