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Natural Gas Industry B 4 (2017) 319e326
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Research Article

Technologies in deep and ultra-deep well drilling: Present status, challenges

and future trend in the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016e2020)*
Wang Haige*, Ge Yunhua, Shi Lin
Drilling Research Institute of CNPC, Beijing 102206, China
Received 10 April 2017; accepted 25 April 2017
Available online 27 November 2017

Abstract

During the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011e2015), CNPC independently developed a series of new drilling equipment, tools and chemical
materials for deep and ultra-deep wells, including six packages of key drilling equipment: rigs for wells up to 8000 m deep, quadruple-joint-
stand rigs, automatic pipe handling devices for rigs for wells being 5000/7000 m deep, managed pressure drilling systems & equipment, gas/fuel
alternative combustion engine units, and air/gas/underbalanced drilling systems; seven sets of key drilling tools: automatic vertical well drilling
tools, downhole turbine tools, high-performance PDC bits, hybrid bits, bit jet pulsation devices, no-drilling-surprise monitoring system, & casing
running devices for top drive; and five kinds of drilling fluids and cementing slurries: high temperature and high density water-based drilling
fluids, oil-based drilling fluids, high temperature and large temperature difference cementing slurry, and ductile cement slurry system. These new
development technologies have played an important role in supporting China's oil and gas exploration and development business. During the
following 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016e2020), there are still many challenges to the drilling of deep and ultra-deep wells, such as high
temperatures, high pressures, narrow pressure window, wellbore integrity and so on, as well as the enormous pressure on cost reduction and
efficiency improvement. Therefore, the future development trend will be focused on the development of efficient and mobile rigs, high-
performance drill bits and auxiliary tools, techniques for wellbore integrity and downhole broadband telemetry, etc. In conclusion, this study
will help improve the ability and level of drilling ultra-deep wells and provide support for oil and gas exploration and development services in
China.
© 2017 Sichuan Petroleum Administration. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords: Deep well; Ultra-deep well; Drilling techniques; Progress; Challenge; Strategy; CNPC

Since the 12th Five-Year Plan, China National Petroleum
Corporation (“CNPC”) has worked systematically on the
challenges to drilling and completion of deep and ultra-deep
wells, with the support of research projects from the state,
*
Project supported by Key Petroleum & Petrochemical Projects NSFC
“Basic research on the safe and efficient drilling and completion for deep
HTHP wells” (No.: U1562212) and Subject 20 “key drilling technology and
equipments for deep and ultra-deep wells” of National Science and Technol-
ogy Major Project “Large-scale oil and gas fields and coalbed methane
development” (No.: 2016ZX05020-003).
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: wanghaigedri@cnpc.com.cn (Wang HG).
Peer review under responsibility of Sichuan Petroleum Administration.
CNPC and PetroChina. As a result, CNPC has independently
developed a series of new equipment, tools, instruments, and
chemical materials to support the operations in the Kuqa
piedmont of the Tarim Basin and the SichuaneChongqing
gas region in the Sichuan Basin. Meanwhile, the capacity
of drilling deep wells has gradually improved with the
continuous advancement of drilling equipment and
technologies.
At present, global oil and gas exploration and development
is facing severe challenges induced by poor quality of re-
sources, complicated oil and gas targets, and strict re-
quirements of safety and environmental protection. Working
targets are turning from shallow layers to deep and ultra-deep

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ngib.2017.09.001
2352-8540/© 2017 Sichuan Petroleum Administration. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
320 Wang HG et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 4 (2017) 319e326
layers. Under this background, deep and ultra-deep well dril-
ling technologies encounter new problems and challenges.
