Millions of IPs Create Popular Science and Technology Talents to Strengthen the Country丨Exploring the Secrets Deep in the Earth: "Crust No. 1" 10,000-meter Drilling

Exploring the unknown and pushing the limits are true reflections of human beings’ endless curiosity and spirit of exploration towards nature.

The earth is like a giant onion wrapped in layers of structures, and we live in its outermost layer. But to truly understand the inner mysteries of this planet, we need to go deep into its "heart" - the core. This is not an easy task, because the deeper you go, the higher the temperature, the greater the pressure, and the harsher the environment. However, scientists have a way. They use scientific drilling technology to obtain rock samples deep underground through drilling wells. These samples are like a "diary" of the earth's history, recording the changes of the earth from ancient times to the present. "Crust No. 1" is the pioneer of this great expedition mission. Its mission is to go deep into the "skin" of the earth and extract those precious core samples. This is not only an exploration of the depths of the earth, but also a tracing of the history of the earth. Through these samples, we can glimpse the earth's past, understand its present, and even predict its future.

In order to meet the great needs of my country's deep earth exploration project, my country launched the "Deep Exploration Technology and Experimental Research Project" in 2009. The ninth project "Development and Experiment of Key Instruments and Equipment for Deep Exploration" was headed by Huang Danian, a professor and doctoral supervisor at Jilin University, and the fifth project of the project "Development of Deep Continental Scientific Drilling Equipment" was headed by Sun Youhong, then vice president and professor of Jilin University. The main task of this project was to develop the "Crust No. 1" 10,000-meter drilling rig. In 2018, at the "Songke 2 Well" site in Anda, Daqing, Heilongjiang. "Crust No. 1" drilled into the depth of 7018 meters in the crust, like a brave diver diving into the unknown deep sea, and successfully took out a continuous and complete core with a total length of 4014 meters. It not only created a new record for Asian countries in the field of continental scientific drilling, but also marked that my country has become the third country in the world with the ability to implement 10,000-meter continental drilling.

The development and application of "Crust No. 1" is an important breakthrough in the construction of China's independent capability in deep exploration program. It marks a major phased progress in China's geological field's "underground" plan for deep earth exploration. It provides high-tech means for the comprehensive implementation of subsequent national crust exploration projects and the exploration of the mysteries of the deep earth.

The "Crust No. 1" 10,000-meter drilling rig has achieved remarkable results in practical applications. In addition to completing its "first show" in the Songliao Basin in June 2018, setting a new record for continental scientific drilling in Asian countries with a completed well depth of 7,018 meters, in 2018, the "Crust No. 1" completed 6 oil and gas drilling projects with a depth of more than 8,000 meters and 1 well with a depth of more than 9,000 meters in the ultra-deep oil and gas drilling projects carried out in the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang, and each well successfully produced oil and gas.

The research and development and application results of "Crust No. 1" are an important part of my country's deep exploration technology and experimental research project, and demonstrate my country's important progress in independent innovation in deep earth exploration technology. These achievements are the result of years of hard work and innovation by the research and development team, and also reflect my country's independent innovation capabilities in the field of deep exploration technology.

Author: Huang Yeqian, Senior Engineer, Oilfield Exploration and Development Division, Sinopec

Reviewer: Li Changhe, expert from Sinopec Petroleum Exploration and Development Research Institute