China raises deep geological core drilling capacity to 7,000 meters

(ECNS) -- China has increased its deep geological core drilling capacity to 7,000 meters with the commissioning of its first fully automated drilling rig for the geological and mining sector, the Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources said on Tuesday.

The ZJ50DB/XD70DB rig has been deployed at a scientific drilling site along the Xianshuihe Fault Zone in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The rig combines intelligent, digital and automated technologies and features several advanced systems, including centralized digital control of the entire drilling operation. Several of these technologies are being used for the first time in China.

Using different drilling configurations and techniques, the rig can perform conventional oil and gas drilling to depths of up to 5,000 meters and wireline coring to depths of up to 7,000 meters, supporting both rapid well construction and high-quality core sampling at depth.

At an elevation of 4,300 meters, the Xianshuihe Fault Zone is an active seismic fault system along the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau.

The scientific drilling project has a planned depth of 2,800 meters and a final borehole diameter of at least 122 mm. Directional drilling will be used to penetrate key sections deep within the fault zone at an angle and systematically retrieve core samples. Once drilling is complete, the borehole will be preserved for long-term scientific monitoring.

The project is expected to provide direct evidence of the fault zone's deep structure, material composition and physicochemical properties, supporting research into earthquake-generating mechanisms, regional disaster prevention and mitigation efforts, and the development of major infrastructure projects.

(By Zhang Dongfang)