1. Technological progress in deep and ultra-deep well
drilling during the 12th Five-Year Plan period
During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, with the support of
national oil and gas special projects, CNPC special projects
and other projects CNPC independently developed a series of
core technologies and equipment, such as automatic vertical
well drilling system, managed pressure drilling, and innovative
drilling rig, which helped to improve CNPC's self-sufficiency
and core competitiveness. The improving optimized and fast
drilling/completion technologies for deep and ultra-deep wells
drove the time efficiency of complex accidents to drop
continuously and the drilling cycle to shorten significantly,
thus effectively contributing to the increase of oil and gas
reserves and quick production in some key areas like the Kuqa
piedmont of the Tarim Basin and the Anyue gas field of
SichuaneChongqing gas region [1e11]. Meanwhile, the
quantity of deep and ultra-deep wells grew rapidly in recent
years, as shown in Fig. 1.
The average drilling cycle of available wells in key areas of
the Kuqa piedmont was 290 days in 2015, shorten by 44% and
237 days fewer than that in 2010, and the drilling cost per well
was more than CNY10 million. In the DabeieKeshen block,
the time efficiency of complex accidents was 6.2% in 2010,
55.3% lower than that in 2010. From 2014 to 2015, 23 ultra-
deep wells over 7000 m were drilled completely, recording
an average drilling cycle of 315 days, 347 days fewer than that
in the Well Keshen 1 completed in 2010. Key drilling indices
for the Kuqa piedmont during the 12th Five-Year Plan
period are shown in Table 1. In the Anyue gas field in
SichuaneChongqing gas region, the drilling cycle of the
5000e5800 m exploratory wells targeting the Sinian was 189
days in the first round and decreased to 149 days in the third
round. In the Cambrian Longwangmiao Fm gas reservoirs, the
average drilling cycle of vertical wells was only 97 days, and
that of horizontal wells was 146 days or only 114 days as the
shortest, contributing greatly to the efficient development of
the Longwangmiao Fm gas reservoirs.
Fig. 1. Number of deep and ultra-deep wells of CNPC in recent years.
Table 1
Main drilling indice for Tarim Kuqa piedmont area in the 12th Five-Year Plan
period.
Year Drilled depth/m Drilling cycle/d Penetration rate/(m h
1)
2011 6774 478 1.49
2012 6318 330 2.26
2013 6480 270 2.45
2014 6897 320 2.38
2015 7341 330 2.71
1.1. Rigs for 8000-m deep wells and quadruple-joint-
stand rigs for 9000-m deep wells were developed rapidly
and successfully as the major drilling equipment in the
piedmont [12e14]
With the innovative design concept, rigs for wells up to
8000 m were developed rapidly and successfully as a supple-
ment to domestic rigs, since the 7000-m deep well rigs suffer
inadequate load under large casing setting depth and the 9000-m
deep well rigs are too costly, depending on the conditions in the
Tarim piedmont and other areas. During the 12th Five-Year Plan
period, 23 rigs for wells up to 8000 m deep were used widely as
the major drilling equipment for the complex deep wells in the
Tarim Kuqa piedmont. The salt layers at the large casing setting
depth could be sealed in one operation, and the casing program
changed from “five sections” to “four sections”. With the 8000-
m deep well rigs in use, the purchase cost reduced by about 20%
and the drilling operation expenditure dropped by 37%
compared with the 9000-m deep well rigs.
With the innovative concept of “quadruple-joint-stand”, the
first quadruple-joint-stand rig for 9000-m wells was developed
in China and successfully applied in the drilling of Well Dabei
305 with 7515 m in depth in the Tarim Basin. Compared with
the three-joint-stand rig used in the adjacent 9000-m well, the
quadruple-joint-stand rig achieved a tripping speed of 15%
higher, downhole complexities of 20% less, a drilling cycle of
6% shorter, and a drilling cost of CNY4 million less. Thus, it
presented as a new efficient tool with higher ultra-deep well
drilling speed and efficiency, and a supplement to supporting
optimized and fast drilling and completion technologies for
deep and ultra-deep wells.
