Sinopec tests ultradeep shale well

• Sinopec tested ultradeep well Tiebei 1HF at Project Deep Earth-Sichuan and Chongqing natural gas base.
• Flow testing produced 314,500 cu m/d, and the results will increase gas reserves in the Puguang area.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) tested well Tiebei 1HF at Project Deep Earth-Sichuan and Chongqing natural gas base in Sichuan, China.

The well was drilled to a vertical depth of 5,300 m and contains a 1,312-m horizontal section. This depth set a record for vertical depth of shale gas wells in China.

The well was fractured with Sinopec's 175 MPa ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) fracturing equipment to work in the high-pressure stratum at 5,300 m. Flow testing produced 314,500 cu m/d, and the results will increase gas reserves in the Puguang area.

Project Deep Earth drills into the Shunbei ultra deep carbonate condensate and gas reservoir in Tarim basin. The reservoir has an average burial depth of more than 7,300 m and contains 1.2 billion boe total recoverable reserves.

This is Sinopec’s third 100-billion cu m (bcm) submarine natural gas field in Sichuan basin, and the field is expected to produce 2 bcm of natural gas and 130,000 tons of sulfur annually (OGJ Online, Mar. 15, 2024; Jan. 24, 2024).