China is making waves 🌊 in the energy world! The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) just smashed the daily drilling record, reaching an incredible 2,138 meters in a single day off the coast of Hainan Province. 🚀
Offshore drilling isn't a walk in the park—it's more like Mission Impossible 🤿. It's risky, pricey, and downright challenging. But boosting drilling speed is the name of the game to tap into those hidden resources beneath the sea floor.
This record-breaking well is part of a natural gas exploration project that tested the team's limits. With a design depth over 3,600 meters and scorching bottom-hole temperatures soaring to 162°C🔥, the drilling squad faced a real-life fiery labyrinth.
Liu Peikai, director of the conventional exploration well project at CNOOC (China) Limited Hainan Branch, spilled the beans on their success strategy:
\"During the design phase, we jazzed up the wellbore structure to speed up the whole construction process. On-site, we tricked out our drilling tools based on the formation conditions and whipped up a special, super-efficient drilling gadget,\" Liu told China Media Group (CMG).
Safety first! 🦺 The team didn't cut corners. They used cutting-edge tools and harnessed digital tech—think big data and analytics—to keep efficiency up and risks down.
Zhang Botao, project manager at CNOOC (China) Limited Hainan Branch, highlighted their secret weapon: CNOOC's homegrown drilling optimization system.
\"Thanks to our self-developed system, we can instantly compare historical drilling data from oil and gas wells across different sea areas. This helps us predict downhole conditions like a crystal ball 🔮 and make smart decisions when the going gets tough,\" Zhang said. \"This strategy seriously boosts our efficiency and success rate!\"
With this epic achievement, China is leveling up its offshore oil game, setting the stage for more energy breakthroughs ahead. 💪🌏
Reference(s):
China sets new record in offshore oil exploration drilling speed
cgtn.com