 Wang HG et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 4 (2017) 319e326
1.2. Domestically-made precise managed pressure
drilling (MPD) systems became an effective and safe
drilling technology for strata with narrow mud density
window [8,9]
The PCDS-1, CQMPD-1 and XZMPD-1 precise MPD
systems respectively developed by CNPC Drilling Research
Institute, CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company
Limited and CNPC Xibu Drilling Engineering Company
Limited kept in line with the overseas similar advanced
technologies, with a bottomhole pressure control accuracy of
±0.35 MPa. These MPD systems are applicable in near-
balanced and underbalanced managed pressure drilling
operations under various conditions. They helped to realize
“drilling according to the bottomhole pressure” and effectively
addressed the complexities caused by narrow mud density
window, such as lost circulation, well kick, borehole
instability, and drill pipe sticking. In the Tarim Basin,
SichuaneChongqing gas region, and overseas blocks, these
MPD systems were applied in over 200 wells to successfully
solve the drilling problem of “coexistence of blowout and mud
loss”. Especially, they efficiently supported the implementa-
tion of horizontal well development plan for the Ordovician
reservoir in the Tazhong #I structure, the construction of
Anyue gas field, and the shale gas development in
SichuaneChongqing gas region. Moreover, these MPD sys-
tems were expanded to Indonesia and other overseas markets,
allowing the CNPC enterprises to be competitive with the
world-known technology service companies. These MPD
systems became preferred options in the exploration and
development of marine carbonate reservoirs and HTHP res-
ervoirs with narrow mud density window.
1.3. Automatic vertical well drilling tools were gradually
domesticalized and became a core technology for
deflection control in fast penetration in the piedmont
area [15,16]
The BH-VDT and XZ-AVDS automatic vertical well dril-
ling systems were successfully developed by the CNPC Bohai
Drilling Engineering Company Limited and the CNPC Xibu
Drilling Engineering Company Limited. They can make
deflection control in fast penetration realized for boreholes of
Ø215.9 mm to Ø558.8 mm, with the deviation angle
controlled below 1 . These systems reach the level of foreign
similar products in terms of overall performance. In the Tarim
piedmont area, the automatic vertical well drilling systems had
displaced gradually the foreign products, thereby lowering
significantly technical cost, and provided an independent
technology for deflection control in fast penetration under the
complicated geological conditions such as high steep structure
and overthrust nappe structure. By virtue of these systems,
Well Keshen 2-1-14 recorded the highest daily footage of
742 m, Well Dabei 101-2 created the drilling footage of
2047 m in one trip, and Well Etan 1 in the Qaidam Basin set a
record with drilling time of 395.5 h in a single trip. To sum up,
the successful development and application of automatic
321
vertical well drilling tools had effectively ensured the deflec-
tion control in fast penetration in the high steep structure and
overthrust nappe structure, with satisfactory wellbore quality,
thus laying a good foundation for wellbore integrity control.
1.4. Improvement of gas/underbalanced drilling
technology and equipment and promotion of capabilities
in lost circulation prevention & control and water
control contributed to ROP enhancement in the complex
formations in the SichuaneChongqing gas region and
other areas [4,7,17]
Based on the packages of gas/underbalanced drilling
equipment developed during the 11th Five-Year Plan period,
and considering the problems in practical operations, the de-
vices, such as gas-tight casing valve, high-pressure rotary
BOP, continuous circulation valve for gas drilling, were
developed with their performance indicators meeting the in-
ternational advanced level, which supported the gas/under-
balanced drilling technologies, and made China's gas/
underbalanced drilling capacity equivalent to the world lead-
ing level. These technologies/equipment were applied in 331
deep and ultra-deep wells in Sichuan, Tarim, Songliao and
other basins, with a total footage of 43.69  104 m. Specif-
ically, they were used in 231 wells for ROP enhancement, with
an average ROP 3.78e11.24 times that in mud drilling. After
they were used in 40 wells for lost circulation prevention &
control, the cumulative reduction of mud loss amounted to
over 20  104 m3, and the time for lost circulation treatment
was reduced by 12.5 days for each well.
