Video Source: CCTV News
On February 20,
China’s first ultra-deep well exceeding 10,000 meters,
“Shendi Tanke 1 Well”
was successfully drilled to a depth of 10,910 meters,
making it the deepest vertical well in Asia and the second deepest in the world.
Behind this super engineering project,
drill bits and drilling tools independently developed by Sinopec Machinery
played a key role across multiple formations,
making significant contributions to the major breakthrough of this 10,000-meter-deep well.
Shendi Tanke 1 Well
Shendi Tanke 1 Well had to drill through 12 different formations with varying lithologies and pressure regimes, making the drilling process extremely challenging. The project faced a series of extreme downhole conditions, including ultra-high temperatures, extremely high pressures, and ultra-hard rock formations.
The drilling speed changed dramatically as the well became deeper:
- From the surface to 5,500 meters: The section was completed in more than 50 days, with an average drilling footage of over 100 meters per day.
- From 5,500 meters to beyond 10,000 meters: It took more than 220 days, with the drilling operation advancing at an average rate of approximately 40 meters per day.
- The final 910 meters, from 10,000 to 10,910 meters: This was by far the most difficult section. Drilling took more than 300 days, with the average daily advance falling to less than 3 meters.
The deeper the well went, the more difficult drilling became. Ultra-deep drilling at depths exceeding 10,000 meters requires drill bits and drilling tools capable of maintaining reliable performance under extreme temperature, pressure, and rock hardness.
At depths of more than 10,000 meters underground, drilling tools are exposed to temperatures exceeding 200°C and pressures reaching 145 MPa. Sun Jinsheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, noted that the difficulty of this deep-Earth drilling project is comparable to that of a “lunar exploration mission.”
Yet Sinopec Machinery’s “Kingdream” drill bits were able to break through the extremely deep formations, tackling hard rock layer after layer and successfully drilling a passageway extending more than 10,000 meters from the surface deep into the Earth.
▲ Company Senior Experts Participate in the Technical Seminar for the Shendi Tanke 1 Well Project
Faced with extremely complex geological conditions, Sinopec Machinery leveraged more than 50 years of experience and expertise in the development of drill bits and drilling tools. Building on its capabilities in ultra-high-pressure structural technology, ultra-high-hardness material technology, ultra-high-energy control technology, and ultra-high-precision manufacturing technology, the company developed ultra-high-hardness PDC cutters.
These advanced cutters can withstand pressures of up to 80,000 atmospheres—equivalent to the pressure produced by “eight 10-ton elephants standing on a fingernail”—while maintaining exceptional sharpness and toughness. This enables them to efficiently cut through ultra-hard rock formations at extreme depths.
Custom-developed drilling performance solutions—including the “Dragon” series hybrid drill bits, “Feng” series PDC drill bits, KD Force high-torque downhole mud motors, and 185 ultra-high-temperature mud motors—were developed to accelerate drilling in challenging formations.
These advanced drilling tools are designed to successfully adapt to extremely deep wells with poor drillability, difficult wellbore trajectory control, and other complex and challenging drilling conditions, while maintaining a stable and efficient rate of penetration (ROP) even under extreme drilling conditions.
Exploring the Unknown · Pushing the Limits
In this extraordinary journey through 500 million years of geological evolution, there were no reliable geological parameters or drilling data available below 9,000 meters. To safely and efficiently establish a drilling path through this virtually unexplored underground environment—and ensure that the 10,000-meter-class well could be drilled both safely and efficiently—Sinopec Machinery established a dedicated Shendi Tanke 1 Well Drilling Performance Improvement Task Force.
The team worked closely with academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, senior experts from China National Petroleum Corporation, university professors, and drilling contractors. Through joint technical discussions, continuous analysis, and field collaboration, the team developed a highly targeted service strategy based on the principle of “a strategy for each formation and a solution for each trip.”
This approach enabled drilling tools and technical services to be precisely adapted to changing downhole conditions, helping minimize operational risks throughout the ultra-deep drilling process.
Breaking Through the Limits of Ultra-Deep Drilling
The successful completion of Shendi Tanke 1 Well marked a major breakthrough in China’s 10,000-meter-class ultra-deep drilling technology.
Sinopec Machinery provided drilling bits and drilling tools throughout the project, with its 6 5/8-inch ultra-high-temperature drill bit playing a particularly important role. Under extreme downhole conditions of temperatures reaching 220°C, the drill bit operated continuously for more than 70 hours, helping the Shendi Tanke 1 Well successfully reach a final depth of 10,910 meters.
Its performance under such extreme conditions demonstrated the capability of advanced drilling tools to withstand the demanding requirements of ultra-deep, high-temperature and high-pressure drilling.
Exploring 10,000 Meters Beneath the Earth
The journey to depths of more than 10,000 meters was a long and difficult one.
Sinopec Machinery remains committed to advancing the development of high-end drilling equipment and drilling technologies, guided by the responsibility of “building major industrial equipment through advanced manufacturing and supporting national energy security.”
With a continued focus on independent technological innovation, the company is working at the forefront of deep-Earth exploration, contributing advanced drill bits, drilling tools, and technical solutions to the development of ultra-deep oil and gas resources and to the broader goal of enhancing energy security.
Extreme Challenges Across Time and Depth
The Shendi Tanke 1 Well project faced a combination of extreme challenges—from the harsh climate of the “Sea of Death” in the Taklimakan Desert to downhole temperatures of up to 220°C and formation pressures reaching 145 MPa.
Every meter drilled toward the Earth’s deep interior represented another test of drilling technology, equipment reliability, and engineering expertise.
Breaking Through the Unknown: Drilling in Unexplored Formations
The well penetrated 12 complex formation sequences, where drilling operations had to contend with challenges including wellbore collapse, stuck pipe, and lost circulation.
Over more than 500 days and nights of drilling, advanced drilling technologies and high-performance drilling tools were continuously tested against unknown geological conditions.
The project demonstrated that successful 10,000-meter ultra-deep drilling requires not only powerful drilling equipment, but also highly reliable drill bits, drilling tools, precise engineering control, and the ability to respond rapidly to changing formation conditions.
Redefining the Depth of Human Exploration
When the drill bit finally penetrated the Earth’s crust to a depth of 10,910 meters, it represented far more than another milestone for the oil and gas industry.
It demonstrated how modern ultra-deep drilling technology can push the boundaries of human exploration into the Earth’s deep interior.
From the surface to more than 10 kilometers underground, every meter represents advances in drilling engineering, materials science, drill-bit technology, drilling tools, and downhole equipment.
10,910 meters is not simply a number—it is a new benchmark for what modern drilling technology can achieve.
