Xinjiang reports breakthrough in shale oil extraction from depths exceeding 4 km
Jimsar County in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has reported a technological breakthrough in extracting shale oil from deposits at depths exceeding 4,000 meters. As ECNS reports, the technology makes it possible to guide a drill bit through oil-bearing formations slightly more than one meter thick.
Demonstration zone in Jimsar
Jimsar is home to China’s first national demonstration zone for continental shale oil development. It covers an area of 1,278 square kilometers, while its shale oil resources are estimated at more than 1 billion tonnes.
Shale oil is liquid hydrocarbons contained in shale rock that can be extracted for further processing. The ECNS article describes it as an unconventional resource whose extraction involves complex technical challenges.
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Identifying oil-bearing formations
Chief geologist Chen Yiwei said that the team had worked for more than ten years to identify high-quality shale oil deposits. According to him, specialists developed a method for assessing shale oil mobility that helps study underground formations more accurately.
This method was combined with high-precision models created on the basis of seismic surveys and well logging. Chen Yiwei also said that drilling control technology in thin layers makes it possible to determine the distribution of oil-bearing formations more accurately and guide the drill bit at depths exceeding 4,000 meters.