1.5. Complete drilling fluid systems helped to reduce the
time efficiency of complex accidents in deep and ultra-
deep wells [2,3,7,17,18]
During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, the main progress of
drilling fluid systems for deep and ultra-deep wells was
embodied in the conversion from water-based drilling fluids to
oil-based drilling fluids and the successful development of
high-performance water-based drilling fluids (similar to oil-
based drilling fluid) in response to the environmental re-
quirements. Several core treatment agents (e.g. main/assistant
emulsifiers, filtrate reducers, and flow pattern adjusting agents)
for high-density oil-based drilling fluid systems were devel-
oped independently and industrialized, helping to reduce the
cost by 30% for replacing the imported products. Three types
of oil-based drilling fluids, i.e. pure oil-based drilling fluid,
invert oil emulsion drilling fluid, and synthetic-based drilling
fluid, were developed successfully to adapt to different tem-
peratures and densities. Besides, the complete technical in-
dustrial chain and service system, including oil-based drilling
fluid preparation, maintenance, and recycling, and harmless
treatment of wastes, were formed to become the key options
for safe and rapid drilling of complex deep wells. Compared
with the imported drilling fluids, the BHeWEI drilling fluid
system with strong inhibition and high lubricity developed by
the CNPC Bohai Drilling Engineering Company Limited
322 Wang HG et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 4 (2017) 319e326
could cost 50% less, meeting the low cost and localization
goals. The high-temperature and high-density saturated brine
drilling fluid and potassium calcium-based organic salt drilling
fluid, with their performance indicators improved greatly,
made the average complex accident rate in pilot applications
decrease by more than 50%, and thus became the major dril-
ling fluid systems for enhancing ROP and efficiency in the
Tarim Basin, SichuaneChongqing gas region, and overseas
complex deep wells.
1.6. Improved cementing technologies met the
requirement of wells with high-temperature and large
temperature difference [3,7,19e21]
The high-temperature and large-temperature-difference
cementing slurry system effectively contributed to the
cementing in high-temperature long cementing intervals and
the super-retarding cementing in wells with large temperature
difference. It had been used widely in more than 1000 deep
wells in the Tarim, Sichuan, Bohai Bay and other basins and
Jilin area, with the maximum application temperature of
162  C, the longest cementing interval of 3000 m, and the
maximum temperature difference of 80  C. The longest
cementing interval in a single operation was recorded in
Huabei Oilfield, Well Shutan 1H, and the maximum setting
depth (5989 m) of Ø177.8 mm liners was realized in Well
Niudong 102. In Jilin Oilfield, the best cementing quality
(98%) under the most complex downhole conditions was
created in Well Longshen 2-P 1. In the GaoshitieMoxi block
of the Sichuan Basin, the Ø177.8 mm liner (gas channeling
prevention) cementing technologies were developed, repre-
sented by high-density and large-temperature-difference slurry
system, normal and reverse cementing, contamination-
resistant spacer fluid, cement slurry's column structure opti-
mization, and packer liner-hanger, helping to basically avoid
gas breakthrough from the bell mouth. Ductile cement slurry
system, with good adaptability to the cement mechanical
strength under the alternating stress, was the principal
cementing technology for deep and ultra-deep wells and gas
storage.
1.7. Some ROP-enhancing drilling tools with
independent intellectual property rights gradually
became the mainstream technologies for deep and ultra-
deep wells [1,3,7,11,17]
A number of ROP-enhancing drilling tools t were gradually
popular for deep and ultra-deep wells, such as high-
performance PDC bit, hybrid bit, impregnated bit, HT-
resistant screw drill, iso-wall thickness screw rod, metal
screw rod, downhole turbine tool, bit jet pulsation device, and
smart driller indicator. The smart driller indicator represented
a breakthrough in the optimization of rock-breaking energy
efficiency. Through real-time acquisition of drilling parame-
ters and automatic intelligent recognition of downhole con-
ditions by a built-in software, the smart driller indicator could
make realized the real-time tracking and quantitative
evaluation of the rock-breaking energy efficiency of downhole
bits and the vibration status of downhole drill string, so that
drilling parameters can be optimized and downhole vibration
can be avoided. According to the real-time signal of the smart
driller indicator, the driller could apply the optimal WOB,
rotary speed, pump stroke and other parameters, so that the
matching between drilling rate and rock-breaking energy
consumption was optimized. It had been applied in 50 wells/
operations in Yumen, Tarim, and SichuaneChongqing gas
region, with the actual ROP being 20%e50% higher than that
of adjacent wells. As a result, in May 2015, CNPC won, for
the first time, the 45th E & P Meritorious Award for Engi-
neering Innovation (Fig. 2). In March 2017, CNPC won the
CIPPE Innovation Award e Gold.
