Record-Breaking Drilling Well Completed at Jimsar National Continental Shale Oil Demonstration Zone in Xinjiang

According to China Youth News, a milestone drilling result was announced by Xinjiang Oilfield on 6 July, with well JHW91-13 reaching full completion within the Jimsar National Continental Shale Oil Demonstration Zone. 

The well measures a total drilled depth of 5,501 metres with a vertical depth of 4,031 metres, finished after just 7.75 days of continuous drilling operations. This performance sets a new national record for the shortest drilling cycle among domestic continental shale oil wells of equivalent total depth, bringing operational efficiency up to advanced international benchmarks for comparable shale oil boreholes.

This landmark operational achievement validates a streamlined high-efficiency drilling pathway forged through independent domestic technological research and joint coordination between field operators and engineering contractors. Replicable and scalable practical experience has been established to support large-scale, cost-effective development of continental shale oil reserves across China’s sedimentary basins.

The Jimsar block hosts typical hard-to-exploit continental shale oil formations prevalent across domestic resource zones. Target high-quality oil-bearing strata measure merely 1.8 metres in thickness, accompanied by extreme reservoir heterogeneity that imposes stringent precision standards for well trajectory control. Interbedded mudstone layers create fragmented ground structures, introducing persistent instability risks for downhole drilling assemblies during all operational phases. 

Technical teams have integrated high-precision seismic imaging and intelligent fracture prediction technologies to construct a four-dimensional accurate regulation framework combining logging-while-drilling, comprehensive mud logging, mineral identification logging and matched engineering support systems. The integrated framework enables precise, rapid penetration through complex stratigraphic sequences and delivers steady improvements in the encounter ratio of productive oil-bearing layers.

Site construction crews adopt differentiated control strategies tailored to each individual drilling interval, with tiered risk mitigation frameworks deployed to address geological hazards. High-inhibition drilling fluid formulations are applied during the first drilling section to eliminate diameter shrinkage triggered by shallow mudstone swelling. 

High-performance oil-based drilling fluids are deployed for secondary section penetration, paired with dynamically optimised construction workflows to suppress sidewall collapse and fluid loss risks within fractured rock layers. 

The layered technical system builds robust safety safeguards for all downhole equipment and wellbore integrity.

Xinjiang Oilfield will carry out iterative upgrades to integrated geological and engineering technology systems across subsequent operational cycles. All technical breakthroughs trialled on single demonstration wells will be rolled out block-wide to lift overall drilling speed, product quality and economic returns across the full shale oil development zone. 

Additional testing of intelligent monitoring hardware and optimised drilling fluid formulations will proceed to further cut construction durations while sustaining full compliance with underground safety standards.