Geophysical Exploration Breakthrough | A First in China! Water-Based Drilling Fluid Test for Deep Shale Gas in Zhejiang Oilfield a Complete Success
Jun 09,2026
On April 11, the cementing of the production casing at the Da'an 9H horizontal well was successfully completed, marking the successful completion of the first water-based drilling fluid test for a deep shale gas well in China, led by Zhejiang Oilfield Company. The well reached a total depth of nearly 6100 meters, with a horizontal section length of 1900 meters. Water-based drilling fluid was used for drilling, completion, and logging throughout the fourth drilling phase, achieving a footage of 2860 meters. The fourth drilling phase had a drilling cycle of 32.17 days, a wellbore enlargement rate of 5.76%, and the casing was safely run in within 55 hours. All key indicators met or exceeded the test expectations.
Water-based drilling fluid technology, a proprietary technology of Zhejiang Oilfield, has achieved significant environmental and economic benefits in the application of water-based drilling fluids in shallow and medium-deep shale gas wells. However, deep shale gas reservoirs typically exceed 4,000 meters in depth, presenting numerous technical challenges during construction, including high wellbore temperatures, formation collapse, and high overall friction. These challenges place even greater emphasis on the high-temperature resistance, plugging and inhibition properties, and lubrication of drilling fluids. Developing deep shale gas water-based drilling fluid technology remains a world-class challenge. Responding to the China National Petroleum Corporation's (CNPC) green development strategy, the shale oil and gas revolution, and the need to cultivate leading shale gas technology, the oilfield company has tackled these challenges head-on, meticulously planned, and deployed research and testing of deep shale gas water-based drilling fluid technology, proactively seeking a green transformation and cost reduction/efficiency improvement in shale gas engineering technology.
Zhejiang Oilfield Company, in collaboration with Sichuan Qingyuan Drilling and China University of Petroleum (Beijing), formed a special research project team. Through two years of intensive research and experimentation, they successfully evaluated and optimized a "potassium brine-based biomimetic dual-hydrophobic water-based drilling fluid system." This system boasts comprehensive performance comparable to oil-based drilling fluids, with significant advantages such as environmental friendliness and low cost. During field trials at the Da'an 9H well, the project team assigned key technical personnel to be stationed at the well throughout the process, providing strong on-site technical support, analyzing and dynamically adjusting drilling fluid performance, and effectively solving technical challenges such as fracture development in the target formation and increased friction in complex trajectories. Throughout the well's construction, the wellbore exhibited high stability, excellent rock-carrying and sand-removing effects, and significant lubrication and drag reduction, without any complex engineering accidents. This fully validated the applicability and reliability of the water-based system in deep shale gas horizontal wells, providing detailed on-site data support and technical reference for the subsequent large-scale application of "water-for-oil" technology.
The successful on-site test of water-based drilling fluid for deep shale gas broke the previous reliance on oil-based drilling fluid for deep shale gas drilling, and achieved full-depth coverage of water-based drilling fluid technology from shallow, medium-deep to deep shale gas drilling. It fulfilled the group company’s requirements for shale gas revolution and building a pioneer in shale gas technology, and marked a key step in the green transformation of shale gas engineering technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
Next, the company will systematically summarize the experience and data from this test, and carry out continuous optimization across the entire chain from product development and system improvement to field application, further improving the key performance indicators of the water-based drilling fluid system, reducing the overall cost of use, and promoting the large-scale application of shale gas water-based drilling fluid.
BLOG
CONTACT
Tel: 0086-0551-65327898 / 65327899
Fax: 0086-0551-65327899
E-mail: hfgwe@hfgwe.com
Add: 9th Floor, Building A, G3, Phase II, Innovation Industry Park,No. 2800 Innovation Avenue, High-tech Zone, Hefei city,Anhui Province, China
Mobile website
Hefei Guowei Electronics Co., Ltd.
Subscribe Us
We will contact you within one working day. Please pay attention to your email.
CopyRight:Hefei Guowei Electronics Co., Ltd. Powered by 300.cn SEO