2. Challenges to deep and ultra-deep well drilling/
completion technologies during the 13th Five-Year Plan
period
Deep formations, contributing 30% to total oil resources
and 60% to total gas resources, containing the maximum
quantities of onshore residual resources, have the largest
development potential and face the most drilling challenges.
Wells in the Kuqa piedmont of Tarim Basin, the Anyue block
of Sichuan and deep formations of Bohai Bay Basin have an
average depth of more than 6000 m. In the Keshen block, a
key target in Tarim Oilfield for increasing natural gas reserves
and quick production during the 13th Five-Year Plan period,
the average well depth approaches 7000 m. In the pre-salt
reservoirs in East Sichuan Basin and existing exploration
areas in West Sichuan Basin, the average well depth is
more than 7000 m. Fig. 3 shows the well depth statistics of
CNPC's key exploration areas in Kuqa piedmont area and
SichuaneChongqing gas region.
With oil and gas exploration and development targets
becoming more complicated, well depth increasing, and high
temperature and high-pressure being more common, new
technical challenges (i.e. large temperature difference and
large pressure difference) occur frequently, leading to a higher
time efficiency of complex accidents during drilling and a
higher drilling cost. Thus, the drilling of deep and ultra-deep
Fig. 2. CNPC won the 45th E & P Meritorious Award for Engineering
Innovation.
 Wang HG et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 4 (2017) 319e326
Fig. 3. Average TVDs in key exploration zones of Kuqa piedmont area and
SichuaneeChongqing gas region.
wells becomes more challenging. The progress of reservoir
stimulation technique will affect the mainstream well type for
drilling, and “ultra-deep wells þ horizontal wells þ reservoir
stimulation” will become the biggest technical challenge in the
future. Fig. 4 shows the statistics of time efficiency of complex
accidents in ultra-deep wells above 6000 m in Kuqa piedmont
area and SichuaneChongqing gas region in the past three
years.
2.1. Benchmarking with overseas deep and ultra-deep
well drilling/completion technologies [7,17,22e29]
In developed countries, deep and ultra-deep well drilling
technologies are well established, with the drilling depth up to
15000 m. The auxiliary equipment is automatic and intelli-
gent, and the automatic drilling rigs capable of continuous trip
and continuous circulation are being developed. There are a
full series of deep rock breaking bits and auxiliary tools,
including durable PDC bits, HT-resistant cone bits, impreg-
nated bits and hybrid bits which are mature and applied in a
large scale. High-temperature water-based and oil-based dril-
ling fluids are successfully used. The measurement while
drilling (MWD) and control while drilling (CWD)
Fig. 4. Statistics of time efficiency of complex accidents in ultra-deep wells
above 6000 m in the Kuqa piedmont area and SichuaneChongqing gas region.
323
technologies are relatively mature, and the tools are charac-
terized by high HT tolerance, multiple measurable parameters,
high transmission rate, and high system reliability. Some high-
end products, including automatic vertical well drilling tools
and rotary steering systems, are maturely applied, and the
technologies in intelligent drill pipes and seismic while dril-
ling (SWD) have been applied in field operations. Deep well
cementing technology is adapted to the working conditions of
large temperature difference and large pressure difference in
HTHP and long cementing intervals. The available cementing
equipment, cementing tools and cement slurry systems are
mature, and a new generation of cementing materials is being
developed. Moreover, deep reservoir stimulation and other
technologies are relatively mature, and the HT-resistant frac-
turing fluids, staging tools and surface fracturing equipment
are kept in place. Coiled tubing operation technology and
equipment performance are improved continuously, and
extended to more applications, including deep operations and
reservoir stimulations.
