China’s Deepest Borehole Exceeds 10km Milestone

The drilling of China’s deepest hole reached a depth of 10,000 metres on Monday, marking a significant milestone in the country’s deep-earth exploration.

Shendi Take 1, currently being drilled in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region of Northwest China, is now Asia’s deepest borehole and China’s first scientific exploration well with a depth exceeding 10,000 metres.

It is currently the world’s second-deepest onshore well, according to China National Petroleum Corp, after Russia’s Kola Peninsula deepest hole.

Shendi Take 1 is expected to reach a designed depth of 11,100 metres.

Kola borehole

At 12,262 metres, the Kola Superdeep Borehole is Kola Superdeep Borehole – which took 20 years to drill, is the deepest hole in the world.

Since drilling commenced on May 30, 2023, Shendi Take 1 has penetrated 13 continental strata, with over 1,000 drill pipes driven into the ground and more than 20 drill bits consumed in the process.

“It is the first time that China has drilled a vertical borehole over 10,000 metres deep,” said Wang Chunsheng, chief expert of the Tarim Oilfield of China National Petroleum Corporation, which is responsible for the drilling.

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Typically, wells ranging from 4,500 to 6,000 metres deep are classified as deep wells, while those between 6,000 and 9,000 metres are termed super-deep wells.

Wells exceeding 9,000 metres are classed as ultra-deep.

According to Wang, the Shendi Take 1 project marks China’s inaugural attempt at drilling a vertical borehole exceeding 10,000 meters.

Major challenges

The project presents many challenges, including temperatures surpassing 200°C, formidable pressures, and increasing difficulties with each additional meter drilled.

After reaching 10,000 metres, the drilling is expected to face more severe challenges such as temperatures of over 200°C and formation pressure exceeding 130 MPa, and the difficulty will multiply with each metre drilled deeper.

FAQs

Why is China drilling a deep hole?

China is drilling a deep hole to investigate whether there is still the occurrence of oil and gas in the ultra-deep depths.

What is the deepest hole in the world?

Kola Superdeep Borehole is the deepest hole in the world. The 12,262-metre superdeep borehole retains the world record achieved in 1989.

However, in May 2008 record length was surpassed by a curved borehole of the extended reach drilling well BD-04A in the Al Shaheen Oil Field in Qatar, with a total length of 12,289 metres and a horizontal reach of 10,902 metres.

1970

Drilling of the Kola borehole started in 1970 as the Soviets sought to study the earth’s crust, explore geological processes, and advance deep drilling technologies.

The borehole revealed surprises like the absence of the “Conrad discontinuity,” sudden liquid water depths, and microscopic fossils dating back 2 billion years.

Despite reaching the 12,262-metre depth, drilling met challenges such as rising temperatures and rock densities, which led to the project’s cessation in 1992.

The Kola Superdeep Borehole was sealed in 2005.

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