In view of CNPC's technologies, the drilling and comple-
tion technologies for wells above 6000 m are becoming
mature, and those for wells between 7000 m and 8000 m have
demonstrated great breakthroughs. Especially, rigs for
10000 m deep wells and top drives, gas drilling, under-
balanced drilling and managed pressure drilling, high-
temperature and high-pressure cementing, and high-
temperature and high-density water-based drilling fluid reach
the advanced international level. Research on automatic and
intelligent drilling technologies has just started, and high
efficient rock breaking technology for highly abrasive forma-
tions needs to be further improved. Rock-breaking tools have
poor stability and reliability. MWD and CWD tools have low
resistance to high temperature and pressure and poor adapt-
ability. There is only one single reservoir stimulation tech-
nology. Moreover, the bits and downhole motors for deep and
ultra-deep wells, HT-resistant MWD tools, and cementing/
completion tools for ultra-deep wells rely on import or over-
seas services.
2.2. Challenges of CNPC's deep and ultra-deep well
drilling/completion technologies [7,17,29e31]
In a long run, there are still many challenges in deep and
ultra-deep well drilling. The deep and ultra-deep rocks are too
tight to be drilled. Many rock strata reflect complexities and
complicated pressure systems, which are difficult to be accu-
rately predicted. Rigs show low efficiency in deeper forma-
tions. The drilling tools at Level-II high-temperature (204  C)
and high pressure (137.9 MPa) are less adaptable, and the
drilling/completion technologies for Level-III hightemperature
(260  C) and high pressure (206.8 MPa) are not available yet.
Drilling in deep formations with high abrasiveness is ineffi-
cient and slow. Deep reservoirs are less stimulated. Multi-
pressure system is in conflict with the level of casing program.
To meet the above challenges, it is necessary to develop
more advanced technologies. Typically, the technical R&D
efforts should and will focus on automatic and intelligent
324 Wang HG et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 4 (2017) 319e326
drilling/completion technologies and equipment, high-efficient
HT-resistant downhole rock breaking tools and MWD/CWD
tools, HTHP well bore working fluids and cementing/
completion technologies, HTHP well test and formation test
equipment, and efficient deep reservoir stimulation technology
and equipment.
3. Future development of CNPC's deep and ultra-deep
well drilling/completion technologies during the 13th
Five-Year Plan period
3.1. Development ideas [32,33]
With the concept of “main business strategy driven, pro-
duction target oriented and top-level design” as a guidance,
great efforts should be made to acquire and develop cutting-
edge technologies. Independent technological innovation and
the introduction and absorption of new technologies should be
reinforced to keep their technical capabilities at a leading level
in the dominant sectors. The core technologies should be
upgraded to further improve their competitiveness. The unique
technologies should be integrated, and more researches should
be conducted on specific technologies against the “bottle-
necks” in production. The technologies facilitating business
chain extension should be developed to ensure the business
sustainability.
Wellbore life-cycle integrity management concept should
be reinforced and the most effective technical means should be
taken to prolong the borehole life, so as to maximize oil and
gas exploration and development benefits.
With the concept of engineering-geology integration and
collaborative innovation as a guidance, a group of cross-
discipline and cross-domain core technologies should be
developed to tackle the bottlenecks in deep and ultra-deep
wells.
With automatic and intelligent drilling equipment for deep
wells as leading technology, more efforts should be made to
accelerate the development of domesticalized drilling equip-
ment for deep and ultra-deep wells, so as to improve the
guarantee for main business and the international competi-
tiveness. With the support of informatization, large data and
engineering software, drilling information and service busi-
nesses should be upgraded. With speed, quality and reliability
as the key indexes, MWD leapfrog development should be
promoted by collaborative innovation. With reservoir stimu-
lation as a focus, geology-engineering integration should be
carried out to promote reserves and production increase.
Revolutionary measures should be taken to achieve more R&D
innovations.
3.2. Development objectives [32,33]
During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, CNPC is committed
to improve its deep and ultra-deep well drilling technologies to
the advanced international level. CNPC will research and
develop many core equipment, tools and softwares, including
automatic drilling rigs for deep wells, and intelligent drilling
optimization and remote decision support systems. CNPC will
develop innovatively and reserve proactively such key tech-
nologies as rigless drilling, seismic and geosteering while
drilling, deep reservoir stimulation, and rotary preliminary
exploration geosteering. Furthermore, drilling and completion
cycle for deep and ultra-deep wells will be shortened by 15%
and the time efficiency of complex accidents will be reduced
by 50%.
During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, some new R&D
results are expected, including core equipment (e.g. automatic
drilling rigs for deep wells, and well/production testing
packages for 140 MPa/175  C), working fluids (e.g. large
pressure difference cementing working fluids, and novel dual-
protective drilling fluids), high-end tools (e.g. high-efficient
bits, small-size downhole safety monitoring systems, and
high-speed high-capacity information transmission drill
pipes), and key softwares (e.g. drilling intelligent optimization
and remote decision support system).
3.3. Development orientation and planning [32,33]
According to CNPC's drilling science and technology
development thought and goal for the 13th Five-Year Plan, and
the planning principles of focusing on the integrated design of
national and corporate projects, main business demands, long-
term scientific and technological development capabilities,
and transformation and application of scientific and techno-
logical achievements, both national and corporate major sci-
ence and technology projects will be arranged as a whole with
the consideration to basic and common issues, equipment/
technology, and integrated/associated facilities.
3.3.1. New drilling/completion technologies and methods
for deep complex wells
In view of deep and complex formations where the well-
bore conditions are poor and challenging, researches will be
made on rigless drilling, efficient rock breaking, new materials
of working fluid, deep reservoir stimulation, and while-drilling
preliminary formation exploration. Such technologies as rig-
less drilling and efficient rock breaking are expected to reach
an advanced international level, and new theories of non-
contact rock breaking and wellbore integrity will come into
being. Specific efforts will be made on while-drilling pre-
liminary formation exploration and well test of reservoir
stimulation for ultra-deep wells, and key drilling/completion
technologies for deep wells will be developed for industrial-
ized application, so as to provide a basic support for sustain-
able development of drilling technologies.
Main researches will focus on:
(1) new technologies in improving cementing quality and
wellbore integrity under the condition of large-scale
volumetric fracturing, including micro expansive
ductile and large temperature difference cement slurry,
high strength-toughness and large pressure difference
cement slurry, anti-leakage cement slurry, and pre-flush
fluids for high-performance oil-based drilling fluids;
 Wang HG et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 4 (2017) 319e326
(2) rigless drilling technologies, including general design of
novel drilling devices, laboratory construction, and unit
experimental prototype;
(3) new technologies, methods and materials for efficient
rock breaking in high abrasive formations, including
new type bits, high frequency vibration for rock
breaking, while-drilling downhole vibration manage-
ment, and non-contact rock breaking;
(4) new materials and a new system of wellbore working
fluids, including new generation of wellbore working
fluid, environment-friendly drilling fluids and treating
agent, widely acceptable admixture, and new cementing
materials;
(5) mechanical mechanism and control technologies of
wellbore integrity for complex deep wells and horizontal
wells, including cement sealing completeness mecha-
nism, life-cycle drilling and completion string design,
micro fracturing in-situ stress detection for shale reser-
voirs, casing failure prevention, and wellbore integrity
detection technology;
(6) OCTG engineering application in the harsh service
conditions, including high-performance tubular goods;
(7) key technologies of reservoir stimulation and well test
for ultra-deep wells, including integrated completion
string and technological process, related technology/
equipment, and jet perforation technology; and
(8) downhole control engineering and while-drilling pre-
liminary formation exploration, including while-drilling
preliminary formation exploration methods.
3.3.2. New equipment and tools for automatic and high-
efficient drilling and completion of deep and ultra-deep
wells
In terms of deep and ultra-deep wells, their engineering and
geological conditions are complicated, and core technologies
are inadequate. Therefore, efforts will be made on automatic
and intelligent drilling technology and equipment, as well as
MWD/CWD technology and equipment, to form safe and
high-efficient drilling and completion technologies. These
technologies will provide a technical support for the efficient
exploration and development of oil and gas in deep reservoirs.
Main researches will focus on:
(1) automatic drilling technologies and equipment for deep
and ultra-deep wells, including efficient and fast drilling
technology and equipment for deep and ultra-deep wells,
while-drilling seismic wave measurement technology,
and while-drilling high-temperature measurement
equipment;
(2) key technologies and equipment for continuous tripping;
(3) key tools for high-performance assisted rock breaking
and completion & well testing, including supporting
tools for ROP enhancement, high-performance rock
breaking bits for deep reservoirs, HT-resistant rotary
automatic unlocking liner hangers, down hole safety
valves for high-pressure gas wells, HP-resistant
325
packers, and completion and well testing integrated
tools;
(4) high-strength and low-density OCTGs, including pipes
with high strength, low density and high performance/
price ratio;
(5) drilling engineering design & control integrated soft-
ware, including the upgraded version of drilling engi-
neering design & control integrated software, and real-
time drilling optimization and remote expert consulta-
tion decision support system.
3.3.3. Integration tests and popularization of drilling/
completion technologies
A batch of core drilling/completion technologies and
equipment will be improved, upgraded and finalized by tests.
Specific efforts will be made on such core technologies and
equipment as high-speed large-capacity information trans-
mission system, automatic processing devices of rig/strings for
wells between 5000 m and 7000 m in depth, and expandable
tubular drilling, and the core matching technologies such as
deep well and ultra-deep well drilling, completion and well
testing will be formed and put into large-scale application.
Such tests will include:
(1) field tests of major new drilling technologies, equipment
and tools, including automatic processing system of rigs/
strings for wells between 5000 m and 7000 m in depth,
electric rig 175 diesel generator set, particle impact
drilling technology, high-speed large-capacity informa-
tion transmission and intelligent drill pipes, while-
drilling down hole safety monitoring, and expandable
tubular drilling technology and equipment;
(2) integration and application of safe drilling/completion
technologies for complicated sulfur-containing
formations;
(3) integration and application of completion technologies
for HTHP wells with high acidic medium; and
(4) integration and application of optimized and fast dril-
ling/completion technologies in complex exploration
areas.
4. Conclusions and suggestions
During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, CNPC achieved fast
development of deep and ultra-deep well drilling/completion
technologies and made breakthroughs in terms of new type
rigs, managed pressure drilling, vertical drilling, oil-based
drilling fluid, large temperature difference cementing, ductile
cement slurry and others. As a result, complex accidents were
effectively controlled, ROP was increased significantly, and
drilling cycle was shortened. These technologies played an
important role in supporting CNPC's exploration and devel-
opment operations and improving the competitiveness of
drilling at home and abroad.
As oil and gas exploration and development extends further
to deep reservoirs, the SichuaneChongqing gas region, the
Kuqa piedmont area of the Tarim Basin and other key regions
326 Wang HG et al. / Natural Gas Industry B 4 (2017) 319e326
of CNPC for oil and gas reserves and production increase
during the 13th Five-Year Plan period are still facing many
technical challenges and cost pressure brought by low oil
price. Therefore, it is suggested that during the 13th Five-Year
Plan period, researches and tests will be focused on new
drilling/completion technologies and methods for deep and
complex wells, new equipment and tools of automatic and
high efficient drilling/completion for deep and ultra-deep
wells, and integration and application of drilling/completion
technologies. CNPC's deep and ultra-deep well drilling tech-
nologies are expected to reach advanced international level by
the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.
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